Transmigrating Behind the Mirror to Become Her Guardian Lady - Chapter 31

If Shu Mengli had not been by Jiang Weilu’s side this time, this matter might have been very difficult to handle. But today she was here, so no one would be able to touch Jiang Weilu.

After simple explanations were exchanged with Jiang Weilu, Shu Mengli immediately got up and went back to the girl’s bedroom. Time was short, so she did not dare tarry, and began her relentless search the moment she stepped into the room.

While searching, her mind did not stop either, carefully deliberating over where the item could possibly be. Since this bracelet had been hidden here by Liu Yi intentionally to frame someone, it had to be found by those searching the room. Therefore, the item would not be hidden in an exceptionally difficult spot; rather, it would be in a place usually overlooked but easily uncovered upon a thorough search.

Mulling it over, she established a direction for her search. Shu Mengli rummaged through the room quickly yet carefully, and although her heart felt anxious, the movements of her hands remained steady. However, as time ticked away, it inevitably affected her state of mind.

Even in the dead of winter, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Shu Mengli’s forehead from the pressure. But just when her inner anxiety was about to break through her composure and show on her face, the dawn of good fortune finally shone upon her.

Deep within the bottom drawer of Jiang Weilu’s desk, Shu Mengli rummaged out a bracelet. It was a light-colored jade bracelet with a translucent, pure color. The moment she held it, the texture felt exceptionally exquisite and warm to the touch. Almost the instant she felt it, she was certain that this was the object she was looking for.

Shu Mengli was practically driven to a furious laugh. Did Liu Yi really think Lulu was still that helpless person who could be molded and manipulated at her whim?

However…

Thinking up to this point, Shu Mengli subconsciously knit her brows. Thinking over it carefully, she found it strangely bizarre.

She remembered very clearly that the first time she transmigrated here, Liu Yi had used a framing tactic to slander Lulu. At that time, with her help, Liu Yi’s plot had completely backfired, and Jiang Ming had given her a thorough lesson. Since she had already failed once, why was she still resorting to this exact same method? Was something wrong with her?

Although this particular scheme was far more malicious, highly effective, and nearly impossible to untangle if she weren’t present, it was far too reckless. Furthermore, this time looked exactly as if she were keeping a constant vigil over Lulu, launching her attack the absolute moment an opening presented itself, bearing a distinct sense of impatient desperation.

Something was amiss; there was definitely something going on beneath the surface. Liu Yi must have a reason that compelled her to act this way. But the underlying reason remained completely unknown for now.

Shu Mengli let out a sigh and shook her head. But before long, she detected another point of suspicion, her eyes narrowing involuntarily.

She trusted her ability to read people. From the very beginning when she arrived at Lulu’s side, upon her first look at Jiang Ming, she felt that this man was excessively cold, reaching a point that could even be described as heartless. He was not a simple individual. Yet, during her interactions with him over the subsequent days, she found it increasingly strange.

Such a man, in his daily demeanor, actually gave off a faint impression of being foolish, even letting himself be led by the nose by Liu Yi’s schemes time and time again. This was completely inconsistent with the first impression she had formed of him.

Sometimes, Shu Mengli would wonder: Did Jiang Ming truly not know what Liu Yi was up to? No, Liu Yi had suffered a total defeat right under his nose three years ago. No matter how foolish someone was, they would inevitably become somewhat vigilant. Yet, Jiang Ming acted exactly as if he had completely forgotten it, continuing to let himself be led around by Liu Yi.

It looked precisely as if he were intentionally indulging all of this.

As this sudden realization surfaced in her mind, Shu Mengli’s brows furrowed tightly, a thread of unease flashing through her heart. Was her hypothesis correct? If that was truly the case, what exactly was Jiang Ming calculating? And Liu Yi—why did she happen to be so tirelessly infatuated with this specific method of framing others?

“Phew.”

Shu Mengli let out a soft breath, truly unable to fathom it. Not a single person in the Jiang family allowed one to rest easy. By comparison, Jiang Yuxi was so simplistic it was pitiful.

However, right now was absolutely not the time to ponder over these points of suspicion. Shu Mengli temporarily shelved her thoughts, tucked the bracelet securely into her pocket, and carefully walked out of Jiang Weilu’s bedroom.

