Transmigrating Behind the Mirror to Become Her Guardian Lady - Chapter 30

Jiang Weilu sat on the sofa in the main hall of the small Jiang estate, her hands neatly crossed over her lap, her smile proper and elegant, looking like the textbook definition of a wealthy family’s eldest young lady.

By this time, she had already finished washing up, changed into an exquisite dress, and made herself entirely presentable. She sat there watching the people in the living room with a detached, calm gaze. She was completely unaffected by the tense and anxious atmosphere filling the room, acting exactly as if whatever had occurred had absolutely nothing to do with her.

Sitting directly opposite her was Liu Yi, who was weeping and wailing, and Jiang Yuxi, who was hurriedly trying to comfort her mother. There was also Jiang Ming, who sat there with a dark, shifting expression, his terrible mood written clearly all over his face. For a time, no one in the room spoke, and an undercurrent of gloomy tension rippled through the air.

Liu Yi cried by herself for quite a while, but seeing that absolutely no one was paying any attention to her, she found herself unable to keep dry-heaving her tears. Opening her tear-rimmed eyes, she turned with a pitiful, pear-blossom-stained face toward Jiang Ming.

“A-Ming, what on earth should we do about this?”

What should we do? I want to know what I’m supposed to do with someone as brainless as you!

The moment Jiang Ming heard her voice, the veins on his temples throbbed violently, and his expression turned even darker.

Jiang Weilu merely sat there quietly witnessing this scene, her heart completely untroubled, and she even found it somewhat amusing. This morning, when the servant came to knock on the door, her expression made it seem as though the sky had collapsed, making her believe something catastrophic had happened. It had given both her and her sister quite a scare.

Yet when she came downstairs to ask, she learned that the household had merely lost some belongings. And the only person in the Jiang family who consistently lost things was that one individual her stepmother, Liu Yi.

Hearing it at the time, Jiang Weilu had wanted to laugh. Seriously, several years had passed, yet her stepmother hadn’t made a single bit of progress? Was she still relying on these exact same old tricks? By now, even Jiang Yuxi knew that she was no longer as easy to pick on as she used to be.

But it made sense, because in Liu Yi’s eyes, barely three years had passed. The little brat who used to be molded and crushed at her whim had merely grown into a slightly larger brat under the protection of those few elder patriarchs. What kind of waves could a mere thirteen-year-old kid possibly stir up? Thus, as long as she let the old patriarchs know that the girl’s character was vile, she would naturally lose favor.

Jiang Weilu lowered her eyelashes slightly, feeling a bit curious about what kind of scheme this woman could concoct this time. However, after sitting on the sofa for so long, the woman was still putting on a theatrical show with her whining and weeping, which truly made her feel quite bored.

Jiang Weilu quietly reached out her hand when no one was paying attention and grasped the hand of her sister, who was currently sitting right beside her yet completely invisible to everyone else. Then, placing it on her lap, she carefully examined and played with it. Her fingertips lightly brushed against her sister’s fingertips, slipping down along the contours into her fair, soft palm.

Her thoughts gradually wandered: How on earth are elves made? How can she be so beautiful in every single aspect?

Being touched by her like this made Shu Mengli feel a bit ticklish, and she nearly laughed out loud. She couldn’t help but withdraw her hand and lightly slap the back of Jiang Weilu’s hand, casting a smiling glare at her.

Your stepmother is about to make a move on you, aren’t you worried at all? You still have the mood to fool around here?

Seeing her sister pull her hand away, Jiang Weilu was slightly unhappy. She quietly pouted her lips at her sister, signaling that she still wanted to hold hands.

However, right at that moment, Jiang Ming, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, spoke up. “Liu Yi, tell me, what exactly is going on here?”

Originally, Jiang Ming never concerned himself with these minor matters. He was buried in work every single day, so how could he possibly find the time? The loss of a couple of items in the grand small Jiang estate was trivial, so he simply left it for Liu Yi to handle, knowing she wouldn’t dare fail to give him an outcome anyway.

Only this time, it was no longer a minor squabble from before where some inexpensive items were lost. What was lost this time was the bracelet that the old matriarch, Old Madame Jiang, had given to Liu Yi while she was still alive.

