Mommy, don't be afraid, I'll bring you blind boxes and scam you out of a wealthy family to

After the pocket watch incident, before adoption was even on the agenda, the Duan family started making arrangements for Wen Li to attend kindergarten.

The old man entrusted this matter to Duan Xianchen. Even without using the Duan family's name, Duan Xianchen quickly contacted the best bilingual kindergarten in Tan City based on his own reputation as a top lawyer.

He returned with the registration form and casually asked, "Little Pear, where did you go to daycare before?"

Wen Li blinked: "Li Bao... has never been to school."

Duan Xianchen was taken aback.

Duan Yuanzhou frowned as well: "Not even a day?"

Wen Li shook her head.

Her stepfather said she was a money-loser and didn't want to spend a single penny on her; anyway, she would be raised by someone else's family when she grew up, and she didn't deserve to go to school.

The Duan father and son had mixed feelings.

Such prestigious families place particular emphasis on their children's education. They start early education when their children are one or two years old, send them to the best kindergartens at three, and then strive for all-round development, inviting renowned teachers to their homes.

While the Duan family children were playing the piano, learning horseback riding, and speaking foreign languages, what was Wen Li doing?

When washing dishes and folding clothes, one must carefully try to please adults; even when being beaten, one must endure it without crying.

Duan Xianchen gently spread the registration form on the table and patted Wen Li's hair: "It's okay, your uncle will take you. From now on, Li Bao can learn whatever she wants."

The next day, Duan Xianchen took Wen Li to the kindergarten to familiarize her with the environment.

The principal personally greeted them with a smile and led them on a tour of the classrooms, activity rooms, and playground.

The little dumpling held the adult's hand, her eyes darting around, everything was new and exciting.

I never knew slides could be this tall, and building blocks could come in so many colors.

As I walked around the corridor, I suddenly heard a commotion.

"You must take responsibility! My child is injured like this, and you're still trying to shirk responsibility? Call your supervisor over here!"

A woman dressed head-to-toe in designer brands was shouting at the top of her lungs.

The little boy next to him had his arm wrapped in gauze and was wailing loudly.

Several teachers surrounded the mother and son, trying to explain patiently, but the woman wouldn't listen at all.

The headmaster's expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "Excuse me, Duan Lu, I need to go and handle this first."

Duan Xianchen nodded and pulled Wen Li to watch from a distance.

The parent became increasingly agitated with their rant: "It's that teacher Zhang! She pushed my child off the cabinet, I even filmed it, and she still won't admit it—is she fit to be a teacher? How dare she hit such a young child like that, she doesn't even deserve to be called a human being!"

Other parents also came after hearing the news, some of them taking videos with their phones.

The young female teacher, her face pale, was squeezed in the middle of the crowd, shaking her head repeatedly: "I didn't... I told the children that the cabinet was broken and they couldn't go up there... so I locked it and even reported it for repair..."

"Locked up? Even if it's locked, the child can't fall? Who are you kidding!"

More and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering.

"This teacher doesn't look like a bad person."

"You don't know, kindergarten teachers can be so heartless these days."

"Oh my, doing something like that is despicable..."

The teacher's eyes reddened, and her explanations became increasingly weak: "I really didn't..."

Wen Li clutched her uncle's clothes, feeling distressed as she watched the teacher being surrounded and verbally abused.

She was often wronged when she was with the Gao family; a few days ago, she was almost framed again at the Duan family.

Fortunately, now some people are willing to believe her.

But who will believe this teacher?

She shook Duan Xianchen's hand: "Uncle..."

Duan Xianchen looked down and saw that the little dumpling was pursing her lips. She guessed that she was probably reminded of the scene and felt a similar grievance.

He patted Wen Li on the shoulder: "Leave it to me."

Duan Xianchen stepped forward and said to the parent causing the disturbance, "Madam, if your child has indeed been harmed, you should resolve this through legal channels. Arguing here will not benefit anyone."

The woman sized him up and down: "Who are you? What business is it of yours?"

"My surname is Duan." Duan Xianchen handed over his business card. "If you'd like, I can get involved in the investigation."

The woman's expression changed several times when she saw the name on the business card.

She couldn't possibly be unaware of the Duan family's status in Tan City.

But emboldened by the fact that the kindergarten wouldn't dare do anything to wealthy parents like them, she raised her voice again: "Investigate? Fine! I'll see what you can find! I have video evidence here; can you turn black into white?"

Teacher Zhang looked up, her eyes not filled with joy, but rather with bewilderment: she wasn't sure if this person was genuinely trying to help, or just another one there to watch her make a fool of herself.

Duan Xianchen didn't explain further, but turned to the director and said, "We may need to gather some evidence, so please cooperate."

The headmaster hesitated, realizing that while the woman was no ordinary person, she couldn't be compared to the Duan family. He nodded.

Little Wenli peeked out from behind the adults and whispered to her teacher, whose eyes were red with tears, "Teacher, don't cry."

Teacher Zhang was somewhat surprised that a child from such a top-tier wealthy family as the Duan family could have such a soft and kind heart.