Right now, they had to pull through this crisis first.

When Shu Mengli walked out of the bedroom, Liu Yi downstairs was still fake-crying, and the situation remained tense. Her fingertips lightly brushed the small bracelet resting in her pocket, which shared her invisibility. Scanning her gaze across the grand hall, a smile slowly curved onto her lips as a brilliant idea formed in her mind.

Without taking much time, after securely concealing the bracelet in another location, Shu Mengli walked back to the entrance of the staircase, leaning there leisurely as she watched the farce play out in the living room.

And her little girl could always find her at the very first moment. The instant she stood still, Jiang Weilu’s eyes darted over, a joyous smile hidden deep within her gaze. Affected by her mood, Shu Mengli couldn’t help but smile along, reaching out to give the young girl an “OK” sign.

Jiang Weilu received her signal accurately. No longer dragging the time out, she let out a soft laugh, accepting her stepmother’s proposal with a look of absolute mockery hidden within her eyes.

The efficiency of the Jiang family’s operations was remarkably fast, and given that the lost item this time was of extraordinary significance, the moment the elders of the house nodded their consent, the butler immediately led people into Jiang Weilu’s room to begin the search.

Shu Mengli accompanied Jiang Weilu as she stood at the bedroom doorway. Seeing them casually rummaging through the girl’s belongings, she feared the young girl might be displeased. Thus, she quietly extended her finger to hook against Jiang Weilu’s fingertips, signaling her to endure it for a bit.

The girl gave an immediate response, taking the opportunity to squeeze her sister’s hand. Her gaze drifted over as if entirely by accident, but in reality, it locked steadily onto Shu Mengli’s face. Her eyes were completely filled with a message that read: No way, I need Sister to comfort me.

Shu Mengli was amused by her. Starlight rippled within her beautiful eyes, and in the end, she gave a doting nod. With the little girl being this good at acting spoiled, how could she not indulge her?

Within the noisy room, some people were busy, while others were secretly thrilled. No one knew of the silent exchange between them; it was a little secret belonging solely to the two of them.

After coaxing the young girl, Shu Mengli raised her gaze slightly to observe the scene within the room once more. Her glance was casual, but her peripheral vision accidentally caught Jiang Ming and Liu Yi, who were also standing at the bedroom doorway. Recalling her earlier hypothesis, Shu Mengli subconsciously began to study the two of them.

As for Liu Yi, nothing unusual could be discerned. Her face was filled with worry and looked haggard, her eyes staring tightly at the people searching the room, appearing completely anxious about the search for the bracelet. Yet, deep within her eyes lay a trace of hidden joy, looking highly expectant of the impending outcome.

But Jiang Ming…

Shu Mengli’s brows knit tightly. She could see absolutely nothing. She could not detect his thoughts, nor could she see through him…

However, right at that moment, taking advantage of her invisibility and the fact that no one could see her, while Shu Mengli was unscrupulously studying Jiang Ming—suddenly, Jiang Ming, who had been staring at the servants rummaging through the belongings, turned his head and looked straight over. Frowning, his gaze locked directly onto Shu Mengli’s eyes.

Shu Mengli was startled by his sudden gaze, taking two swift steps backward. Fortunately, no one in this world except Jiang Weilu could see her. Jiang Ming merely cast a bewildered glance in this direction before turning his head back.

Shu Mengli patted her chest, her heart still hammering from the scare. Her eyes dazed slightly as a thought surfaced within her mind: Perhaps her hypothesis truly was correct.

The incident on Shu Mengli’s end lasted only a fleeting moment, but the group led by the butler was sufficiently large and their movements were swift. By this time, they had already rummaged their way over to the desk where Shu Mengli had spent a great deal of effort searching earlier.

Liu Yi’s eyes brightened slightly, but she quickly lowered her eyelids to conceal her emotions, preventing anyone from noticing.

At this moment, the butler had already opened the bottom drawer of the desk, conducting a meticulous search, slightly disheveling the books and paintings inside. But that was all. Aside from some calligraphy and paintings Jiang Weilu regularly practiced on, there was absolutely nothing else inside.

Clack. The drawer was shut.

