Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Mu Mianmian had always been insensitive when it came to the relationship matters. She believed no man would be interested in her because she was plump. But, in fact, it was the complete opposite.
She was capable, loyal, protective, and also excelled in controlling both the finance and people in the factory. Who wouldn’t want a wife like her?
Furthermore, Chen Baichuan’s generation had grown up in the times when famines were frequent. Maybe, they had secretly envied those who had more than enough to eat, so now, they especially fancied ladies who were plump with delicate facial features.
Chen Baichuan liked her, and so did Mr. Wang, who lived next door.
Mu Mianmian might be insensitive, but Chen Baichuan was definitely not. Mr. Wang was trying to compete with him, so he bad-mouthed him behind his back secretly.
He would say something like Mr. Wang had stolen their neighbor’s eggs in their village and the old ladies’ underwear when he had too much to drink. He would make him sound like the ultimate immoral, evil, and nasty person; therefore, her little aunt had the worst impression of him and thought of him immediately whenever anything bad happened in their family.
“Hmm, although Wang next door is not really a good person, he will not actually stoop to this level…” Chen Baichuan was guilty and afraid that his wife would discover he had been speaking ill of the father and son.
When Mu Mianmian was about twelve years old, she couldn’t sleep one day as she was sick. Chen Baichuan, who was purely her brother-in-law back then, made up tales about Mr. Wang as bedtime stories to entertain her.
The Wang father and son had provided Chen Baichuan with plenty of ideas for his stories. They were so exciting and sleazy that they could be published as a book. Although Chen Baichuan had never liked Mr. Wang, he would never slander him with such a severe crime.
Qianmo took a look at her sheepish father and decided not to uncover his lies at that moment.
“Do not act impulsively when we don’t have any proof. There is something suspicious here. Why would our CCTV fail at such a critical time? Who was on duty last night?”
That was the crux of the issue.
Chen Baichuan and Mu Mianmian looked at her simultaneously. “Momo, are you suspecting… that we have a mole?”
“The gate is located in an open place where we can see everything clearly. Who’d be so bold to sneak in? There are too many coincidences here, so it must be a plot. Let’s get the one on guard duty last night.”
Chen Baichuan said hopefully, “Do you have a way to flush out the mole, Momo?
Mu Mianmian’s first reaction, however, was to look for the blade under the sofa. Qianmo immediately pressed on her flesh. “You shall remain seated here. Don’t always think of hacking people. Violence is bad.”
Even though she had acted violently once in her previous life, that was because she was at her wit’s end. Now, she had greater abilities and wisdom to resolve all these; thus, there was no need to resort to such primitive measures.
Chen Baichuan quickly summoned the three people on duty last night.
All three of them hailed from the same village and had the same surname Zhao. Qianmo asked for their particulars from her little aunt and Chen Baichuan while waiting for them to come over. Therefore, she was ready to observe them from the side when they arrived. She found it a hassle to remember their names, so she gave them aliases.
Zhao One came to work for them as a night guard from the very beginning. He was 65 years old and had a wife who needed dialysis. Chen Baichuan frequently gave him his pay in advance, even lending him money every now and then. However, he failed to do so recently since he was caught up with family matters. As a result, Zhao One was complaining about Chen Baichuan behind his back because of this.
Zhao Two was younger, around 40. Typically, a man at his age would not work as a night guard as there were plenty of jobs that had better wages. But he was a lazy bum who didn’t have any other job skills. He was still unmarried and was currently dating a widow whose family had just asked him for a bride price, which he couldn’t afford.
Zhao Three was 59 years old. He was a hardworking and honest man who didn’t like to talk much, not complaining even when the other two bullied him frequently. He would just continue his work as usual. Both Chen Baichuan and Mu Mianmian liked this sincere man, so they took him out of the suspect list when they were introducing him. He wouldn’t attempt something like that.
The three of them came in separately. Chen Baichuan and Mu Mianmian suspected Zhao Two was the culprit. After all, this guy had stolen the sea cucumbers from the farm before, and Mu Mianmian was already thinking of firing him. She only kept him because she hadn’t found a better substitute.
Zhao Two’s expression instantly became lustful when he saw Qianmo, even licking his lips; Zhao One lowered his head the moment he entered; and Zhao Three looked perfectly normal.
“I have found out something fishy about you guys!” Chen Baichuan said, following his daughter’s instruction.
The three of them displayed entirely different reactions. Qianmo took in their microexpressions within a quarter of a second.
Zhao One had raised his eyebrows, and his eyes widened; Zhao Three, who stood behind him, had enlarged his nostrils; and Zhao Two had just opened his eyes slightly.
A second later, Zhao One lowered his head; Zhao Three placed his hands tightly against his legs; and Zhao Two continued looking at Qianmo’s face. Afterward, he lowered his gaze to her bosom. This lass was really good-looking…
Chen Baichuan soon realized that this chap was having evil thoughts about his daughter. He stood up angrily and got ready to punch him.
“Dad, please hit him outside. A few punches will do as he had nothing to do with the incident.” Qianmo pointed at Zhao Two. She had eliminated the most suspicious person in only a minute.
He had a bad character, but that had nothing to do with the affair.
Qianmo noticed Zhao One and Zhao Three’s facial expressions had become even more obvious after she ruled him out.
Although both of them had a shocked look, their facial expressions weren’t the same. Two’s reaction was surprise and not fear. Qianmo had tested him twice, but he reacted in the same manner both times. Therefore, she removed him from the suspect list.
Chen Baichuan had lots of questions in his heart, with no idea how his daughter had arrived at her conclusion. Mu Mianmian was equally baffled, but she knew Qianmo wouldn’t do anything if she wasn’t sure. Instead, she was more worried that Chen Baichuan would disrupt Qianmo’s plans by asking too many questions, so she quickly gave him a push.
Chen Baichuan kicked Two out of the office and said, “I’ll settle with you later!”
He was so curious to see how his daughter solved this crime that he couldn’t be bothered to punch the guy anymore.
The two remaining workers, who witnessed Two being kicked out of the office, still had no idea what was going on. Qianmo then saw the usually honest Three licking his lips.
This guy wetting his lips implied that he was feeling very nervous and unsettled now.
And One had kept his head lowered the entire time, so Qianmo hadn’t gotten a chance to see his expression. Nonetheless, keeping his head lowered already signified that he was trying to hide his emotions, making both of them equally suspicious.
“I have already found out that one of you was involved in last night’s incident. You betrayed the farm and colluded with others to drain the pond. Honestly speaking, your behavior has already broken the law. You sabotaged our production, and since a huge sum of money was involved, most likely, you would be going to jail.”
Even though what Qianmo said resembled what Chen Baichuan had said initially, their underlying implications were different.
Chen Baichuan only said that they were involved in something vaguely, but Qianmo had laid out all her cards clearly.
She stared at One and Three directly after she finished talking. The culprit was definitely one of them. Their expressions had proven everything!