Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 322 Stealing is not stealing
However, when Song Sixi actually saw the books placed in Luo Wenbin's room, she was truly shocked.

Luo Wenbin was right; he did indeed "own" a lot of books, far more than Song Sixi had imagined.

However, Song Sixi was not blind. With his excellent eyesight, he quickly identified the owner of the books—Xia Mingyue—from the names written on them.

Xia Mingyue had just clashed with Luo Wenbin, so it was clearly impossible for her to be so generous as to lend him all the books.

If that's the case, then the origin of these books is worth examining.

With a furrowed brow, Song Sixi looked at Luo Wenbin in disbelief and exclaimed:
"Luo Wenbin, how dare you steal Xia Zhiqing's books?"

"Before things get out of hand, you should quickly return these books and apologize to Xia Zhiqing. That will settle things."

Luo Wenbin glanced at Song Sixi with disdain and retorted with dissatisfaction, "How can you call something a scholar does theft?"

"This is 'stealing,' not 'stealing.' Stealing is not the same as stealing, you know?"

"I only told you about these books because I liked you, thinking we could read them together sometime. Don't make a mistake."

"If you don't get into university, you'll just have to stay in this remote corner of the countryside for the rest of your life!"

Faced with Luo Wenbin's rebuttal, Song Sixi was furious and shouted:
"The argument that 'stealing is not stealing' cannot cover up the fact that you stole something."

"This kind of thing can be easily found out with a simple investigation. You'd better return the book quickly and not jeopardize your future."

"Once you're branded as a thief, you might not even have the chance to take the college entrance exam."

"As for me? Even if I don't get into university, I won't read these stolen books."

Song Sixi's integrity clearly angered Luo Wenbin, who shoved Song Sixi out the door and said righteously:

"Song Sixi, I only asked you to share the book I finally got my hands on because I thought you were someone important. Who knew you would be so timid that you didn't even dare to look at it?"

"I took this book, what does it have to do with you? Why are you so scared? I really misjudged you."

"Since you disdain to read the books I brought, then you have no right to read them either."

“I’ll go find other educated youth. I don’t believe they’re as cowardly as you, afraid to even use something so good that’s offered to them.”

At this point, Luo Wenbin shouted directly at the educated youth outside the door:
"Books! I've found a lot of books. Anyone who wants them, come and get them quickly!"

“I already made an agreement with Xia, the educated youth. She is willing to lend us the books for free and has also agreed that we don’t need to share her work points.”

The scene of Luo Wenbin's falling out with Xia Mingyue was still vivid in my mind. His words could not fool anyone with a little intelligence, let alone these educated youths who had some background knowledge.

With the college entrance examination just around the corner, not everyone can remain steadfast in their original aspirations like Song Sixi when faced with the temptation of books.

Especially those who were still hesitant at first, seeing their companions already holding the book and excitedly flipping through it, ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and picked up the book to read as well.

Everyone else took it, so it shouldn't be a problem if I take it too.

Besides, these books were given to me by Luo Wenbin, so even if something goes wrong, I'll be the victim.

Looking at the situation unfolding before him, Song Sixi sighed and murmured:
"Things shouldn't be like this."

After hesitating for a moment, he finally made the right choice and ran to the kitchen to find Xia Mingyue to inform her.

Seeing Xia Mingyue still busy in the kitchen, Song Sixi finally couldn't help but whisper a reminder:
"Xia Zhiqing, don't be busy here, go to your room quickly, something terrible has happened!"

Xia Zhiqing glanced at Song Sixi with a puzzled look, then placed the coarse flour buns on the steamer, quickly washed herself, and hurriedly returned to her room.

Looking at her room, which had been emptied by Luo Wenbin and was now devoid of even a single book, Xia Mingyue frantically lifted her pillow.

Seeing that the copy of *La Dame aux Camélias* was still under her pillow, she asked Song Sixi with suspicion:

"Brother Song, what exactly is going on?"

After glancing at Luo Wenbin's location, Song Sixi sighed and said:

"What else could it be? Luo Wenbin stole all your books, didn't he?"

