ARBRMW : Chapter 55

“My watch is missing. Did any of you see it?” After returning to the dorm, Chen Xu noticed that the watch he had placed on the table was gone. He had taken it off after showering and casually left it on the table, forgetting to put it back on when he left. He didn’t expect it to go missing after just two days.

“The watch you’ve been wearing recently? I didn’t see it,” Zhu Yaoyuan shook his head. He wasn’t into luxury brands, so he had no idea how expensive Chen Xu’s watch was.

“What?! Your D-brand watch is missing?” Tang Zhen almost popped his eyes out in shock. He rushed over to help Chen Xu look for it, but after searching around, the three of them couldn’t find it.

It was clearly gone. Chen Xu frowned and said to the other two, “Check if you’ve lost anything too.”

The two quickly went to check their own cabinets.

“Damn it, where’s the game console I saved up so hard to buy?” Zhu Yaoyuan was thunderstruck. His parents didn’t like him playing games, thinking it was a waste of time. He had saved for a long time and even asked someone to buy it from overseas. How could it just disappear?!

“The money I hid under my clothes is gone too. I was planning to send it home in a few days,” Tang Zhen said. He didn’t have much money, only about a thousand yuan. He needed to use some for himself and save for tuition, so he could only send a small amount home each month. His family lived in a remote rural area, and they couldn’t receive money transfers directly, so he had to mail it. This thousand yuan was hard-earned from his part-time job, and now it was gone. Tang Zhen was stunned, his eyes reddening.

“Did a thief break into our dorm?” Zhu Yaoyuan asked, confused.

“Yeah,” Chen Xu nodded, his gaze shifting to Wu Bin’s spot. “But I’m not sure if it’s an inside job or an outside one.”

Tang Zhen’s face turned red with anger. “It must be him who stole it!”

Zhu Yaoyuan awkwardly tugged at Tang Zhen. “Don’t jump to conclusions. What if it’s not him? I’ll ask Wu Bin when he gets back.”

“If it’s not him, then who? Look, my clothes aren’t even that messy. The thief clearly knew where I kept my money. And who else would know where I put it besides people in our dorm?” Tang Zhen crossed his arms and stood by the cabinet, puffing up with indignation. “When he comes back, if he doesn’t admit it, I’ll just call the police! If he doesn’t want to be a classmate anymore, then fine.”

Tang Zhen had a point, but Zhu Yaoyuan scratched his cheek, still hoping to avoid escalating the situation. “Let’s try to resolve this privately first. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll tell the counselor. The school definitely won’t cover it up.”

Zhu Yaoyuan spent a long time calming Tang Zhen down. Tang Zhen was all bark and no bite, and his attitude gradually softened. He knew Wu Bin was also from the countryside, and it wasn’t easy for him to get into college. He was the hope of his family and even his entire village. People aren’t saints, and everyone makes mistakes. Maybe Wu Bin had just been tempted in a moment of weakness. Tang Zhen didn’t want to ruin Wu Bin’s life. If Wu Bin admitted his mistake and apologized, Tang Zhen was willing to let it go.

After about half an hour, Wu Bin returned from the library with his backpack. As soon as he entered, he saw the three of them sitting on their chairs, looking like they were about to hold a trial.

Wu Bin instinctively wanted to run, but as soon as he turned around, Zhu Yaoyuan quickly grabbed his backpack.

“Wu Bin, why are you running?” Zhu Yaoyuan was the dorm leader, and he was usually the one who communicated with Wu Bin. Honestly, he didn’t really want to deal with Wu Bin either, since Wu Bin had a strange temper. Sometimes he would suddenly get angry for no reason, leaving Zhu Yaoyuan clueless about what had set him off.

But Tang Zhen was like a firecracker. He would start arguing with Wu Bin in just a few words, and it might even escalate into a fight—though it would mostly be Tang Zhen scratching at Wu Bin. Wu Bin had a sharp tongue but wasn’t much of a fighter. Chen Xu, on the other hand, kept to himself and could practically treat Wu Bin like air.

