Nan Jin looked at him in anguish, her voice choked with sobs. “Gu Shaoxuan, I never thought that after growing up together and spending a year as husband and wife, this is how you see me?”
She turned around, retrieved a cloth cross-body bag from under her pillow, and pulled out a money transfer receipt to hand to the police officer.
“I’ll only show this receipt to the officers. You and your sister are not allowed to see it.”
Gu Qingya sneered coldly, “Why can’t we see it?”
Nan Jin turned her head away, refusing to look at her. However, when the officers saw the recipient’s name and address on the receipt, they exchanged puzzled glances.
Returning the receipt to Nan Jin, one officer asked curiously, “Why did you send money to him?”
Nan Jin carefully put the receipt away and explained softly, “Because he is the only one who has ever treated me sincerely.”
In truth, the money had been given to her by Gu’s father, and she was merely returning it.
The officers took detailed notes but found no useful clues.
As for the timeline she mentioned, it still needed further verification.
They advised her to rest and informed her that she could not leave Leshi City for the next couple of days.
Nan Jin nodded seriously. Only after they finished speaking did she ask quietly, “May I ask what exactly the Gu family lost?”
The officers exchanged strange looks, and one of them replied, “Everything!”
Nan Jin stared at them blankly, then turned her gaze to Gu Shaoxuan and his sister, her voice rising sharply. “Everything? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you heard,” one officer said, glancing around her room.
As Nan Jin tried to avert her eyes, she noticed that Gu Qingya had, at some point, opened her woven bag and was rummaging through it.
Furious, she rushed over to stop her. “Gu Qingya, what are you doing? How dare you go through my things?”
Gu Qingya tossed her clothes out and snapped angrily, “Where’s the money? The remaining thousand yuan—where have you hidden it?”
Nan Zhu had already spent five hundred yuan as soon as she got the money. If the remaining thousand stayed in her hands, it would surely be gone soon.
She had to get that money back—it was her security for establishing herself in her future in-laws’ home.
Nan Jin’s face darkened, tears welling in her stubborn eyes but refusing to fall.
She turned to the officers and said, “Comrades, are you just going to stand by and watch her go through my things? I want to report her for stealing my money.”
Gu Shaoxuan also raised his voice to stop Gu Qingya’s tantrum. “Enough, Qingya! How long are you going to keep this up?”
Gu Qingya shoved him angrily and screamed hysterically, “What do you mean, ‘keep this up’? She took so much money from our family. If we don’t get it back quickly, are we supposed to wait until she spends it all?”
Gu Shaoxuan’s expression turned grim, especially when he met Nan Jin’s stubborn, hurt gaze, making him feel utterly ashamed.
He grabbed his sister’s arm and pulled her out of the room. “Enough!”
The commotion had drawn the attention of guests from nearby rooms, who were now gathered outside, watching curiously.
Seeing them emerge, the onlookers exchanged glances and stepped aside to make way.
The officers said to Nan Jin, “We will issue a strict warning and criticism to Comrade Gu Qingya for her behavior.”
“However, Comrade Nan Zhu, after this incident, it’s probably not safe for you to stay here anymore. Why don’t you come back to the police station with us for now?”
Nan Jin trembled slightly. Glancing at the crowd outside, she realized she could no longer stay there.
After all, these people knew she had a large sum of money on her. Although she had her space and they couldn’t steal the money, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t take desperate measures and resort to murder.
“You’re not going to lock me up, are you?”
She still carried the psychological scars from the experiences of her former self.
The police officer quickly reassured her, “You’re not a criminal. Why would we lock you up? If you don’t want to go to the police station, you can switch to another guesthouse or stay with a friend.”
Nan Jin stuffed the clothes that had been tossed out back into her woven bag and shook her head gently. “I don’t have any friends.”
“I’ll go with you to the police station for tonight. Once it’s daylight tomorrow, I’ll deposit the rest of the money, and then I won’t have to worry anymore.”
The officers nodded slightly. After she finished packing, they accompanied her downstairs to check out, then took her to the police car and brought her back to the station.
When they arrived at the station, Yuan Zheng happened to rush in as well.
He had gone to the Gu residence after hearing about the theft, carefully inspected the scene, and gathered information before coming to the police station to follow up.
Seeing Nan Jin, he frowned slightly and said calmly, “Why are you here?”
Nan Jin carried her woven bag to a corner, sat down, hugged the bag tightly, and curled up.
“They said it wasn’t safe for me to stay at the guesthouse, so they brought me here to make do for the night.”
Seeing the girl like this, Yuan Zheng’s heart trembled involuntarily.
He turned to one of the officers and said, “She’s injured and just had a miscarriage a couple of days ago. If she sits like this until morning, she’ll definitely develop health issues.”
“I’ll take her back to rest first.”
The officers knew him and agreed without hesitation.
Yuan Zheng then inquired about the police investigation results, which, of course, yielded nothing.
Although Nan Jin’s timeline still needed further investigation, it seemed unlikely there were any major issues.
Yuan Zheng stood beside Nan Jin, bent down, and reached out to help her up. “Xiao Zhu, get up and come back with me.”
Nan Jin looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like a wounded little white rabbit.
“But I’m divorced from Gu Shaoxuan now, and you’re not my uncle anymore.”
Yuan Zheng’s heart quivered, but he straightened his expression and said seriously, “Comrade Nan Zhu, I am a soldier. Protecting the people is my duty, regardless of anything else.”
“Your current situation is precarious. You were the last one to leave the Gu residence before the theft. Stay with me for the next couple of days.”
Hearing this, Nan Jin didn’t refuse anymore.
The thought of sitting here all night made her fear she might indeed develop health issues.
Although it was already May, the nights were still chilly, and given her weakened state, she was particularly susceptible to illness.
When she tried to stand up, she realized her legs had already gone numb from sitting.
Yuan Zheng took her woven bag for her, and she leaned against the wall to stand, her legs bent unnaturally and trembling uncontrollably.
He frowned, and the officer beside them suddenly remembered, “Regiment Commander Yuan, she said she hasn’t eaten dinner.”
Yuan Zheng’s expression darkened, his voice carrying authority. “Why didn’t you eat dinner?”
Nan Jin tried to take a couple of steps, feeling slightly better. “I forgot.”
In truth, she hadn’t actually skipped dinner—she had taken food from her own system, but since there was no record of it, she had to say she hadn’t eaten.
Given her current physical condition, she needed to take good care of herself. There was no way she would actually neglect her own well-being.
Yuan Zheng’s thick brows furrowed so deeply they nearly knotted together as he reached out to help her up and out.
Nan Jin declined his assistance, slowly making her way out on her own. “I can manage by myself,” she said.
Watching her stubborn demeanor, Yuan Zheng muttered to himself: How has her temperament changed so much since childhood?
When she was little, Nan Zhu was quick to tears, but now she’s as stubborn as an old mule.