Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“The class fund’s been stolen!”

My deskmate had just come back from playing basketball. The moment he opened his desk drawer, he shouted in shock.

Instantly, everyone turned to look at him.

I happened to have just returned to the classroom after asking someone a question.

He immediately pointed at me.

“Zheng Hao! You’re the only one who knew the class fund was in here. Did you take it? Give it back!”

I frowned. “Are you crazy? I didn’t.”

“It was you. It had to be you! Before I put the money there, you even said it would be easy to steal. I think you wanted to steal it yourself.”

He was furious. He turned around and started rummaging through my desk.

He tore through my backpack and desk until everything was a mess, my things scattered all over the floor.

But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find the class fund.

He was so angry he started crying, and his emotions grew even more agitated.

“I’m begging you. Please just give the class fund back, okay? If it’s gone, I have to pay it back myself. If my mom finds out, she’ll definitely yell at me until I’m dead!”

I rolled my eyes. “What’s that got to do with me? I didn’t take it. You were the one who didn’t put it away properly. Who else can you blame?”

At that, he wiped his tears and rushed up to me, still refusing to give up as he tried to search my clothes.

“It has to be you! You’re definitely the one who took it!”

Startled, I instinctively dodged.

He took that as a sign I was guilty, and we started grappling and tearing at each other.

I was about the same height as him, and Uncle Zheng had taught me defensive techniques.

Once we started fighting, he couldn’t get any advantage over me at all.

By the time the homeroom teacher arrived, both of us were in a sorry state.

But he was clearly worse off. Blood was even dripping from his nose.

Sobbing with tears and snot all over his face, he played the victim first, accusing me of not only stealing the money but also hitting him.

The homeroom teacher listened quietly, glanced at me, then said only one thing.

“Zheng Hao, either take out the money, or call your guardian here.”

When Uncle Zheng hurried to the school, the bullet comments were practically celebrating.

[Her true colors are showing. No matter how good Zheng Yi is, there’s no way he can tolerate his own kid being a thief, right?]

[Let us welcome Xiao Wu back to the orphanage.]

I lowered my head deeply and sat in the innermost corner of the office.

Out of the corner of my eye, when I saw that tall, crisp figure, I guiltily and awkwardly hid my injured hand.

“You’re Zheng Hao’s father, aren’t you? How did you raise your child? A girl actually beat our son up like this? Does she have any manners a girl should have?”

“Sticky fingers and a rotten heart! Absolutely no upbringing!”

The class monitor’s parent’s voice was shrill.

From the very first second Uncle Zheng appeared, she began pointing at his nose and cursing him out.

For once, Uncle Zheng did not respond.

His expression was stern as he strode toward me with firm steps.

I had caused such a huge mess and even dragged him into getting cursed at so badly. He must hate me to death now, right?

Thinking that, I swallowed, then lifted my head defiantly.

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Before he came, I had rehearsed it ten thousand times.

Even if I really was abandoned, just like the bullet comments said,

I still wouldn’t be a stray dog with nowhere to go.

I would act like I didn’t care at all.

I would be a cold, heartless bad girl!

I mustered up my courage and raised my head to meet Uncle Zheng’s eyes.

He looked steadily at me.

In that instant, all the pretense I had forced myself to put on shattered completely.

Something inside me snapped, and tears poured down my face.

“I’m sorry.”

“I won’t fight again.”

“I didn’t steal the money. I know doing bad things will make you sad, so I didn’t do it.”

“Can you please not abandon me?”