Cheng’s father’s face turned beet red from the scolding, but in front of Cheng’s mother’s family, he still managed to hold back his temper.
The expression on Ruan Yiqian’s face was also very unpleasant. His aunt’s words made him quite unhappy; that was his sister, not some wild girl.
Thinking of Shen Mianmian being despised because of her status filled him with distress, and he grew a bit colder in his demeanor.
"Aunt, if Xining hasn’t done it, no one can wrongly accuse her. But has she really not done it?"
"Brother Yiqian, what do you mean by this? Do you believe a stranger over me?" Cheng Xining’s face was streaked with tears, looking at Ruan Yiqian with a heartbroken expression.
If he hadn’t known Cheng Xining’s character, Ruan Yiqian might have believed her words, "Xining, I hope you won’t be willful. It’s okay to make mistakes, but you must be brave enough to admit them and correct them."
"Yiqian, Xining is your cousin. Even if she really did something wrong, you can’t side with outsiders," Cheng’s mother interjected.
Shen Mianmian was not an outsider. Ruan Yiqian almost said these words, but he held back and instead said, "Aunt, if Xining dares to do this today, next time she’ll dare to do something even more outrageous. By indulging her , you’re only harming her."
"Aunt, please say something!"
Seeing that Ruan Yiqian wasn’t letting the matter go, Cheng Xining approached Ruan Lingyu to have her speak up about the issue.
Ruan Lingyu had been silent since she entered; now, seeing Cheng Xining kicking the ball to her court, she said, "Xining, if you haven’t done it, no one will be able to falsely accuse you. But if you have, I hope you’ll dare to admit it."
It wasn’t that she didn’t support Cheng Xining, but if He Nan really got involved, the situation would escalate.
"Aunt, don’t you care for me anymore?" Cheng Xining looked pitifully at Ruan Lingyu, tears falling one after another. Ever since she was young, whenever she cried , no matter the situation, Ruan Lingyu would always concede.
"I..." Ruan Lingyu felt her heart soften, touched by her words.
Ruan Yiqian, seeing this, immediately pulled Ruan Lingyu behind him, "Xining, you must confront this matter yourself this time; it’s no use having anyone intervene. Don’t think about escaping it."
Seeing Ruan Yiqian’s attitude, Cheng’s mother became instantly angry and questioned, "Yiqian, what do you mean by this? Are you so determined to believe Xining did something bad that you won’t be satisfied until she admits it? Apart from the fact that Xining didn’t do it, even if she did, why should Xining apologize to a wild girl? If it hadn’t been for her seducing Xiaonan first, why would Xining do those things?" This update ıs available on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾·𝗇𝖾𝗍
Her implication was clear; she wanted to shield Cheng Xining.
Upon hearing this, Cheng’s father frowned deeply, clearly disagreeing with her statement. However, as Cheng Xining was his daughter, his thoughts were definitely leaning toward her.
"Yiqian, do you have any evidence to prove that it was Xining who did it?"
"Yeah! If you say I did it, then bring out the evidence." Cheng Xining was certain that no one saw her stuffing the clothes into Shen Mianmian’s bag.
Ruan Yiqian said, "Xining, at that time, both shop owners could provide testimony; one could prove that you left the store, and the other could prove you went into Shen Mianmian’s shop. Do you think you can argue your way out of this?"
Cheng Xining still stubbornly retorted, "So what if I went there? I was just accompanying my aunt to buy clothes, so isn’t it normal for me to have visited?"
Seeing that she adamantly refused to admit it, Ruan Yiqian gradually lost his patience and said directly, "Xining, if you admit to it and go to the shop to clarify things, everything can be easily settled. I won’t fall out with you over this, and Xiaonan won’t get involved anymore. But if you cling to the hope of luck, and then Xiaonan comes looking for you, I think you know his temper."