In truth, this bracelet hadn’t been given to Liu Yi at all; it was meant for Jiang Weilu’s mother, Madame Song Zhi. It was only later, after Song Zhi passed away, that the bracelet wound up in Liu Yi’s hands through various twists and turns. Therefore, this piece passed down from the elders was not merely valuable; on another level, it symbolized the respect the deceased mother held for their family.

Furthermore, the old patriarch and the old matriarch had shared an exceptionally deep affection for one another. If he were to find out that the old matriarch’s relic had been lost under his watch, he would certainly be displeased. It would even lower his evaluation of him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ming felt increasingly frustrated. Why does this household always lose things! Why is Liu Yi so utterly incompetent, unable to look after anything properly!

As he recalled the past, his train of thought suddenly opened up, bringing back memories of several previous incidents. Back then, during a certain period, the house had also constantly lost things. Because he was too busy to manage it, he had handed it all over to Liu Yi. The results Liu Yi uncovered back then had been highly shocking; various pieces of evidence actually pointed to Jiang Weilu as the culprit.

At the time, Jiang Ming had also been quite astonished. She was so young, and as the eldest young lady of the Jiang family, why would she do such a thing? He had questioned her once or twice, but he hadn’t expected the child’s mouth to be tightly sealed, refusing to say a single word. In the end, he merely felt that the child detested her stepmother, and was therefore throwing fits and placing obstacles to make it look like Liu Yi couldn’t manage the estate’s finances properly. Consequently, he had developed a deep aversion toward a child who was so young yet possessed such heavy hostility.

Jiang Ming knit his brows. It couldn’t be. Could it be that this time, Lulu also wanted to frame Liu Yi for incompetence because she detested her? If that were the case, his father would absolutely dislike someone with such a vile character as Jiang Weilu. What should he do? Should he give up on her?

Even as Jiang Ming’s mind was calculating, Liu Yi let out a sobbing whimper. “It’s my fault, it’s my incompetence. I clearly saw the bracelet last night, but when I looked again this morning, I discovered it was gone.”

Last night. Jiang Ming lightly tapped the armrest of the sofa. “Who was the last person to rest in the house last night?”

“It… it was me.”

The moment Jiang Ming’s voice fell, a female servant stepped out from the corner of the living room. “Last night, it was my turn to keep the night watch.”

Jiang Weilu turned her head to look over. The woman was young and beautiful, but her face was unfamiliar, likely a new hire brought in by the butler. However, this person currently kept her eyelids lowered, her gaze fixed downward without looking at anyone. Looking closely, her fingertips were trembling slightly, revealing a faint hint of nervousness. Perhaps she was merely frightened by the mountain-rain-impending, gloomy atmosphere in the main hall.

But combining it with today’s situation, Jiang Weilu instinctively felt it wasn’t that simple. Sure enough, in the very next second, Jiang Ming asked a perfectly normal question.

“Then did you notice anything unusual last night?”

“Unusual?” The female servant nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. “It seems… it seems there wasn’t anything unusual.”

Jiang Ming was slightly impatient, his fingers tapping the armrest of the sofa, making a light clack-clack sound. “Think carefully!”

The female servant seemed startled by his sharp tone, taking half a step back like a frightened rabbit, and subconsciously cast a glance at Jiang Weilu, who was sitting there. Her glance was both obvious and subtle, looking exactly like a subconscious reaction.

However, among the members of the Jiang family currently seated in the living room, which one of them lacked a calculating mind? Everyone instantly detected her gaze and turned their eyes toward Jiang Weilu.

Oh ho. Here it comes.

Jiang Weilu arched her brows, a gentle, virtuous smile hanging on the corners of her lips as she looked at the few people staring her way. “Why is everyone looking at me?”

Subsequently, she tilted her head, looking at the shivering female servant standing there. “If this big sister wants to say something, just say it.”

Seeing her look over, the female servant seemed even more panicked, murmuring in a low voice, “No… it’s nothing.”

This pitiful little appearance would make anyone who saw it believe she had done something terrible to her. Jiang Weilu found her behavior quite entertaining. Shifting her fingertips lightly, she caught hold of the hand of Shu Mengli, who was sitting beside her, and began to play a game of interlocking fingers with her sister.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere in the living room, Shu Mengli didn’t dodge either, letting Jiang Weilu have her way.

