With nowhere to vent her grievances, tears flowed uncontrollably like a flood.
The crying made Huo Yan even more irritated, so he grabbed her by the back of her collar and led her to one of the rooms.
Jin Yu and Niu Mang quickly followed. Just as Niu Mang was about to step inside, he bumped into the closing door.
He touched his red nose. "Ouch, that hurts so much."
"Serves you right, who told you to be so rude."
"What did I do now?"
“She’s a woman, after all. How can she face you and your brother interrogating her like this in front of everyone? Besides, the girl doesn’t seem to be lying.”
"Then why don't you mention the eldest brother? He scared people to tears."
Jin Yu rolled his eyes. "With my brother looking like a storm is brewing, how could I dare to say anything? I can only say that you're alright."
He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, and said, "Forget it, there's nothing to say to a boor like you."
Niu Mang wanted to say something in his defense, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say. He was indeed a rough man who couldn't read a single word.
He simply squatted in the corner and stopped talking.
Inside the room, Huo Yan sat on a worn-out chair, his gaze cold as he looked at the corpse on the ground.
She was the woman who was killed by one of the men in black last night.
Su Ruanruan was thrown by Huo Yan not far from the corpse.
With her head bowed and her almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears, she helplessly picked at her fingers, completely oblivious to the now-cold corpse beside her.
Huo Yan's eyes darkened as he noticed that she was only a few steps away from the female corpse, yet she remained remarkably calm.
If it were an ordinary woman, she would have already jumped away and turned pale.
"Who exactly are you?"
Before anyone knew it, Huo Yan had already stood up and appeared in front of Su Ruanruan. His rough fingertips hooked her chin, forcing her to raise her head.
When their eyes met, Huo Yan was momentarily distracted. His face was plain and unremarkable, but his eyes, clear as autumn water, were like a gentle breeze and a bright moon, pure and clear.
His mind drifted away as that familiar face and those bright, sparkling almond-shaped eyes flashed through his mind again.
Forced to look him in the eye, Su Ruanruan spoke in a soft, slightly trembling voice, "Sir, I'm just a peasant girl who sells tofu every day. Who else could I be? Didn't you already recognize me back then?"
Huo Yan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and he regained his usual cold demeanor, sitting back down and staring intently at the woman before him.
"Tell me, where did you put the jewel on my dagger?"
Su Ruanruan was unable to defend herself; she couldn't explain herself clearly.
"Even if I say it a hundred times, I still haven't taken it."
"Oh……"
Huo Yan hadn't expected this woman to be such a cunning fox, feigning innocence, and she denied it again.
Looking at the clear, innocent expression in her eyes, he really didn't want to talk to her anymore.
"Jin Yu." He shouted towards the door, his brows furrowed.
An angry voice came from inside the house.
Jin Yu opened his tightly closed eyes instantly and met Niu Mang's gaze, who was squatting on the ground.
He pushed the door open and entered, and Niu Mang took the opportunity to slip in as well.
But the woman was lying on the ground, raising her head and looking pitiful like a fawn, while the elder brother's face was full of gloom.
"What's wrong? Did you manage to ask?"
Huo Yan pointed at Su Ruanruan and looked at Jin Yu, "She's pretending to be stupid. I don't have time to waste on her."
"No matter what means you use, you must find it for me."
"I told you I didn't see her." Su Ruanruan stood up, her eyes red-rimmed, biting her lip, her eyes revealing a mixture of shock and fear.
She knew that the man in front of her was on the verge of exploding, which was not a good thing for her.
But she just couldn't stand it; why should she be branded a thief?
"Sir, please have mercy and give me back that string of coins! I still need to give it to my grandmother. If she finds out I'm penniless, she'll beat me to death!"
Jin Yu and Niu Mang were both startled and looked at Huo Yan at the same time.
What's going on?
Su Ruanruan knew that Jin Yu was easy to talk to, ignoring Huo Yan's dark and gloomy face.
Xiang Jinyu took a few steps, pleading, "Officer, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you looked the kindest. You would never bully a peasant girl like me."
"Could you please persuade that man to return my copper coins? Otherwise, my brother and I will definitely go hungry tonight. It's a small matter if I go hungry or get beaten, but my brother is still young and frail; I can't be a burden to him."
Seeing the sorrow and pitiful look in Su Ruanruan's eyes, Jin Yu looked at Huo Yan with a question in his mind. Would his older brother really embezzle such a small amount of money?
When did my brother become interested in copper coins?
Receiving Jin Yu's glare, Huo Yan was furious. "What do you mean by this? Do you think I'd even look at a few copper coins?"
“That’s right, who is my brother? How could he possibly take your few copper coins? But you, where did you put my brother’s gemstones?” Niu Mang, who had been silent until now, quickly spoke up.
His older brother is such a good person, he won't allow anyone to say a bad word about him, not even a single one.
“I didn’t take that gem. When I saw it, one gem was already missing. It was in that state when you handed me the dagger. I’m just returning it to you. You can’t frame me.”
"I see, so you were setting me up, you chose me because you thought I was easy to bully?"
Su Ruanruan covered her face with her hands and wailed, "You've gone too far!"
Jin Yu: ...
Huo Yan: ...
Niu Mang: ...
Jin Yu was deeply hurt, and he even felt pity for her, but he never expected that she would now give up and refuse to admit it.
He was the one who gave her that dagger, so he naturally knew that the gemstones hadn't been missing.
Su Ruanruan did think so. She knew how valuable the dagger was, but now it was nowhere to be found. If she were charged with theft, she would go to jail.
Her reputation was already bad; if she were to be convicted of theft and imprisoned, she would have no face left to live.
Compared to going to jail, what's a little shame?
"I'll ask you one more time, where exactly did the thing go?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