“N-nothing, let go of me,” Wu Bin struggled free from Zhu Yaoyuan’s grip and tightly hugged his backpack, eyeing the three of them warily.

Zhu Yaoyuan pushed him into the dorm by the shoulders and locked the door behind them.

Hearing the sound of the lock, Wu Bin seemed to be triggered. He turned around in panic and glared at Zhu Yaoyuan. “Why did you lock the door?”

“Uh… nothing, just wanted to confirm something with you,” Zhu Yaoyuan awkwardly smiled and said, “It seems like a thief broke into our dorm. The three of us have lost some belongings. You should check if you’ve lost anything too.”

Wu Bin hunched his shoulders, not letting Zhu Yaoyuan touch him. “I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

“You should still check, just in case,” Zhu Yaoyuan urged.

Wu Bin slowly moved to his cabinet and opened it to look inside. Zhu Yaoyuan cautiously followed behind him, trying to see if Wu Bin’s cabinet contained his missing game console, Tang Zhen’s money, or Chen Xu’s watch.

“Nothing, I don’t have anything valuable,” Wu Bin shook his head and closed the cabinet door.

“How could there be nothing? The thief wouldn’t just steal from the three of us and not you,” Tang Zhen crossed his arms and stood opposite Wu Bin, speaking sarcastically.

“Tang Zhen, what do you mean? You three didn’t take care of your own things, and now you’re blaming me for it?” Wu Bin glared at Tang Zhen with a dark expression.

“I put my money in the cabinet properly. How could it go missing? I’m the one who’s confused. You said you took care of your things, so where did you put them?” Tang Zhen asked, clearly not believing him.

“Why should I tell you?” Wu Bin hugged his backpack tightly, looking defensive.

“If you don’t say, then I have reason to suspect there’s a thief in our dorm,” Tang Zhen made a move to search Wu Bin’s cabinet, but Chen Xu grabbed him and shook his head.

“If you go through his things, even if you’re right, you’ll end up being wrong.”

“Sorry, I’m just too angry,” Tang Zhen understood Chen Xu’s point, but he couldn’t help it. He and Zhu Yaoyuan had only lost a few thousand yuan, but Chen Xu had lost something worth over a million.

Chen Xu let go of Tang Zhen’s wrist and walked up to Wu Bin. “I lost a watch worth 2.35 million yuan. That amount could lead to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, or at least ten years.”

Wu Bin froze, his eyes darting around. “Why are you telling me this? It has nothing to do with me.”

Seeing his stubborn denial, Chen Xu gave him a light glance and said, “Is that so? In that case, let’s call the police.”

Hearing Chen Xu mention calling the police, Wu Bin’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to calm himself, telling himself it was fine. They had no evidence, and he would be safe.

Zhu Yaoyuan had initially tried to persuade Tang Zhen and Chen Xu not to call the police, but Wu Bin’s unyielding attitude made him lose the desire to help.

Tang Zhen took out his phone. “I’ve been wanting to call the police for a while now.”

“By the way, since I can afford a two-million-yuan watch, I naturally have connections to make sure the school and the police take this case seriously and find the thief as soon as possible,” Chen Xu said indifferently.

Cold sweat dripped down Wu Bin’s forehead as he clenched his fists, telling himself not to confess—they had no evidence.

“Chen Xu, what are you implying? You’ve been hinting that I’m the thief. I know you all look down on me because I’m from the countryside, but is that my fault? I didn’t choose where I was born. You rich kids, born with silver spoons in your mouths, could never understand how hard it is for us poor people just to survive!”

“Damn it, who said we look down on you because you’re from the countryside? What’s so great about being from the countryside? I’m from the countryside too, but I don’t wallow in self-pity like you. If you want money, why don’t you go out and work for it? If you want others to respect you, stop disrespecting yourself first!” Tang Zhen was so angry his chest hurt. He was also from the countryside, and he was gay and effeminate, living a life far more difficult than Wu Bin’s. But he had never looked down on himself.

