Ji Fei's sudden remark made Peng Li furious. It was clear she was fiercely protective of her godson, as if he were a treasure.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could it possibly be my godson?" Peng Li snapped.

Ji Fei rolled her eyes, thinking, *It is your godson. Absolutely!*

The Qin family couldn’t help but laugh, but Peng Li misunderstood, thinking they were laughing at her. She scolded, “Do you all suspect my godson too? Whatever he wants, I’d give him! Why would he need to steal?”

*Truly blinded by favoritism,* Ji Fei thought. *Of course, he wouldn’t dare ask you directly. If he did, Lu Fei would find out about his gambling problem. He’s definitely not going to risk that.*

“Come now, Peng Li, calm down,” Qin Mother interjected leisurely. “Even the police would consider all parties present as suspects. Feifei doesn't even know your godson, so it’s a fair assumption. Unless, of course, you have proof Lang Zhe has never been in your treasure room?”

Qin Mother’s words left Peng Li momentarily speechless. After all, she had indeed taken both Sun Man and Lang Zhe to the room that day. Her primary focus had been showing off to Sun Man, flaunting her wealth as a godmother.

As for Lang Zhe... she couldn’t recall exactly what he’d been doing.

A flicker of doubt crossed Peng Li’s face, but she quickly snapped back, saying, “Alright, let’s stick to facts! Only Sun Man had a bag, and she was dressed in clothes that could easily hide something. Lang Zhe, on the other hand, was in a simple basketball outfit. How could he have stolen my necklace under everyone’s eyes?”

The Qin family considered the scenario, imagining the large pearl necklace—where could it have been hidden? With something so big, it would be nearly impossible not to notice.

Now more curious, the Qin family couldn’t help but look to Ji Fei for insight. Fortunately, Ji Fei was intrigued too.

*Quite a clever argument. Let's see how he actually pulled it off. Wait!*

Ji Fei’s inner voice suddenly spiked, making the Qin family startle.

*Oh my god, oh my god! No way!*

Qin family: *What? What happened?*

They exchanged glances, trying to read Ji Fei's gaze as she stared intently at Peng Li’s necklace, her pupils almost trembling. Then, her gaze shifted to Peng Li’s hand, which habitually stroked the pearls, and finally to her teacup.

Ji Fei’s dramatic expressions had the Qin family on the edge of their seats.

In a tone of relief, Ji Fei’s inner voice rang out, *Thank goodness Peng Li is so arrogant; otherwise, if she had greeted us with a handshake, our whole family would have been contaminated.*

Qin family: *Huh?*

*Who would’ve thought those precious pearls would’ve ended up in such a... place?*

Qin family: *Why does this sound so ominous? Where exactly?*

*Could Lang Zhe really be that... unfathomable?*

The slower-reacting Qin family members: *...Wait, what?!*

The quick-reacting ones: *!!!*

*No... all of them? Each pearl is about the size of a coin, and there are... two or three dozen of them? No way. That’s impossible!*

*Oh, thank goodness. I knew it couldn’t be possible.*

Everyone exhaled a sigh of relief, nearly choking on the ridiculous thought. How could any man go to such extremes to steal a necklace?

*So many pearls... he couldn’t have hidden them all. He must have tied some to his body, like wearing a thong. That way, no one would notice... Ah! Stop picturing it! I didn’t mean to imagine that! I’m just an innocent onlooker! Quick, dissipate, dissipate!*

Qin family: *...Too late. Can anyone control their brain? It’s like the mind refuses to stop picturing it.*

*Dissipate, dissipate!*

Then they recalled Peng Li saying the necklace was still warm when it was found.

It probably wasn’t just body warmth...

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the necklace around Peng Li’s neck.

Whether it was their imagination or the lighting, those pearls seemed to have a faint yellowish glow.

Peng Li noticed their expressions change dramatically, as if they’d been startled, and felt annoyed.

“What is this? You still don’t believe Lang Zhe?” she demanded.

Like most parents who would never believe their child could do wrong, Peng Li was completely convinced of her godson’s innocence.

Finally, the Qin family looked at Peng Li with a hint of sympathy.

Seeing this, Peng Li felt even more baffled. Noticing their gazes lingering on her necklace, she instinctively raised a hand to stroke it.

She heard a collective gasp.

*She’s still touching it? Oh, poor thing...*

The Qin family’s sympathetic looks deepened.

Especially Qin Mother, who had known her for years and couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity. But there was no way to warn her; they could only offer silent condolences.

*To think her ex-husband bought that necklace. He only agreed to let her keep it during the divorce if she promised not to fight for custody of their daughter. She agreed without hesitation...*

The Qin family was surprised by this hidden backstory, and their sympathy for Peng Li faded somewhat.

“What on earth is going on?” Peng Li finally snapped, unnerved by their strange expressions.

“There are countless ways to hide things. Just because he was wearing less doesn’t mean he couldn’t have hidden it,” Qin Mother replied coolly.

*Wait, does Qin Mother realize what method he used?*

Qin Mother froze. *Of course not!*

Qin Father quickly coughed, “In any case, we weren’t there, so we can’t say for certain.”

“You people!” Peng Li fumed.

“If they’re broken up, then they’re unrelated. There’s no need to trouble her anymore,” Qin Zhao said impatiently.

“Hmph! She probably broke up with him because she felt guilty about stealing. Lang Zhe is still heartbroken over her, constantly thinking about her,” Peng Li declared.

*Of course he’s heartbroken,* Ji Fei thought. *After all, his gullible source of debt repayment left. How else can he keep gambling under Lu Fei’s watchful eye? If I ever meet Lang Zhe, I’d definitely check to see if he’s still in debt.*