Qin Shanhai’s gaze was sharp. When he looked at Tao Xiaohong, it gave her an overwhelming sense of pressure.
She didn’t dare stay any longer and hurriedly said, “I’m not feeling well. I’ll go home and rest first.”
She turned and left quickly.
Qin Shanhai called to the security department, “Take these two thieves to the police station.”
“Yes!”
The thieves were taken away. As the factory director, Qin Shanhai also went to the station to explain the situation.
Xie Yulan had gone to the restroom, and the rest of the security staff were out on patrol. Only Qin Yanzhou and Mianbao remained in the office.
Qin Yanzhou looked at Mianbao leisurely.
Mianbao held an enamel cup bigger than her face with both hands and took a big sip of warm water.
“Uncle… did I do something wrong?” she finally asked, unable to hold it in. His constant gaze made her uneasy.
He already didn’t like her—she couldn’t make him dislike her even more.
Qin Yanzhou curled his lips slightly. “Little radish, did you know there were thieves in the warehouse?”
In front of his parents, she was always obedient, but today she had insisted on going to that dark, remote warehouse to play hide-and-seek.
Most children her age would be scared, not eager to go.
Mianbao blinked her big, innocent eyes.
“No, no… I don’t know… I don’t know…”
Her dark eyes darted around. Her heart raced as she set the cup down, grabbed the hem of her clothes, and lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
Qin Yanzhou narrowed his eyes. “Children shouldn’t lie or hide things.”
“Qin Yanzhou.”
Someone called from outside.
The door opened, and a colleague from the security department who had gone to the station walked in.
“The police want you to go give a statement.”
“Got it. I’ll go now.”
He stood up. Before leaving, he reached out and ruffled Mianbao’s neatly combed hair, static crackling.
Mianbao quickly covered her head, her clear eyes wide.
She looked both adorable and funny.
As Qin Yanzhou left, Mianbao let out a long sigh of relief.
She was almost discovered!
Hehe… she really did know there were thieves in the warehouse.
Because at noon, she had seen it in her mind—the thieves damaging and stealing fabric, causing huge losses. The factory couldn’t deliver on time, had to pay a lot of money, and Grandpa, the factory director, was blamed by everyone. His once straight back bent under the pressure.
Mianbao didn’t want Grandpa to be blamed.
When Xie Yulan returned, she saw Mianbao’s hair standing on end from static.
“That brat is lucky he ran off before I caught him,” she muttered, knowing exactly who did it.
Mianbao hugged her.
“Grandma, I want to go home.”
“Alright, Grandma will take you home.”
She carried Mianbao away.
Qin Shanhai and Qin Yanzhou didn’t return until midnight. Mianbao was already asleep. Xie Yulan got up and put on a coat.
“Why are you getting up?” Qin Shanhai asked.
“I’m awake anyway. So? What did the thieves say?”
Qin Shanhai and Qin Yanzhou each soaked their feet in basins. Qin Yanzhou said angrily, “They confessed. Said Zhang Erzhu told them to do it.”
Zhang Erzhu was one of Li Minghui’s underlings, always hanging around him.
Qin Yanzhou didn’t believe Li Minghui had nothing to do with it.
But when the police went to arrest Zhang Erzhu, he had already run away. Without evidence pointing to Li Minghui, they couldn’t arrest him—at most, they could question him.
Qin Shanhai also felt something wasn’t right.
The Qin and Li families had always stayed out of each other’s business, aside from some friction between the younger generation.
When he had gone to the Li family earlier to discuss Tao Xiaohong, they had been polite and promised to restrain Li Minghui.
So why had this happened today?
And… Qin Shanhai’s eyes grew deeper—Tao Xiaohong’s behavior tonight was also strangely off.
Just as Qin Shanhai and Xie Yulan lay down, Mianbao, sleeping on the inner side, suddenly flailed her arms.
“No… don’t sell Mianbao…”
They quickly woke her.
“Mianbao…”
She had another nightmare.
The moment she opened her eyes and saw familiar faces, she threw herself into Xie Yulan’s arms.
“Waa… don’t sell Mianbao… Mianbao will keep it secret… I won’t tell…”
She was still half trapped in her dream.
Qin Shanhai and Xie Yulan exchanged glances, both puzzled.
After a while, Mianbao calmed down. Qin Shanhai gave her a sip of warm water.
“Mianbao, tell Grandpa—who did you dream would sell you?”
Mianbao shook her head. “Can’t say… can’t say…”
Xie Yulan coaxed gently, “Tell Grandpa and Grandma. We’ll protect you. We won’t let anyone sell you.”
Mianbao thought seriously.
That’s right—Grandpa and Grandma were strong. They would protect her. She didn’t need to be afraid!
Under their gentle coaxing, she sobbed as she spoke, “It… it was Sister Tao Xiaohong… that day I saw her go into the alley with an uncle… I followed them… she said if… if I talked nonsense, she would sell me…”
After saying this, she buried herself in Xie Yulan’s arms, her small shoulders trembling.
Qin Shanhai and Xie Yulan were both shocked, angry, and heartbroken.
They were shocked because Tao Xiaohong had always seemed obedient and honest—how could she say such things?
Qin Shanhai clenched his fists.
“How dare she… how dare she!”
Xie Yulan was furious and disappointed. “Mianbao is so young, and she dares to threaten her like this!”
Qin Shanhai asked, “Mianbao, do you recognize the man you saw?”
Finally releasing what she had been holding in for days, Mianbao relaxed—and fell asleep mid-cry, unable to answer.
Xie Yulan gently laid her back down and tucked her in.
Neither of them could fall asleep.
Meanwhile, at the Tao house, in the dead of night, Tao Xiaohong wrapped in a thick coat sneaked to the path behind the house.
At this hour, every household was already asleep.
Li Minghui suddenly jumped out from the shadows like a toad.
“Ah—!” Tao Xiaohong was startled and quickly covered her mouth.
They both looked around nervously.
Tao Xiaohong grabbed him. “What about it? It won’t be traced back to me, right?”
Li Minghui pulled her into his arms.
“Relax. When you sent someone to pass me a note, I had Zhang Erzhu run in advance. The police won’t find him.”
“This matter won’t lead back to us.”
Tao Xiaohong finally let out a long breath.
Li Minghui grabbed her hand impatiently.
“Xiaohong, I helped you so much—shouldn’t you…”
She pushed him away. “Not here.”
He frowned and pulled her back. “Don’t tell me you’ll just dump me after using me.”
“Am I that kind of person? I’ve given you everything—don’t you trust me?” she soothed, touching his face gently. “At this critical moment, we can’t make any mistakes.”
“We absolutely can’t let anyone discover our relationship!”
Li Minghui was still dissatisfied, restless like a cat scratching inside him.
“Who’s there?!”
A beam of flashlight suddenly shone over.