Liang Xinwei looked startled and hurriedly shook her head. "Great-grandfather, how could I have hidden my sister..."
Great-grandfather cut her off. "That time, it was you who locked Yuanyuan in the attic, making everyone believe she was just throwing a tantrum and hiding away. It turned out you tricked her into the attic and locked her in just to steal her opportunity to perform at the City Hall. What kind of scheme are you playing this time?" Great-grandfather demanded angrily.
Liang Xinwei wore a look of innocent fear. Her eyes turned red in an instant, and her hands trembled as she held her teacup. "Great-grandfather, it wasn't me."
"Father, don't be angry. Why bring up old history?" Wu Guizhen hurriedly supported Great-grandfather. "Xinwei is so well-behaved and sensible; how could she possibly have locked that wretched girl in the attic? You mustn't listen to hearsay."
"It was her!" Great-grandfather glared at Liang Xinwei. "Yuanyuan told me it was you who locked her in the attic. Others may not believe it, but I do."
My eyes grew hot. As he spoke, Great-grandfather became so angry that he slammed his cane down onto the cup. The cup fell to the floor and shattered, splashing tea all over Liang Xinwei. I saw a cold glint flash across Liang Xinwei’s eyes for a fleeting second, but she pretended to be terrified, trembling and shedding tears. "Great-grandfather, it really wasn't me."
That pitiful appearance made Wen Honggang ache with sympathy. He immediately defended her. "Grandfather, Xinwei has been sweet and sensible since she was a child. How could she lock Wen Yuan in the attic? You can't just listen to one side of the story. Wen Yuan has always had a temper and loved to play at disappearing..."
"Shut up!" Great-grandfather raised his cane and struck Wen Honggang on the back. "No matter how much of a temper Yuanyuan has, she would never miss my birthday banquet. Something must have happened to her. Wen Honggang, Yuanyuan is your daughter! Don't let greed blind you into favoring the wrong person. Go to the police station immediately and find out what you can about her."
Great-grandfather roared. Seeing the old man truly enraged, Wen Honggang agreed repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Grandfather, I'll go right now."
After Wen Honggang left the banquet hall, Wu Guizhen immediately whispered to Fu Hanyi, "Young Master Fu, the old man is a bit confused. Please don't take it to heart."
"Yes, indeed. He is ninety, after all," the second uncle chimed in. They were terrified that Fu Hanyi would believe the accusations and that a poor impression of Liang Xinwei would affect their upcoming marriage.
Fu Hanyi remained silent, his expression unreadable. Liang Xinwei hung her head and sobbed, looking wronged. At this moment, feigning innocence was more effective than any words.
Once Wen Honggang went outside, he did not go to the police station to inquire about the situation. Instead, he called his assistant and entrusted him with a message for my mother: "Tell He Huifang to find Wen Yuan immediately and tell her not to cause any more trouble for the Wen family!"
*Trouble.* So, I was his trouble. Although I had long known that I meant nothing to him, hearing such disdainful words with my own ears still caused my heart to ache.
In the entire Wen family, only Great-grandfather truly loved me. I knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him three times. *I’m sorry, Great-grandfather. I cannot be here alive to wish you a happy birthday, but you must live to be a hundred.*
Great-grandfather seemed to receive my blessing; he raised his head, looked in the direction where I was kneeling, and his eyes grew moist. He sighed, leaned on his cane, and pulled himself up. "You lot are all blind."
He finished, then pointed at the kneeling Liang Xinwei. "If you dare to stir up any more mischief, heaven will surely collect its due. Stay kneeling."
Liang Xinwei bit her lip, putting on a show of filial piety, looking as if she had been wronged but dared not argue. Yet, her eyes remained cold.
She had brought Fu Hanyi to the banquet intending to show off in front of the guests, but instead, the old man had overturned his tea and ordered her to kneel. Great-grandfather had no heart left to accept the guests' well-wishes and left the hall.
The guests followed suit. Once the crowd had dispersed, Fu Hanyi finally helped Liang Xinwei up. She sobbed softly, looking at him with grievance. "Hanyi, do you not believe me either?"
Fu Hanyi paused, then looked at her. "That day at the police station, you were very certain that Wen Yuan would return, but she didn't show up today."
Liang Xinwei hurried to explain, "I don't know why she didn't come either. Great-grandfather loves her the most; logically, she definitely should have returned to celebrate his birthday. It must be that she is still throwing a tantrum. My sister has really lost all sense of propriety this time. Even if she is heartbroken over a breakup, she shouldn't let Great-grandfather down."
I squinted. What a perfect white lotus; she didn't forget to splash a bucket of filth on me even while washing herself clean.
Fu Hanyi remained silent. Liang Xinwei took his arm. "Hanyi, let's stop worrying about my sister for now. She’s probably just very upset and hiding for a bit longer. The banquet is starting, let's go. You are the guest of honor; you have to go on stage later to give the birthday toast to Great-grandfather."
Fu Hanyi parted his lips, but before he could say yes, his phone rang. After a glance at the notification from the police station, he answered. "Hello?"
"Mr. Fu, this is Officer Wang from the Qinggang Lane Police Station. We have a new discovery in the Wen Yuan case, and it involves you. Could you come to the station to assist with the investigation?"
"Fine," Fu Hanyi replied readily.
A cold glint flashed in Liang Xinwei’s eyes, but she asked with concern, "Is there a new development in my sister's case?"
Fu Hanyi did not hide it. "Yes, I'm heading to the station now."
"I'll go with you."
Fu Hanyi hesitated. "I will handle the case matters. The banquet is about to start; you stay and keep Great-grandfather company, otherwise, he will be unhappy again."
"Hanyi, you saw it yourself—Great-grandfather is very worried about my sister. He won't be upset if I go to handle her affairs," Liang Xinwei said, full of concern. "Besides, I am worried about her too. I want to know what clues the police have found."
***
At the police station, I drifted into the reception room one step ahead of Liang Xinwei and Fu Hanyi. I saw my cousin, Xie Yanchuan. He was saying to the officer, "My aunt is ill and cannot get out of bed, so I have come in her stead. Officer, what is the new clue?"
My heart ached. I had been missing for five days; my mother must have fallen ill from excessive grief.
"I will take you all to see the clue once Mr. Fu arrives," the officer said.
Xie Yanchuan’s tone grew heavy. "Does the clue have anything to do with Fu Hanyi?"
"It does, to an extent... Mr. Fu, you're here." The officer stopped mid-sentence and nodded with a smile toward someone behind Xie Yanchuan.
Xie Yanchuan turned around. Liang Xinwei was walking toward them, arm-in-arm with Fu Hanyi. Seeing this display of affection, Xie Yanchuan’s expression turned instantly furious. He lunged at Fu Hanyi in a few long strides. "Fu Hanyi, you self-righteous hypocrite! Yuanyuan gave you everything, and this is how you treat her! When she comes back, you must apologize to her!"
Fu Hanyi let out a cold laugh, mocking Xie Yanchuan’s anger, as if it were merely a hollow display of bravado. Both men were tall and sturdy, but Fu Hanyi’s silhouette loomed over Xie Yanchuan with an innate sense of oppression.
"You want me to apologize to her? Tell her to kneel before me first and atone for her sins."
My heart suffered a sharp, violent pain. I had been nothing but kind to him, even going so far as to sell my own blood to buy his medicine, and yet, I was the one who had to atone?