Chapter 25

Qin Yao and Gu Cheng went upstairs. Upon seeing the oxygen tanks in the room, Gu Cheng suggested finding someone to move them away. Qin Yao said it wasn’t necessary to go through the trouble, suggesting they find the hospital administrator the next day—but Gu Cheng, being a man of action, couldn’t wait until the next day.

In a whirlwind, he went to find someone, leaving Zhang Yufei and Qin Yao staring at each other awkwardly.

"Did you really start dating Gu Cheng?" Zhang Yufei, with an admiring gaze, asked Qin Yao. Zhang Yufei had always been an introverted and well-behaved child. Even with good grades, she never dared to raise her hand to answer the teacher’s questions, harboring a natural fear of authoritative figures.

Thus, in her eyes, dating Gu Cheng was akin to dancing with a wolf.

Chewing on a White Rabbit cream candy, Qin Yao mumbled, "You could say that."

She loved eating White Rabbit candies from this era. When eating them, she had to resist the urge to chew, because the candy was so addictive. The only downside was that it would stick to her teeth, and she’d have to find a way to get it off her gums.

For a while, Qin Yao resisted chewing, but eventually gave in, using her finger to scrape the candy off her gums through her cheek.

The candy given by a certain someone was really sticky.

Qin Yao suddenly remembered feeding Gu Cheng the candy before. He had chewed it instantly. Didn’t it stick to his teeth? Did he secretly scrape it off behind her back?

"Let’s carry this first," Gu Cheng said, leading a few men upstairs to move the oxygen tanks. Qin Yao watched while Zhang Yufei stood in front of the washbasin like a student being punished.

During their time at sea, Zhang Yufei had seen plenty of Gu Cheng’s authority and now, seeing him, instinctively behaved as if she were in front of a leader, keeping a low profile.

"Thank you," Qin Yao said, offering a box of peanuts, sunflower seeds, and fruit for the helpers to try. The box was something she had brought from home, printed with a design of blooming flowers and a full moon. It was an iron box used to hold mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many families kept these boxes to store snacks.

With Gu Cheng around, Zhang Yufei was too nervous, not knowing where to put her hands, standing there like a deer in headlights. Gu Cheng, with others present, resumed his usual captain demeanor, sitting upright at the desk as if he were in his office, reminding Qin Yao of the time she had gone to him for a signature.

Qin Yao: "..."

"Let’s take a walk downstairs," Qin Yao suggested to Gu Cheng, allowing her future roommate to calm her racing heart.

Gu Cheng had been thinking the same. He glanced outside; it was almost dark, with shadows flickering. He thought to himself that it was good that it was getting dark.

Before leaving, Gu Cheng casually grabbed a mask and put it on seamlessly.

Qin Yao gave him an incredulous look. That mask was one she had used earlier while cleaning. Unless it was a coincidence, it should have her... This guy, who looked so obsessed with cleanliness, had no sense of hygiene at all.

When they reached the second floor, they unexpectedly heard some quarreling and crying coming from a corner, where a crowd had gathered to watch.

"It wasn’t me, I didn’t steal the money!"

Qin Yao heard a familiar voice—Tian Shuyun’s.

She exchanged a glance with Gu Cheng. Gu Cheng’s expression remained unchanged, showing no interest in the commotion. However, Qin Yao pulled him, and they walked toward the end of the second floor.

In the early evening, when people went out for walks, the building wasn’t very crowded. At the door, three people stood watching. Qin Yao stood at the door and saw Tian Shuyun, her face flushed with impatience. "It’s not me who stole it. You’ve already searched. My drawer doesn’t have your money. Why are you wrongly accusing me? Apologize to me!"

The woman standing opposite her, her eyes red from crying, said, "You hid it, you must have. It was only a few minutes. If you didn’t steal it, who did?"

"There’s also her! She was here too!" Tian Shuyun pointed at a slim, petite young woman. The woman had a small face with a pointed chin and two dimples when she smiled, giving off an innocent and likable appearance.

Qin Yao knew her. Her name was Yuan Li, and during training, people called her "Xiao Lizi." She had a weak constitution, often unwell, and was well-liked, especially for her singing.

"I don’t know anything. I didn’t see anything," Yuan Li said, her face turning pale. "When I came back, I felt unwell and went to sleep. I didn’t know what happened."

Everyone knew Yuan Li had a weak stomach and loved sleeping. During breaks, she could sleep all day in bed, half-dreaming. With her sweet mouth and proactive attitude during activities, the instructors liked her, and everyone took care of her.

Qin Yao asked someone nearby and learned the background of the situation.

Yuan Li and the woman who lost the money, Li Fangfang, shared a room. Tian Shuyun and Li Fangfang had recently become good friends and were chatting enthusiastically. Yuan Li had returned to the dormitory and fallen asleep. Li Fangfang had called Tian Shuyun over to chat and hang out.

That day, Li Fangfang’s partner had visited her, bringing gifts and giving her fifty yuan and some food coupons. Normally, she wouldn’t have told anyone about this, but because she considered Tian Shuyun a close friend, she couldn’t help but show off.

Tian Shuyun, full of envy in her words, chatted with her for a while. Then, Li Fangfang suddenly had a stomachache and went to the restroom. Tian Shuyun said she was going back.

In the short span of ten minutes, Li Fangfang returned to find that Tian Shuyun was gone, and Yuan Li, on the other bed, was still sleeping. Li Fangfang drank some water, opened her drawer, and took out a key she had hidden between the pages of a book. She had wrapped the key with yellow tape three times and placed newspaper over it, making it hard for anyone to find.

