As Xiao-Lin was saying those words, Jun-Yu entered the room. Jun-Yu had clearly heard what she had said.
Jun-Yu: "Here I am, Queen. I am your King, Jun-Yu. The moment you remembered me, I came to serve you."
At a very young age, Jun-Yu had lost his grandparents. He had no idea what had happened to them or how they had died. But Jun-Yu had always hoped to receive their affection.
Today, Jun-Yu had spoken to Shi-Han's grandmother as if she were his own grandmother, hoping to experience that same warmth.
However, the moment elderly Xiao-Lin sensed Jun-Yu's presence, she became extremely angry.
Cheng-Hao and Meng-Yao had said so many things to her that they had poisoned her mind against Jun-Yu. She hadn't even had the chance to realize the truth.
Moreover, Jun-Yu had arrived here immediately after Shi-Han's uncle and aunt had left, which caused even more negative thoughts to spread through the elderly woman's simple and trusting mind.
After saying those words, Jun-Yu observed Xiao-Lin's serious expression.
But today, Shi-Han wasn't the only one who had brought a gift for Xiao-Lin. Jun-Yu had also brought a gift for her.
With a smile on his face, Jun-Yu extended the gift toward Xiao-Lin and said,
Jun-Yu: "Grandma, I'm Jun-Yu. Shi-Han and I live in the same apartment. Besides, we're good friends."
"This is just a small gift from me for you."
Xiao-Lin: "Are you really giving me a gift, or is there something inside it that you're using to try to kill me?"
At Xiao-Lin's words, all of Jun-Yu's expectations shattered.
Jun-Yu frowned at her words, and in that instant, hatred toward Xiao-Lin arose in his heart.
Shi-Han was shocked by Xiao-Lin's words.
Hearing what Xiao-Lin had said, Shi-Han protested and said,
Shi-Han: "Grandma, what are you saying? When someone talks to an unfamiliar person for the first time, does anyone speak like this?"
Xiao-Lin: "How else am I supposed to speak to a murderer?"
By this time, Xiao-Tong had already reached Xiao-Lin's room with Shu-Yang.
Shu-Yang clearly heard Xiao-Lin calling Jun-Yu a murderer.
Shu-Yang was already quite tired after walking this far, but the moment he entered the room, his mood immediately changed.
This time, Shi-Han raised her voice at the elderly woman.
Shi-Han: "Watch your words, Grandma. Who is calling Jun-Yu a murderer? And what proof do you have that you're accusing a respected person like Jun-Yu of such a thing?"
Xiao-Lin: "Lower your voice, Shi-Han."
"Does someone's reputation prove that they aren't a murderer?"
Xiao-Lin's words kept echoing in Jun-Yu's ears.
Her words had wounded Jun-Yu so deeply that he felt as though he was about to burst into tears.
Tears began to gather in his eyes.
Jun-Yu had become completely speechless, but one question kept tearing at his mind.
"Why is this elderly woman making such a serious accusation against me?"
"We've never even met before."
"Why is she saying all these things about me without knowing anything about me?"
As Jun-Yu kept thinking about those words, he suddenly felt an intense pain in his head.
Shu-Yang placed a hand on Jun-Yu's shoulder.
Jun-Yu turned toward Shu-Yang.
Shu-Yang noticed Jun-Yu's tear-filled eyes.
Shu-Yang gave Jun-Yu a reassuring look, silently telling him to stay strong.
Jun-Yu said softly,
Jun-Yu: "I'm not a murderer!"
"You've misunderstood me, Grandma."
Shu-Yang began thinking about the entire situation.
"We suddenly came here today to meet Xiao-Lin."
"Before this, we had never had any relationship or communication with Xiao-Lin."
"Then on what basis can one unfamiliar person make such a serious accusation against another unfamiliar person?"
"Besides, there isn't even any evidence to support this accusation."
Shu-Yang: "Sister, is there something wrong with Grandma's mind?"
The moment Shu-Yang said this, Xiao-Lin became even angrier and said,
Xiao-Lin: "The mother of a thief has a loud voice. Boy, are you calling me crazy? You certainly have some nerve."
Shi-Han felt so ashamed that she wanted the ground to swallow her.
They had come to the village with so many hopes, but Shi-Han had never imagined that Jun-Yu would have to face such humiliation after coming here.
Shu-Yang took out his ID card, showed it to Xiao-Lin, and said,
Shu-Yang: "I am Officer Shu-Yang, the Unit Head of the Special Crime Branch."
"And another thing—Jun-Yu is my close friend."
"Whom exactly are you making accusations against?"
"Watch your words, otherwise you have no idea what could happen to you with just one signal from me."
