Chapter 12

“Because unlike you shameless people, I didn’t strip down to sleep last night.”

In the next room, Chi Bilian gritted her teeth and shouted, “Chi Yiyi, you’re the only one in the house who wasn’t affected. Are you sure you aren’t the thief from last night?”

The entire house fell into an eerie silence.

Indeed, everyone in the Chi family had silently suspected Chi Yiyi.

But Chi Yiyi burst out laughing. “Chi Bilian, do you think your mouth is the law? I’m warning you once—if you dare to slander me again, don’t blame me for punching you.”

Lin Ru said, “Chi Yiyi, do you dare go to the police?”

Chi Yiyi replied, “Of course I do. Just wait. I’m going to the station right now to report you all for parading around your house naked and indecent.”

“Chi Bilian, are you dressed as skimpily as your flirty mom? When the police show up, they’ll see everything. Let’s see if you still have the guts to flirt with Zhou Zixiao after that.”

Chi Bilian screamed, nearly hysterical. “Ah! Mom!”

“Mom, help me!”

Chi Daqiang finally spoke, “Chi Yiyi, if you ever want to come back to your family again, don’t act so arrogant. You and Bilian are blood sisters. You shouldn’t turn on each other over a man. If you truly don’t want Zhou Zixiao anymore, then hand him over to your sister. Better to keep things in the family.”

Chi Daqiang was disgusting. With values like his, it was no wonder he raised a daughter like Chi Bilian.

Chi Yiyi was incredibly thankful at that moment that she wasn’t his biological child.

She said coldly, “Fine then. You all wait right here. I’m going to report this to the police now.”

“But let me make one thing clear—when the officers arrive, I won’t be responsible for the crowd of neighbors who gather to watch the show. Don’t blame me when the gossip starts.”

That finally broke Lin Ru. She backed down in fear.

“Yiyi, I was wrong. Auntie Lin was wrong. Please, could you go buy us some clothes? Please?”

“I don’t want your dad to lose face. We still have to live in this neighborhood, and your father still has to work at the factory.”

“Yiyi, I’ll give you some money for your trouble—so you won’t be doing it for free.”

Chi Yiyi was surprised Lin Ru still had money. How much had she been hiding?

“Auntie Lin, that’s really unkind of you. You saw how frantic my dad was yesterday running around trying to gather money for the family. Meanwhile, you’ve been hoarding cash?”

Lin Ru was completely speechless.

Smack!

As soon as Chi Yiyi’s words fell, Chi Daqiang raised his hand and slapped Lin Ru hard across the face.

Chi Bilian cried out, “Dad, don’t hit my mom! Please!”

Lin Ru, sobbing, pulled a 100-yuan bill from the inner lining of her underwear. Pointing at Chi Daqiang, she cried, “Why don’t you believe me? I’ve been scrimping and saving this money little by little for emergencies! And now, when we’re truly in need, didn’t I bring it out?”

Chi Daqiang snatched the money from her hands. He took out 30 yuan and handed it to Chi Yiyi. “Go buy three sets of clothes—one for your Auntie Lin, one for Bilian, and one for me. You can keep the rest, but if you dare run off with the money, I’ll beat you to death.”

Chi Yiyi took the money and asked deliberately, “So, Dad, should I buy two sets of women’s clothes and one set for a man? Or two sets for men and one for a woman?”

Chi Daqiang said, “Just buy clothes for your Auntie Lin, your sister, and me. If you want to use the leftover money to buy something for your younger brother, that’s up to you.”

Chi Yiyi said with a smirk, “Then I’ll just follow your instructions.”

In the corner, Chi Junshu felt utterly abandoned.

Chi Yiyi turned to leave, and Chi Junshu, clinging pitifully to the doorframe, cried out, “Sis! You’re my real sister. Mom passed away early, and you’ve always been the one who looked after me. Please help me.”

Chi Yiyi replied, “Brother, don’t cry. Mom may be gone, but Dad’s still here. He’s the head of the house now. I have to listen to him. If he doesn’t say the word, I wouldn’t dare help you.”

Chi Daqiang was absolutely fuming. If he wasn’t stark naked, he would have lunged at Chi Yiyi right then.

Chi Yiyi took the money to the state-run shop and, since she knew the clerk, bought three mismatched sets of short-sleeved tops and shorts made from defective fabric—all for less than five yuan.

She pocketed a clean 25-yuan profit.

Sweet!

When she brought the clothes back, Lin Ru nearly exploded.

“Chi Yiyi, you took 30 yuan and bought these hideous outfits for us? Do you have no conscience?”

Chi Yiyi replied, “If you don’t like them, don’t wear them. The police will be here soon, after all.”

Chi Daqiang said nothing. He got dressed quickly but stared daggers at Chi Yiyi, as if he wanted to kill her.

But just as Chi Yiyi said, two police officers soon arrived.

Chi Daqiang had no choice but to conceal his murderous glare.

The officers quickly took statements from all five family members and carefully searched the near-empty house.

Both officers looked increasingly troubled.

The older one said, “Old Chi, everyone in your household was asleep in their rooms last night, and none of the doors show signs of forced entry. So, based on the evidence, your youngest son Chi Junjie, who didn’t return home, is the most suspicious.”

“What?!”

Lin Ru burst out.

“Officers, you can’t make accusations without proof! My son is just a child—he’d never commit a crime!”

The younger officer said, “We do have some leads. While investigating your previous theft reports, we found that your youngest son often skips school and runs around with a group of older boys. So we suspect that your recent strange thefts might be connected to Chi Junjie—or to those boys he’s been spending time with.”

Chi Yiyi looked stunned—she hadn’t expected Chi Junjie to become the scapegoat so smoothly.

Still, given Chi Junjie’s character in the future—lazy, lawless—it wasn’t all that surprising. If not for Lin Ru’s constant protection, Chi Daqiang probably would’ve beaten him to death by now.

Lin Ru shook her head in tears, “No! If you don’t have solid evidence, you can’t say that! My son is still young—if you ruin his reputation, how will he survive in the future?”