Liu Yi’s expression turned instantly into utter astonishment. But she quickly realized that the current occasion did not permit her to display her inner thoughts so freely, forcefully suppressing her expression. Yet, a tumultuous wave crashed within her heart: How could it not be there? Where was the item? She had clearly instructed someone to place it there! What was going on, what had happened? Could someone have botched the assignment and placed it in the wrong spot?

But reality proved that this wasn’t the case. Because during the subsequent meticulous search, not a single trace of the bracelet appeared within Jiang Weilu’s room.

Once the entire room was searched, the butler walked forward and reported respectfully, “Third Master, it is not inside the Eldest Miss’s room.”

Jiang Ming gave an expressionless nod.

Liu Yi’s expression was on the verge of collapsing completely, but she did not dare let it show, managing only a dry laugh as she responded, “That’s good, that’s good. I was truly afraid we might have wrongfully accused Lulu.”

Standing to the side, Jiang Weilu took in her entire expression, letting out a soft laugh. “That doesn’t matter, after all, everyone is concerned about the whereabouts of Grandma’s relic. But since it hasn’t been found yet, what should we do? Now that my room has been searched, shouldn’t we…”

Speaking up to this point, Jiang Weilu paused slightly, squinting her eyes as she smiled at Liu Yi. “…search everyone else’s rooms as well? Our family has lost such a valuable item; even if we have to dig three feet into the earth, we must find it.”

Thump. Liu Yi’s heart shuddered, sensing that something was deeply wrong. It felt exactly as if the person laying the trap today had shifted from herself to Jiang Weilu, and a snare had already been laid out ahead, merely waiting for her to plunge inside.

An ominous premonition wove through her heart, and Liu Yi immediately wanted to speak. Unexpectedly, however, Jiang Ming spoke up first.

“Lulu is right. From this moment onward, everyone in this household must remain in the main hall; no one is permitted to leave. Butler, find a few trustworthy people…” Jiang Ming’s gaze was sharp. “…and even if you have to turn this house completely upside down, you must find it.”

Five hours later.

The sun was sinking toward the west. Time had marched past the late morning, slipped through the lunch hour, and arrived at the mid-afternoon. The main villa of the small Jiang estate had been turned completely upside down, yet the bracelet remained unfound.

At that moment, Jiang Weilu was sitting quietly on the sofa. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, she scooted close to the waist of her sister standing before her. Tilting her head up slightly, her large peach-blossom eyes were completely filled with curiosity, as if asking: Sister, where on earth did you hide the item?

Shu Mengli looked down at her, locking eyes with Jiang Weilu’s glittering puppy-dog eyes, finding the child thoroughly adorable. She couldn’t restrain herself from extending her index finger to lightly poke her small head, smiling without offering a single word of reply. You’ll find out in a little while.

At this moment, Jiang Ming was leaning back against the sofa, lifting his eyes to look at the butler standing before him. Frowning, his fingertips tapped against the armrest. “Where else haven’t you searched?”

The butler bowed respectfully before him. “Only the front yard and the back yard are left, Third Master.”

The front yard was the large courtyard at the entrance of the small Jiang estate, designed at a high cost by professionals, featuring flourishing flora and pleasant scenery. The back yard was no less impressive, except that it was the area designated for the residential staff’s quarters, a place where the members of the Jiang family rarely set foot.

Jiang Ming’s finger tapping the armrest paused for a fraction of a second, before his voice turned sharp. “Continue the search. Even if you have to dig three feet into the earth, you must find it for me.”

It hadn’t quite reached the point where they needed to begin excavating the ground. Upon receiving Jiang Ming’s directive, the butler dispatched a group of people to the front yard, which contained nothing but plants and shrubbery. He then personally led a group of people to the back yard, where human activity was far more extensive.

When they entered the gates of the back yard, the area, which was usually bustling with activity, appeared somewhat desolate due to the absence of the staff. The butler waved his hand, and the men and women behind him dispersed, beginning to search through the drawers and trunks.

This endeavor took a considerable amount of time. It wasn’t until half an hour later that finally!

The butler walked into the main hall of the Jiang estate with large strides, a hint of joy resting upon the corners of his brows. “Third Master, the item has been found!”

Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Ming snapped his eyes open. “Where was it found?”