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Tang Wan finished speaking, and the entire living room was so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed distinctly audible.
Even Tang Mo's classmates had noticed something was amiss; earlier, with all their brazenness, this eldest miss of the Tang Family wasn't completely indifferent.
She was enduring, gathering strength!
When she made her move, it was enough to make your heart tremble.
*
At this moment, the police car had already stopped at the entrance of the Tang Family's house, and the servant immediately went to open the door.
The Jiang Family originally stood at the entrance but had now retreated behind Jiang Jinsang.
"The person who reported the case is..." The leading police officer entered the house with six people. After all, it was the Tang Family who reported the theft, so they specifically brought a few extra people.
"It was me." Tang Wan stood up and walked over to them, briefly explaining the situation.
"The item is indeed missing, so you can't really be sure if it's actually lost or stolen, can you?" The police needed to clarify the rationale before conducting a search.
"Now the item is gone, and although the amount isn't large, I'm quite sorry to trouble you to come here. It's just that today, only this group of kids entered my room, and they are friends of my sister."
"They came here clean, and I can't let them leave with a stain on their reputation."
"Some things are inconvenient for me to do, but you have more authority, and I hope you can prove their innocence as well."
Jiang Jinsang sat to the side, a slight smile suddenly appearing on his lips.
He hadn't realized she was quite good at talking nonsense.
"Is everyone here?" The police officer surveyed the surroundings, his gaze falling on Jiang Jinsang.
"He's not a suspect, just a friend of mine. By the time he entered, the item was already missing." Tang Wan hurriedly explained.
"Alright then. If the stolen item is on anyone, please take it out; otherwise, we'll have to start searching." The police didn't want to go through the hassle of searching, which was cumbersome. If someone stepped forward voluntarily, that would be ideal.
After those words, the living room remained silent.
"Miss Tang, could you please describe the missing item..."
After hearing Tang Wan's description, the police asked the students who had entered Tang Wan's room to come forward. At this moment, a girl's legs went weak, and she sat on the sofa, her body shaking like a sieve...
The policeman's eyes were still sharp. "Student, please stand up!"
His voice was sharp and penetrating, scaring the girl into a momentary blank mind. The bag clutched in her hand was snatched away, and a pair of Cyan Feather Bidentate Lotus earrings fell out.
"These are the earrings!" Aunt Chen immediately said.
"I didn't mean to steal them, I just thought they were pretty, I... I was just looking at them." The girl said with teary eyes.
Facing a group of policemen and the strange looks from her classmates around her, any explanation seemed feeble.
"Miss Tang, how much are these earrings worth?" the police asked.
"Probably over ten thousand." Being gilded with cyan feathering, they certainly didn't look cheap.
"Then this counts as a significant value, which could lead to sentencing."
"Officer, please—" The girl couldn't hold it anymore, tears streaming down her face.
"You're not a child anymore. Student? Do you have your student ID and ID card with you?"
...
What came next was up to the police to handle; Tang Wan did not actually intend for her to go to jail, but a minor punishment for a major lesson was always necessary. Letting the police take her back for a few days to eat a bit of hardship seemed fitting.
The "catch the thief" matter was brought to a close. Tang Wan apologized to the other students and even invited them to stay a little longer.
"...Our school has other matters, so we'll head off first."
Several of them, scared out of their wits, hurriedly ran out, not even caring to greet Tang Mo.
*
With the students and police leaving, the entire Tang Family quieted down. The servants were busy cleaning up the pastries and used teacups on the coffee table, while Tang Mo stood at the side, her eyes reddened.
She hadn't expected her classmates would actually dare to steal something on the sly.
Swallowing a mouthful of blood, she restrained a breath, her body stiff from anger.
"Fifth Lord, thank you very much. The house is a bit messy right now, so we can't host you properly. I originally wanted to give you some of the local specialty pastries, but..."
Jiang Jinsang noticed her gaze fall on the few boxes of pastries already opened on the coffee table and got the idea.
"Are you packing up to return to the old residence?" he directly changed the subject.
"Yes, Grandpa went back first, and I'm packing to go over soon."
"I also have something to discuss with Elder Tang, so I'll go over with you later. You go ahead with your tasks, and I'll wait outside," he said and left with his people.
Since Tang Wan had just asked him for help and now he was offering a ride, it was harder to refuse. She pursed her lips and looked at Tang Mo. "Momo, didn't you want to help me pack? Come upstairs with me."
The few female servants of the Tang Family watched the two walking up the stairs one after the other, too frightened to speak, though someone secretly called Zhang Liyun to report the situation.
Tang Wan didn't bring Tang Mo into her own bedroom but stopped right at the door.
"Being smart is a good thing, but don't perform tricks foolishly and take others for idiots."
"From the moment you entered our house, doing little stunts behind my back, deliberately vexing me, I didn't take it to heart, thinking it wasn't necessary."
"It's just that I really dislike others entering my room without permission and rummaging through my things. Today's incident, I just wanted to tell you..."
"If I really wanted to make a fuss, wanted to play with you, it would be easy, just based on my mood!"
"I usually live at the old residence, and you live here, so we don't interfere with each other. If you want to be the eldest miss, that's none of my business. However, when I'm around, remember to behave."
Tang Mo stood at the door, watching her pack up her luggage and walk out, brushing past her. Her nape still felt cold.
She'd actually been in the Tang Family for ten years, had provoked and tested Tang Wan many times, and she never reacted. She truly thought she was easy to bully, which is why she and her mother had the idea to take her place in marrying into the Jiang Family.
Now it seemed those little tricks of hers must have been nothing more than a joke in Tang Wan's eyes.
*
Jiang Jinsang sat in the car, while the Jiang Family members in the front seats were still discussing Tang Wan's actions earlier.
"Fifth Lord, I think her way of handling things is quite like yours."
"Hmm?" Jiang Jinsang rubbed his fingers together, seemingly in a good mood.
"Just like, if you try to mess with me, I could destroy you; but if I want to mess with you, you can only smile back at me."
Simply put, if you don't provoke me, there's no issue;
But if you do provoke me, then it's a massive double-standard and a roguish spectacle!
The words were a bit crude, but the logic was sound.
"Am I that kind of person?"
The few of them awkwardly laughed and changed the topic, "Fifth Lord, why are we going to find Elder Tang? Is it about Ms. Tang rejecting you and calling off the engagement?"
Jiang Jinsang gave him a faint glance, one filled with murderous intent, scaring him into shrinking his neck.
Did he say something wrong?
Her rejection of marrying you is a fact; without calling off the engagement, what more could you want?
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