The accusation was theft.
And not just anyone making it—a female soldier from a military cultural troupe claiming her watch had been stolen.
The train attendant, who had been organizing passengers disembarking at the station, immediately pushed through the crowd and looked sternly at Shen Niao, whose suitcase was being gripped by Song Tianyao.
“What’s going on here?”
Song Tianyao’s eyes flickered nervously as she pointed at Shen Niao.
“She stole my watch. I want to inspect her suitcase.”
Truthfully, she’d only shouted in a fit of anger.
But since she’d already made the accusation, she had to follow through.
Only by opening the suitcase could she find out what that fat woman had been using on her face.
One was a female soldier from a military cultural troupe.
The other was an ordinary passenger.
Although the passenger was stunningly beautiful and carried herself with extraordinary poise, the train attendant only hesitated briefly before raising a hand toward Shen Niao.
“Comrade, please open your suitcase and cooperate with the inspection.”
Watching Song Tianyao’s performance, Shen Niao’s eyes turned cold.
When she saw the attendant immediately believe the accusation, she rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Cooperate with an inspection? Just because she said so?”
She looked directly at the attendant.
“Comrade, I suspect you’re colluding with her to frame me and deliberately bully an ordinary citizen.”
Then she raised her voice.
“Everyone, come take a look! A train attendant and a military cultural troupe soldier are abusing their authority to bully civilians!”
Her loud shout immediately drew the attention of passengers waiting to disembark.
Some stopped to watch the spectacle unfold.
The attendant panicked, his expression turning ugly.
“Who’s bullying you? This comrade said you stole her belongings. I only asked you to open your suitcase for inspection.”
Song Tianyao immediately chimed in.
“If you didn’t steal it, why won’t you let us inspect it?”
By then, several female soldiers from the neighboring carriage had squeezed through the crowd.
Without even understanding what had happened, they instinctively gathered around Song Tianyao, clearly intending to support her.
“Yeah! If you didn’t steal anything, why won’t you open it?”
“Just open it already. One look and we’ll know whether you stole it or not.”
“You look respectable enough. Who would’ve thought you’d stoop to stealing watches?”
The crowd almost unanimously sided against Shen Niao.
Watching Shen Niao stand alone against everyone else, Song Tianyao couldn’t help curling the corners of her lips into a smug smile.
Shen Niao, however, remained completely composed.
She glanced at Song Tianyao’s triumphant expression before letting out a cold laugh.
“I want the railway police.”
“I’d like to report this female comrade and the train attendant for making false accusations and attempting to violate my personal privacy.”
“I’ll explain everything after the railway police arrive.”
Her calm, organized response made the attendant hesitate.
He instinctively glanced toward Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao hadn’t expected Shen Niao to immediately call for the railway police.
But since things had already escalated this far, she could only stubbornly press on.
“What do you mean false accusations? If you didn’t steal it, just open the suitcase!”
“If you refuse to let anyone inspect it… maybe you’re hiding something much worse inside.”
In those days, spies were still a real concern.
Shen Niao’s determination to protect her suitcase naturally made some people suspicious.
The attendant nodded in agreement, looking at her with increasing suspicion.
Shen Niao couldn’t be bothered arguing any longer.
Just then, she spotted two railway police officers approaching in uniform.
She immediately addressed them.
“Officer, this woman forcibly grabbed my suitcase as I was getting off the train in an attempt to seize my personal property. That constitutes an infringement upon my property rights and seriously violates both my personal freedom and property rights.”
She then pointed at the train attendant.
“And this attendant demanded that I open my suitcase solely based on her one-sided accusation.”
“May I ask whether a train attendant has the legal authority to inspect a passenger’s luggage?”
“Lastly…”
“If my suitcase does not contain her watch, does her accusation constitute false reporting?”
After hearing her statement, both railway police officers looked at Shen Niao with surprise.
The older officer pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Comrade, everything you’ve said is correct.”
“According to the law, forcibly grabbing another person’s luggage without permission constitutes an infringement upon personal property.”
“Train attendants also have no authority to compel passengers to open their luggage.”
“And if her watch is not found in your suitcase, then her accusation would indeed constitute false reporting.”
The moment those words fell…
The crowd erupted.
“So that’s how it works?”
“Just accusing someone of theft and demanding to search their luggage can actually involve so many legal issues?”
As for Song Tianyao…
She had thought Shen Niao was simply making things up.
She never imagined the railway police would confirm every word.
