C7 House Burglar

After the dizziness subsided, I found myself back in my original room. I filled a glass with water from the bathroom tap, intending to dive back in, but unfortunately, my phone displayed a second countdown timer. It looked like I'd have to wait until tomorrow to try again.

The library and pet park options had vanished from my phone. Lying on the couch, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. I was supposed to be a librarian, yet somehow, I'd ended up as a gardener.

But my disappointment was short-lived, as sleepiness quickly overtook me. In my drowsy state, I thought I heard someone calling my name. I was about to open my eyes when I heard a snide remark, "Hmph, sleeping like a log. There's going to be quite the spectacle later, and I can't wait to see you embarrass yourself."

I immediately recognized the voice as Lin Dong's. I decided to keep up the act of being asleep to see what he was up to. After a few calls and a brief silence, the sound of a zipper reached my ears. I squinted, stealing a glance in his direction, and saw Lin Dong's back to me as he opened the cabinet and began to pull at my suitcase.

Recalling his earlier attempt to set me up, I resisted the impulse to confront him on the spot. Interrupting him now would only let him weasel his way out. I needed to stay calm and collect evidence to clear my name.

I stealthily retrieved my phone from my pocket and activated the video recording feature, aiming it at Lin Dong.

Once Lin Dong had finished tampering with my belongings, he cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. Seeing me apparently still sound asleep, he smirked with satisfaction and slipped out quietly.

Only when his footsteps had faded did I rise and search through my suitcase. After some digging, I found a small wooden box at the bottom. Inside, wrapped in silk, were two coffee-colored, shiny walnuts that rattled with a plastic-like sound when shaken.

I had never seen such ornamental walnuts before and could only guess at their resemblance to the ones I'd eaten. Were they valuable? I had heard they were among my grandfather's favorite possessions, and given the meticulous packaging, I carefully placed them back in the box, pondering how Lin Dong intended to use them against me.

During dinner, Lin Dong was quietly puzzled. Why was there no reaction? When he had sneakily taken the walnuts from his grandfather's bedside, it was blatantly obvious, like a scene from a robbery. Yet, his grandfather remained so composed. Had he not returned to his room and noticed?

As the meal neared its end and people were getting ready to leave, Lin Dong grew impatient. He needed to reveal the theft in front of everyone for it to have the desired impact, to thoroughly discredit the culprit. Moreover, he couldn't delay. Even though the item was well-concealed, it might be discovered if too much time passed. He had to act now.

"Grandpa, a friend of mine wants to buy a pair of walnuts as a gift. I told him you have a supreme grade pair, but he didn't believe me and insisted on seeing a photo," Lin Dong said, shaking his phone. "The quality and color of your prized walnuts would absolutely dazzle him."

"Walnuts?" Lin Yijing paused for a moment.

"Yes, you're always rolling them in your hand. Why haven't you brought them out today?" Lin Dong pressed on.

"The walnuts... The walnuts are missing," Lin Yijing said, giving Lin Dong a piercing look.

"What? How could they be missing? They're invaluable. You wouldn't sell them even for three million. Could someone have stolen them? We need to look into this right away!"

Zhou Pu coughed violently, nearly choking on his soup at the mention of the staggering sum, earning a few disdainful glances from the others.

"Cousin? What's the matter? Did the mention of theft make you nervous? Or..." Lin Dong's voice was laced with sarcasm.

All eyes shifted suspiciously towards Zhou Pu. It took him a moment to catch his breath and apologize. His naivety was apparent, and the conversation quickly returned to the topic of the missing walnuts.

"What? The double red lion head walnuts were stolen? We should call the police immediately!" Rui Qianyu exclaimed.

"I saw Dad playing with them just yesterday," Zhou Tong remarked, puzzled.

"With all the surveillance cameras we have, I'll go check them," his father-in-law announced, standing up to leave.

"Grandpa, maybe you misplaced them? Let me help you look," Lin Yun'er offered, heading towards her grandfather's room.

Lin Yijing watched everyone bustling about, sitting in silence, his demeanor akin to a monk deep in meditation.

The entire household, along with their servants, embarked on a search, and Zhou Pu reluctantly joined them. He was unnerved by the malicious gaze fixed upon him from behind. Without looking back, he could tell Lin Dong was smirking with self-satisfaction. Yet, what truly puzzled him was Lin Yijing's reaction. After all, he had secretly returned the walnut.