Shu-Yang spoke in a stern voice, but Xiao-Lin's intense accusations did not weaken in the slightest.
Xiao-Lin: "Wow. These days, I see police officers talking about letting the accused go because of their relationship with them and arresting the victim instead."
"Because of police officers like you, criminals like these manage to escape punishment."
Shi-Han was about to say something in response to Xiao-Lin's words, but before she could, Shu-Yang turned toward the door.
Jun-Yu placed a hand on Shu-Yang's shoulder and said,
Jun-Yu: "Shu-Yang, I've thought about it a lot. Is it really possible that I could kill someone?"
"But my head is hurting terribly, and I can't remember anything."
"Listen, don't be angry with me."
"From today onward, our relationship ends here."
"Because you're a police officer, and I am...!"
"Listen, I'll go home and rest. Send the force and have them take me to the police station."
Jun-Yu suppressed his tears and spoke those words in a trembling, choked voice.
Now Shu-Yang's heart was breaking along with Jun-Yu's.
Jun-Yu finished speaking and tried to leave the room, but Shu-Yang grabbed his hand and stopped him.
Shu-Yang: "I'll smack you so hard you'll regret it! Stop. Where do you think you're running off to?"
"I'm here, and yet you're going to let someone falsely accuse you and then quietly run away while carrying all of this in your heart?"
"Right now, at this very moment, we'll prove the truth."
"And you won't leave this place until you've been proven innocent."
Jun-Yu grabbed Shu-Yang's left hand and brought it close to his own face. He spoke emotionally,
Jun-Yu: "Then hit me!"
"Hit me!"
"How can you tell me that I should doubt myself?"
"And why can't I remember anything about my past?"
"Why do I keep feeling that these accusations are true?"
Jun-Yu stopped after saying this.
Shu-Yang looked at Jun-Yu and noticed something strange.
But in this situation, he said nothing, as revealing it could further strengthen the basis of the accusations against Jun-Yu.
Jun-Yu was lying on a bed inside a wooden house.
The day seemed to have passed before he even realized it.
It was now 7 PM.
Shu-Yang was standing near Jun-Yu's feet.
Beside Jun-Yu's head, elderly Xiao-Lin was sitting and gently massaging his head.
She looked as though she was suffering from intense remorse.
Shu-Yang was looking at Xiao-Lin with great irritation.
Shi-Han and Xiao-Tong were cooking in the kitchen.
After some time, Jun-Yu woke up.
As soon as he opened his eyes and saw Xiao-Lin gently stroking his head, he became extremely surprised and immediately sat up.
Xiao-Lin: "Careful. Are you feeling alright now?"
Jun-Yu carefully looked at his surroundings and realized that he was still in the village.
Seeing Shu-Yang in the room, Jun-Yu became anxious and asked,
Jun-Yu: "Why am I still in this house?"
"How am I still here? I wanted to go home."
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
"What happened to me?"
"And what was she doing to me? Wasn't she the one who accused me of being a murderer just a little while ago?"
Faced with so many questions from Jun-Yu, Shu-Yang stood there with a serious expression.
For some reason, Shu-Yang was deeply upset with Jun-Yu.
Xiao-Lin: "Dear grandson, I'm sorry."
"Consider it a mistake in my judgment."
"I'm getting old, you know. Without thinking things through, I made such a serious accusation against you."
"Why didn't I think about what they had told me even once?"
"But what could I do? They told me so many things about you in such a short amount of time that I couldn't understand the truth."
Xiao-Lin: "Dear grandson, the amount of pain you suffered because I accused you is not something that can be healed simply by me saying sorry."
"So, whatever punishment you give me, I will accept it without objection."
"Punish me."
The elderly Xiao-Lin lowered her head in front of Jun-Yu and spoke while holding his hands in hers.
Jun-Yu didn't know what to say in response to Xiao-Lin's words.
Jun-Yu: "Oh... someone had told you all these things against me."
"Grandma, I have no complaint against you."
"I'm just happy that you don't think I'm a murderer anymore."
Jun-Yu said those words, but a sense of suspicion still remained in his mind.
However, before Shu-Yang could let the conversation continue any further, he said,
Shu-Yang: "Grandma, please go outside for a while now."
"I have something personal to discuss with Jun-Yu."
Shu-Yang said this, and Xiao-Lin left the room.
As soon as she left, Shu-Yang said in a serious voice,
Shu-Yang: "Hmm. Now tell me, what happened to you?"
Jun-Yu: "I don't understand it either."
"But are you also suspicious of me?"
Shu-Yang: "Yes."
"But not because of our friendship, and not because of Grandma Xiao-Lin's accusation either."
"What are you hiding from me?"
Hearing Shu-Yang's words, Jun-Yu let out a long sigh.