“Sis, don’t get angry. You’ll get wrinkles,” Zhu Yaoyuan said, having spent so much time with Tang Zhen that he’d picked up his mannerisms. A straight man calling Tang Zhen “sis” was a common occurrence now.

Wu Bin’s face turned red from Tang Zhen’s words, and after a moment, he muttered under his breath, “Damn sissy.”

“F*ck! I’m going to skin him alive today and see who’s the real sissy!” Tang Zhen rolled up his sleeves, ready to scratch Wu Bin. He was pale and thin, standing at 1.73 meters, which made him seem petite next to Zhu Yaoyuan, who was over 1.8 meters tall. Zhu Yaoyuan blocked him, using his body to hold Tang Zhen back, and Tang Zhen ended up hanging onto Zhu Yaoyuan.

“Let me go, sis!” Tang Zhen was furious, flailing and struggling.

“Life is like a drama, we meet because of fate, hey hey hey…” Zhu Yaoyuan held Tang Zhen while trying to avoid getting his face scratched. “Don’t get angry when others are angry, getting sick from anger is no one’s fault.”

After finally calming Tang Zhen down, Chen Xu had already called the police, and soon enough, the officers arrived downstairs.

The commotion successfully drew the attention of the entire dorm building, with boys pouring out to see what was going on.

Someone had called the counselor, who initially thought the theft was minor. But upon learning that Chen Xu had lost a watch worth over two million, the counselor was shocked.

Coincidentally, Chen Xu had met the young officer before. The last time Chen Xu was at the police station, this officer had asked if he’d gotten into a fight over a girl. When Si Ye came to pick Chen Xu up, the newly hired officer had been completely stunned.

“Mr. Chen (Chen Shao), I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Officer Wu, hello,” Chen Xu nodded in greeting.

The young officer flashed a bright smile, tipping his hat. “Mr. Chen, you can just call me Xiao Wu.”

The surrounding students and the counselor were all confused. Wasn’t “Chen Shao” supposed to be Si Yichen? Why was there another “Chen Shao” here?

The counselor’s gaze toward Chen Xu immediately changed. Someone who could casually wear a watch worth over two million was clearly not an ordinary student. The school had been treating Chen Xu like any other student, but now it was clear he was anything but.

If Wu Bin had still held onto any hope before, it was now completely gone. He regretted touching Chen Xu’s things and, even more, stealing from Zhu Yaoyuan and Tang Zhen to cover his tracks.

Wu Bin’s face was ashen, and he kept clutching his backpack, his behavior raising suspicions among the police.

Moreover, the dorm supervisor mentioned that there had been no unusual activity recently, and no other rooms had reported thefts. It was clear that an inside job was more likely than an outside thief.

The police found the latest model of a high-end smartphone in the hidden compartment of Wu Bin’s backpack. Given Wu Bin’s financial situation, there was no way he could afford it. Wu Bin panicked and lashed out defensively, “How do you know I can’t afford it? I knew you all look down on me! What’s wrong with being from the countryside?! It’s all your fault! I know you’ve been laughing at me behind my back, mocking me for being poor and uncultured. Pah! What’s so noble about you? You’re all just a bunch of idiots!”

The onlookers were stunned. While some might have looked down on Wu Bin, most had been friendly toward him. No one had mocked or belittled him; they had simply treated him as a quiet classmate. Everyone was either focused on their studies, their social circles, or their relationships. Who had the time to mock someone they barely knew?

“Does Wu Bin have mental issues?”

“I think so too. He’s terrifying. Getting yelled at for no reason is so frustrating.”

“Thank goodness he’s not my roommate. With my temper, I’d probably end up fighting him within a week.”

“No wonder he’s always alone. Who would want to be friends with someone who’s always so paranoid and malicious?”

The counselor accompanied Wu Bin to the police station for questioning. After one night, Wu Bin couldn’t hold out any longer and confessed to everything.

Aside from Wu Bin’s situation, the news that Chen Xu seemed to be a wealthy young master spread like wildfire, quickly circulating throughout A University. Once again, Chen Xu became a hot topic on the forum.

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