She sniffed. "Thank you."

-

The case was more complicated than expected.

The parents posted the video online, showing the moment Teacher Zhang reached out and the child fell, along with a hospital certificate and a tearful letter of accusation.

Marketing accounts are reposting it like crazy, and the comments section is overwhelmingly negative, with everyone saying the most offensive things.

In an effort to appease other parents, the kindergarten suspended Ms. Zhang's work, citing "awaiting the investigation results."

Duan Xianchen's investigation revealed that the "repair request" mentioned by Teacher Zhang was indeed recorded, but the kindergarten had never taken it seriously; so Teacher Zhang found a chain to lock the cabinet door herself, just in case some children went to play with it.

On the day of the incident, the chain disappeared, and the classroom surveillance camera conveniently broke down at that exact moment.

The other parent has connections and insists that it was the teacher who did it.

Duan Xianchen stayed up for several nights in a row, reviewing all the evidence dozens of times, but he still couldn't find a breakthrough.

He rarely showed his anxiety at home; as a lawyer, he was used to hiding all his emotions.

But Xiao Wenli still figured it out.

My uncle leaves early and returns late. He's distracted during meals and frowns when his phone rings.

Baba was like this when she was sick before. Libao doesn't want her little uncle to get sick too.

That night, Duan Xianchen worked overtime in his study until the early hours of the morning.

He rubbed his temples, preparing to look at the video screenshots again, when he caught a glimpse of a small figure on the sofa.

The little dumpling fell asleep hugging a doll, with a drawing beside it.

Duan Xianchen gently pulled out the paper.

The crayon drawing depicts a tall, thin man wearing a gleaming gold tie, with the words "Uncle, keep it up!" scrawled in pinyin beside him.

She also drew a big little face and flowers.

Duan Xianchen looked at the painting for a long time, carefully put it into the folder, then squatted down and gently kissed the baby's forehead.

With Li Bao's encouragement, he regained his strength.

-

The next day, Duan Xianchen was organizing evidence again.

Video screenshots, repair records, faculty and staff testimonies, parent complaints... a jumbled mess spread across the table.

This particular job was done as a charity event, free of charge, but it still didn't lessen his fatigue.

He sat on the sofa, his fingertips touching, his whole body like a taut string.

Wen Li, holding her baby bottle, climbed onto the sofa and sat obediently beside her.

Quietly and peacefully keeping me company, her little feet dangling and swinging on the edge of the sofa.

Duan Xianchen placed two video screenshots side by side on the table; they showed the child before and after falling.

He vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but his mind was already blank.

"Uncle." Wen Li pulled out a huge magnifying glass from somewhere.

She often had some strange little gadgets, which Duan Xianchen treated as novel toys, unsurprised, and without looking up, asked, "Hmm?"

Wen Li put the baby bottle aside, picked up a magnifying glass, circled the video screenshot twice, and then pointed to a potted plant in the corner of the screenshot.

"Huahua, it's different."

Duan Xianchen was startled and quickly looked over.

In the first screenshot, the flowerpot is placed on the left side of the table, and the leaves are also drooping to the left.

The second one, however, is all to the right.

The milk ball said in a serious tone, "The flowerpot has grown legs and ran away."

Duan Xianchen suddenly sat up straight.

Flowerpots certainly don't grow legs or move on their own.

The only explanation is that these two video screenshots were not taken at the same time!

Duan Xianchen's mind cleared instantly. He immediately found the original image, zoomed in, and compared every detail of the background: the folds of the curtains, the angle of the light, even the position of the toys in the corner—

The timing doesn't match.

The so-called video evidence of Teacher Zhang pushing the child is a spliced ​​and edited fabrication!

The problem is that the original surveillance footage was definitely destroyed. He can prove that the video has been tampered with, but he cannot prove that Teacher Zhang was wronged.

He was deep in thought when his phone rang.

It's Teacher Zhang.

He answered the phone, but before he could even speak, the person on the other end burst into tears:

"Attorney Duan... I'm sorry, there's no need to investigate... They said if I don't admit it, they'll come to my house and cause trouble... My parents are old and can't handle the shock..."

She was sobbing uncontrollably, her sobs coming in short bursts.

"Thank you, but I accept it... I apologize, I resign... Please, just leave me alone..."

Duan Xianchen was stunned: "Teacher Zhang, wait a minute—"

The phone hangs up.

Duan Xianchen gripped the phone so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand stood out.

Compared to the judgments of the law, rumors and gossip are the cruelest weapons against an ordinary person.

In all his years in the profession, Duan Xianchen has seen many people like Teacher Zhang who cannot withstand the tug-of-war of money, energy, and spirit, and will surrender even if they have done nothing wrong.

That's not admitting guilt, that's accepting fate.

He couldn't blame her for giving up, neither emotionally nor logically.

After a long silence, Duan Xianchen spoke softly, "Little Pear, your uncle might... be unable to help her."

The little dumpling bit her lip and clenched her fists.