Lu Xi : “…”
What a surprise! The money-loving rebel actually made such a sacrifice. It must’ve been tough for him.
His expression looked like he was in so much pain he could barely breathe.
More importantly, he looked seriously determined. His fists were clenched tight, veins popping on the back of his hands. His eyes were like a young wolf ready to pounce—baring his teeth, back arched, fur bristling.
Lu Xi couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She reached out and tugged on Xie Heng’s hoodie, pulling him back to calm him down.
“How do you plan to investigate?” she asked.
Xie Heng replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. I brought these people in, so I’ll handle it. I promise I’ll find the culprit.”
Lu Xi gave him a knowing look, half-smiling. “Find them, and then what? What are you planning to do?”
Xie Heng shot her a sideways glance and snorted coldly. He raised his fist and clenched it—somehow applying so much force that his knuckles cracked, one after another.
Lu Xi : “……”
That looked painful. And very threatening.
She frowned, just about to say something, when Xie Heng suddenly relaxed his fingers and casually shook out his hand. His lips curled slightly as he said nonchalantly, “What, you think I’m gonna beat him up? Relax, at most, I’ll just help him loosen up his bones a little.”
?
Lu Xi thought, isn’t that the same thing?
But despite his words, she could tell that Xie Heng had changed. He had been through things, he shouldn’t still be the reckless kid who only knew how to solve problems with his fists.
It was just a feeling she had.
She had taught him so much. Whether he had grown or not was up to him. Like she said before, neither she nor Xie Yizhao could watch over him forever. At some point, the boy had to learn how to face the world head-on.
So she might as well trust him to handle it.
“Alright, do what you think is right.”
She nodded at him lightly.
Xie Heng was visibly surprised. He hesitated for a moment, then asked awkwardly, “You… aren’t going to scold me first? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get into a fight again?”
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Do you want me to scold you?”
“……” Xie Heng frowned and stayed silent.
Who would like being scolded? Just hearing it made him annoyed.
But if it was her, he could probably tolerate it.
“As long as you know your limits, I trust you won’t cause trouble,” Lu Xi said calmly.
With that, she walked past him and went downstairs for breakfast.
Xie Heng pressed his lips together.
So this is what it feels like to be trusted?
He had never experienced it before. It felt… kind of nice.
He actually wouldn’t have minded if she had scolded him. But the fact that she trusted him without needing him to explain or promise anything, Xie Heng felt an unexpected sense of happiness.
That being said…
Thinking about that damned thief made his blood boil again.
A shadow passed over his handsome face.
The thief was one of his classmates, someone he had brought into his home. And that bastard had the nerve to steal from his home?!
Yesterday, a servant from his home had been chatting with the Song family’s servants and mentioned it. Song Siyang found out and told him, which pissed him off so much he was grinding his teeth. He even skipped school this morning just to wait for Lu Xi to wake up and clarify the situation.
He knew about that little deer ornament. It was a small, cute thing, placed in the greenhouse. Even though it looked kind of silly, every time he passed by, he couldn’t help but touch its antlers.
Damn it.
Once he found the thief, he’d make sure they grew a pair of antlers of their own.
But since Ms. Lu had told him to be reasonable, fine—he’d just hit them a little lighter.
After quickly gathering his things, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed to school.
By the time Xie Heng arrived, it was already the third period.
It happened to be the English teacher’s class.
The moment the teacher saw the tall, sharp-featured boy at the door, he let out a sarcastic chuckle and said in a mocking tone, “Oh, look who’s here! So early today. Why not just stay home for lunch and come in the afternoon instead?”
Xie Heng glanced at him but didn’t bother responding. He lazily called out, “Report, Sir,” and, without waiting for permission, casually strolled into the classroom.
The English teacher’s little eyes, hidden behind thick lenses, widened slightly as he stared at him in disbelief.
—What’s up with this little tyrant? Has he changed?
He used to be someone no one could criticize. If anyone said the wrong thing, he’d flip out instantly. If someone mocked him the way they just did, he would’ve walked away without a second thought.
