Outside the bedroom.
Shen Yunrou knocked on the door again, but there was still no response from inside.
She turned to the two police officers and said apologetically,
“Comrades, I’m sorry. Maybe my sister is asleep and didn’t hear the knocking.”
Her best friend Bai Man snorted in dissatisfaction.
“Sleeping in broad daylight? I think Shen Ran is deliberately refusing to open the door. She definitely stole the jade bracelet!”
Shen Yunrou glanced at their worried-looking mother beside them and shook her head at Bai Man.
“Manman, stop talking…”
Bai Man refused to back down.
“I’m going to say it! Yunrou, you’re just too kind, that’s why Shen Ran keeps bullying you! Think about all the terrible things she’s done before. Why are you still protecting her? The police should just break the door open!”
Hearing this, a trace of coldness flashed in Mother Shen’s originally troubled eyes.
The jade bracelet was a family heirloom passed down through generations of the Shen family, specifically meant for the daughters.
Before Shen Ran was found and brought back, the bracelet had already been given to Yunrou.
Later, when Shen Ran learned about it, she made a huge scene in front of her, trying to demand the bracelet back.
Mother Shen refused.
Although Yunrou wasn’t related to the Shen family by blood, they had raised her for over ten years—she was practically their own daughter.
Shen Ran, on the other hand, had grown up in a mountain village and had developed many bad habits. She was selfish and rude.
Between the two girls, she naturally preferred the obedient and gentle Yunrou.
She originally thought the matter had already passed.
But more than a year later, Shen Ran was apparently still thinking about the jade bracelet.
People often said that family scandals shouldn’t be exposed publicly.
But Shen Ran had gone too far this time. She could no longer cover for her.
“Comrades, go ahead and break the door open. I have tools downstairs—I’ll bring them up for you.”
Just as she finished speaking—
Click.
The bedroom door suddenly opened.
Shen Ran stood there wearing a floral dress, leaning lazily against the doorframe. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
“Mom, I was just changing clothes, and you already brought people to break into my room? You really don’t care about my reputation at all. Are you even my biological mother?”
Mother Shen’s expression stiffened immediately.
“Xiao Ran, that’s not what I meant…”
Bai Man jumped forward and pointed at Shen Ran’s nose while scolding her.
“Stop pretending, Shen Ran! You’re the one who took the jade bracelet. Aunt Shen didn’t do anything wrong!”
Shen Ran slapped her hand away and covered her nose with a disgusted expression.
“Did you eat shit this morning? Why does your mouth smell so bad? Stay away from me!”
“You bitch! How dare you talk to me like that!”
Bai Man’s face turned livid. She lunged forward to scratch Shen Ran, but Shen Yunrou quickly stopped her.
“Manman, calm down. The police officers are still here—don’t forget the main issue.”
Bai Man immediately turned to the officers.
“Yes, yes! Officers, please search Shen Ran’s room. She must have hidden the jade bracelet somewhere!”
The two officers, who had been watching the drama unfold awkwardly, finally stepped forward.
One of them spoke.
“Comrade Shen Ran, someone reported that you stole a jade bracelet. Is that true?”
Shen Ran asked calmly,
“Who reported me?”
Bai Man raised her chin arrogantly.
“I did. So what?”
Shen Ran sneered.
“According to Article 64 of Chinese law, the person making the claim must provide evidence. What proof do you have that I stole the bracelet?”
This law existed in modern times.
But whether it existed in this parallel 1970s timeline, Shen Ran wasn’t sure.
In any case, nobody here was going to flip through a law book to check right now.
The key was simply to strike first.
Hearing Shen Ran’s question, everyone present looked at her with complicated expressions.
Especially Shen Yunrou.
She felt disdain in her heart. Shen Ran was just a village girl who had only finished elementary school—how could she possibly know anything about the law? She must be making it up.
Bai Man quickly reacted and shouted,
“Why should I prove it? You’re already a repeat offender who always bullies Yunrou!”
Shen Yunrou’s eyes turned slightly red as she spoke with a trembling voice.
“Sister, I know you like that jade bracelet very much. If it were other jewelry, I would give it to you. But the bracelet was a gift from Mom.
It’s the only thing that connects me to the Shen family. If it’s lost, I’ll be very sad.”
See how skilled this white lotus was?
She never directly said Shen Ran stole the bracelet.
She only acted pitiful and hinted slightly—and others would naturally stand up for her.
Sure enough, Mother Shen, who loved Yunrou the most, immediately spoke.
“That’s enough, Shen Ran. Stop causing trouble. Can’t you see your sister is upset?
Let the officers search your room. Whether you’re innocent or not will be clear after the search.”
How righteous she sounded.
Although Shen Ran had already experienced the original host’s helplessness through her memories, she still felt a bit stifled at this moment.
It was precisely because of such extremely biased family members that the original host had gradually walked down a desperate path.
No wonder she would rather abandon her body and reincarnate than face this family again.
“Fine. You can search my room.”
Shen Ran looked at everyone present.
“But I have one condition. Everyone else’s rooms must also be searched. That’s the only fair way.”
Mother Shen frowned.
“That’s not necessary…”
“Why not?” Shen Ran replied immediately. “You suspect I stole the bracelet, but I can also suspect that one of you stole it.
Officers, isn’t my suspicion reasonable? When investigating a case, you should verify everything instead of believing whatever someone says.”
The officer nodded.
“That’s true.”
Mother Shen’s face darkened slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Yunrou interrupted her.
“Mom, let the officers search. Since they’re already here, they can’t just handle it carelessly, right?”
One officer nodded approvingly.
“Comrade Shen Yunrou is right. Thank you for supporting our work.”
Now that things had reached this point, Mother Shen could no longer refuse.
“Alright. Please be careful during the search. My husband and I have some important books and materials in our room.”
Father Shen was a university history professor. Books were piled everywhere in the house—not only in the study but also in the bedroom.
He hated people messing up his things. If he couldn’t find a book he needed, he would get furious.
The officer nodded.
“Understood. Don’t worry.”
Soon, the search began.
The two officers first searched Shen Ran’s room, checking every corner.
But they didn’t find any sign of the jade bracelet.
Bai Man refused to believe it.
“That’s impossible! Shen Ran must have hidden it somewhere!”
Shen Ran immediately shot back,
“So what you mean is that you suspect the officers are covering for me—or that they didn’t do their job properly?”
The two officers’ gazes turned sharp like knives as they shot toward Bai Man.
“Comrade Bai Man, please do not disrupt the investigation. Otherwise, we will arrest you for obstructing official duties.”
Bai Man’s face turned pale instantly.
Her voice trembled as she stammered,
“Officers… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again…”