After pondering for a while, Jian Yunnao spoke, "Let's go check the front door."
"Okay," Mo Shiyun agreed without hesitation.
The two of them walked to the entrance of the villa together.
"Where exactly did you leave the gift?" Jian Yunnao asked, his eyes scanning the area.
"Here," Mo Shiyun pointed to a spot beside the door. "That day, I didn't know I was supposed to join you all for dinner, so I figured it would be fine to leave it at the door. Someone would eventually see it and bring it inside."
If she had indeed left the gift there, someone should have seen it and brought it in, as Mo Shiyun claimed. Jian Yunnao frowned as he searched around the area. After a moment, he spotted something in the nearby bushes—a crumpled paper bag, damp from dew and battered by the elements.
He retrieved the bag, noticing it had clearly been lying outside for several days, exposed to the weather. Inside was a black sweater.
"Is this the one you knitted?" Jian Yunnao asked, holding the sweater up for her to see.
Mo Shiyun stepped forward, her nerves on edge as she examined the sweater. Her heart raced as she nodded in affirmation, trying to steady her breathing. She was not used to lying, and this situation had pushed her anxiety to new heights.
Inwardly, she kept repeating to herself: *It's almost over. Just get through this, and everything will be fine. You can protect your mother's job. Just don't let the truth slip.*
Jian Yunnao looked at the sweater in his hands, his brows furrowing in thought.
So, she hadn't been lying after all. Mo Shiyun had indeed made the effort to give his brother a gift, but somehow, it had ended up discarded in the bushes. Yet, strangely enough, Jian Yiling had given his brother a nearly identical sweater, in the same color, packaged similarly. How could such a coincidence occur?
As Jian Yunnao was lost in thought, Jian Yuncheng approached.
"What's going on here?" Jian Yuncheng asked, his eyes taking in the scene—the crumpled paper bag in Jian Yunnao's hands, the handmade black sweater, and Mo Shiyun standing nearby, looking tense.
"Brother, it turns out Shiyun wasn't lying. Look—this is the birthday gift she prepared for you. For some reason, her gift was thrown into the bushes," Jian Yunnao explained, handing the bag over to Jian Yuncheng.
"Oh? Is that so?" Jian Yuncheng responded, though his eyes lingered on Mo Shiyun for a moment longer than necessary, his expression unreadable.
Mo Shiyun met his gaze, doing her best to suppress the growing unease within her. She forced herself to stay calm, to maintain her composure despite the anxiety gnawing at her from the inside.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. I didn't realize the paper bag that day wasn't mine. I didn't inspect it closely enough. When I saw Aunt An bring it inside, I assumed it was my gift. It was careless of me, and I apologize," Mo Shiyun said, offering her apology with genuine humility.
Jian Yunnao quickly jumped to her defense. "Brother, you can't blame her for this. We don't know who would have thrown her gift away like that."
Jian Yuncheng looked at them both and gave a measured response, "Well, it certainly is an unfortunate coincidence."
With that, he turned and headed back to his study without saying another word.
As Mo Shiyun watched Jian Yuncheng's retreating figure, she couldn't shake the lingering feeling of dread that crept up her spine. Despite his words, something about his demeanor made her uneasy. It was as though he still harbored doubts about her story, even if he didn't express them outright.
Jian Yunnao turned to Mo Shiyun, a look of guilt crossing his face. "I'm sorry. I should have made sure to understand the situation before accusing you like that. I must've really scared you."
Mo Shiyun shook her head gently, her tone soft. "It's alright. It's not your fault. This was all just a misunderstanding, and it's good that we cleared things up."
"Yeah. Thank you for not blaming me."
As always, Mo Shiyun maintained her warm and understanding demeanor, which only deepened Jian Yunnao's remorse. Despite the earlier tension, she hadn't held a grudge against him. Her patience and kindness reassured him once more.