Chapter 17: A Rare Feeling of Guilt

Wei An tilted her head slightly and smiled at Xiao Qianqian. It was a genuine smile from the heart, but Xiao Qianqian mistakenly thought she was forcing it.

The ticket clerk’s announcement of the approaching stop came through, and the two got off the bus with the other passengers. Once they reached a less crowded area, Xiao Qianqian spoke again.

“Let’s go to my dad’s office first to find out what’s going on.”

Wei An hesitated for a moment.

“All right.”

Though she wanted to personally see how Ye Aihua was doing now, since they were at the Revolutionary Committee, it seemed only proper to meet with Xiao Wenguang and plead their case.

“Dad, please ask about why your people brought back Wei An’s classmate.”

Xiao Qianqian, having been spoiled by Xiao Wenguang, acted as if she were at home once inside the Revolutionary Committee, even walking straight into Xiao Wenguang’s office without knocking.

“Don’t rush, first tell me what happened.”

Seeing the two young women rush into his office, Xiao Wenguang didn’t get angry. Instead, he gestured for them to sit, then calmly got up to pour them each a glass of water.

Wei An’s face was filled with anxiety. As she took the glass from Xiao Wenguang, her hand trembled slightly.

Xiao Wenguang glanced at her, then turned his gaze to Xiao Qianqian, signaling her to continue.

“I don’t really know what’s going on.”

With Wei An clearly anxious, Xiao Qianqian explained how they were on their way to the department store, passed by the Revolutionary Committee, and unintentionally witnessed Ye Aihua being taken back.

“Dad, please ask about it. She’s Wei An’s classmate, and they’ve always been close.”

Wei An silently gave Xiao Qianqian a mental thumbs-up, though her anxious expression was tinged with hesitation.

“Uncle Xiao, if it’s troublesome, there’s no need. Qianqian was right before—you wouldn’t just arrest someone without reason. Besides, besides...” She hesitated, then nervously shared the rumors Su Yuping had told her about Ye Aihua. Biting her lip, she added, “If she really made a mistake, then...” She trailed off, awkwardly sipping her water, though her eyes remained troubled.

Xiao Wenguang nodded and said, “I’ll look into it first,” then left the office.

“My dad doesn’t manage everything himself,” Xiao Qianqian explained quickly, worried that Wei An might think he was indifferent to the matter.

Wei An smiled inwardly. She wasn’t a naive girl who understood nothing; of course, she knew that Xiao Wenguang, as the top leader, couldn’t handle every detail personally.

“I know, Uncle Xiao is busy, and the people beneath him wouldn’t report every single thing directly to him.”

Xiao Qianqian nodded with relief.

“Exactly, exactly. Don’t worry, my dad will be back soon.”

Feeling sorry, Wei An was rare enough to feel guilty.

She hadn’t meant to put on a show in front of Xiao Qianqian and Xiao Wenguang; she simply dared not reveal her ability to foresee things.

...

Xiao Wenguang did return quickly. From his calm expression, Wei An could read nothing.

“Wei An, you and your classmate, are you very close?”

Wei An nodded anxiously.

“We even planned to go to the countryside together, but my parents wouldn’t allow it, so...” She hesitated, then told him about how she had fasted to oppose her arranged marriage a few days ago.

“I was hoping that going to the countryside would make my parents agree to the breakup. I didn’t really intend to go, but she kept trying to persuade me. I’ve felt something was off, so I haven’t seen her these past few days.”

This matter wouldn’t be hidden. Once Xiao Wenguang interrogated Ye Aihua, he would surely hear about her attempts to go to the countryside.

But he couldn’t let Ye Aihua speak freely; everything had to unfold according to his plan.

Unaware of these details, Xiao Wenguang fell silent after hearing Wei An’s account.

Xiao Qianqian sighed and said,

“So your classmate must have some secret motive, right?”

Wei An blinked, looking genuinely puzzled.

“I do feel something’s wrong, but I can’t tell what. But she wouldn’t harm me, would she? We grew up as close sisters.”

Xiao Wenguang’s expression grew complicated. He couldn’t tell Wei An what the two officers who brought Ye Aihua back had overheard outside.

“Weren’t you going to the department store?”

He pulled out a stack of bills and pressed it into Xiao Qianqian’s hand.

“Go have a good time with Wei An. Tonight, we’ll visit Wei An’s home.”

There were some things he couldn’t tell the two young women, but he couldn’t keep the conspiracies from naive Wei An.

Xiao Wenguang planned to interrogate those two thoroughly soon and visit the Su family that evening to inform Su Jin and his wife of what he’d learned.

Though Wei An hadn’t witnessed how disheveled Ye Aihua was when arrested, from Xiao Wenguang’s silence, she could guess the situation.

She felt especially pleased with the play she had orchestrated and gave herself ninety-nine points for her exquisite acting.

Yes, that missing point was a reminder not to be arrogant!

...

“My dad is the same. Is there anything he can’t tell us directly?”

Xiao Qianqian looked cautiously at Wei An’s ever-changing expression.

Wei An snapped back to reality.

“Don’t say nonsense. If Uncle Xiao doesn’t tell us, there must be a reason. He said he’d come to our house tonight. He probably thinks some things aren’t suitable to share with us yet, but my parents are different.”

Xiao Wenguang certainly couldn’t tell these two young ladies that the Red Armbands had dragged those two off their beds to the Revolutionary Committee.

Only then did Xiao Qianqian smile in satisfaction.

She waved the money Xiao Wenguang had slipped into her hand.

“Let’s go to the department store first, then buy some good food.”

Wei An feigned ease and nodded.

“All right.”

The two chatted all the way to the department store about what delicious treats to buy.

With Xiao Qianqian’s good looks, stylish clothes, and sweet tongue, the department store clerks were particularly attentive, patiently fetching the clothes she liked and eagerly allowing Wei An to try them on.

Wei An: “...”

She had plenty of clothes already and really didn’t need more.

Pulling Xiao Qianqian aside, she whispered,

“Did you forget what my mom does?”

As the head of logistics at the department store, her mother ensured she never lacked clothes.

“We don’t need to waste money. If there’s something suitable, my mom will bring it to me,” she added, referring to defect items or internal prices.

Xiao Qianqian blinked twice.

“But didn’t you say you wanted to buy clothes?”

Wei An pressed her forehead, then leaned close and whispered into her ear,

“Do you know what a bra is?”

Xiao Qianqian’s face flushed crimson. Even her usually pale earlobes seemed to burn with heat.