Chapter 42 – Taken Away by the Public Security Bureau

If she had known that Wen Nian had also been reborn, then that day she should’ve swapped the sedative for an aphrodisiac, and made sure Wen Nian slept with Zheng Jiahe—make the rice cooked and done.

No matter how capable Wen Nian was, she wouldn’t be able to change the fact that she’d already been “used and discarded.”

Even if Lu Binghuai learned of her true identity, the Lu family would never accept a woman with such a stain on her reputation. At most, they’d compensate her in some other way.

What a pity.

She had moved a step too late and missed her chance.

Wen Nian had already secured her footing in the Lu family.

There’s no way the Lu family didn’t know about her selling face cream.

If it was really as profitable as Qin Yuzhen described, there had to be people in the compound who were jealous.

And yet no one dared to cause Wen Nian any trouble.

That could only mean someone from the Lu family was backing her up.

Could it be that Wen Nian had really gotten involved with Lu Hanzheng?

The more Wen Xue thought about it, the more anxious she felt.

Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Wen Nian was indeed beautiful.

And now, the advantage of being reborn was gone.

How was she supposed to compete with Wen Nian?

Before Wen Xue could come up with a plan, two public security officers walked into the infirmary.

One of them, a tall officer, asked her sternly:

“Comrade, are you Wen Xue?”

Seeing the officers made her instinctively nervous.

She quickly sat up on the bed and answered honestly, “That’s me.”

The tall officer continued, “On the afternoon of October 9th, did you stop a military jeep at the gate of the military compound?”

Wen Xue froze.

He must be referring to the incident where Lu Hanzheng’s jeep had supposedly hit her.

But how could such a small matter have alarmed the Public Security Bureau?

That didn’t make sense.

A bad feeling suddenly surged in her chest.

Seeing that she didn’t respond, the tall officer asked again:

“Comrade Wen, is that true?”

Wen Xue nodded instinctively.

From the moment the officers appeared, she had been flustered and didn’t even register the phrasing of their questions.

The two officers exchanged a look.

“You’ve been reported for disturbing public order, endangering public safety, intentionally damaging military property, and obstructing military operations. Please come with us.”

Upon hearing this list of charges, Wen Xue was stunned.

It was clearly Lu Hanzheng’s jeep that had hit her.

She was the victim here!

Why was she suddenly the one being accused of a bunch of crimes?

Her face went pale with fear, and she stammered in panic, “No, no, no, Comrades, there must be a misunderstanding! I didn’t stop the car! I was just… hit by it—no, I mean, it was Colonel Lu’s jeep that hit me. Look, I’m even injured!”

She even lifted her dress to show the wound on her knee.

The shorter officer looked at her coldly.
“Let’s go, Comrade Wen. That little injury isn’t a problem. If you have anything to say, you can explain at the Public Security Bureau.”

Wen Xue was about to claim her foot still hurt and she couldn’t walk.

But the tall officer preempted her.
“Comrade Wen, we’ve already asked the doctor who examined you. He said your foot is fine. If you still can’t walk, we can bring a stretcher.”

Wen Xue’s body went stiff.

Being carried out on a stretcher would be even more humiliating.

Seeing there was no way to stall anymore, she had no choice but to get out of bed nervously.

In her panic, she tripped over her own feet and nearly forgot how to walk.

As she stepped into the corridor, the nurse nearby gave her a surprised look.

Just earlier, during the checkup, this woman had been screaming like crazy, claiming her ankle hurt so bad she couldn’t move at all. How come she was suddenly fine now?

The nurse’s expression instantly turned scornful and disdainful.

The political officer was right. She was faking it the whole time.

She was trying to scam Colonel Lu!

Shameless!

“Xiao Wen, Xiao Wen!”

Wen Nian was in the courtyard hanging up clothes when she heard Auntie Osmanthus shouting her name from afar.

She used all her strength just to wring the military uniform dry.

After giving her sore arms a shake, she neatly hung the uniform on the clothesline.

Only then did she pick up the washbasin and walk over.

“Auntie, no need to rush. Did you need something from me?”

Zhang Guihua, panting from exertion, stood in front of her carrying a basket of vegetables.

“Something big happened. Your younger sister was taken away by the police!”

Wow!

That’s juicy!

The moment Wen Nian heard it, she got so excited she tossed the basin aside and completely forgot about hanging the rest of the clothes.

“Quick, tell me what happened!”

Zhang Guihua didn’t keep her guessing.

“I’m not sure about the details either. I was just coming back from the market and happened to pass by the clinic, and I saw two policemen taking your sister away. I didn’t even go home yet—I came straight here to tell you.”

Just yesterday, Lu Hanzheng had said someone would be sent over today.

And now, the police had actually come.

Nicely done!

He’s definitely getting a special meal tonight.

Wen Nian could barely hold back her laughter.

Serves her right!

Trying to fake an injury and scam someone—only to crash straight into a steel wall!

She deserved it!

The corners of Wen Nian’s lips curled up.

“Thank you, Auntie Guihua. You went out of your way to come tell me—I really appreciate it.”

Zhang Guihua leaned in, eyes full of curiosity.

“Xiao Wen, are you not on good terms with that sister of yours?”

Wen Nian raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

Zhang Guihua looked like she’d already figured it out.

The gloating on this girl’s face was practically spilling out.

“Oh, right—just now I heard Qin Yuzhen talking trash about you again, saying you’re petty, mean-spirited, and ungrateful. She said you even forced your sister to kneel to you at the clinic.”

Wen Nian snorted coldly.

All because of the face cream business, Qin Yuzhen had been running around everywhere bad-mouthing her.

“I don’t have a good relationship with my adoptive family.”

Zhang Guihua nodded in understanding.

Well, that made sense. They weren’t even blood relatives.

In times like these, girls already weren’t valued much—being adopted only made things worse.

So if they didn’t get along, then there wasn’t much to worry about.

“Alright then, I won’t hold you up. It’s about time—I need to get back and make lunch. You carry on with your day.”

Wen Nian quickly stopped her and ran back inside to grab a big bag of pastries, stuffing them into her arms.

“Take these for Xiaozhuzi to snack on.”

Zhang Guihua made a token protest.

“Oh, I can’t keep taking your things every time I come over.”

Wen Nian smiled sincerely.

Zhang Guihua’s concern just now hadn’t been fake.

“They’re homemade—not worth much.”

Zhang Guihua dug around in her vegetable basket and pulled out a dirt-covered water radish.

“Here, take this. Just picked it this morning—fresh as can be.”

Wen Nian didn’t mind the dirt at all. It’d be perfect for radish meatballs tonight.

“Thanks, Auntie.”

Wen Nian knew exactly what was going on—Zhang Guihua came by every few days just to scrounge up some snacks for her grandson.

But she never left empty-handed. She always brought some vegetables as a thank-you gift.

Sometimes she even came with the juiciest gossip from the compound.

She liked getting small freebies, but she wasn’t greedy.

Wen Nian didn’t mind her at all.

Unlike Qin Yuzhen—she never had enough. Always sending her grandson over every few days to beg for food.

Wen Nian had indulged them a few times, but quickly got fed up.

Even beggars had some dignity—this wasn’t how you asked for things.

Worst part? She even had the nerve to complain behind her back, saying she was stingy and petty.

Wen Nian had been furious when she found out.

People like that—greedy and utterly ungrateful—should just stay far away.

Let them do whatever they want.