Chapter Twenty-Five
After returning from the mountain climb, Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan wanted nothing more to do with these people and tried to avoid them as much as possible. However, some things can't be avoided just because you want to. Soon, trouble came to Lu Nan.
That day, Cheng Xiangbei went to another campus for class. At noon, Lu Nan found it troublesome to go home, so she went to her dormitory for a nap. Everything was normal, but when it was time for dinner, Lu Nan was summoned back to her dormitory by an urgent phone call from Zhong Wei.
"What's wrong?" Lu Nan asked, panting. "I was just about to eat. Can't we wait until I've eaten to talk?"
"Lu Nan, besides you sleeping in the dormitory, who else came by at noon today?" Zhong Wei asked seriously.
"Huh? I went to sleep and didn't notice." Lu Nan scratched her head and asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"
"Think about it carefully, have you always been alone?" Yang Shaofan's expression was also very unpleasant.
“I…” Lu Nan thought carefully and said, “You two were there before I went to sleep, but you were gone after I woke up.”
Zhong and Yang exchanged a glance and said, "Lu Nan, we've lost money."
"Huh? You lost money? How did you lose it?"
"It was right there in the dorm. I came back after class in the afternoon, and the money was gone."
"So...?" Lu Nan had a vague sense of foreboding.
“The money was lost in the dormitory. You were the only one in the dormitory at the time of the incident. Think about it again,” Yang Shaofan said.
Lu Nan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words. "You mean... I stole your money?"
“We didn’t say that,” Zhong Wei said, touching his nose.
Lu Nan nearly exploded. Why did everything point to him? "I've never taken a single penny from anyone in my life, how could I possibly steal money?!" He angrily unzipped his backpack and roared, "See for yourselves!"
Lu Nan laid out her belongings one by one, and even opened her wallet to show them. A thick wad of cash was stuffed inside. Zhong and Yang looked at it and asked, "Lu Nan, how much money do you have in total?"
"I'm not sure if it's one thousand or one thousand two hundred."
"You don't even know your own money?" Yang Shaofan's eyes were full of suspicion.
“You don’t mind if I count, do you?” Zhong Wei interjected.
“Sure!” Lu Nan nodded.
Zhong Wei counted them one by one. "One thousand three hundred and fifty-two."
Yang Shaofan's face fell. "Do you know how much we've lost?"
Lu Nan shook her head. "How should I know? I didn't steal it!"
"We lost a total of 1,300!" Yang Shaofan said angrily. "I lost 600 and Xiao Zhong lost 700. What a coincidence!"
Lu Nan narrowed her eyes, her anger rising. "Just because I have 1300 in my wallet doesn't prove I took your money! First of all, I had no idea you guys kept money in the dorm, and even if I did, I'm not short of money, why would I steal it!"
“But you were the only one in the dorm today. We locked the door when we left,” Yang Shaofan said.
"But what about Yu Mufeng? He has a key too!" Lu Nan protested.
"I've already asked him. Yu Mufeng didn't come to class this afternoon and is still on his way to school." Yang Shaofan snorted, "Besides, what kind of family does Yu Mufeng come from? A pair of his shoes costs over a thousand yuan. Why would he steal money?"
Lu Nan exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of logic is that? Just because his family is rich, he's not a suspect? My family isn't poor either!"
"I heard your parents are just high school teachers? This limited edition wallet of yours must be worth several months of their salary, right?" Yang Shaofan sneered.
Zhong Wei watched their heated exchange, caught in a dilemma. He desperately wanted to believe Lu Nan wasn't that kind of person, but he was the only one present at the time. Yang Shaofan's tone was a bit aggressive, but he understood his good friend's anger. "Ahem, let's talk this out."
"Talk it out calmly? How can you talk it out calmly?!" Lu Nan's eyes reddened with anger. "I said I didn't steal it, and that's final. You can call the police if you don't believe me!"
"Let's put the police aside for now. First, tell me where the money in your wallet came from?"
"Where did it come from? The tiger took the money and put it inside!"
"Cheng Xiangbei? Hmph, isn't it disgusting that you call a grown man like that?"
"This is our private matter, what's it to you?" Lu Nan said angrily. "I'll go find him right now!"
Upon receiving Lu Nan's call, Cheng Xiangbei immediately sped off in his car.
"What's wrong? What happened?" As soon as he entered the room, he looked Lu Nan up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Lu Nan was safe and sound.
“They suspect I stole their money!” Lu Nan said coldly, sitting in her chair.
"We're just asking, we want to investigate first," Zhong Wei said, trying to smooth things over.
"Then how does he explain that the amount of money in his wallet matches the amount we lost?!" Yang Shaofan persisted.
"What money? How much?" Cheng Xiangbei frowned.
"1300, I lost 600 and Xiao Zhong lost 700."
“It’s normal for him to have more than a thousand in his wallet. I took out a thousand and put it in his bag yesterday evening,” Cheng Xiangbei said. “If you don’t believe me, you can check it on the online bank now.”
After speaking, he gestured to Zhong Wei, opened the bank's website on his computer, entered his account number and password, and the transaction record showed that he had indeed withdrawn 1,000 yuan from the ATM yesterday. Cheng Xiangbei took Lu Nan's bag and took out a card from a hidden pocket. "Here, this is it."
Zhong and Yang looked at each other, and after a long while, Yang Shaofan said, "It seems that the matter of withdrawing money is true, but what if he has already spent it!"
