Shen Suyu could no longer hold back and yanked her hand free from Meng Zhiqing’s grasp. “Meng Zhiqing, this matter hasn’t even been decided yet, and you’re already shouting about it—are you deliberately trying to make everyone at the sent-down youth office laugh at me?” Shen Suyu sneered. The original owner of this body was unlucky to have such a “friend”!
She then turned to the other girls in the room.
“Who among you went through my things?” Shen Suyu’s voice was icy, her gaze sharp and cold as it swept over them.
The girls flinched under her presence, instantly feeling guilty.
“Who went through your stuff? Don’t accuse innocent people here!”
“Yeah, what could be so valuable for us to care about?” The girls muttered, faces full of contempt.
Shen Suyu was unhurried, her cold gaze scanning each of their faces in turn. “Oh? If that’s the case, I’ll just report this to the authorities.”
“I just discovered that one hundred yuan is missing from my bag, suspected stolen. There are only a few of us in this room—the thief must be among you!”
“Everyone at the youth office is here, so let this be witnessed. In our sent-down girls’ dorm, such morally corrupt behavior—stealing from others—actually happened!” Shen Suyu deliberately raised her voice, making it audible to everyone in the courtyard.
Hearing that a hundred yuan was missing, a group of people gasped. The sent-down youth, like the villagers, earned labor points. After food and daily needs, the cash they could save amounted to only a few dozen yuan at most. Factory workers earned a monthly salary, but even then it would only be twenty or thirty yuan.
Shen Suyu claimed that a hundred yuan had gone missing—if the thief were caught, even a light sentence would be harsh. The girls living with her paled slightly at the claim.
“What? Still not telling the truth? Did you steal it?!” Shen Suyu then grabbed the wrist of a “lucky” girl. The accusation made the girl tremble all over.
“No, it wasn’t me! I just came back!” The girl shook her head frantically, her eyes catching Meng Zhiqing smirking nearby. She snapped, pointing sharply at Meng Zhiqing. “It’s her! I saw Meng Zhiqing sneaking around your bed as soon as she came back. If anyone stole it, it has to be her!”
“You… what nonsense are you saying? When did I ever go through Shen Suyu’s bed?” Meng Zhiqing had been watching the scene unfold, but now that she was accused, she stammered in shock.
Exactly the result Shen Suyu wanted.
“See clearly? Anyone who can identify the thief and provide proof will get five yuan from me as a reward after I retrieve my money!” She deliberately held up five fingers, and greed flashed across the other girls’ faces. She smirked inwardly. Let the chaos escalate—it was entertaining to watch them turn on each other. As for the five yuan, it was an empty promise; she wouldn’t remember saying it later.
“It’s her! When I was fetching water, I saw Meng Zhiqing skulking around your bed. She definitely stole it!”
“Yeah, we all saw it. Meng Zhiqing did it!”
“Yes, yes! Her family’s poor—maybe she was jealous of Shen Suyu having money, so she did it on purpose!” As expected, the other girls quickly switched sides, pointing all accusations at Meng Zhiqing. The onlookers outside whispered among themselves.
“No, I didn’t steal it, Xiaoyu! I’m your best friend! How could I ever steal from you?” Meng Zhiqing panicked, tugging at Shen Suyu’s hand and putting on a pitiful act. “Xiaoyu, someone is deliberately framing me. You’ll believe me, won’t you?” She cried and played the “emotional card” beautifully.
Shen Suyu, however, didn’t wait for her to finish. She yanked her hand away.
“Meng Zhiqing, please stop pretending to be close to me. It’s really awkward. Right now, I suspect you stole my private money. Since it can’t be directly verified, I’ll just report it to the authorities.”
With that, Shen Suyu gave Meng Zhiqing no chance to react and picked up the public phone of the sent-down youth office.
…Meanwhile, at the island camp.
In the commander’s office, Gu Yanshen had just returned. His jacket still carried the faint scent of soap from Shen Suyu, making him momentarily lost in thought. That woman always managed to surprise him. Despite her frail frame, she always seemed unyielding to everyone.
Gu Yanshen’s lips curved slightly, then immediately returned to a serious expression. Why was he thinking about her so much recently?
He shook off his thoughts and was about to work when a subordinate rushed in, panicked.
“Boss! Boss!”
Gu Yanshen frowned, slightly annoyed. “Discipline, discipline! Don’t forget what I taught you—don’t act hastily!”
“Yes, sir.” The subordinate didn’t dare utter another word.
Gu Yanshen’s expression softened. “What’s the matter?”
“The youth office—there’s trouble. A sent-down girl named Shen Suyu called the police…” Before the subordinate could finish, Gu Yanshen strode out the door.
The subordinate froze, confused.
By the time Gu Yanshen and his team reached the youth office, the courtyard was already in chaos. From a distance, they could hear Meng Zhiqing’s cries.
“Xiaoyu, what you’re doing is breaking my heart…”
Gu Yanshen frowned and walked straight in. The crowd immediately parted to make way for him.
Meng Zhiqing’s eyes lit up with joy—Commander Gu must have come specifically for her! Shen Suyu was doomed. Even if her supposed impropriety couldn’t be proven, her reputation would be ruined.
“What’s going on?” Gu Yanshen asked, not even glancing at Meng Zhiqing, and looked to Shen Suyu.
“Commander Gu, the women’s office says Shen Suyu is of bad conduct. They found birth control items in her bag, and that’s considered proof! But she even framed me for stealing her money to avoid punishment,” Meng Zhiqing jumped in, crying as if she had suffered a great injustice.
“Xiaoyu, I’m your best friend! I didn’t expect that you not only have improper conduct but now your character is in question too!” She cried while pretending to scold Shen Suyu.
The onlookers were unsure whom to believe.
Gu Yanshen’s cold gaze turned to Shen Suyu. “I’m asking you, Shen Suyu.”
Meng Zhiqing faltered, her face alternating between pale and blue. Shen Suyu nodded at Gu Yanshen before speaking.
“Meng Zhiqing keeps claiming that I’m of bad conduct. You didn’t steal any money, but everyone saw you go through my bag—you can’t deny it.”
She looked down at Meng Zhiqing with a deliberately mocking smile. “Since it wasn’t about stealing, then why were you going through my bag?”