Chapter 14: Stealing the Check

Lin Wan rested her chin on her hand, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. "Second brother, what are you thinking about?"

"You don’t love me anymore, do you? That’s why you’re being so indifferent."

Lin Hen looked at Lin Wan, who was somewhat upset. He felt a pang of regret—how had Lin Mo managed to affect his mood like this?

"Wanwan, just go pick a car from the dealership. Choose whichever you like, and I’ll give it to you as a gift for your admission."

Lin Wan’s face lit up instantly. "Really?"

Qin Lian chimed in, "Your second brother loves you the most. How could he not care about you? Silly girl."

At that moment, Lin Mo reluctantly came downstairs and took a seat at the far end of the dining table. Qin Lian caught sight of her and felt a prick of discomfort, as if a fishbone was lodged in her throat. Lin Mo was both an eyesore and unnecessary. If she had even half of Wanwan’s charm, Qin Lian might not despise her so much.

Lin Wan deliberately said, "Mo Mo, I have good news for you."

"Next month, I’m going to attend Provincial University, and brother and mom are going to give me a car as a gift for my admission!"

"Mo Mo, you don’t have a driver’s license yet. Once the car is bought, I’ll take you and my friends out for a ride."

Qin Lian gave a wry smile. "Why bother taking her? Don’t embarrass yourself in front of your friends."

Lin Mo had just picked up her chopsticks when her hand stiffened. "It’s Lin Mo who got into Provincial University, and Lin Wan only got into a junior college," she said coldly. "How many times do I have to remind you?"

"You don’t need to celebrate your admission, since I will never agree to give up my spot."

"You—how can you be so stubborn and unyielding?" Qin Lian was truly angry now. "Don’t you need a penny from the family? How will your grandfather’s illness be treated? You can’t be so selfish!"

Mentioning this, Lin Mo sneered coldly. "My grandfather hasn’t received a single penny from the Lin family."

"If we’re going to count like that, please return every cent I earned from my part-time jobs, not a penny less."

"I worked hard for it. To you, it’s not even enough to buy a handbag. Isn’t that unnecessary?"

Qin Lian frowned, suddenly recalling what she herself had done. But she would never admit it. "What nonsense! Your grandfather and the others are just greedy. Who knows how much they’ve already taken from our Lin family?"

"They’re just playing the victim with you on purpose. Such heartless people will surely get their comeuppance!"

Lin Mo set down her bowl and chopsticks and walked straight out the door.

Qin Lian sighed, "Second son, look at your sister. She’s really something."

---

"She actually dares to show me such attitude over two outsiders!"

"I carried her for ten months. If I had known, I’d rather not have gone through that hardship!"

"Mom, please don’t be angry. I will always be a filial daughter to you," Lin Wan said, taking the opportunity to ingratiate herself.

Qin Lian fell for it. "Yes, luckily I have my dear Wanwan. That ungrateful girl, who cares about her!"

Lin Mo took a taxi to the bank.

The bank was quite crowded at the time, and Lin Mo waited twenty minutes before her number was called.

She held her own card and came specifically to cash a check.

"Hello, I’d like to cash this check."

"One moment, please," Li Hui looked up and glanced at her several times.

A young girl dressed so plainly, holding a check for 500,000 yuan—it must be fake, right?

Li Hui thought disdainfully, "Sorry, for such a large amount, we need approval from the manager. Please wait here."

With that, the teller got up and went to find the manager.

Liu Fei, the bank manager of Qianhua Bank, came over. He was wearing a faint smirk as he looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo was a bit suspicious. "Hello, can I cash the check now?"

Liu Fei shook the check in his hand, his tone unpleasant. "The check is real, but… how did you come by it? Do I need to call the police before you admit it?"

Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, biting her lip but saying nothing.

Li Hui sneered condescendingly, as if she saw through everything.

"Exactly. This is a check from the Zeng family. Someone like you—do you even know Young Master Zeng? Who’d believe that?"

"Besides, I heard Young Master Zeng is in the hospital after a car accident. This check must have been stolen in the chaos."

"You look quiet and gentle, but your character is terrible!"

The disdain and contempt in Li Hui’s voice were unmistakable.

Liu Fei waved his hand. "Enough talk. Call security and have her detained. The police will sort it out."

Those around heard the manager’s words clearly and started whispering and pointing at Lin Mo with disdain.

"How can someone be like this?"

"She looks so nice, but she’s a thief."

"You can’t judge a book by its cover. Stealing a 500,000-yuan check, she’s definitely going to jail."

"Shameless, stealing like that!"

Lin Mo clenched her fists tightly. "I didn’t do it. Do you have proof?"

Liu Fei laughed. "Do you have proof that the check is yours? You can call the Zeng family right now."

Of course, Lin Mo had no way to contact the Zeng family.

At that moment, someone recognized her and whispered to Liu Fei, "Manager Liu, this is Mu Shao’s fiancée. She’s been here before."

Liu Fei frowned. This complicated matters.

"Li Hui, don’t call the police yet. I’ll make a call. Keep an eye on her."

Liu Fei had originally hoped that involving the Zeng family might give Young Master Zeng a chance to show face. But now it also involved Mu Shao.

Lin Mo hated being slandered, just like at home.

Sitting on the bench, with everyone around spitting on her reputation, her expression grew darker by the minute.

Her fists clenched tightly, and the hem of her shirt was wrinkled from her grip.

Before long, two people arrived.

"Lin Mo, why are you causing trouble again?" Mu Bai’s face was dark as iron, especially since this was about theft. "You’re a young lady. There’s no need to steal. You’re really embarrassing yourself."

"Mo Mo, what’s really going on?" Lin Wan looked worried.

"Brother Mu Bai, you don’t know. This morning, Mom said she would buy me a car worth 500,000 yuan as a gift."

"I guess Mo Mo might have been led astray because of this..."

"So don’t blame her. She was only momentarily misguided, not intentional."

Mu Bai looked at Lin Mo. "I remember during summer camp, when I got hurt, you carried me over ten kilometers to the hospital, even though you were just a young girl."

"Lin Mo, back then I truly thought you were a kind girl."

"How did you end up like this? Is it out of jealousy of Wanwan?"

Lin Mo sat on the bench, her long legs tapping the floor. She kept her head lowered, her long black hair falling softly over her shoulders.

She looked thin and delicate. Without her heavy bangs and black-rimmed glasses, her plain, fair face was quite beautiful.

When silent, she seemed somewhat fragile.

"Mo Mo," Mu Bai softened, "don’t worry. I won’t let you have a criminal record."

If only Lin Mo were as sensible as Lin Wan and softened toward him, he could have easily resolved today’s mess.