Her face instantly turned pale.
“I… I don’t want to inspect it anymore.”
“If it’s lost, then it’s lost.”
“I’m not checking anymore.”
She backed down immediately.
The panic on her face was impossible to hide.
Even the female soldiers who had rushed over to support her quietly fell silent.
The train attendant’s expression was even uglier.
When Song Tianyao suddenly declared she no longer wanted to inspect the suitcase, he glared at her with obvious resentment.
Meanwhile…
Shen Niao held her suitcase in one hand and rested the other on her hip, speaking in an arrogant, spoiled tone.
“Too late.”
“You publicly accused me of stealing your watch.”
“You’ve already damaged my reputation.”
“You also forcibly grabbed my suitcase and attempted to search it.”
“You think saying ‘never mind’ is enough to end this?”
“It isn’t that simple.”
“Searches?”
She smiled coldly.
“Then let’s search.”
“Not only should I be searched…”
“I suggest the railway police thoroughly inspect this female soldier and every one of her companions.”
“Including everyone traveling with her in the neighboring carriage.”
“She’s been visiting that carriage constantly these past few days.”
“Who knows? Maybe someone over there stole the watch.”
Didn’t they want to search people?
Fine.
Then search everyone.
Completely muddy the waters.
The female soldiers were stunned.
They never expected the fire to spread to them.
Several immediately glared angrily at Song Tianyao.
“Song Tianyao, was your watch really stolen?”
“So are we searching or not? Say something!”
“Don’t tell me you deliberately framed her!”
Surrounded by everyone’s questioning gazes, Song Tianyao found herself trapped.
If she insisted on searching…
There definitely wouldn’t be any watch inside the suitcase.
Then she’d officially be guilty of false accusation.
With the railway police already involved, and Shen Niao clearly someone difficult to deal with, she might even report the matter to the cultural troupe.
But if she backed down now…
After causing such a huge scene, she’d become the laughingstock of the troupe for a very long time.
After weighing the consequences…
She clenched her teeth.
Then suddenly slapped her forehead as if remembering something.
“I remembered!”
“I left the watch inside my thick winter coat.”
“When the weather got warmer after we arrived here, I took the coat off and forgot to take the watch out.”
It was a flimsy excuse.
Plausible…
But flimsy.
Judging by the expressions of the female soldiers who had been defending her moments earlier…
Not a single one believed it.
As for the train attendant…
If looks could curse, Song Tianyao would have been cursed hundreds of times over.
Shen Niao couldn’t care less about the silent exchange happening around her.
She calmly pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the spot on her arm where Song Tianyao had grabbed her.
Her face was filled with undisguised disgust.
After wiping herself clean…
She casually tossed the handkerchief onto Song Tianyao’s face.
The cloth slowly fluttered down over Song Tianyao’s twisted expression.
At the same time, Shen Niao spoke leisurely.
“So you’ve finally remembered where your watch is?”
“Then I suppose there’s no need to open my suitcase anymore.”
She smiled sweetly.
“Next time, please think carefully before deciding something else has been stolen.”
“Otherwise you’ll end up grabbing my suitcase and shouting nonsense all over again.”
The sarcasm was unmistakable.
Several passengers watching nearby couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Song Tianyao’s face burned with humiliation.
She wished she could tear Shen Niao apart.
But all she could do was grit her teeth.
“N-No… nothing else is missing.”
“Nothing else?”
Shen Niao nodded.
“Good.”
“Then I’d like you to apologize.”
“You falsely accused me of stealing your belongings, delayed my trip, and ruined my mood.”
“Asking for an apology isn’t too much, is it?”
“Otherwise…”
“I’ll have to speak with whoever’s leading your troupe.”
“I’d really like to know whether this is the standard of conduct expected from female soldiers in the Beijing Military Cultural Troupe.”
She looked directly at Song Tianyao.
The smile on her beautiful face was sweet and charming.
Yet to Song Tianyao…
It was utterly infuriating.
Her fists clenched tightly.
Finally, she lowered her head and muttered through gritted teeth,
“…I’m sorry.”
“Hmph.”
“That’s more like it.”
Shen Niao’s smile deepened.
Without sparing another glance at the trembling Song Tianyao, she thanked the two railway police officers.
As she walked past the train attendant, she gave him a meaningful look before calmly leaving the station.
While Shen Niao successfully resolved this minor incident…
Back in Beijing…
The Shen and Wu families had become entangled in a far bigger crisis.