Then, it occurred to him: recently, the office had been gossiping about Xie Heng’s stepmother. It seemed like the little tyrant actually listened to her.
No wonder there hadn’t been any news of him getting into fights lately. He even showed up at school every day.
Could it be that he’d really been reformed? Was he planning to turn over a new leaf?
If Xie Heng could hear the teacher’s thoughts, he would only sneer. He just had bigger things on his mind and couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss.
He walked to his seat, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Taking out his English textbook, he casually flipped to a random page, not caring if it was the one they were on.
Resting his head on one hand, he twirled a pen idly in the other, his expression indifferent. But his gaze swept over the rows of students in front of him, scanning each back of the head.
Any one of them could be the culprit who stole the little deer.
After finishing his scan of the front rows, he quickly glanced behind him. Seeing that everyone was focused on class, he withdrew his gaze without a trace.
There were no security cameras at home, so he had no way of knowing who had entered the greenhouse. Too many people had been there yesterday, at least half of them must’ve gone there. That meant they were all suspects.
Finding the thief wasn’t going to be easy.
Xie Heng suddenly recalled the tough words he had thrown out in front of Lu Xi earlier and felt a little guilty.
He had been too confident. If he failed to find the culprit, how could he ever show his face in front of her again?
Lowering his head, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“……”
Huang Ying glanced at his textbook, then at her inexplicably moody deskmate, the school tyrant. Swallowing nervously, she whispered, “It’s page 59.”
Hearing that, Xie Heng shot her a sideways look.
Huang Ying immediately shut up, regretting meddling in his business.
Then, he suddenly asked, “Did you go to my greenhouse yesterday?”
She blinked, momentarily stunned before realizing he was talking to her.
Without thinking, she said, “No, I didn’t.”
Xie Heng’s gaze held a hint of doubt. He let his pen fall onto the desk with a soft thud and asked expressionlessly, “Really?”
Huang Ying thought there was no reason to lie about this. “Yeah, I’m allergic to pollen.”
—Allergic to pollen…
Xie Heng vaguely remembered hearing her mention it while chatting with a classmate.
He withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, then tore a page from his notebook and placed it on Huang Ying’s desk.
[Do me a favor—write down the names of everyone you saw enter the greenhouse yesterday.]
Huang Ying was slightly taken aback, clearly not understanding his intent.
Xie Heng didn’t bother explaining. He resumed twirling his pen and said matter-of-factly, “I won’t let you help for free. If anyone bullies you, tell me, I’ll beat them up for you.”
“……”
Huang Ying was speechless.
She came to school to study. No one was bullying her, and she didn’t need a hired thug.
Even though the request was strange, it wasn’t hard to do, so she nodded. “I’ll write it down after class. Just wait a bit.”
Xie Heng wasn’t in a hurry. “Fine. But keep it secret. Don’t tell anyone.”
“…Alright.” Not that she could even explain such a weird request if she wanted to. And since he was keeping her secret, she would do the same.
After class, she wrote down the names of everyone she remembered and handed the list to Xie Heng.
There were about a dozen names.
During lunch break, Xie Heng went to the West Gate food street with Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang. He had them do the same thing, write down the names of those they saw in the greenhouse.
Among all his classmates, the only two people he ruled out were these two. Not just because they were close friends, but because his gut told him they had nothing to do with it.
Song Siyang obediently wrote down the names but couldn’t help grumbling, “Not to be a downer, Brother Heng, but there were so many people in there. Are you seriously gonna investigate them one by one?”
Xie Heng frowned coldly, rebelliousness written all over his face. “Why not?”
“I mean, you could, but do you really think the thief would admit it?”
Honestly, Song Siyang didn’t think he was particularly smart, but if he had stolen something, he definitely wouldn’t confess. Only an absolute idiot would.
Xie Heng ignored Song Siyang.
He still hadn’t figured out his next steps after gathering the suspects, but at least this gave him a direction, better than blindly groping in the dark.
