Luo Ming blinked. "That's… true."
Even Chi Yuanfeng's eyes widened slightly.
The old man frowned, his gaze shifting between the two girls. Yunyin's performance suddenly faltered.
Chi Huaijin bowed her head politely. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Grandpa. I didn't want to upset anyone."
Chi Yuanfeng immediately moved to her side, gently placing his hand on her shoulder, his voice firm yet protective. "Father, she's only six. Let's not jump to conclusions."
*
*
*
The shards of porcelain still glittered faintly under the chandelier, like the aftermath of a silent explosion. The servants knelt, carefully collecting the fragments with trembling hands. No one dared to breathe too loudly, afraid their very exhale might ignite another round of wrath from the patriarch.
Grandfather Chi sat in his armchair, expression unreadable, the carved dragon head on his cane gleaming under the lights as he tapped it softly against the marble floor. The rhythmic sound felt like a countdown, pressing down on everyone's hearts.
Chi Yunyin was crying miserably in her mother's arms, face buried against her silk dress. Her mother, Madam Liu, patted her back with a mixture of anger and pity written across her face. "My poor baby," she murmured just loud enough for everyone to hear, "you must've been so scared. Such an expensive vase, and you got blamed when you tried to stop the other child—"
"Liu Wan!" The old man's deep voice sliced through the air like a blade.
Madam Liu instantly stopped, bowing her head slightly. "Father, I didn't mean—"
"Then don't speak unless asked."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Across the hall, Huaijin stood beside her father, looking small and calm in her white dress. Her face was still soft with baby fat, her lashes long and dark as she blinked quietly. Despite the intimidating atmosphere, her expression didn't falter once.
Chi Yuanfeng gently placed his hand on her shoulder, his thumb unconsciously brushing over her sleeve in a soothing motion. His own heart ached to see her in such a situation. She was so tiny, so defenseless in front of this towering family, yet she stood straighter than anyone else in the room.
"Father," Yuanfeng said carefully, bowing slightly, "I know the vase was precious, but my daughter wouldn't lie. Huaijin isn't that kind of child."
Madam Liu immediately spoke up again, this time pretending to sound reasonable. "Yuanfeng, no one is saying your daughter lied, but you can't deny what everyone saw. Yunyin said Huaijin pushed her, and she has scratches to prove it."
Her husband, Chi Yunting, the second son of the family, nodded firmly beside her. His tone was calm, but his words carried poison. "Father, you know how Yunyin is raised. She's always been gentle, even with servants. She wouldn't fabricate such a thing."
The implication was clear: the outsider child must be the culprit.
Yuanfeng's jaw tightened. "And you think I would raise a liar?"
"Not a liar," Yunting replied smoothly, "just… a child who doesn't understand the weight of her actions."
Huaijin looked up at him, her dark eyes clear and unblinking. "Uncle," she said softly, "then you must think Grandpa is also someone who doesn't understand the weight of his actions."
Everyone froze.
"What did you say?" Madam Liu gasped, eyes widening.
The little girl tilted her head innocently, as if puzzled by their reaction. "Because Grandpa loves this place so much," she said matter-of-factly, her small hand gesturing around. "Even I know this is a very important room. Daddy said before that Grandpa's favorite things are here, things that cost a lot, right? So Grandpa must have a way to protect them."
She pointed up with her tiny finger.
Several pairs of eyes instinctively followed her direction, and sure enough, there was a small black dome embedded in the ceiling corner.
A security camera.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
"Ah…" Luo Ming, who had been standing quietly at the side, blinked in realization. "The young miss is right. There are security systems installed in every gallery and collector's hall of the Manor. Even this side hall has surveillance, connected directly to the control room."
The silence broke with a low murmur among the servants.
Huaijin clasped her hands together behind her back, looking completely serene. "If there's proof," she said sweetly, "then we don't need to fight, right? Daddy always says that words without proof don't mean anything. And people who argue without proof are… fools."
Her voice was light and innocent, the way only a child could be, but the words hit the adults like stones.
Madam Liu's face stiffened instantly, her lips twitching. Yunyin's crying abruptly stopped, replaced by a shocked pout.
Chi Yuanfeng coughed lightly to hide a laugh that threatened to escape his lips.
Meanwhile, Grandfather Chi finally looked up, eyes half-narrowed with faint amusement. His lips twitched as though he were suppressing a smile. "Hmph. Out of the mouths of babes," he muttered under his breath.
"Luo Ming," he ordered, tapping his cane once, "go to the surveillance room. Retrieve the footage from this hall, from five minutes before the vase broke."
"Yes, Master Chi." Luo Ming bowed and hurried out.
The tension in the hall became palpable.
Yunyin clung to her mother's skirt, trembling slightly, not from fear, but from rising panic. Her little brain was already spinning fast, realizing that things weren't going the way she expected.
Madam Liu tried to recover her composure. "Father, she's just a child. Maybe she misremembered the direction of the hall—"
"Enough," the old man cut her off, voice cold and sharp. "If there's a recording, we'll see it soon enough. Let's not waste our breath on speculation."
The minutes that followed stretched unbearably long.
Huaijin quietly stayed by her father's side, leaning slightly into his leg. Yuanfeng crouched down, brushing a lock of hair away from her forehead.
"Are you alright, Jinjin?" he whispered softly.
She nodded, her lips curving upward. "Mm. I'm fine, Daddy."
He smiled faintly, though his eyes were filled with warmth and guilt.