Everyone was shocked by these words. Lu Nan was so angry that he almost jumped up. Cheng Xiangbei gritted his teeth and laughed instead of getting angry: "Yang classmate, how can you think that Lu Nan would steal your six hundred yuan? It would be a miracle if he could remember how much money was in his wallet."
“But look at what he’s eating and using! Is that something an ordinary person would use?” Yang Shaofan argued. “How much do his parents earn in a month? Can they afford for him to waste money like this?!”
Cheng Xiangbei narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who told you these things?"
"I...I..." Yang Shaofan stammered, his eyes darting nervously around.
Cheng Xiangbei slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Who is it?!"
"It's Yu... Yu Mufeng." Yang Shaofan stole a glance at his angry face and for some reason felt guilty.
"Hmph, Nan Nan's parents are teachers." Cheng Xiangbei softened his tone. "But that has nothing to do with whether he uses luxury goods or not. He wouldn't buy these things himself. If you're only referring to items beyond his means, I can tell you the origin of each one. Some of these were gifts from me, some from my brother and my father. Do you want to verify them with them one by one?"
Yang Shaofan shook his head, suddenly realizing that provoking Cheng Xiangbei was an extremely unwise thing to do.
"Also, if I hadn't put money in his wallet, he could have spent three hundred yuan for a month and still have some left over. So why would he steal money?" Cheng Xiangbei retorted.
"That's all you're saying; the fact is we lost our money."
"And your evidence for accusing Lu Nan of stealing money is that he was the only one in the dormitory at the time?" Cheng Xiangbei sneered. "Nan Nan, what time did you leave the dormitory?"
"Hmm, around two o'clock, I overslept," Lu Nan recalled.
Cheng Xiangbei nodded, opened the door and walked into the hallway, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, I have something to ask you all!"
Cheng Xiangbei was well-liked among the students for his loyalty and reliability, so when he shouted, many people stopped and some even poked their heads out of their dormitories.
"What's up, Xiang Bei?"
"Between 1 and 2 pm today, did anyone see anyone enter room 406?" Cheng Xiangbei said, "Everyone, think carefully. I'll treat the person who provides a clue to lunch!"
"Fat beef! Fat beef! I want fat beef!" someone shouted.
"Go away, go away! If anyone should be invited, it should be me!" someone flattered.
"This is a serious matter!" Cheng Xiangbei knocked on the wall and laughed, "I need everyone's help, so let's all think about it..."
“I…I…” a weak voice sounded from behind.
"Zhao Xiaomao? If you have any leads, hurry up and tell us! Everyone's waiting for some good stuff!" everyone urged.
"But that person is from their dormitory, is that considered a clue?" Zhao Xiaomao asked, perplexed.
Cheng Xiangbei's expression shifted. "Xiao Mao, who is that person?"
“It’s Yu Mufeng!” Zhao Xiaomao nodded emphatically. “He came back around 1:30, I can’t be mistaken.”
"How did you see it?" Cheng Xiangbei asked, glancing at Zhong Wei and Yang Shaofan standing to the side as he spoke.
“Look, our dorm is across from 406,” Zhao Xiaomao pointed to his dorm room door. “The paper that was stuck on the door was torn off today, and I was just putting it back on with tape when Yu Mufeng came back.”
"How long did he stay in the dormitory? How can you be sure what time it was?" Cheng Xiangbei pressed.
"Hmm, about ten minutes? It was a very short time." Zhao Xiaomao recalled, "Today was Professor Liu's class, and I never dare to be late. I left right on time."
Everyone confirmed that Xiao Mao wasn't late for class. Furthermore, some people had left with him around 1:45 PM. Cheng Xiangbei smiled gratefully at Zhao Xiao Mao and said, "Xiao Mao, I need to talk to them about something. I'll treat you to dinner later!"
"No, no need!" Zhao Xiaomao waved his hand. "Of course, hehe."
"Little Mao, you idiot! Even if you don't eat, your brothers will!" someone shouted, ruffling Zhao Xiaomao's head.
"Ugh! It's already a bird's nest, if you keep rubbing it, it'll be bird droppings!" Zhao Xiaomao protested.
Everyone went back laughing and joking.
"Didn't you say Yu Mufeng had never come back?" Lu Nan sneered upon hearing the clear evidence from outside.
"This..." Zhong and Yang looked at each other in bewilderment. Regardless of who the real culprit was, it was clear that Yu Mufeng had lied.
Cheng Xiangbei put the things spread on the table into Lu Nan's backpack and said to Zhong and Yang, "In order to clear Lu Nan's name, I hope you will call the police."
The two people lowered their heads and remained silent.
"Or, I can report it for you?" Cheng Xiangbei took out his phone.
“Ah, no, no…” Zhong Wei shook his head. “We’ll figure it out.”
"That's good." Cheng Xiangbei nodded, glanced at them coldly again, and pulled Lu Nan out the door.
The door opened, and they bumped into Yu Mufeng, who was walking to the top of the stairs. "Huh? Heading north?"
Cheng Xiangbei gave him a forced smile, then knocked on the door across the hall. "Little Mao, I'm treating you to dinner!"
"Ahhh, I want to go too! I want to go too!" A bunch of people squeezed out.
Yu Mufeng looked on, puzzled. "Where are you going?"
The crowd laughed and jostled as Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan went downstairs. The last person, being rather playful, winked and put a finger to his lips, shushing them: "It's a secret."
Author's Note: Lang is such a diligent little bee...
P.S.: It's just a normal contract signing, don't get the wrong idea, I'm so touched!
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