Chapter Seventeen: Where is the Evidence?
Xin Li's gaze was calm, so calm that it gave the impression that she had long anticipated this scene.
The suspicion in Zhang Jinhua's eyes deepened.
She initially had some doubts only because of Xu Haiyu's performance.
But Xinli's reaction made Zhang Jinhua think that she must know something.
Zhang Jinhua's face immediately fell.
She was straightforward and said what she thought, so she said without any hesitation, "Xinxin, that watch is very important to Xiaoyu. If you know anything, don't keep me in suspense. Didn't you see Xiaoyu crying anxiously? As her sister-in-law, you should be more understanding."
When Xu Haiyu heard Zhang Jinhua speak up for Xin Li while standing on her side, a smug look flashed in her eyes.
She covered her mouth, sobbed twice, and then looked at Xinli as if she had made up her mind and said, "Is it because my sister-in-law thinks I'm superfluous that she deliberately threw away my watch?"
“I don’t want to bother my sister-in-law and Brother Mingzhou either, but I lost my family when I was young, and now my only family is Brother Mingzhou. I really don’t want to get involved between you two. If my sister-in-law is unhappy, I will find a way. I can avoid you in the future, or if I have the chance, I will leave the island and live elsewhere…”
"That watch is the only keepsake my brother left me. Please, sister-in-law, give it back to me, or tell me where you put it and I'll find it myself... Please, sister-in-law, I can't live without that watch..."
Xu Haiyu became more and more upset as she spoke, and she cried so hard that she looked like she was about to faint.
Zhang Jinhua felt extremely sorry for her, so he went over and put his arm around Xu Haiyu's shoulder, gently patting her back to comfort her.
Xu Haiyu stared longingly at Xin Li, looking exactly like a pitiful little girl who had been bullied but dared not fight back.
Zhang Jinhua had some doubts, but seeing her like this, he was certain that Xin Li had taken action against Xu Haiyu behind his back.
Otherwise, she would never be so afraid of Xinli.
As a military wife, Zhang Jinhua despises hypocritical people the most. She never expected that Xin Li would act so understanding and without any spoiled princess attitude in front of these people, but secretly bully them behind their backs.
That's absolutely outrageous!
"Xinli! Where did you put Xiaoyu's watch?"
Xin Li stood quietly, watching Zhang Jinhua's attitude towards her change from doubt to affirmation. Her gaze swept over Xu Haiyu with interest.
People of this era are really interesting.
Xu Haiyu only cried a few times, yet it caused such a big change in someone's attitude.
"Sister-in-law Lu, we can't make things up without evidence."
He Mingzhou finally spoke.
Xu Haiyu cried even louder when she saw that he wasn't directly on her side.
“Brother Mingzhou…that was the watch my brother left me. Today, when I was telling my sister-in-law about how I got the watch, she kept staring at it. At the time, I just thought she liked the watch and didn’t think much of it, but now the watch is gone…”
"That's the only thing my brother left behind. Brother Mingzhou, you can't favor your sister-in-law just because she's your wife, can you?"
Zhang Jinhua also said, "That's right, Xiao He. You know how important that watch is to Xiao Yu. You can't be biased or favoritism."
He Mingzhou rubbed his temples, his tone tinged with weariness: "Did anyone see that it was Xin Li who lost her watch?"
“She’s been with me ever since I picked her up today, how could she have had time to lose her watch?”
Where was the last time you saw a watch?
Where did you put your watch?
He Mingzhou bombarded her with a series of questions, causing Xu Haiyu to pause in her sobs.
Zhang Jinhua gradually calmed down and looked at Xu Haiyu, asking, "Xiaoyu, do you know exactly when you lost your watch?"
Xu Haiyu shook her head, crying.
"I don't know... but I was only with my sister-in-law today..."
Xinli had remained silent before because she wanted to see how others would react.
Zhang Jinhua's reaction was as expected.
He Mingzhou's reaction was beyond expectations.
Having roughly figured things out, Xinli slowly asked, "So you mean, your watch could only have been lost by me?"
Xu Haiyu glanced at Xin Li tremblingly: "I...I didn't mean that...it's just that the watch is really too important to me. If my sister-in-law took it, please return it to me..."
Xin Li crossed her arms and said, "I didn't take it."
Xu Haiyu had anticipated that Xin Li would deny it. She swayed, as if she had been hurt by Xin Li's words. She bit her lip and cried heartbrokenly.
"That was the last thing my brother left me..."
"Waaaaah, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have lived and become a burden to others..."
Zhang Jinhua already favored Xu Haiyu a bit more, and seeing Xu Haiyu like this made him even more heartbroken. He looked sternly at Xinli and said, "Xinli, I know you and Xiaoyu aren't very familiar with each other, so I don't expect you to get along very well. But if you really intentionally threw away Xiaoyu's brother's watch, that would be going too far!"
"Our island folk are simple and honest, and we absolutely will not allow such scheming people to exist!"
"And regardless of whether you lost the watch or not, don't you have any sympathy for your sister-in-law being so heartbroken?"
"I'm so disappointed by this indifferent attitude!"
Xinli was also disappointed in Zhang Jinhua.
I thought she was a kind-hearted sister-in-law, but I never expected her to be so brainless.
Xinli opened her mouth to retort, but thinking about how good Zhang Jinhua had been to her during this time, she reorganized her words before speaking: "It's not that I don't sympathize with her, it's just that her actions are really inexplicable."
“He Mingzhou came back today, and we went to pick him up together. From the moment she left home, she kept fiddling with her watch. She kept trying to make conversation along the way, and she was acting strangely during the meal. Suddenly she said that her watch was gone. I can’t help but suspect that she had some purpose in taking out her watch today.”
"You're all implying that I took her watch, suggesting that I bullied her, but I didn't even know her before, so why would I throw away her watch?"
Zhang Jinhua was taken aback.
Before she could think carefully about Xin Li's words, Xu Haiyu burst into tears: "I know I'm too much of an eyesore, so you want to teach me a lesson, sister-in-law. I promise I won't go looking for Brother Mingzhou anymore, I just ask you to give my watch back!"
Xin Li raised an eyebrow: "It's the same old story over and over again. You say I lost your watch, where's the proof?"
"Did you see it with your own eyes or what?"
Xu Haiyu couldn't answer, turned around and threw herself into Zhang Jinhua's arms, bursting into tears.
Now Zhang Jinhua blindly sided with Xu Haiyu, and even said he would call someone over to handle the matter.
He Mingzhou frowned and stood silently in front of Xin Li. Seeing his reaction, Xin Li was too lazy to play along with Xu Haiyu's act. She picked up the thing hanging around her neck and smiled at Xu Haiyu: "Although I didn't lose your watch, I do know where it is."
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