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“Xiao Li, what are you all doing? What’s with all this commotion?”
Li Haiyang turned his head upon hearing the voice and saw several households in the alley had come out.
“Aunt Zhu, sorry! We woke you all up. The brothers and I caught a thief! But something feels off about the situation, so we’re just about to report it to the police.”
“Report to the police? What’s going on? Huh? Why is Xiao Nuan here? And why is she sitting on the ground?”
As she approached, Aunt Zhu finally noticed Wen Nuan behind Li Haiyang and asked in surprise.
“Grandma Zhu, I was sleeping peacefully at home. I don’t know what happened, but I was suddenly carried out,” Wen Nuan replied.
“My head is still spinning, and if I hadn’t fallen earlier, I might not have even woken up!”
As soon as Wen Nuan spoke, everyone immediately realized the problem. The symptoms she described clearly pointed to the possibility that she had been drugged.
But she had been sleeping in her own home—how could she have been drugged?
At this moment, Wen Changming could no longer hold back and came out of the Wen family home. All eyes immediately shifted to him.
Wen Changming was already feeling nervous, and under the collective gaze of the crowd, he became even more anxious. His clothes were soaked in sweat by now.
“Xiao… Xiao Nuan, what happened? Li Haiyang, what are you doing? That’s Xiao Nuan’s uncle—let him go!”
Having quickly thought up a plan, Wen Changming said this, hoping that Liu the cripple would hear it. He was counting on the situation to be resolved, so he could extricate himself.
Unfortunately, Liu the cripple had already been knocked out cold by Dong Dali and the others, making Wen Changming’s efforts completely in vain.
“Uncle? Since when did I have an uncle like that?”
“You child, you must be confused from your illness. Didn’t you just say you were feeling dizzy? Your uncle was going to take you to the hospital for treatment.”
“How did all this commotion start the moment we stepped outside? Li Haiyang, why haven’t you let him go yet? And you all, on what grounds are you hitting people?!”
“Heh…”
Wen Nuan sneered inwardly, fully aware of Wen Changming’s scheme. He thought he could easily sweep this matter under the rug, but that wouldn’t happen!
“Wen Changming, your talent for making up lies seems to be getting better and better. What uncle? When did I ever have an uncle like that? When have I ever been sick?”
“You think I don’t know? These are the human traffickers you hired! You clearly wanted to sell me! I said you were being kind, buying me a soda, but it turns out it was all just to drug me.”
“I only drank half the bottle and suddenly felt dizzy. If it weren’t for Uncle Li and the others stopping this man just now, who knows where I’d be taken by now! Woo…”
Wen Nuan wasn’t about to let Wen Changming get away with it. She immediately refuted his words and exposed the truth, tearfully recounting her grievances.
“You’re talking nonsense! How dare you say that! I’m your father! Stop making trouble, child. I know you have complaints about the Rural Re-education, but that doesn’t mean you can frame me and your Uncle like this!”
Wen Changming was still trying to argue, attempting to shift the blame onto Wen Nuan and making it seem like she was the one causing trouble, deliberately trying to frame him and her uncle.
“Heh, whether it’s true or not, the police will give me justice.”
Though Wen Nuan’s eyes were filled with tears, she stubbornly lifted her head, putting on a tough front. The sight of her trying so hard to appear strong brought a pang of sorrow to those watching.
“Grandma Zhu, please be a witness. Go with Uncle Li to my room and get the bottle of soda. The remaining drink in that bottle will be the evidence!”
Wen Nuan wiped her tears haphazardly and spoke in a mournful tone.
At that moment, she was relieved that she had kept her wits about her earlier and hadn’t thrown out the soda in the bottle.
Upon hearing this, Wen Changming completely panicked. He hurried to block the doorway, hoping to stall for time and give Tan Xiulian a chance to switch out the bottle.
Unfortunately, Wen Nuan had already prepared for this. The bottle was deliberately kept as evidence, and naturally, she had no intention of leaving it in plain sight.
By the time Li Haiyang and Aunt Zhu reached the small room, Tan Xiulian was already rummaging through it!
“Ah, so that’s why Wen Changming was trying to stop us from entering! He was trying to destroy the evidence!”
“Li… Li Haiyang, don’t speak nonsense! I was just tidying up the room. What’s wrong with that? This is my house, I can be wherever I want!”
Li Haiyang rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste any more words with her. He simply went to the spot Wen Nuan had pointed out and retrieved the bottle of half-drunk orange soda.
“What… what are you doing? Don’t take our things!”
“Heh, Tan Xiulian, don’t pretend to be ignorant. If you think you can make a scene and cover this up, you’re making a big mistake!”
Li Haiyang was determined, thinking to himself that this time he had to bring Wen Changming down for good. If he let this opportunity slip, it might never come again.
Besides, Wen Nuan had personally come forward to testify, so he needed to step up as well!
“Aunt Zhu, you saw the bottle, and also Tan Xiulian’s actions. It’s clear that she was in on this. We need to stand up for Xiao Nuan!”
“Don’t worry, Xiao Li. When the police arrive, I’ll tell them everything. Otherwise, I’d be dishonoring the two pairs of shoes Xiao Qi made for me all those years ago!”
“With your word, I’m at ease. Xiao Nuan is such a poor child. If it weren’t for Sister Chunmei passing early, she wouldn’t have had to suffer all this.”
“You’re right. In these times, good people don’t live long…”
The two of them continued lamenting and reminiscing about Qi Chunmei as they walked out with the bottle.
At that moment, the person who had gone to report the incident returned, accompanied by the police.
“We’re from the Machine Factory Police Station. Who is the victim?”
“Officer, it’s me! I want to report my relative Wen Changming for colluding with human traffickers, drugging me, and selling me. My stepmother, Tan Xiulian, knew about it and didn’t report it—she’s an accomplice!”
As Wen Nuan’s words fell, Wen Changming felt his head spin, as if he were about to faint right then and there.
“You ungrateful daughter, you’re slandering me! This is blatant framing!”
“Whether it’s true or not, I believe the police will give me a fair and just answer. Besides, the neighbors around here are witnesses to your absurd actions. Wen Changming, you can’t escape!”
The two police officers exchanged a glance, clearly realizing that today’s events were far from simple.
Involving human trafficking and drugging, this was no small matter. It had escalated into something serious, and they would have to report it to their superiors.
“Everyone present, please come with us. We’re going to the police station to clear this up. The truth will come out, and the police will make a fair judgment!”
With the police speaking, the onlookers at the scene were all escorted to the police station. Though some were reluctant, they didn’t dare refuse, as they would need to provide statements.
The previously quiet police station soon became noisy, with people talking over each other, recounting their version of events from that night. Seven or eight police officers patiently took down statements.
As for Wen Changming, Tan Xiulian, and Liu the cripple, the three main suspects, they had been separated and locked in different small rooms, awaiting further interrogation.
In another meeting room, Li Haiyang and Wen Nuan were also questioned separately. After all, this case was far too complicated.
Wen Nuan’s testimony, the half-drunk bottle of soda, and Li Haiyang and the others’ timely arrival seemed almost too coincidental.
However, Wen Nuan and Li Haiyang had already coordinated beforehand. Both of them stuck to their story that they had been unaware of the situation in advance and that everything had simply been a coincidence.
Moreover, one was the victim and the other the rescuer, acting out of good intentions. The police didn’t push them too hard under those circumstances.
At the same time, Wen Nuan also expressed her doubts and suspicions regarding her biological mother’s death, requesting that the police inquire about it during the interrogation.