Chapter 378 - Finding Puzzle Piece-I

Her grandma, Mr. and Mrs. Xie, turned their heads toward Li Lian who walked closer to them. Following from behind was Li Jun Wei. On the other side, He Chang Min and Xie Hue Lin was busy with the arrival of Mrs. He, didn't know what happened.

"What's wrong Li Lian?" asked Senior Mrs. Xie when Li Lian stood beside her. 

"I think I lost my ring," Li Lian whispered with her brows furrowed. "But I didn't let it out open from my fingers."

"What kind of ring is it?" Li Jun Wei asked, seeming to be wanting to help and Senior Mrs, Xie took a couple of moment to stare at him.

"It is ring with a pink jewel. I receive the ring from someone very important to me," Li Lian spike the last words in whispers and once again Senior Mrs. Xie lifted her chin up to look at Li Jun Wei whose eyes was first at Li Lian before moving toward her and smiled.

"We should search for it," suggested Senior Mrs. Xie when her son scoffed from the side which he did quietly so the sound wouldn't be heard to Li Jun Wei but having a sharp hearing, Li Jun Wei could hear him well.

"There is no need to search for a single ring. Accessories like that could be buy if she has money and it is her own carelessness that she lost the ring. The party would be ruin if we have to search for the ring," Mr. He said as if he was the wise man. The way he had spoken was far from a father which was very different than the time he spoke with Xie Hue Lin.

Li Jun Wei who had read the result of the paternity test was looking forward to the expression Mr. and Mrs. He have after he shared the news. But secrets such as this have to be drop at the right time.

"It's not a single ring, I think I lost three rings," she said with a worried look and this had Li Jun Wei's head to look at her with the same concerned look Senior Mrs. Xie had.

"I don't carelessness could have one to lose three rings all at once, unless someone had took the ring off from your finger, miss Li Lian?" When their eyes met, Li Lian wanted to smile and she immediately turned her head from him.

Li Lian gave an incredulous look, "They couldn't have done it without me noticing." 

Mr. He, who was wondering what to say then spoke politely, "Mr. Li, I believe there is no here who would steal her rings. The guests are not people who would do that and our family would never either."

"What about the maids?" asked Li Jun Wei and his eyes swept on the two maids who were in the halls, "Trusting maids are a good trait for a master of the house but I have to say unless you they are your family, you shouldn't trust them too much."

Mr. He wasn't in a good mood that Li Lian had to make a scene after losing rings. She had always been the type of girl who wish for attention and it could be that she hid the ring to make a scene. Saying it aloud here wouldn't do him good as it seemed to him that Li Jun Wei and Li Lian was in a very friendly term.

He had talked to his mother to help him and create a better relationship with Li Jun Wei and it seemed that if he could show Li Lian's true nature, it would benefit them in some ways, "Of course I know that maids and us are people from different upbringing but I wish to believe them. Most of the maids in the house worked more than six or seven years here, the house is almost like their own so I don't think they would steal anything from anyone."

"We can see," Li Jun Wei light shrugged his shoulders seeing that from afar, He Chang Min, his fiancee, and his mother had came toward them. "Could you call every maid in one room? I wouldn't like to leave when knowing that there could be a thief in Senior Mrs. Xie's house."

With that everyone gathered in one room, all maids and Li Lian who saw Xie Hue Lin in one room smiled at her younger sister. Xie Hue Lin who saw her smile quickly turned her head to He Chang Min, her eyes were like snake's, capturing his every single movement to make sure he would not smile back.

He Chang Min didn't smile on Li Lian instead his eyes met Xie Hue Lin to smile. 

"What is happening and why all the maids are called?" asked Xie Hue Lin to her mother, speaking in whisper as she didn't caught the news due to being focused on pleasing He Chang Min's mother who had came to talk with them. 

Mrs. Xie opened her mouth when Li Jun Wei spoke, "Miss Li Lian lost her rings and we are about to find out if someone had it on their possession. It's better when matters such as this are cleared in a calm term and the faster we found the ring, we can avoid this to happen again to anyone else. Mr. Xie, please tell them to place everything they have on their own person now to the table."

Mr. Xie immediately did what Li Jun Wei said, he told the maids to place whatever they had with them and all maids were brave enough to rummage and placed the things they had in their pocket.

"Why are you not moving?" asked Li Jun Wei when he caught a maid whose hand was in her pocket, without pulling and all attention now fall to the maid. Xie Hue Lin wondered which stupid maid it was who had stolen Li Lian's rings in obvious daylight when she saw it was her own maid Qing looking pale as a paper sheet.

Senior Mrs. Xie also found the maid who stopped odd, wondering why she didn't move and Mr. Xie then walked to pull the maid's hand. When he did, three rings fell from the maid's hand, rolling on the ground and one rolled to stop right below Li Lian's feet who was sitting in the couch. Li Lian bent her body down, taking the rings and with a frown, she announced, "This is my ring."

Mr. Xie looked at the maid with wide eye. He thought it was foolish that this to happen in the party and that there would be no maid who would be stupid enough to steal but she did.

"What?" Xie Hue Lin gasped, her eyes looking at Qing in disbelief. How could this maid steal right now when there was a party? And to steal from Li Lian. She was digging not only her own grave but hers because she was the closest maid she had!

"N-No! I didn't steal, I don't know how they appear in my pocket!" Qing said, begging for Mr. Xie's faith to her but when Mr. Xie saw the rings falling from the maid's hands, he wasn't in the mood to be kind any longer. He was furious to the maid who now made him lose face in front of Li Jun Wei!

"I don't think rings could be conjured out from a pocket," Li Jun Wei left a remark in which turn the air terse. "Unless and until someone had took Li Lian's rings and it is you isn't it?"

Qing's eyes snapped wide to Li Lian in time it turned to a glare, "No she must have been the one who placed the rings inside my pocket!" The maid tried to be cunning but then she felt a chill when Li Jun Wei laughed. Not only Qing was stunned by the sudden laughter but everyone on the room was also startled.

Li Jun Wei brought his hands together, clapping very slowly as if he was admiring what was transpiring against his eyes, "A thief calling the victim the thief?" Li Jun Wei who was sitting with his legs crossed leaned his body forward, his eyes staying on Mr. Xie. "Not only did there was a maid in the house who steal, she blamed the guest who had her rings stolen to be the thief for no reason? Your house is very entertaining Mr. Xie. I have never seen such a shameless thief."

The maid saw how the eyes that believed her for a split of moment turn hostile again toward her. She fell to the ground hoping anyone would be moved by her action, didn't do it please believe me! I have worked here for eight years and I never steal anything why would I steal something now?" 

"Seeing how you are able to take Miss Li Lian's rings from her hands without her notice, I could tell that you are a very excellent thief who had stolen many but never been found out by anyone. But your luck has run out now." Each of Li Jun Wei's words made others to believe the otherwise from the maid. 

"I have never steal anything from the house, if I do anyone would find out!" said the maid who then recalled Li Lian's words when they first met and slowly understood that it was Li Lian who had put the rings on her pocket to frame her.

"Then let's prove your innocent, should we?" Li Lian stood up, pushing himself from the chair. "It seems like this evidence is not enough yet for you to confess. We can investigate her room. If she steals we should be able to find something from her room."