Thinking she had hidden it well, Li Fangfang wanted to check the money locked in the cabinet. Recalling her partner’s kindness, her heart swelled with sweetness.

But when she unlocked the cabinet, the money was gone.

Her face lost all color.

Fifty yuan was no small amount; it could last half a year if spent carefully.

Who had stolen her money?

It had to be Tian Shuyun! Who else could it be?

Li Fangfang confronted Tian Shuyun, but Tian Shuyun was bewildered. "I went back as soon as we parted. Who would have stolen your money? If I had stolen it, would I let you search my cabinet?"

Tian Shuyun, with a clear conscience, allowed Li Fangfang to search, but Li Fangfang found nothing.

"I told you, it wasn’t me."

At this point, Li Fangfang was convinced that Tian Shuyun had an accomplice who had hidden her money, which was why she insisted on searching her.

"Xiao Tian, you were momentarily blinded by greed. Just return the money to Fangfang. You won't have peace of mind spending this money; it's bad for your karma."

"Exactly. Look at Fangfang; she's crying so hard. She considered you a friend. You can't be so heartless."

"Even if you got fifty dollars this time, people will see you as a thief from now on. How will you find a partner in the future?"

Li Fangfang stared into Tian Shuyun's eyes. "Take out the money, and I promise I won't say a word about this."

Tian Shuyun gritted her teeth. "I didn't take your money. If I stole your money, may I be struck by lightning. Whoever took the money should have their whole family cursed to death! I dare to swear!"

The others looked at each other, seeing how resolute Tian Shuyun was. Some of their gazes shifted to Yuan Li. Yuan Li shook her head and followed up, "I swear! I know nothing about this."

The situation reached an impasse. Fifty dollars were missing, and Li Fangfang was going crazy. She became emotionally agitated and grabbed Tian Shuyun's collar. "Give me my money back! You owe me! I was blind to have considered you a friend!"

Li Fangfang cried with snot running down her face. Tian Shuyun grabbed her hand, and the two of them started pulling and pushing, causing a chaotic scene.

"Wait! Stop! Stop! You all stop! Fangfang, I have a way to help you find your money."

Li Fangfang and the others were stunned, turning their heads to see who was speaking. It was Qin Yao.

When Tian Shuyun saw Qin Yao, her expression turned sour. She and Qin Yao had never gotten along. Was Qin Yao here to kick her while she was down?

"Qin Yao! You're in cahoots with Li Fangfang, framing me for stealing the money!" Tian Shuyun was furious, her eyes bloodshot.

Li Fangfang was also angry. "You stole the money and now you're trying to deflect the blame. Tian Shuyun, you must be a habitual offender, pretending to be so wronged. I almost believed you didn't steal it. If it wasn't you, did a ghost take it?"

"Fangfang, let me take a look in your room." Qin Yao continued, having already used her ability to scan Tian Shuyun's house without finding any trace of the fifty dollars.

Tian Shuyun and the other girls in the dormitory were not well-off. Their combined loose change amounted to less than thirty yuan.

"My money has really been stolen."

At Li Fangfang's bedside, Li Fangfang opened the drawer, shaking out the key hidden inside a dictionary and unlocking the compartment below. No matter how she searched, the fifty dollars were nowhere to be found.

"I remember clearly; I put the fifty dollars right here! Now it's gone! All gone!"

"Fangfang, think again!"

Qin Yao's gaze swept over Li Fangfang's bedside table and then moved to the bedside table on the other side. Inside the top drawer, fifty dollars were clearly hidden. Qin Yao then calmly glanced at Yuan Li.

Yuan Li looked completely out of it, appearing extremely innocent and clueless. Even Li Fangfang had never suspected her.

Yuan Li was small and thin, with big round eyes and dimples, sweet-mouthed and fond of singing. She was generally well-liked. On the other hand, Tian Shuyun had a habit of adding fuel to the fire and had inadvertently made quite a few enemies.

If you put them side by side, most people would assume Tian Shuyun was the thief.

"Do you want to check that drawer over there, just in case you put the money in the wrong one, Fangfang?" Qin Yao pointed to the side.

Yuan Li's expression froze.

Li Fangfang shook her head and waved her hands. "Xiao Li has already shown me; it's not there."

Someone said, "If there's no money in their drawers, did the money really just fly away? There must be an accomplice."

"Whoever helped hide the money, step forward. If this gets bigger, everyone's belongings will be searched."

Qin Yao walked over to Yuan Li's bedside table, pulled open the drawer, and Yuan Li hurried over, proactively taking out the contents. She even lifted the newspaper lining the bottom, revealing nothing but the rough yellow wood beneath.

"There's nothing inside, not even underneath. Take a look at the bottom cabinet."

Qin Yao casually remarked, "Your newspaper is folded in two layers."

At that time, with the rough wood, many people would line the bottom of their drawers with a newspaper, hiding things underneath, thinking it was an excellent secret spot.

A full newspaper was too big to line the bottom, so it was either folded in half or a single layer, trimmed to fit, with the corners folded and tucked under.

Yuan Li lifted the newspaper, revealing the wood underneath, while the money was hidden in the fold of the newspaper.

Qin Yao pinched the corner of the newspaper and inserted her fingers inside, spreading it open. "There seems to be money in here."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Yuan Li's face turned pale.