Chapter 14

Everyone Suspected She Stole the Military Knife

When news of his daughter’s trouble reached the workplace, Hu Daquan rushed home without stopping.

Wang Chunlan, however, was in no hurry. Instead, she looked pleased and said, “Serves her right! She’s a shameless wench, seducing men outside. One wasn’t enough—she had to go find a whole group. Now that she’s in trouble, it’s just karma—”

Hu Jingsheng firmly added, “Dad, I was there when she was seducing men. I saw with my own eyes that she stabbed Li San with a knife. I was the one who called the police.”

Righteousness over family.

If things went well, she might even receive a “Good Citizen” banner from the public security bureau.

Hu Daquan didn’t believe a single word.

But he was just an ordinary worker, a boiler stoker at that. He had no power and no connections to help his daughter.

At that moment, he hated his own helplessness more than anything.

Hu Ouhua, after holding back her tears for a long time, finally let them flow. Yet, she became calmer afterward.

With a pained expression, she said, “Dad, you don’t have to worry. I only hurt someone to protect myself. If heaven is unjust and I have to go to prison or be executed, then so be it. Just pretend you never had such an unfilial daughter.”

“Hua Hua…”

Hu Daquan cried uncontrollably.

In the end, the police dragged both father and daughter away.

Hu Ouhua had only been in the dark cell for a short while when she saw Shen Fubai, dressed in a military uniform.

“Commander Shen, you’re not here to ask me if I stole the military knife too, are you?” Hu Ouhua laughed bitterly.

“…” Shen Fubai.

Alright, she had guessed exactly what he came to ask.

“You’re probably thinking, ‘If she admits she stole it, then this matter has nothing to do with Commander Lu,’ right?” Hu Ouhua’s gaze was deep as she observed Shen Fubai’s expression.

At first, she hadn’t realized the severity of the situation.

But when the police traced the knife’s serial number, it turned out to be connected to a high-ranking official in the military district. That’s when they moved her from an ordinary cell to a solitary one.

Even the chief of the public security bureau got involved.

Hu Ouhua might have been ignorant of the world, but she wasn’t stupid. She gradually understood the critical point.

“I… That’s not what I meant.” Shen Fubai avoided her probing gaze.

Hu Ouhua was sharp—very sharp.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“It’s fine. This matter really has nothing to do with Commander Lu. Why would I drag him into this? Don’t worry, I’ll change my statement. Tell him not to worry, and thank him for teaching me how to solve problems. I have nothing to repay him with. Also, the remaining wages are in the study drawer.”

Hu Ouhua spoke as if she were making final arrangements.

“That’s not necessary.”

Shen Fubai suddenly stood up, unable to bear it. He hesitated before saying something to comfort her.

At this point, he had no choice but to find Brother Lu.

But what he didn’t know was that, in Hu Ouhua’s heart, Shen Fubai represented Lu Yuetang. Given Lu’s awkward position, it wouldn’t be suitable for him to show up personally, so he sent someone close to him to warn her.

She raised her head, forcing herself not to cry.

It was no big deal. At worst, she’d take a bullet. It wasn’t like she hadn’t died before.

—

Ning City, Yang Family Residence

Hu Jingsheng sneaked into the backyard, then slipped to the door of Yang Wei’s house. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, she finally walked in.

Since coming back from the police station, Yang Wei hadn’t left the house. His mind was filled with images of Hu Ouhua’s blood-streaked face and her hateful gaze, as if he had done something terrible to her.

Even though they had only met a few times.

He decided not to provoke that shrew for a while. If she ended up in prison or was executed, that would be ideal. His sister could sleep easy then.

“What are you doing here?” He frowned when he saw Hu Jingsheng enter.

“Brother-in-law, you can’t just turn your back on me. You’ve already had your way with me. Don’t you think you should take responsibility?” Hu Jingsheng pouted.

Yang Wei had the backing of the Lu family.

Now that Hu Ouhua was in trouble and Yang Jiaojiao was engaged to the Lu family, he had climbed up in status.

He was ugly, but since he had connections, Hu Jingsheng figured she could make do.

Yang Wei frowned and looked down at Hu Jingsheng, who was throwing herself at him. He found her quite unappealing—she wasn’t even one-tenth as attractive as Hu Ouhua.

Sometimes, he wondered if these two were really sisters.

How could the same tree bear such different fruits?

“I wouldn’t say that. But the Yang family isn’t what it used to be. Jiaojiao is now part of the Lu family—she’s nobility. You should understand what that means.” Yang Wei said.

Hu Jingsheng nodded.

That was precisely why, when Yang Wei had tried to take advantage of her the other day, she hadn’t refused.

“How about this? If you want to marry me, the conditions are the same as before. But there’s a small change—your dowry must be 300 yuan, not a penny less.” Yang Wei shamelessly demanded.

“Yang Wei, that’s too much! I’m not even asking for a bride price, and you still—”

“To be honest, there’s already someone else in line—Wu Weiwei. She’s prettier than you, her parents are both government workers, and she’s got good grades. She might even get into college. She’s been waiting, you know?” Yang Wei said casually.

Hu Jingsheng fell silent.

She never expected that an ugly guy like Yang Wei—whom she wouldn’t have even glanced at before—would become so sought after just because he latched onto Commander Lu.

“Fine! But you better not go back on your word.”

She threw down her words and left.

She was furious. She thought she was the one benefiting, but Yang Wei had played her instead.

How infuriating.

But where was she going to get 300 yuan?

After thinking it over, Hu Jingsheng had no choice but to spill everything to Wang Chunlan.

Wang Chunlan nearly fainted from anger.

She scolded, “You must be dreaming! You know what kind of person Yang Wei is! That trash? No one would want him even if he paid them! And now you want to pick up your sister’s leftovers? Are you brainless?”

Hu Jingsheng pouted and acted coy.

“Mom, that was before! Think about it—Yang Jiaojiao is already in the capital. Her status is set in stone. Yang Wei is now the brother-in-law of a powerful family. How can he not benefit?” She looked greedy.

“But he’s so ugly.”

“Ugly men are safer! No other woman will want him. He’ll be faithful in marriage. Isn’t that good?”

Seeing that she couldn’t convince her daughter, and since the two had already been intimate, Wang Chunlan sighed and had no choice but to find a way to gather the money.

—

A day passed.

Lu Yuetang waited and waited, but Hu Ouhua never showed up. He felt uneasy.

As far as he knew, her relationship with her family wasn’t great—she had practically cut ties with them. For her to be missing for an entire day and night…

“Brother Lu—”

Shen Fubai arrived.

“You came just in time. Help me find someone.”

“You’re not looking for Comrade Ouhua, are you?”

“How do you know?”

Lu Yuetang’s gaze turned ice-cold, filled with suppressed anger.