You all chase after the innocent school beauty, then I'll choose the rebellious female school b

"girl?"

The ward fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at each other, their faces showing surprise. They hadn't expected her to be a female thief.

Grandma Pang frowned, racking her brains for a moment before slowly saying, "The woman was wearing a mask and a hat, completely covered up. But I could tell she wasn't very old, probably around the same age as Yixian."

She paused, then gestured: "Not very tall, about half a head shorter than Yixian."

He's half a head shorter than Yixian, so his height should be around 1.55 meters.

The old lady couldn't recount any more details.

Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian exchanged a glance, and it seemed that they both had someone they suspected.

"Yixian, maybe... we should call the police," Wang Qingyu said softly, her voice tinged with fear.

She gets scared whenever the topic of thieves comes up.

Lu Yuan shook his head and said calmly, "Calling the police won't solve anything. There are no security cameras in Yi Xian's area at all, only at a distant intersection and a small shop. Even if the thief gets caught on camera there, we can't confirm if it's her."

Lu Yuan's words made sense, and everyone fell silent.

When the police arrived, they were completely in the dark and found it difficult to identify the suspect.

Ye Yixian's doors and windows were recently renovated, making it difficult for anyone to enter unless they resort to brute force. Since it's just a petty theft, they certainly wouldn't dare make such a commotion.

Furthermore, Ye Yizhu will be back tomorrow.

With such a strong and robust man like Ye Yizhu sitting in his house, thieves would most likely not dare to come back.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Grandma Pang said excitedly, "That's right! The thief's right hand should be injured!"

"What kind of injury?" Several people immediately surrounded him.

Grandma Pang raised her right hand and gestured as if she were wrapping something around her arm: "She had strips of cloth tied around her hand, and it hurt when she pushed me. I remember... something like that."

"My palm is injured..."

Lu Yuan repeated it in a low voice, seemingly lost in thought.

……

No one disturbed Grandma Pang's rest any longer, and they left the ward one after another.

In the corridor, Wang Qingyu grabbed Ye Yixian's arm and suggested, "Don't go home tonight. Stay at my place for the night, and go home when your brother comes back tomorrow."

Ye Yixian politely declined Wang Qingyu's offer, pulled Lu Yuan aside, and said in a low voice, "My family rarely keeps cash at home. Everyone in that area knows that. There's no reason for a thief to deliberately break in."

Lu Yuan nodded: "I don't think that person wanted to steal anything either; they must have had some other motive."

"If she's not stealing money, then what is she trying to steal?"

"..." Lu Yuan was silent for a moment, then his gaze suddenly fell on Ye Yixian's face. "I have someone I suspect. What about you?"

Ye Yixian nodded: "I also suspect someone."

"We're thinking of the same person, right?"

"It should be." Ye Yixian nodded.

Lu Yuan smiled and asked, "Do you know where she lives?"

"Know."

……

Originally, only Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian were going to find someone, but Lin Na insisted on coming along, saying she wanted to stand up for Old Lady Pang.

To be honest, it was only thanks to Linna's timely discovery of Granny Pang that things went well; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. That's why we let her go along.

The three of them arrived at Chen Li's house.

Chen Li was the girl who used to bully Ye Yixian. Later, Gao Ya and her men taught her a lesson and sent her to work in the provincial capital. She was only allowed to come back during the holidays.

Judging from subsequent events, she did indeed leave Jiangcheng and never returned.

Now that the Lunar New Year is approaching, they should all be back.

Ye Yixian had never been to Chen Li's house, but she knew where it was.

Chen Li's family was of modest means, living in a somewhat old bungalow. As the Lunar New Year approached, the courtyard was quiet and deserted, lacking any festive atmosphere.

Based on Ye Yixian's understanding of Chen Li, she is extremely vengeful. Having suffered such a great loss before, it's impossible for her not to harbor resentment. It's possible that she might resort to desperate measures and plan to do something while Ye Yixian is not home.

The three got out of the car, and Lu Yuan led the way to Chen Li's door, calling out, "Is anyone home?"

