I Became the Mother of His Child

Ignoring Pei Yu's question, Xu Xiuxiu, who had been sitting in her chair from the beginning, now leisurely stood up. With an elegant flick of her simple and stylish overcoat, she who wore no gold or silver, overwhelmed Pei Yu with her presence the moment she stood.

"Liao Shixing, correct? Director Xia mentioned you have evidence that Song Yuanming stole your pen. Could you please show it to me?" Xu Xiuxiu moved two steps and stood in front of Liao Shixing to ask.

Though stunned by Xu Xiuxiu's imposing manner, Liao Shixing was not foolish and didn't present the evidence immediately upon Xu Xiuxiu's request. "Why should I show you the evidence?" he retorted with a disdainful look.

"Well, you don't need to show it to me. When the Police Station arrives later, you can show the evidence to them. I just want to tell you that you have evidence, and I have evidence too, but I wonder whose evidence will be more effective," Xu Xiuxiu said, her tone confident and eyebrows raised.

Liao Shixing was left dumbfounded for a moment before instinctively turning his head to look at his mother, Pei Yu.

Hearing Xu Xiuxiu's words clearly, Pei Yu was initially taken aback, her eyebrows knitting complexly before she broke into laughter. Playing with the thick gold bracelet on her wrist, she mocked Xu Xiuxiu, "So now you can boast without any basis? What a joke that a student from such a poor background could afford a Parker 18K Pure Gold Pen. And to call the police, sure! I wanted to let this youngster off, but since you are ungrateful, there's no need for courtesy," she said, the final words about calling the police filled with force.

Honestly, this mother and son pair were indeed eccentric, but in terms of pretentiousness, Xu Xiuxiu decided to give them full marks, unafraid to boost their arrogance.

"Fine!" Xu Xiuxiu was naturally unfazed. She pulled Song Yuanming aside and they both sat down on the only two chairs in the office. "We're not in a hurry. Trust your sister-in-law. Let's wait for the police to arrive and then give them a figurative slap. Today, I'm going to teach you a unique skill—the art of 'face-slapping.' Aim for the pain points! Pay attention and learn, alright? If you ever let yourself be bullied again so naively, see how I'll deal with you," Xu Xiuxiu spoke casually, her tone lighthearted and amused.

However, compared to Xu Xiuxiu's relaxed demeanor with Song Yuanming, Pei Yu and Liao Shixing, who spoke boastfully but now awkwardly stood there, were clearly at a disadvantage. From the outset, Xu Xiuxiu intended to figuratively 'slap their faces.' After Director Xia finished the call, she smartly reported the incident to the police and didn't expect they would have to wait too long for the police to arrive.

"Mom!" Liao Shixing, feeling somewhat unconfident, looked at Pei Yu.

Taking several deep breaths, Pei Yu then glared at Xia Tao, Director Xia, frustratedly. "Since they don't appreciate kindness, Director Xia, please go ahead and call the police!" she huffed, casting a scornful glance at Xu Xiuxiu and Song Yuanming.

Xia Tao looked awkwardly at Pei Yu and her son, then somewhat unnaturally responded, "Mrs. Liao, before you arrived, the parents of Song Yuanming had already called the police." After she spoke, she couldn't hide a bit of nervousness in her tone.

Upon hearing Xia Tao's words, both Pei Yu and Liao Shixing were visibly stunned, clearly not anticipating that the situation would escalate to involve the police. They exchanged a silent, frustrated look.

The police were contacted quite early by Xu Xiuxiu, and just as Liao Shixing and his son were unsure of what to do next, personnel from the Police Station had already arrived at the school to handle the matter. As soon as the police arrived, Liao Shixing and his mother began loudly asserting their innocence, pinning the blame for the theft entirely on Song Yuanming from the beginning to the end.

"Mr. Officer, look, we do have evidence. This is the record of my purchase of the Parker Pen," Pei Yu said, pulling out a document from her handbag to prove her claim.

The two officers carefully examined the document and then looked towards Xu Xiuxiu, nodding their heads.

Xu Xiuxiu didn't wait for the officers to speak. "As I know, the Parker 18K Gold is a classic model crafted by Parker Company in '83, and the number of Parker 18K Pens in the country is recorded, as is each pen individually," she said, taking a couple of steps to stand in front of Pei Yu. "Since Liao Shixing has the purchase record, why not bring out the Parker Pen and compare it?"

"Go ahead and compare," Liao Shixing's mother snapped irritably, pulling a pen from her bag. "Mr. Officer, please verify it. I want to prove my son's innocence and have that thief imprisoned," she said ungracefully, handing the pen to the two officers.

Seeing Pei Yu produce the Parker Pen, Xu Xiuxiu raised an eyebrow. "May I see it?" she asked the officers.

Facing Xu Xiuxiu, a woman of great poise yet straightforward demeanor, the two officers, although strictly professional, couldn't help but soften slightly in their demeanor.

Smiling, Xu Xiuxiu accepted the Parker Pen, glanced at the numbers on the bottom, and then smiled, saying, "Actually, there's something not everyone knows about Parker Pens: the base of each pen has a record number. Due to some connections, I obtained a complete sales record of the Parker Pens in the country from the regional manager of Parker. They informed me that Parker Pens are sold only in major cities with rapid economic development like the Imperial City, Shanghai, Xiangjiang, and Aojiang. Mrs. Liao, you have the purchase record, but would you mind telling me where exactly this pen was bought?"

"It was bought in Shanghai, during a family trip there before the New Year," Pei Yu replied assertively, though she seemed particularly displeased with Xu Xiuxiu's control over the situation. However, perhaps out of consideration for the two officers present, she reluctantly answered Xu Xiuxiu's question.

"Good," Xu Xiuxiu said with a nod, smilingly. She then handed over a data record to the two officers: "This is the complete record of Parker Pens in the country, including those sold and unsold. Of course, to facilitate tracking, Parker Company uses distinct record codes for each region. The Imperial City's Parker Pens start with '01,' Shanghai's with '02,' and this pen's record number at the base is '0143.' This alone proves the source of this pen." Xu Xiuxiu handed the pen back to the officers. "Moreover, this is the proof of my purchase of a Parker Pen, bought from a well-known department store in the Imperial City, with an official stamp and registration data also marked as '0143,' the same as the pen's bottom data. I think it's clear to whom the pen truly belongs and who has been falsely accused. I don't think I need to say anything more about what the truth might be," Xu Xiuxiu concluded, shrugging with a smile.