Reflecting on that moment, Zhou Pu remained somewhat baffled. When Lin Yijing received the walnut, his expression fluctuated for quite some time before inquiring about it. Thanks to his Metapower, Zhou Pu could hear the old man's mental shifts, which kept him on edge for a while. Lin Yijing, the esteemed founder of the Asluck Group, the premier enterprise in Klidiff, was known for his deep strategic thinking. Perhaps his edge had softened with age and retirement, often appearing as a benign elderly gentleman. Lin Yijing pondered over the walnut for a long time, hypothesizing various scenarios. Was this a case of a thief crying 'catch the thief'? Had someone stolen the item only to return it and play the hero? Or was it a setup that he had uncovered? What was the motive? How did the person know it belonged to him? Or was he the one orchestrating the setup, aiming to frame someone else?

Sweating profusely from the barrage of suspicions, Zhou Pu dared not elaborate further, merely stating he had found it in the room before hastily departing. He had hoped the issue would be put to rest, but now Lin Yijing mentioned the missing item. Zhou Pu, more anxious than before, simply bowed his head and feigned a thorough search.

...

After reviewing the surveillance footage, it was clear there had been no external breach. This meant that if the walnut had been stolen, it was an inside job.

"Day and night, we guard, but it's the insiders who are hardest to defend against," the mother-in-law declared icily, demanding action. "Uncle Feng, summon all the servants." Butler Feng Bo, sweating profusely, hurried off to gather the staff. If indeed the theft was an inside affair, he feared his role as steward might drag him into the mess as well.

The Lin family has always been generous to you all, providing fair wages and bonuses. Yet, it seems some have lost their moral compass and resorted to stealing from us. If you come forward now and return the stolen items, we can resolve this matter privately. However, if you stubbornly refuse to confess and we find the items ourselves, don't expect us to show any leniency. We will have no choice but to involve the authorities.

The servants exchanged hushed whispers among themselves, with no one stepping forward to confess. Frustrated, my mother-in-law, accompanied by a few trusted individuals, went to search the servants' quarters. Despite turning the place upside down, they found nothing. A body search of the servants also yielded no results, which only served to infuriate my mother-in-law further, leading to a tirade of curses.

"Auntie, please, take a moment to calm down. Perhaps it wasn't one of the servants who took it?" Lin Dong tried to soothe his mother-in-law with a gentle pat on her back.

"If not them, then who?" she retorted.

"I've heard our cousin's been having financial troubles and is currently unemployed. He's not making any money. Surely it couldn't have been you who stole it?" Lin Dong suggested with a hint of accusation in his voice.

"It wasn't me," Zhou Pu flatly denied.

"I find that hard to believe. You've only recently joined our family, and we don't know you well enough. You'll need to provide evidence to earn our trust. Would you be willing to let us search you?"

"Did you steal it?" Lin Yun'er interjected, her tone filled with anger, before Zhou Pu could even respond.

"No, I didn't."

"A true man stands by his actions. If you did it, you should own up to it."

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me. Go ahead and search."

"Fine, but remember, you suggested this. What will you do if we find something?"

"What would you like to do?"

"We'll call the police and take you to the station. You're accused of stealing at least three million. You won't see the light of day for a decade," Lin Dong thought to himself, barely containing his glee at the prospect, provided Zhou Pu could last that long.

"If it really was you, just admit it now, return what you took, and we can end this swiftly. We'll divorce immediately, and you'll leave the Lin family as if nothing ever happened," Lin Yun'er suddenly offered.

Zhou Pu glanced at Yun'er, who couldn't be bothered to meet his gaze. Yet, he overheard her inner thoughts: "A decade is such a long time! There's no need to blow this out of proportion." Hearing this, Zhou Pu felt a surge of warmth; she usually seemed so aloof, but now there was a hint of compassion. However, his fleeting sense of comfort quickly dissipated. "His imprisonment would tarnish the company's reputation. And if he's gone, how could we possibly proceed with the divorce?"

In reality, if one spouse ends up in prison, they have the right to petition the court for a divorce. However, Lin Yun'er, who had recently entered into marriage, was unaware of such legalities. Her understanding of marriage was primarily based on what she had seen on TV, where a simple signature from both parties could end the union.