Chapter 7: Yun Yiyi Stole It

She'd lived through so many years in her past life, and when Bai Chengxuan came back to get it for her, the notes had still been there —

Wait.

Yun Manxia's cold eyes narrowed sharply. Bai Chengxuan had been sneaking around with Yun Yiyi behind her back for who knew how long. Who knew where he'd actually gotten those notes from?

A guess about where the notes had gone formed in her mind almost instantly. She got up and walked out.

Just in time to see Yun Yiyi coming back.

"Manxia, you're back?" Yun Yiyi put on her best big-sister face. "What's wrong? You look terrible."

Yun Manxia looked at her. "Something valuable of mine is missing. Did any of you go into my room?"

Yun Hong exploded: "What's that supposed to mean? Are you accusing your own family?!"

Yun Manxia said calmly: "The item was kept at home. If no one in the family took it, then it must have been a thief from outside. I just wonder what kind of thief is so skilled they can break in here, steal something, and not get caught?"

"Maybe one of the maids accidentally misplaced it while cleaning," Xia Lian hurried to smooth things over. "Manxia, tell us what's missing?"

"The notes my mother left behind."

No one said a word.

Everyone knew about those notes. Someone had once offered tens of millions to buy them, and Yun Manxia had refused. They were genuinely valuable.

The maids were quickly called in and lined up. When they heard the missing item was worth tens of millions, every face went pale. Who would dare admit to taking that?

Yun Yiyi's expression stayed perfectly normal. She sighed helplessly. "Manxia, the maids don't know any better. They wouldn't have known it was valuable. It probably just got lost while they were cleaning. Ignorance isn't a crime—don't pursue this. Even if you find out who did it, they could never pay you back. Are you going to drive someone to their death over this? Just let it go."

The maids immediately shot her grateful looks. And silently resented Yun Manxia—Third Miss really wasn't as kind as Second Miss. Was she really trying to ruin their lives, just like Second Miss said?

Yun Manxia smiled coldly and said slowly: "My cabinet was locked. Unless someone deliberately broke in to steal it, there's no way it could have just gone missing. So 'lost while cleaning' is impossible. I called everyone here to ask because, out of respect for all the years you've served the Yun family, I wanted to give someone a chance to confess and make it right. Did you really think I had no evidence?"

"But since none of you want to take that chance, let's call the police. Let the law decide what happens."

She pulled out her phone and started dialing.

Yun Yiyi's heart jumped. She blurted out: "What evidence?"

Yun Manxia's eyes darkened. She looked at Yun Yiyi. "I installed a camera in my room. Top right corner of my desk. You didn't notice?"

Yun Yiyi's face changed instantly. She replayed it in her mind—there really was something that looked like a camera on Yun Manxia's desk!

Seeing Yun Manxia was actually about to call the police, Yun Yiyi panicked. She couldn't think. She lunged forward and snatched the phone right out of Yun Manxia's hand.

In that instant, every single person stared at her.

Yun Manxia's eyes glinted with amusement. "Second Sister? What are you doing?"

"I…" Yun Yiyi's smile was strained. "I just remembered. I think the notes are with me."

"Oh?" Yun Manxia's tone was unreadable. "I asked for so long and you had no memory of it. But the moment I'm about to call the police, Second Sister suddenly remembers?"

The maids' eyes on Yun Yiyi turned complicated. Before, the blame could have fallen on them, and Yun Yiyi had spoken up for them—of course they'd been grateful. But now they realized: the blame they'd almost taken was meant for Yun Yiyi all along. That changed everything.

Yeah… wasn't Second Miss's timing a little too convenient?

The weight of everyone's stares made Yun Yiyi feel like needles were stabbing into her back. She cursed Yun Manxia under her breath—what was wrong with her lately?—and forced herself to keep smiling.

"Cousin Lingwei came to visit a while ago and said she wanted to see the notes. So I went to your room to get them, and forgot to put them back. It's been so long, I just… forgot."

The "Cousin Lingwei" she mentioned was Yun Manxia's uncle's daughter.

"Oh, is that so?" Yun Manxia smiled coolly. "Then please return them, Second Sister. Also—those are my mother's last belongings, and they're worth a fortune. Second Sister, don't go touching them carelessly in the future. Someone might think you stole them on purpose."

Yun Yiyi's smile froze solid. She gritted her teeth. "…Fine. I'll go look for them."

The item was quickly found and brought to Yun Manxia—a locked safe box, the notes stored inside. One glance told Yun Manxia that whoever had stolen it still hadn't managed to crack it open.

She took the box and turned to go back to her room to pack. Everything connected to her mother, everything she considered important—she packed it all. By the end, she'd filled an entire suitcase.

Her stepmother Xia Lian appeared at the door and her face shifted. "Manxia, what are you doing? Are you not planning to come home anymore?"

"I'm married now. I have my own home. Of course I won't be coming back."

Thinking of Bai Hedu, Yun Manxia's heart swelled, and the words she'd said offhandedly suddenly tasted sweet. Yes. This place wasn't her home—it hadn't been since her mother died. She'd just been too blind to see it before. From now on, wherever Bai Hedu was—that was home.

"There's no need to take so much with you. If people see, who knows what they'll misunderstand," Xia Lian chided in an intimate tone.

"No, I'd feel safer taking it. What if it gets 'lost' again while I'm away?"

Yun Yiyi had just walked up and heard this. Her face cycled through green and white, and even her usual gentle smile cracked.

Yun Manxia didn't bother looking at either of their expressions. She dragged her suitcase toward the door. Just as she was about to leave, she seemed to remember something, turned back, and picked up the camera-shaped object from the corner of her desk—and tossed it straight into the trash.

Yun Yiyi: "?"

"Ah, I forgot to mention. That was just a decoration. Not a real camera."

Yun Manxia's voice was innocent and sly. "I just wanted to flush the thief out. I never imagined it would turn out to be Second Sister."

Watching Yun Yiyi's face nearly twist out of shape, Yun Manxia felt deeply satisfied. She pulled her suitcase and walked out the door.

She'd come by taxi, and she left by taxi too. When she got back to Imperial Garden Villa, she knew something was off the moment she stepped through the door. The maids all jumped when they saw her, like they'd been caught at something. But no one came up to tell her what was going on—they just kept glancing toward the upstairs.

Their eyes held a mix of anticipation, schadenfreude, and the thrill of watching a good show unfold. A show starring Yun Manxia.

Before she could even ask what was happening, noise erupted from upstairs:

"These—and these—throw them all out! Who put all this junk in here?! Didn't I say this room is mine and no one's allowed in?!"