Chapter 231: Caught Red-Handed
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Very few people in the quad interact with the Zhai family. The same goes for our Qiao family. Why did Nan Nan go to the Zhai’s residence?” This time, she was not being cruel. Qiao Nan was the one who courted her own death. Of all the families, why did she steal the house keys of the Zhai family? She had even stolen their money.
Qiao Nan was not the only person in the family. There were the three of them too.
She would not let Qiao Nan ruin the rest of the family. Qiao Nan should be responsible for her own wrongdoing. Whether it was death or imprisonment, she had to pay this debt on her own!
“Nan Nan. This… Is this true?” Mrs. Ma was stunned. If Ding Jiayi said that she was Nan Nan, then she must be Nan Nan. Furthermore, she also remembered that Nan Nan had this dress.
Nan Nan was good in her studies. In addition, whenever Nan Nan saw them, she would greet them politely with a smile. She did not expect that Nan Nan would turn out to be a person who stole and did unethical things. Was the saying ‘you don’t judge a man by his looks’ referring to people like Qiao Nan?
When the young lady reached the back door of the Zhai’s residence and took out the keys, Ding Jiayi dashed forward in her direction in large steps before the lady could even open the door. “You wretched girl! Of all things, why did you have to pick up the bad habit of stealing? You even dared to steal other people’s keys. Why do you want to enter the house? To steal things? Don’t you know that burglary is illegal? Do you want to go to jail? You’re an embarrassment to all of us. Do you want to destroy the Qiao family? I know that your grades have always been good. You have high standards and yearn for good things in life. But you have to think about the constraints Dad and Mom face. You’ve studied for years. Do you only know how to yearn for things that are beyond your reach?”
“Mom…” Qiao Zijin followed suit and rushed forward. When she looked up, her dark almond-shaped eyes were already full of tears. “Nan Nan, why did you do this? If you want anything, you should tell Dad and Mom. If you really want it, even if it’s hard, as they dote on you, they will definitely think of ways to satisfy you. I’m your elder sister. It doesn’t matter if I suffer and give in to you. If you like it, I can give in to you. But why did you do such an embarrassing thing? Of all things, why do you have to be a thief? You’re too disappointing. Why can’t you change this bad habit of yours? Mom is so good to you. She became your scapegoat previously. Nan Nan, do you still have a conscience!”
When she said this, tears were rolling down Qiao Zijin’s face like a downpour. She looked like her heart was aching painfully. “Nan Nan, I’m your sister. I can help you if you have any problems, but I can’t hide this matter for you anymore. Nan Nan, you’re too disappointing!”
“Sigh, Nan Nan, we don’t want to scold you. You’re a high school student. Why do you have to do such a shameless thing? Look at how sad your mom and sister are. They’re so concerned about you. As a person, it’s useless to be good in your studies. A person must be morally upright. You must learn how to be a person before you can do well as a person. It’s too shameless to steal.”
“Exactly. Did you take a look at what place this is? It’s the Zhai’s residence! The consequence of stealing from the Zhai family is worse than stealing from other families. If you steal from others, you may be jailed for one year. If you steal from the Zhai family, you may remain in prison for life. Fortunately, our family’s Ming Ming is not like you. Although his grades are poor, he doesn’t steal from others.”
“Nan Nan, you’re just a young lady. I don’t know how to chide you. Hurry, return the keys and tell us clearly what you have stolen. We watched you grow up and will not leave you in the lurch. We’ll then bring you to the Zhai family to pay them back whatever they have lost. At that time, you should kneel before them and admit your mistakes. They will definitely forgive you. As for us, the uncles and aunties in the quad, we will also forgive you and treat you the same as before.”
Those who said these words could not even believe themselves.
Nan Nan turned out to be a person who stole from others. It was obviously not possible for them to view Qiao Nan the way they did before.
The Mrs. Ma trio was infamous in the quad for being a chatterbox. They argued nosily and fiercely, voices loud. When the three of them were talking, it was like the radio broadcast in the quad. Everyone could hear them.
Ding Jiayi had a reason for picking the three of them.
Hence, when the five women scolded in an overwhelming manner, everyone in the quad rushed over within five minutes. They wanted to find out about the situation as soon as they heard the ruffle.
Furthermore, the five of them had clearly described the situation. The smartest child with the best academic performance in the quad had stolen something!
This was shocking big news. It attracted more attention than the time when Qiao Nan was the provincial top scorer in the middle school examination. People were more curious and concerned about this.
Soon after, people swarmed to the scene. “What happened, what happened? What exactly happened? What did Qiao Nan do?”
“I just heard that Qiao Nan has stolen something from a family. How’s that possible? Qiao Nan looked like an obedient and sensible child.”
“Haha. I’ve said before. What’s the use of doing well in the studies? We don’t have such a bad egg in our quad.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t believe that Qiao Nan will steal from others. This could be a misunderstanding.”
Amongst those who came to watch the show, some believed what they heard and started to go along with the commotion, whereas others who were more cleared-minded were not immediately blinded and bewitched by the rumors.
Ding Jiayi was extremely nervous. She heard most of what was discussed amongst these people.
When she heard that so many people believed Qiao Nan and doubted her, she gritted her teeth. With tearful eyes, she patted her thighs and simply sat on the ground. “Nan Nan, you’re a wretched girl. You’re too heartless. Your parents wake up early and sleep late so that we can earn more money for the family. Don’t you know that we do this to support both your sister’s and your college education? Your sister’s grades are not as good as yours. You’re the only hope in our family. Why do you have to do something that let down Dad and Mom? If I knew that you would go astray even after studying for some many years, I would rather throw the money into the drain than let you study.”
“Tell me, what is it that you want that Dad and Mom can’t give you, and you have to resort to such shameful deed? Because of you, all of us including your sister have to suffer. During the vacation, you have two pieces of new clothes. What about your sister? Did she get anything? Steal? Your dad used to be a soldier. His duty was to catch thieves. Now, you have become a thief yourself. If your dad was still a soldier, did you want him to catch you? By doing this, aren’t you piercing a knife directly into Dad’s and Mom’s hearts?”