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

"Yaya!"

Mrs. Shen's expression changed, and she quickly squeezed into the crowd in her high heels, pulling her daughter into her arms.

"Why are you crying like this? Who bullied you?"

Shen Yaya's face was flushed from crying. She pointed at Wen Li and said, "She...she broke Grandpa Wu's vase and won't admit it..."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shen's face instantly darkened.

"How could you do such a thing at such a young age?" she said sternly to Wen Li. "Breaking things is one thing, but lying is a matter of upbringing!"

Wen Li was startled by her suddenly raised voice and shrank back.

She hadn't been scolded like that by an adult in a long time, and her little hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt: "No, it wasn't Li Bao who did it..."

"If it wasn't you, who else could it be?" Mrs. Shen didn't give her a chance to finish. "Ya Ya saw it with her own eyes, how could she possibly wrong you?"

Boss Shen also rushed over.

He glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, then at the crowd of onlookers, and was much calmer than Mrs. Shen: "Alright, don't frighten the child."

He patted his wife's shoulder, his tone gentle and reasonable: "Which child hasn't been naughty at times? This isn't a big deal."

He looked at Wen Li, adopting the posture of a tolerant elder: "Little friend, as long as you bravely admit your mistake and apologize to Grandpa Wu, I don't think he will pursue the matter too much."

Wen Li opened her eyes wide.

But it wasn't Li Bao who did it, so why is Li Bao apologizing?

Seeing the whispers around him, Boss Shen sighed again, pretending to be nonchalant: "Of course, the child is still young, and some of his bad habits are learned from adults."

He paused, then slowly added the second half of his sentence: "However, according to my personal educational philosophy, no matter how high one's status or how much one is pampered, one cannot allow one's child to lie, can one?"

Her words were impeccable, ostensibly meant to comfort the child, but the subtext of every word was that she had already concluded that the child was the one who broke the vase.

The servants looked at each other in bewilderment.

They naturally favored Wen Li, but since no one had witnessed the whole thing, it wasn't appropriate for them to speak carelessly now.

Shen Yaya was so aggrieved, and the Shen couple spoke with such certainty that even they began to have doubts.

More and more guests gathered to watch.

"What happened?"

"I heard it was Elder Wu's birthday gift that got broken."

"Who did this? The child?"

"It's so small, can it even reach?"

"But the other girl said she saw it all. She's not very old, she probably wouldn't lie."

The crowd was discussing it, but no one could come to a conclusion.

Wen Li subconsciously took half a step back.

With so many people looking at her and pointing at her, Li Bao was a little scared...

Seeing that the time was right, Boss Shen said, "Gentlemen, today is Elder Wu's birthday banquet, and there shouldn't be any unpleasantness. However, if something is done wrong, it can't be ignored just because of your special status."

Someone took the bait: "Identity? What identity?"

Someone recognized Wen Li: "Isn't that the young lady from the Duan family?"

The crowd gasped.

"The Duan family? Which Duan family?"

"No wonder the child's father didn't dare to speak too harshly."

"Luckily, my parents were there, otherwise they would have just handed the child over to another child."

Mr. Shen waved his hand with a wry smile: "Mr. Duan is a respectable person, I didn't mean anything by it."

Everyone understood that his intention was simply to tutor the Duan family's children.

Wen Li looked at the broken porcelain bottle on the ground, then at Shen Yaya.

She tried hard to recall what had just happened.

She walked ahead, and Shen Yaya called after her, and then...

Mrs. Shen and her husband always worked together seamlessly, and at this moment, she was no longer angry. She spoke gently to Wen Li, saying, "Wen Li, Auntie knows you're afraid of being criticized, but you have to be an honest child—Teacher Zhang taught you that, right?"

He then said to the servant, "I think we should ask Old Master Wu to come and take a look. Such a valuable gift can't just be dismissed with a simple 'it wasn't me.' We need to give him an explanation."

Between the lines, it seems as if she is already a member of the Wu family.

Everyone listened and concluded that the Shen family was in the right: who would dare to offend the Duan family in public if they weren't confident?

Unbeknownst to them, the wind direction had subtly changed.

At this moment, the little dumpling raised its head and whispered, "Pear Baby wasn't there just now."

The surroundings quieted down considerably, and everyone wanted to hear what the child had to say.

The little girl spoke slowly, "Li Bao wanted to go that way, but Shen Ya Ya wouldn't let her. So Li Bao... went back..."

She held out her hand, with a small pastry in her palm.

"Li Bao, take this with both hands and go find Grandma."

"Later, the vase broke."

She spoke softly, but her expression was firm: "It wasn't Li Bao who did it. Li Bao did nothing wrong."

The child who used to mumble "Li Bao" over and over again when wronged or accused has gradually gained courage and composure under the care of her family. She has learned to defend herself and protect herself.

However, Mrs. Shen didn't allow her words to sway the onlookers, immediately interrupting and resuming her aggressive demeanor: "Look at her, even her speech is so incoherent; that's the consequence of the adults always protecting her!"

Sure enough, some people sided with Mrs. Shen: "Alas, children sometimes don't remember what they did."

"Besides, this doesn't seem to prove that she didn't break it."

"If it weren't for her, how could she not explain it clearly?"

When Shen Yaya saw everyone standing on her side, she cried even louder: "Mom, it was her... she was just... she was about to say that I did it..."

Mrs. Shen tenderly wiped away her daughter's tears, then turned to Wen Li, frowning, "Wen Li, look, Ya Ya is crying like this, please don't hurt her."

Wen Li was confused.

Did I hurt Shen Yaya...?

Mrs. Shen's tone hardened: "I'll ask you one last time, did you knock it over?"

Wen Li shook her head: "No."

"Alright." Mrs. Shen raised her chin. "Then we'll invite Elder Wu over. There are so many elders here today, so later, you can say it again in front of everyone."

Boss Shen played the good cop at the opportune moment: "Little friend, it's not too late to admit it now. When Grandpa Wu comes and sees this, he won't be happy."

The little bundle of milk was taken aback.

The words "Grandpa Witch will be unhappy" made her heart clench more tightly than any previous accusations, whether overt or covert.

Today is Grandpa Wu's birthday. People celebrating their birthdays should be happy.

She painted so many smiling faces on the longevity tree she made for Grandpa Wu, just to make him happy.

This bottle was also a birthday gift from Grandpa Wu. He would be very upset if it broke.

Pear didn't want to see that.

The onlookers also joined forces to persuade him:

"Little friend, apologize."

"Your family is so rich, you can afford to pay for it. No matter how expensive the vase is, it's not as valuable as integrity."

"A child who admits their mistakes and corrects them is still a good child."

Shen Yaya's cries, Boss Shen and Mrs. Shen's arrogance, the surrounding whispers, Grandpa Wu's smiling face...

Too many sounds and too many images are churning like paste in a child's little head.

If, if only she had said "I'm sorry," Grandpa Wu wouldn't have to be sad...

The little milk ball opened its mouth.

"—She didn't do it."

A voice suddenly cut in.

"I saw it."