Jiang Weilu was quite happy to finally touch her sister’s hand. She lifted her eyes to look at the female servant, her smile looking utterly harmless to humans and animals alike. “Speak up, big sister, what are you afraid of? Lulu doesn’t eat people; it’s not like I can bite you.”

“But… but…” The servant hesitated, unable to speak.

By this time, even Jiang Ming lost his patience. “But what? Speak!”

Startled by his shout, the servant hurriedly lowered her head. “But last night, which was right in the middle of the night, I saw that the Eldest Miss hadn’t slept yet. She was… she was walking around the house.”

Last night? Oh.

Jiang Weilu instantly realized what was happening. Last night, she and her sister had gone out to play, and it was indeed very late when they returned, right in the middle of the night. So this was where they were waiting for her.

For over a year, because her sister hadn’t been around, she had no interest in doing anything else, focusing entirely on nothing but her studies. Liu Yi had likely been completely unable to find a single vulnerability. It was only last night when her sister arrived that she revealed a slight opening, and she hadn’t expected it to be seized upon immediately. It seemed this person had been keeping a close eye on her every move on a regular basis.

The moment the other party’s words came out, Shu Mengli also realized that it was her own wild playing last night that had brought about this trouble. She couldn’t help but tighten her grip slightly on the hand interlocked with Jiang Weilu’s.

Sensing her sister’s inner emotions, Jiang Weilu reached out and quietly patted the back of her sister’s hand, signaling that it didn’t matter.

However, at this moment, after hearing the servant’s statement, when everyone looked at Jiang Weilu again, their eyes were filled with absolute suspicion.

Jiang Weilu found their gazes rather amusing. “Why is everyone looking at me like that? Father, do you suspect that I was the one who took the bracelet? Why would I steal that bracelet?”

Hearing her words, Jiang Yuxi couldn’t sit still any longer, and the words in her heart burst out from her mouth. “Stop acting, Jiang Weilu! Who doesn’t know you’ve been a habitual thief since you were a child! Ever since you were little, because you hated my mother, you constantly stole her valuables just so Father would think Mother was incompetent and punish her! Who in the Jiang family doesn’t know about this?!”

“You’ve been quiet for a few years, so everyone thought you had changed for the better. I didn’t expect you to do it again today! Why did you steal the bracelet? Do you want to cause trouble all the way to Grandpa’s place, so he’ll think Mother failed to look after Grandma’s relic properly and punish her? Do you really hate my mother that much? How can you be so wicked! Do you have kleptomania?!”

“Xixi! Stop talking!” Liu Yi fiercely pulled back Jiang Yuxi, who still wanted to say more, stopping her. Subsequently, she cast a tearful look at Jiang Weilu, before quickly shifting her gaze away. “It’s fine, Mother is fine.”

Watching the two of them perform in unison, Shu Mengli felt her fists clench tightly. She desperately wished she could take advantage of her invisibility to deliver a fierce punch to both of them.

However, thoughts were merely thoughts; she still retained her rationality. Shu Mengli knit her brows, falling into deep thought.

Looking at today’s situation, using theft to slander someone was glaringly a trap set up by Liu Yi. Needless to say, that servant had undoubtedly been bought off by Liu Yi long ago. Then how could they be so certain that they could force Lulu to bear this blame?

The simplest method would be to hide the stolen item inside Lulu’s room, and then search it out, catching her red-handed on the spot. Of course, simply tossing the bracelet away to ensure there was absolutely no evidence would work too. But in that scenario, first, there wouldn’t be concrete proof to demonstrate that Jiang Weilu took it, and second, it would still prove Liu Yi’s incompetence, which wouldn’t deliver as devastating a blow as finding it directly during a search.

Shu Mengli arched her brows, feeling that her hypothesis was likely correct. This tactic was quite malicious; even if Lulu sensed something was wrong at this exact moment, it was impossible for her to return to her room to search for it. Right now, the atmosphere was tense and time waited for no one; she had to go take a look immediately.