"Don't worry, I'll go with you to get the book back."

With her brows furrowed, Xia Mingyue never imagined that she would encounter such an outrageous thing while simply cooking a meal.

To put it mildly, this is theft; to put it more seriously, it's no different from robbery.

Especially since some of these books were ones she had borrowed from Wang Chengpeng, it was impossible for her to simply leave them unattended.

I must get the book back!
Thinking this, Xia Mingyue disregarded everything else and rushed to Luo Wenbin's room door, shouting:
"Luo Wenbin, return the book you stole from me right now."

"Considering that it was just a momentary impulse, as long as you return the book, I can let this matter go."

Xia Mingyue arrived very quickly, just in time to bump into Zhang Jinhu, who had just received the book and was about to leave.

Subconsciously tucking the book in his hand behind his back, Zhang Jinhu said somewhat awkwardly:

"Xia, what a coincidence!"

Before the two could exchange more than two words, Luo Wenbin strode out arrogantly, smiling as he said to Xia Mingyue:
"Xia Zhiqing, what a coincidence to run into you here."

"You said before that you were willing to lend out the books, and I figured you didn't need to do such a small thing yourself, so I did it for you."

"Don't thank me, this is what I should do."

Facing the furious Xia Mingyue, Luo Wenbin showed no sign of panic, and instead began to "distort the truth" with a smile.

Suppressing her anger, Xia Mingyue defended herself:

"Luo Wenbin, when did I ever promise to lend you the book?"

"If we get all of them to return the books to me now, this matter can be resolved."

"Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"You've committed a crime, do you know that?"

Despite Xia Mingyue's reprimand, Luo Wenbin remained indifferent, grinning as he said:
"Oh, Xia Zhiqing really knows how to flatter people."

"And it's a crime? How can something done by a scholar be considered a crime?"

"If you want to go back on what you said, you should ask those who took the books if they are willing to return them."

At this point, Luo Wenbin confidently glanced at the educated youth around him who had come to borrow books.

As far as the eye could see, not a single educated youth was willing to voluntarily return the books.

Although they kept their heads down, they gripped the books in their hands even tighter.

Too lazy to argue with these stubborn people, Xia Mingyue knew they were just taking advantage of her being alone and intended to use their power to intimidate her.

But she wasn't as weak as she seemed. She issued an ultimatum, saying, "I, Xia Mingyue, hereby solemnly tell you all that I have no intention of lending out the books. The books you have were all stolen from me by Luo Wenbin."

“Now return the book, and I can read it aloud without your knowledge, so you won’t be punished for ignorance.”

“But now that we’ve already talked things out, if you still refuse to return the book, then you are Luo Wenbin’s accomplices.”

Xia Mingyue's words were like a cold wind, blowing away the fig leaf on these people's faces without hesitation, leaving them no longer able to hide like cowards.

They looked at each other, but still didn't take any action.

They all had a sense of impunity, believing that Xia Mingyue wouldn't dare to actually do anything to so many of them as she suggested.

If she dared to do that, she probably wouldn't be able to stay at this educated youth settlement anymore.

Of course, if someone returns the book first at this point, they will most likely follow suit and return the book as well.

Once a comparison is made, they will no longer insist on using Xia Mingyue's words even when they know it's wrong.

However, the person who returned the book first never appeared. Everyone just stared at Xia Mingyue, as if Xia Mingyue was the one who had done something wrong, not them.

Luo Wenbin laughed with even more smugness:

“Xia Zhiqing, you really love to joke with us.”

"You promised to lend me this book, so don't bring up the fact that you didn't promise to lend it to me."

"Alright, studying is important. What are you all still standing here for? Let's finish reading all the books as soon as possible so we can return them to Xia Zhiqing sooner, right?"

Urged on by Luo Wenbin, the educated youth finally couldn't resist and took their books back to their rooms.

Under these circumstances, it would be virtually impossible for Xia Mingyue to get the book back.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Mingyue suppressed her anger and turned to leave the educated youth settlement.

If this educated youth settlement isn't a place where she can reason with people, then she'll go find a place where she can reason with people.

