“He picked up those bad habits from that old woman in the countryside.” Mrs. Xiao glared at Father Xiao. “Your mother really did a fine job raising him.”
Father Xiao fell silent. Mrs. Xiao had never liked her mother-in-law, so the old lady had been left alone in the countryside with almost no contact.
“I’m not eating. You all go ahead.” Xiao Yan felt irritated. She had a nagging feeling that things were not as simple as they seemed.
But she did not believe Xiao Ming would lie, much less frame Xiao Chen.
“Did you go see that unfilial son?” Father Xiao suddenly asked.
“I did,” Xiao Yan replied.
“Did he admit his mistake? If he doesn’t apologize properly, he can forget about coming back.”
“He… never intended to come back at all.” Xiao Yan left those words behind, leaving Father Xiao stunned, and went upstairs alone.
Back in her room, the more Xiao Yan thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
Whether it was the broken vase or the stolen bracelet, it had all been Xiao Ming’s word.
There was no solid evidence proving that Xiao Chen had done those things.
But Xiao Ming had always been such a well-behaved child. How could he possibly lie?
After thinking for a moment, she turned on her computer and connected to the home surveillance system.
She began reviewing the footage from last month, around the time the vase was broken.
However, the recordings from that day had been completely deleted.
As she scrolled backward through the timeline, she suddenly stopped.
On the day of the incident, Xiao Ming had entered her room.
She hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone and sent a WeChat message. “Junior, can you help me recover the data from our home surveillance hard drive?”
The next day, Xiao Chen met up with Song Ziyan to tutor her.
They met inside a KFC.
Song Ziyan wore her hair in two ponytails and a knee-length dress. She looked sweet and adorable.
“I ordered breakfast for you.” Song Ziyan handed him a cup of soy milk.
“I really shouldn’t trouble you,” Xiao Chen said awkwardly.
A full breakfast set at KFC cost nearly 30 yuan. Xiao Chen normally wouldn’t dare spend that much.
“You’re tutoring me. I’m treating you to breakfast. What’s wrong with that? Hurry and eat. We’ll start after.” Song Ziyan blinked playfully.
“Then thank you.” Xiao Chen stopped being polite and began eating.
Song Ziyan rested her chin in her hand, her bright eyes almost unable to leave him.
“Brother looks even more handsome than before.”
“He probably doesn’t remember me.”
“How should I tell him who I am? I was only eight years old back then. It’s been ten years.”
When Xiao Chen lifted his head, he met her affectionate gaze.
“Ah.” Song Ziyan flushed bright red and quickly looked away.
Xiao Chen found it strange. The way she looked at him felt different.
In his previous life, they had only known each other for less than a year before losing contact.
They had barely spoken. He didn’t know much about her.
“I’m done eating. Let’s begin,” Xiao Chen said.
“Okay, let’s start.” Song Ziyan’s heart pounded. She had not yet recovered from the embarrassment of locking eyes with him.
She hurriedly opened her bag and took out her physics textbook and test papers.
Xiao Chen took the exam paper she handed him. It was last week’s key test.
After analyzing the incorrect answers, he quickly understood her weak points.
He began explaining similar example problems to her.
Song Ziyan listened attentively, looking obedient, occasionally taking notes. Time passed quickly.
Her grades were already good, and she was smart.
With just a little guidance, she understood the difficult parts of physics. Before they knew it, an entire afternoon had passed.
“That’s about it. Go back and redo the questions I circled. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’ll explain it next week.” Xiao Chen stretched.
“Ah, okay.” Song Ziyan seemed surprised at how quickly time had passed.
“Thank you, Xiao Chen. The techniques you explained never occurred to me before.”
“No need to thank me. We’re deskmates.” Seeing her adorable expression, Xiao Chen reached out and gently patted her head.
Her body trembled slightly. A scene from ten years ago flashed through her mind.
A little boy had patted her head and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye.
But the young boy in front of her no longer remembered her.
“Xiao Chen, I…” She gathered her courage, wanting to tell him what she had kept in her heart for years.
At that moment, an untimely voice interrupted. “Xiao Chen, so this is where you are?”
Xiao Qian stood in front of him arrogantly, looking ready to settle accounts.
The gentleness in Song Ziyan’s eyes instantly turned into hostility. She could clearly hear the malice in Xiao Qian’s tone.
“What do you want now?” Xiao Chen frowned as he looked at Xiao Qian’s aggressive expression.
“Did you steal my Cartier Bracelet?” Xiao Qian demanded sharply.
“The one Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday. I barely wore it, and two months ago it suddenly went missing.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.” Xiao Chen recalled it.
The bracelet worth 80,000 yuan had gone missing two months ago. Xiao Qian had suspected him and even searched his room.
When nothing was found, the matter was dropped.
Now it was being brought up again. Most likely his scheming younger brother was stirring trouble once more.
“No one else came to our house except you. If it wasn’t you, who else could it be?” Xiao Qian sneered, her expression full of contempt. “Country people are always light-fingered.”
“What’s wrong with being from the countryside? Do you have evidence?” Song Ziyan’s eyes turned cold.
“If you don’t have evidence, that’s slander.”
“Who are you? What does this have to do with you?” Xiao Qian ignored Song Ziyan and stared at Xiao Chen. “If you’re a man, have the courage to admit it.”
“If I took it, I would admit it. But I didn’t. What do you want me to admit?” Xiao Chen said indifferently.
“Xiao Chen, you’re truly despicable.” Xiao Qian’s contempt deepened. “Mom and Dad were right. You’re a jinx.”
“Not only are you a jinx, you’re a disaster. Ever since you came to our house, problems have kept happening.”
“Xiao Qian, if you have evidence, then call the police.” Xiao Chen’s expression darkened. “But if you continue attacking my character, don’t blame me for being rude.”
“Haha, character? That’s hilarious. Someone like you has character?” Xiao Qian laughed loudly.
Holding her phone, she said, “I’ll give you one more chance. Admit that you took it and return it. I won’t call the police.”
“Otherwise, once we’re at the station, it’ll be too late for regrets. You’re 18 now. You can bear criminal responsibility.”
“Call the police. Right now.” Xiao Chen took out his phone. “Are you calling, or am I?”
“You…” Xiao Qian was stunned. She hadn’t expected Xiao Chen to be so firm.
Gritting her teeth, she dialed 110 and reported the case.
After hanging up, she said viciously, “Just wait. It’s too late to regret now.”
The police arrived quickly, as officers happened to be nearby handling another case.
Since the amount involved was large, the case was handed directly to the criminal investigation unit.
A detective in his thirties arrived and asked about the situation.
Both sides stuck to their own accounts. It was impossible to determine the truth on the spot, so they were taken to the station to give statements.
“Xiao Chen, I’ll go with you.” Song Ziyan grabbed him as he was about to get into the police car.
“It’s fine. I’ll just explain everything clearly. You should head back. Don’t delay your time,” Xiao Chen said with a reassuring smile.
“But I’m afraid she’ll bully you.” Song Ziyan shot Xiao Qian a hostile glance.
“She can’t bully me. Don’t worry.” Xiao Chen comforted her before getting into the car.
As the police car drove away, Song Ziyan took out her phone and made a call. “Uncle, my classmate has been falsely accused. His name is Xiao Chen. He’s been taken away by officers from the Linxi Sub-Bureau.”
“The detective in charge is named Zhou Jun… I’m worried my classmate will be mistreated. Could you put in a word for him?”