Lu Xiaoxiao spoke with absolute conviction. The buzz-cut boy's mother froze for a moment, unsure what she was getting at, but since those were indeed the words she had just said, she nodded.
"Yes, I did say that. Is there a problem?"
Lu Xiaoxiao then turned to Lu Yubai and asked, "They just said they locked Fan Chiran up because you suspected him of stealing something from you. So tell me first-what did you lose?"
"Huh?" Lu Yubai hesitated before answering. "I lost... a winning scratch-off ticket. It was worth fifty thousand yuan!"
Hearing that, Lu Xiaoxiao nearly laughed in exasperation.
Unbelievable. He can even carelessly lose money. If carelessness had a mother, she'd be opening the door to welcome him home-that's how careless he is.
"What? Doesn't that mean you lost fifty thousand yuan?" Teacher Zhu was shocked, her brows drawing even tighter. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Lu Yubai lowered his head and muttered, "I... I... I wasn't going to tell anyone. Doesn't everyone say you shouldn't tell people around you when you win...?"
Lu Yubai regretted it now, too. After winning, he had specifically told Lu Jiaoyue not to tell anyone, afraid that if Lu Yuan heard about it, he would have to hand over the prize money. He had planned to stash the winnings away in secret.
He hadn't found time over the past two days and had intended to claim his prize after school today. But by the time he returned from morning exercises, the ticket in his desk drawer was gone.
He hadn't meant to make a big fuss about it, either. Who could have guessed that barely half a day later, he would be called to the office for a lecture?
If he had known it would lead to all this, he would have kept the scratch-off ticket on him!
Now he had lost out on both fronts, hadn't he?
While Lu Yubai was still wallowing in regret, Lu Xiaoxiao took two steps forward. Her gaze swept over the other boys present as she demanded:
"Since you say you were standing up for Lu Yubai, you must have asked Fan Chiran where the scratch-off ticket was when you locked him up, right?"
"So, have you found it yet? Or did you secretly hide it yourselves? With that much money involved, it would be enough for the police to open a case."
"Bullying a classmate is obviously terrible, but theft is just as serious. If we're going to get to the bottom of this and settle everything properly, shouldn't we start there?"
The buzz-cut boy's expression immediately changed, and his words came out in a rush. "What do you mean, secretly hiding it? That's a vicious accusation!"
"Oh? You look awfully nervous. Did I actually get it right?" Lu Xiaoxiao tilted her head at him, putting on a surprised expression. "I was only tossing out a possibility. No need to get worked up."
Cold sweat broke out on the buzz-cut boy's forehead. His hands, which had been hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists and trembled slightly.
Although Lu Xiaoxiao sounded casual and joking, only he knew just how close her guess was to the truth.
Lu Yubai's missing ticket had never had anything to do with Fan Chiran, because the buzz-cut boy was the one who had taken it.
As luck would have it, Lu Yubai's seat was in the window-side corner of the classroom's back row. It was a blind spot the classroom security camera couldn't capture, making it easy to pull something sneaky.
Knowing that was exactly why the buzz-cut boy had dared to swipe the scratch-off ticket during the chaos just before everyone left for morning exercises.
He had recently wanted to snap up a newly released game console. It would be hard to buy once these few days had passed, but he didn't have enough pocket money. That was what had given him the idea to steal.
As for locking Fan Chiran in the sports equipment room... that had originally been the short boy's idea.
After all, the boys had been bullying Fan Chiran in Lu Yubai's name for quite some time. Sometimes nothing had even happened-they simply did it for fun.
The buzz-cut boy hadn't told either of his two friends what he had done, yet he hadn't felt the slightest guilt while joining them in bullying Fan Chiran.
It barely took any effort, after all. They were already used to entertaining themselves this way. Who could have predicted that this time, things would go so badly wrong?
The buzz-cut boy felt no remorse for what he had done. He even began inwardly blaming Fan Chiran for being so useless.
But now that things had reached this point, he really was a little afraid that his theft would be exposed.
His mother hated his gaming habits. If she found out that all this trouble had been over a game console, she definitely wouldn't let him off easily when they got home! And the school would certainly put a disciplinary mark on his record afterward!
Fortunately, he had already hidden the scratch-off ticket somewhere out of the way. He hadn't brought it with him or left it at his seat in the classroom. Even if Lu Yubai's sister wanted to search, she wouldn't find a trace of it.
He had admittedly wronged Lu Yubai a little, but at worst... at worst, he could pay him back once he had some money!
That thought helped the buzz-cut boy relax considerably.
He was a little taller than Lu Xiaoxiao, and looking down into her eyes made it easy to imagine that he had the upper hand. Growing more composed, he said, "I'm not worked up! But you need evidence to accuse someone, miss. Guessing alone doesn't count."
Lu Xiaoxiao looked at him with a smile and nodded approvingly. "You're absolutely right. So why don't we go check the classroom now? The scratch-off ticket couldn't have vanished into thin air."
"But if we actually find the scratch-off ticket among your things, that'll prove you staged this whole thing yourselves. Then it won't have anything to do with our Yubai at all."
A flicker of guilt instinctively crossed the buzz-cut boy's mind, but he quickly replaced it with an indifferent expression and shouted, "Sure! Search all you want!"
They wouldn't find it anyway. The scratch-off ticket wasn't hidden in the classroom at all.
By now, Lu Yubai was rather confused. He didn't understand why Lu Xiaoxiao had suddenly changed tack and pointed the finger at his friends over the theft.
To him, although the boys had tried to drag him down with them the moment they got into trouble, he could just about explain it as a desperate attempt to save themselves. It was disappointing, but not entirely incomprehensible.
Stealing, however, made no sense to him. He had suspected Fan Chiran because Fan Chiran was a student from a financially struggling family. These boys were all fairly well-off, so why would they need to steal from him?
Besides, on an emotional level, he didn't want Lu Xiaoxiao to be right about this.
As they walked toward the classroom, Lu Yubai kept silently hoping the truth would turn out to be different from Lu Xiaoxiao's suspicions.
It was the break after the first afternoon class. Teacher Zhu stepped up to the podium, briefly explained the situation, then asked the students to search one another's desks and schoolbags. She also checked numerous corners herself and felt through the boys' clothing pockets, but they still found nothing.
The buzz-cut boy's anxiety vanished completely. "See?" he said smugly. "It has nothing to do with us. Maybe Fan Chiran hid it. Why don't you just go ask him at the hospital?"
Before you continue