"Also, we need to see who was close to Brother Gong on the bus!"
Everyone's eyes lit up.
This was indeed a good idea.
They immediately said, "That's right? Who among us is getting off at the next stop!"
"Let's find out who's getting off at the next stop and search them one by one!"
"Everyone getting off at the next stop, please step forward, lest you become the prime suspect when we check the surveillance!" the person with dyed yellow hair shouted, feigning seriousness.
The provincial capital was large, and the buses traveled long distances, so tickets were priced in zones of one, two, or three.
By checking the surveillance to see which stop passengers bought their tickets from and what type of ticket they purchased, they could determine at which stop they were supposed to alight.
There were many people on the bus, so it was unrealistic to find out who stole the money.
"Um, I'm getting off at the next stop!" Li Ziling suddenly raised her hand and said, "I want to clarify, I bought a one-yuan ticket, which allows me to travel three stops, but I'm getting off at the next one! But I would absolutely never steal a wallet!"
"Ah! It's you!" Gong Jian pointed at Li Ziling excitedly and said, "We bumped into each other just now, you, you..."
Gong Jian secretly chuckled.
They were just about to find an excuse to search Li Ziling, and unexpectedly, Li Ziling had made such a bold move.
"What do you mean? Are you saying I stole your wallet?" Li Ziling was very agitated. Her life was indeed difficult, but she would never engage in petty theft.
"I didn't mean that, I... I was just saying..." Gong Jian said quickly.
But another person with dyed yellow hair seized the opportunity and said, "We can't rule out any suspect! We should still search her! After all, some pickpockets are very good at disguising themselves!"
Li Ziling had a pure appearance and an elegant demeanor. Even though her clothes were ordinary, her beauty was pleasing to everyone's eyes.
At that moment, a man stood up and said, "Well, let me say something fair, a young girl wouldn't do such a thing, would she?"
"Have you ever seen a thief who is a young girl?"
Others heard him and found his words reasonable.
"Yeah! Young girls don't have the guts for that! People who dare to do this are either bold hoodlums or old men and women."
"This person doesn't look like a thief at all!"
Li Ziling was deeply touched. It seemed that being beautiful did have its advantages.
Just as the person with dyed yellow hair was about to say something, the middle-aged man spoke again, "Alright, her ticket price doesn't indicate she's getting off at this stop, so she could have easily slipped away. But she voluntarily admitted she's getting off at the next stop, which shows she has a clear conscience. Would a real thief who plans to get off here actually step forward? I don't think even this method will reveal anything!"
Gong Jian and the other two were inwardly anxious, thinking, "Why is this guy interfering so much!"
But no one supported them searching Li Ziling, and they couldn't use force, as it would have the opposite effect.
Li Ziling was completely relieved.
Her bag, for some reason, could not be revealed.
"Wait!"
A middle-aged woman suddenly waved her hand and said, "People are not all the same. I, on the other hand, find this young girl very suspicious. It's highly possible she's performing a 'darkness under the lamp' act for us!"
"What? You!" Li Ziling looked at the middle-aged woman excitedly.
The middle-aged woman smiled confidently.
Others might not know, but she was actually a private investigator, adept at reading people.
"This young girl appears presentable on the surface, but her clothes are worth less than a hundred yuan. She's poorer than all of us!" the middle-aged woman's words drew everyone's attention.
Everyone looked, and indeed, Li Ziling looked incredibly beautiful.
But her clothes were clearly washed many times, and they were somewhat faded. Normal girls who cared about their appearance would have thrown away clothes with such problems, why would they still wear them after they faded?
This indicated that Li Ziling was indeed poor.
Li Ziling was exposed in public, and her face was extremely embarrassed.
She clearly hadn't entered society, or had only recently entered it, and being publicly called poor made her feel extremely ashamed!
"Also, when everyone suggested searching her just now, I noticed she was very nervous!"
The middle-aged woman looked at Li Ziling and said confidently, "What are you nervous about?"
"I, I..."
Li Ziling stammered, unable to speak.
"Ah! No wonder! I bumped into you just now, and I haven't come into contact with anyone else since!"
Gong Jian pointed at Li Ziling, looking enlightened.
"Why did you bump into him, little girl?" the middle-aged woman asked Li Ziling, her tone questioning.
"I didn't!" Li Ziling's face turned very agitated.
She had no idea how trouble had found her.
Gong Jian looked at Li Ziling and said, "Little girl, I'm not suspecting you, but as you can see, you are indeed highly suspect right now! Let me take a look at your bag. If my wallet isn't inside, I'll apologize to you, how about that?"
Li Ziling quickly clutched her bag and looked around warily.
The middle-aged woman glanced at her dismissively, "I think it's highly likely she's the one who stole it!"
"You're slandering me!"
Li Ziling was indignant.
"In that case, why are you unwilling to let everyone check your bag?" the middle-aged woman questioned.
"No! This is my bag, and I won't let you check it! If you want to check, check someone else!"
Li Ziling said.
"Stop wasting time and hand over your bag. We're all women, I'll check it! If it wasn't you who stole it, I won't wrongly accuse you!" the middle-aged woman said, approaching Li Ziling with a stern gaze.
"No! Why should I let you check!" Li Ziling's face turned red.
"See! I said it was her! She stole someone's wallet and is afraid of being searched. The case is solved!"
Everyone looked at Li Ziling and shook their heads.
They all felt embarrassed for her.
Being caught as a thief in public was a huge disgrace.
"I can't believe she started stealing at such a young age!"
"I really feel sorry for her parents!"
"If I had a daughter like this, I'd be furious to death!"
"Why couldn't she do anything else? She had to go down the wrong path!"
The middle-aged woman's face showed a triumphant smile, and she pointed at Li Ziling's face, saying, "Women like you are a scourge to society! Hand over the wallet!"
"I won't!" Li Ziling retorted angrily.
"See! I wasn't wrong, was I? The wallet is indeed in her bag!" the middle-aged woman exclaimed as if enlightened.
Li Ziling hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant, I meant I won't let you check my bag!"
"Stop explaining, explanations are just cover-ups! Hand over your bag!" the middle-aged woman said, making a move to snatch Li Ziling's bag.
Li Ziling cried out in surprise and instinctively slapped her face.
The middle-aged woman covered her face, furious, and pointed at Li Ziling, saying, "You poor, cheap slut! Not only did you steal someone's wallet, but you dare to hit me? Today I'm going to discipline you on behalf of your mother!"
She raised her hand and was about to slap Li Ziling across the face.