If only her own books were stolen, that would be fine, but there are still a lot of Wang Chengpeng's books among them. If they were really stolen, she would never be able to face Wang Chengpeng again.

Driven by anger, Xia Mingyue walked exceptionally fast and soon arrived at the Cun tribe.

The moment Xia Mingyue stepped through the gate of the Cun tribe, she shouted at the top of her lungs:

"Captain Wang, you really have to stand up for me."

"I reported to the police that a gang of more than ten people robbed me of my belongings."

A gang of far more than ten people? Robbery?

Both of these words were extremely offensive, so much so that Wang Fucheng stood up abruptly and exclaimed:

"Xia Zhiqing, you're not kidding me, are you?"

“Our Wangjia Village is the most peaceful and stable place. How could such an outrageous thing happen?”

After briefly describing the situation, Xia Mingyue asked:

"Captain Wang, more than a dozen of them ganged up on me and tried to steal my book. Do you think I'm joking at all?"

After listening to Xia Mingyue's description, Wang Fucheng frowned.

This matter is neither too big nor too small; it's really hard to judge.

After all, the stolen items were books, and the value of those items is hard to estimate.

Furthermore, Luo Wenbin kept insisting that he would return the book after reading it, making the situation quite difficult to resolve.

Although she was angry, Xia Mingyue was also a very tactful person.

Seeing that Wang Fucheng remained silent, she immediately understood what he was thinking. After hesitating for a moment, she offered a compromise:

"I was originally willing to lend them these books, since I agreed when they first asked."

"It's just that some of the books in my room don't belong to me; they belong to other people, and I don't have the right to control them."

"If Captain Wang finds it difficult, then please help me get back the books I borrowed from others, and we can consider this matter settled."

The book I borrowed...

Although Xia Mingyue didn't explain things in detail, it wasn't hard to guess where she could borrow books from in Wangjia Village.

Combined with the previous rumors of a good relationship between Wang Chengpeng and Xia Mingyue, Wang Fucheng instantly determined the ownership of these books; they were definitely books that Wang Chengpeng had lent to Xia Mingyue.

What? Someone actually dared to steal my nephew's book on my own turf! They're completely disregarding me!

Thinking this through, Wang Fucheng immediately expressed his opinion:
"This matter cannot be left unresolved. Organized robbery is simply outrageous."

“Xia Zhiqing, don’t worry. Let me call Wang Hai and a few militiamen. They will definitely help you get justice.”

Seeing Wang Fucheng visibly growing angry, Xia Mingyue was filled with doubt. Why was the village chief of Wangjia Village suddenly so easy to talk to?

Just as she was wondering, Wang Fucheng seemed to remember something and added a sentence in the ear of the militiaman who was about to go and call for help:

"Remember to tell Comrade Wang Chengpeng about this as well."

For other matters, Wang Fucheng can make his own decisions without needing to consult Wang Chengpeng.

But this matter is different. Since it involves Wang Chengpeng, the person involved, he dared not overstep his bounds and make the decision directly for Wang Chengpeng.

The more Wang Fucheng interacted with Wang Chengpeng, the more he felt that this seemingly harmless young man was absolutely terrifying.

As it turns out, Wang Chengpeng's seemingly perplexing behavior had a deeper meaning behind it.

Since the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination, Wang Chengpeng's seemingly lazy and dependent behavior of staying at home studying has been explained.

He wasn't just sponging off his parents at home; he was clearly building up his strength for the upcoming college entrance exam, waiting for his chance to soar to great heights.

Of course, Wang Fucheng didn't believe that Wang Chengpeng had foreseen the resumption of the college entrance examination. He thought that Wang Chengpeng was just preparing to seize every possible opportunity.

It is often those who are well-prepared who are able to seize every opportunity, anticipating the enemy's moves, as if they were prescient.

People only see his good luck in seizing the opportunity, but they don't see the effort he put in to do so.

Wang Fucheng shook his head sharply, dispelling the random thoughts in his mind.

Now is not the time to think about these miscellaneous things; the most important thing right now is to properly handle the matter of Wang Chengpeng's books being stolen!

(End of this chapter)