Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “File the case. At the very least, I hope that there will be a criminal record for today’s matter,” Qiao Dongliang gritted his teeth and said firmly.

  He insisted on filing a police case and said on his own accord that there were five hundred yuan instead of three hundred yuan to teach Ding Jiayi a lesson.

  Ding Jiayi was not fearful of him and dared to do anything for the sake of Zijin now. He did not feel much for himself but it would be hard on Nan Nan who had to endure endless suffering.

  Qiao Dongliang had considered that although Ding Jiayi was not a good mother, she was Qiao Nan’s biological mother after all. From the outsiders’ point of view, although Ding Jiayi was not that perfect, as a daughter, Qiao Nan could not go overboard in doing certain things too. It would be wrong of her even if Qiao Nan did them for the sake of protecting herself.

  China is a country that advocates filial piety first. In many people’s thinking, the traditional value of ‘foolish filial piety’ still exists.

  These things must be carried out by Qiao Dongliang in order not to let Qiao Nan suffer and damage her reputation.

  Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi were of equivalent seniority and he was the head of the family. If Qiao Dongliang was the one who fronted these things, Qiao Nan would not be implicated at all. Everyone would likely point their fingers at Ding Jiayi.

  Even if Ding Jiayi had ten thousand reasons, today’s matter couldn’t be allowed to pass just like that!

  “Are you sure?” The police officer asked.

  “I’m sure.”

  “What do you mean by sure? No, you can’t give me a criminal record!” Ding Jiayi dashed to the police officer, wanting to grab the book from his hands. “What happened today is simply a private matter of our family. It’s not up to the police officers to interfere. You all can’t give me criminal record!”

  Ding Jiayi would not allow such a shameful matter to occur.

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  Somehow, Ding Jiayi felt that if she had a criminal record due to today’s matter, it would be difficult for her to do anything to Qiao Nan in the future. She would definitely be subjected to others’ control.

  The police officer’s eyes turned still. “You’re overboard. Are you trying to attack the police?”

  The police officer’s initial thought was to convince Qiao Dongliang not to file the case and resolve the internal conflict amongst themselves. He felt that dirty linen should not be aired in public.

  But when Ding Jiayi pounced on them all of a sudden, the police officers were furious. She treated them as if they were her daughters, as if they had to listen to her when she told them not to file the case. She even dared to grab the books from them! Did she still regard them as the people’s law officers?

  “Mom, Mom!” Qiao Zijin was so embarrassed that she wanted to cover her face so that the police officer would not remember her.

  However, Qiao Zijin ultimately could not tolerate Ding Jiayi’s idiotic behavior and held the latter back. “Mom, you’re mad. Sorry, Mr. Policeman. My…… my mother did not rest enough recently. She’s thus not in a clear state of mind. Please don’t take issue with her. Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. Nevertheless, we understand that you have to go by the books if need be. Do whatever you deem fit. We will abide accordingly.”

  Well, leaving a criminal record was better than landing in jail.

  Attacking the police?

  If her mother was really convicted of this crime, she would definitely land in jail for a few days!

  She could not afford to lose her face like that.

  “It must have been tough on you all to have such a family member.” The police officer’s face was sullen as he wrote the report as quickly as he could. “Alright, please sign.”

  Qiao Dongliang took a glance at the contents and signed his name without a word after he got the gist of it.

  It was Ding Jiayi’s turn to sign thereafter. However, Ding Jiayi wanted to refute when she saw the contents in the report which stated that she had ‘stolen’ five hundred yuan from her daughter, spent two hundred and fifty yuan, leaving two hundred and fifty yuan. Clearly, she only took three hundred yuan and spent fifty yuan!

  “Mom!” Qiao Zijin shouted in a deep voice. “Mom, can you stop creating a din? Haven’t you been embarrassed enough? Most likely, everyone in the quad will hear about today’s matter. You…… you think for a bit! How am I going to face everyone in the future? If you continue to kick a fuss, will it look good on you?!”

  Qiao Zijin could not wait for the police to immediately leave the Qiao’s residence so that she could shut the house’s main entrance tightly and isolate herself from the sounds of the neighbors’ gossip.

  After being shouted at by Qiao Zijin, Ding Jiayi could only grit her teeth and signed her name humiliatingly.

  “That’s fine. Then, we’ll be leaving.” After obtaining the signatures, the police officers put away the report and left in no time.

  “Left? They just left like that?”

  “I didn’t expect that Ding Jiayi would be the one who took the money. What kind of person is she?”

  “Tsk tsk tsk, she spent all the money she took from Nan Nan in the split of a second. Nan Nan, this child, is such a poor thing.”

  “Moreover, I saw Ding Jiayi carrying a bag of clothes when she came back. Most probably, the money was spent on buying clothes. Guess who she bought them for?”

  “Who else could she have bought them for? All of us stay in the same quad, but have you ever seen Nan Nan wearing new clothes? Ding Jiayi was really ‘good’. She took Nan Nan’s hard-earned money for repaying debts to buy clothes for Qiao Zijin. Qiao Zijin would be happy to have such a mother but Nan Nan would suffer. There’s no reason to be biased in this way.”

  “Shut the door. Shut the door! Quickly, shut the door!” Each and every word of those gossips transmitted clearly into Qiao Zijin’s ears.

  Qiao Zijin’s face turned pale as she covered her ears and shrieked. She did not want to hear those words ever again!

  Why was it that Qiao Nan could gain everyone’s sympathy like a pitiful little rabbit but she had to be mocked at because of her relationship with her mother?

  She did not think that Qiao Nan was pitiful. In fact, Qiao Nan was detestable and hateful!

  Her mother was Qiao Nan’s biological mother, and she was Qiao Nan’s biological sister. Because of mere five hundred yuan, Qiao Nan had to damage both her mother’s and her reputation. As a result, they could not hold their heads high above others. Why did Qiao Nan have such a malicious heart?!

  The more Qiao Zijin thought about it, the more humiliated she felt. She then looked at Qiao Dongliang with a face full of tears. “Dad, you’re too heartless. I’ve already told you that Mom took the money. We all belong to the same family. Why did you have to report to the police and make things so embarrassing? Dad, how am I going to face everyone in the future? Now, everyone in the quad thinks that my mother and I are the bad guys! Even if you’re doing this to protect Qiao Nan, you can’t sacrifice me for her sake. This is unfair! Dad, do you still treat me as your daughter?!”

  “What? Old Qiao, you already knew about it before this and you’re the one who wanted to report to the police? Old Qiao, you’re really……” Ding Jiayi gritted her teeth and shrieked, rushing toward Qiao Dongliang.

  So, she was so embarrassed today and Zijin was angry all because of Old Qiao.

  At the sight of Ding Jiayi who was rushing toward him, Qiao Dongliang’s eyes turned cold. He raised his hands and slapped Ding Jiayi. The sound was extremely deafening and harsh to the ears.

  The side of Ding Jiayi’s face which was hit immediately went numb with pain.

  Ding Jiayi held that painful side of her face and looked at Qiao Dongliang in disbelief. “O-Old Qiao, you…… you dare to hit me? I’ve been married to you for nineteen years. You actually hit me today?!”

  “I don’t have the habit of hitting a woman, but you made me feel compelled to do so!”