Even if he had to investigate one by one, he didn’t mind. After all, he had plenty of time.
The clay pot rice hadn’t even arrived yet, but the two boys had already finished writing. Xie Heng took their lists, glanced through them, then pulled out the one written by Huang Ying. After organizing everything, he grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and carefully transcribed over thirty names onto it.
Once done, he let out a breath, picked up the paper, and slapped it onto the table in front of the other two. “Take a look. Who do you think is the most suspicious?”
Song Siyang leaned in for a glance. “No idea… but, Brother Heng, your handwriting is really ugly.”
Xu Jiaming lazily lifted his eyelids. “I don’t even know what was stolen from your house. How am I supposed to tell?”
Song Siyang immediately cut in, “I know! It’s some kind of little deer ornament.”
Xu Jiaming’s expression flickered for a second before clearing up. He finally took a serious look at the list, muttering to himself, “Oh, right. It was a really cute little deer.”
Xie Heng was racking his brain, trying to recall how detectives in crime dramas handled investigations. But upon hearing this, something started to feel off.
He clicked his tongue and shot an annoyed look at Xu Jiaming. “That’s my little deer—why do ‘you’ think it’s cute?”
His voice paused, suspicion creeping into his gaze. “Wait… could it be you who stole it?”
Xu Jiaming : “……”
He opened his mouth, looking utterly baffled. He wanted to explain but felt both exasperated and amused. After a long moment, he sighed helplessly, “I seriously doubt your ability to catch a thief.”
“……”
Good friends were just like that, always ready to stab each other in the back.
Soon, their food was served. But Xie Heng had no appetite. He barely touched his chopsticks, his mind fixated on the list of suspects.
Honestly, he didn’t want to suspect any of them.
They were all his classmates. He hadn’t been particularly close to them before, but ever since yesterday, he’d started to feel a sense of belonging to the class. His perception of them had begun to change.
No matter how hard he thought about it, he just couldn’t picture any of them as a petty thief.
That only made him angrier.
It wasn’t just about his own disappointment. Whoever did this had also let down Ms. Lu’s kindness. It was disgusting. He swore that once he found out who it was, he’d make sure they wouldn’t be able to show their face at school again.
Then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
His sharp eyes darkened as he asked the other two, “Did anyone from outside our class come over yesterday?”
If he had to investigate, he’d rather start with outsiders.
Song Siyang, chewing on a piece of braised pork, shook his head, indicating he didn’t know. But Xu Jiaming seemed to recall something. His voice deepened as he said, “Yeah. Du Jiaqi, a senior from Year Two.”
He knew Du Jiaqi because they were both in the student council.
Yesterday, when he saw Du Jiaqi at Xie Heng’s house, he had found it a bit odd, assuming someone from their class had brought him along.
Xie Heng frowned, trying to remember, but he had no recollection of this person at all.
Still, he couldn’t just suspect someone solely because they were from another class…
Just then, the transparent door curtain of the restaurant was lifted, and a group of students walked in, chatting and laughing.
Xu Jiaming glanced over, then leaned in to whisper to Xie Heng, “The one on the right. That’s him.”
Xie Heng was momentarily stunned, then smirked. Well, wasn’t this a coincidence?
He looked up.
The one on the right? Just an average-looking guy, nothing particularly memorable about him, except for a few extra acne scars. Nothing about him stood out.
Du Jiaqi was in the middle of laughing with his friends when he suddenly felt an intense gaze on him.
The moment he met Xie Heng’s eyes, a chill ran down his spine.
His expression shifted in panic. He tugged at his friend’s sleeve. “Let’s go somewhere else. I’m sick of this place.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and quickly walked out, leaving his confused friends behind.
Xie Heng: “……”
That guy was definitely acting suspicious.
Suddenly, his mood brightened. He finally picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites. A plan was already forming in his mind.
Then, remembering something, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Lu Xi, smiling.
[Investigation progress: 50%. Just wait—this Young Master will bring the little deer back safe and sound!]