Thinking this, Shu Mengli leaned close to Jiang Weilu’s ear and whispered softly, “Lulu, I suspect they hid the item inside your room. I’m going to go check.”

Shu Mengli was intelligent, and Jiang Weilu was naturally no fool. What her sister could think of, she could think of as well. In fact, she and her sister shared the exact same thought. Jiang Weilu released her interlocked hand from Shu Mengli’s, gently squeezing her sister’s fingertips to show that she understood.

Receiving her response, Shu Mengli turned around and departed immediately.

As for Jiang Ming, he had always been a cold, suspicious individual who only trusted his own conclusions. Originally, he already held some suspicions toward Jiang Weilu. Now, with the servant’s testimony and Jiang Yuxi’s slander, he felt the matter was eighty to ninety percent likely to be Jiang Weilu’s doing.

However, he still highly valued this daughter, who could gain the appreciation of Patriarch Li, his father, and even Mr. Long, and he couldn’t bear to abandon her so easily. Refusing to give up, he asked another question.

“Jiang Weilu, you were wandering around the house so late last night. What exactly were you doing?”

Jiang Weilu blinked and spoke the absolute truth, “I went out to play.”

Liu Yi nearly laughed out loud, but she managed to restrain herself through sheer willpower. The little brat is seeking her own death, who else can she blame.

Even Jiang Ming was rendered somewhat speechless by those words.

Right at this moment, Liu Yi began to lay down her next trap. Her gaze shifted slightly as she presented a seemingly highly considerate suggestion. “A-Ming, it… it might not necessarily be Lulu’s doing, ah. Why would Lulu steal the old matriarch’s item just to frame me for incompetence? But if this matter isn’t investigated clearly today, everyone will harbor doubts in their hearts.”

“How about this? I propose we search Lulu’s room. If it’s not there, then it definitely wasn’t Lulu’s doing.”

Oh, I see. So if it is found during the search, then it must definitely be my doing. Jiang Weilu arched her brows.

“Then if it isn’t found in my room, where on earth would Grandma’s bracelet be? Who could have taken it? In that scenario, it would truly mean that Auntie Liu lost Grandma’s bracelet, wouldn’t it? What should you do then?”

Those words were spoken with such sarcasm that it made people highly uncomfortable. Auntie Liu sneered inwardly; how could it possibly not be found? As if someone as young as you needs to worry blindly with such hypocrisy here!

But right at that moment, Jiang Weilu spoke again. Looking at Liu Yi, she said with a beaming smile, “But it doesn’t matter. The bracelet has only been missing for half a night; no matter how far it runs, where could it possibly go? The highest probability is that it’s still inside the house. That makes it easy to find, doesn’t it? With the Jiang family’s capability, we can definitely recover Grandma’s relic, even if we have to…”

Speaking up to this point, Jiang Weilu locked her gaze tightly onto Auntie Liu, her smile gradually fading.

“…dig three feet into the earth.”

Jiang Weilu’s words caused Jiang Ming to relax slightly. She was right; the bracelet had only been missing for half a night, so where could it possibly have gone? With the Jiang family’s power, there was no need to worry about being unable to recover such a valuable item. He had merely been too panicked just now.

Thinking this, Jiang Ming’s expression softened slightly. “Then let’s proceed this way. Following your Auntie Liu’s suggestion, since your suspicion is currently the highest, Lulu, there shouldn’t be any issue with searching your room first, right?”

Jiang Weilu gave a gentle nod, responding, “Sure.”

However, at this moment, within the slightly chaotic Jiang family, the various people harboring evil intentions failed to notice that the girl facing the accusations showed no panic whatsoever. Looking toward the entrance of the staircase opposite the sofa, a trace of imperceptible joy actually hovered within her gaze.

Because right there, the delicate beauty whom no one else could see was lightly leaning against the staircase handrail, casually giving her an “OK” sign.

Jiang Weilu couldn’t restrain a smile from slipping past her lips, though it was quickly suppressed. She cast a fleeting glance at Liu Yi. I’d like to see exactly what you manage to search out.

Seemingly sensing her gaze, Liu Yi also turned her head, flashing a gentle smile at Jiang Weilu. Let’s see what you do this time, you little brat.