The door opened quickly, and a middle-aged woman came out. Seeing that it was three unfamiliar young people—one man and two women—her face immediately showed suspicion: "Who are you looking for?"

"We're Chen Li's friends, is this her home?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Oh, she's her friend." Upon hearing this, the woman's face showed no joy, but rather even more displeasure. "She just came back the day before yesterday, and as soon as she got back, she was out running around, never staying home for a moment. I don't know what she's doing. Anyway, I, as her mother, can't control her. Even you, who are her friends, can't find her, so I can't find her either."

It is certain that Chen Li has indeed returned.

Lu Yuan could understand why Chen Li's mother looked displeased, because none of Chen Li's friends were honest people; they were all low-class hooligans.

Since Lu Yuan and the other two were said to be Chen Li's friends, they were naturally categorized into that group of people.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly: "Auntie, can you contact her? We need to speak with her urgently."

"What's the emergency?" Chen Li's mother frowned, seemingly reluctant to help.

She always felt that Chen Li had caused trouble outside, and these people were here to settle scores.

"She left something with me, and I have to return it to her personally," Ye Yixian immediately replied.

Chen Li's mother looked her over with some skepticism, then said helplessly, "Let's wait and see," before turning and going inside.

She came out again shortly after and said that Chen Li would be back soon.

So, Lu Yuan and the other two waited at the intersection.

The wind is quite cold tonight. Ye Yixian went shopping with Wang Qingyu at noon, but he wasn't dressed very warmly, and now he's stamping his feet to keep warm.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan took off his coat without saying a word and put it on her.

Linna, standing to the side, protested, "Hey, I'm cold too!"

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes at her: "You'll freeze to death. I only have one coat, I can't give it to you."

"you……"

Linna was speechless and could only glare at him angrily.

Less than half an hour later, a figure appeared in the distance. Lu Yuan recognized her at a glance; it was Chen Li.

Chen Li walked back with her head down. Compared to the last time they met, her appearance had changed drastically. Her hair was dyed red, and her figure had become much fuller.

It probably grew bigger because it earned some money working in the provincial capital and ate well.

Therefore, Lu Yuan really did point them out a way out, not a dead end.

It is worth noting that her right hand was indeed wrapped in gauze.

Lu Yuan and the other two stood quietly at the intersection. Chen Li was so focused on walking that she didn't notice anyone waiting for her ahead.

When she spotted Lu Yuan and the other two, she abruptly stopped in her tracks. As if she had done something wrong, she turned and tried to run away.

Unfortunately, they were too close. Lu Yuan caught up with her in just a few steps and cornered her against the wall.

Why are you running?

Lu Yuan asked coldly.

Chen Li, panting, stubbornly insisted, "I didn't run away, I just... I just..."

"Just what?"

Ye Yixian stepped forward and looked directly at her.

When Chen Li saw Ye Yixian, she immediately lowered her head guiltily and remained silent.

Just then, Lin Na walked over and slapped Chen Li across the face with a loud "smack".

Chen Li was stunned by the slap. She stared at Lin Na with wide eyes, her face full of disbelief, probably thinking: Who the hell are you? You suddenly appeared and slapped me!

The moment you see the bandage on her right hand, you can be sure she is the "thief".

"What are you doing at my house?" Ye Yixian asked.

Chen Li kept her head down and remained silent.

"Will you tell me or not!"

Linna raised her hand to hit her again.

Chen Li was so frightened that she instinctively covered her head and hid to the side.

However, Lin Na's slap didn't land; Lu Yuan reached out and stopped her.

"Why are you stopping me?" Lin Na said angrily. "Even someone as rude as me knows you shouldn't lay a hand on an old woman. This little bitch has absolutely no bottom line; she'll hit a seventy- or eighty-year-old woman!"

"I didn't hit her," Chen Li argued, her voice trembling with tears. "I wanted to leave, but she insisted I was a thief, and I accidentally... pushed her."

Lu Yuan gestured for Lin Na to stand aside and then asked personally, "So tell me, what were you doing at Yi Xian's house?"