Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama β I Survive with Acting-Chapter 123: Too Late
βBut in the end, who was the one to take the blame?β
βIt wasnβt him, the child who had lied, but the innocent original owner.β ππΏπ²ππ πππ»πΌπ―ππ.ππΌπΊ
βHe was still young back then, but he wasnβt entirely without a conscience.β
βIt was just that under his parentsβ favoritism and indulgence, he had learned to feign ignorance and escape responsibility with cold indifference.β
This sort of thing wasnβt a first, nor was it uncommon.
Growing up, similar incidents had piled up around him like a mountain.
Heβd had his moments of shame, but they were always fleeting.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
When his father, Sun Qiang, was younger, he was notorious for being an idle good-for-nothing who was always stirring up trouble. He barely had a single day of peace.
Now that he was older, he had reined in his behavior considerably.
But the terrible impression heβd made in the past was already deeply ingrained in the minds of his neighbors.
Even if he kept to himself now, it was unlikely anyone would change their opinion of him.
On the surface, the neighbors would exchange polite nods and greetings. At most, they might ask, "Have you eaten?"
But in reality, no one genuinely respected the family.
Especially not with their way of doing things.
The specifics of the Sun Familyβs situation had long been the talk of the entire alley.
How miserably the girl in the Sun household lived.
She was always covered in bruises, black and blue.
Meanwhile, the so-called son of the family did nothing all day. He used his slightly older age to lord it over his own sister, bullying her relentlessly. Yet his parents, who clearly played favorites, never said a single word to discipline him...
These rumors and bits of gossip had long reached everyoneβs ears.
That was why the neighbors surrounding the courtyard had finally reached their breaking point.
They couldnβt stand by and watch any longer. They swarmed forward, completely surrounding Sun Qiang and his son, as well as Yang Yunhua, who was about to step up and defend them. The crowd held them firmly in place, preventing any chance of escape or destruction of evidence.
The scene instantly devolved into chaos.
Amidst the ceaseless arguments, a sharp-eyed older woman in the crowd suddenly noticed something.
Shouting to get everyoneβs attention, she pulled open the door of an inconspicuous cabinet in the corner.
From it, she pulled out several strange, hidden items.
At that, the crowd absolutely erupted.
"Well, well, Sun Qiang, you hid them deep, didnβt you! How dare you secretly hide a young girlβs things in your home!"
"Look at this! Everyone, look! This embroidered schoolbagβI sewed this for Qingya with my own two hands!"
Her voice choked with emotion as she added, "I felt so bad that Qingya didnβt have a bag for school. I was worried the other kids would make fun of her, so I stayed up for days to make this for her."
She couldnβt stop the tears as she spoke of her heartbreak.
"But what did you say back then? You said she lost it! And for that βcrime,β how long did you beat her? You beat her until she passed out multiple times! And where did the schoolbag end up? It was secretly kept by you two shameless bastards!!"
The fury exploded once more. The onlookers gritted their teeth, looking like they wanted to rush forward and rip the faces off the Sun Family.
The scene was a cacophony of noise, the emotions too intense to be contained.
"There are her clothes in here, too? Thisβ! If word of this gets out, youβll be arrested and thrown in jail for sure!"
"That girl is just a child!"
"This is just despicable!"
"Absolutely shameless! Quick! Someone go get the authorities! How can scum like this be allowed to run free and harm others?"
"There isnβt a decent one in this whole family! The apple doesnβt fall far from the tree."
"Last time, that little bastard Sun Zhenhai followed a girl into the alley and scared my kid so bad they cried all night! My child didnβt dare leave the house for days after! I still havenβt settled that score with him! They need to be handed over for a full investigation, bottom to top!"
"Yang Yunhua, youβre a mother yourself! Are you telling me you really didnβt see the depraved things your husband was doing? Are you blind, or is your heart blind, too? Does your conscience not bother you at all?"
"Yang Yunhua is definitely responsible too; she canβt escape this! She should be taken in with them for a serious wake-up call! Letβs see her try to play dumb after that!"
...
Yang Yunhuaβs mind reeled, and she was seized by utter panic.
The truth was, she had long suspected that her husband, Sun Qiang, was secretly touching Song Qingya.
But she had always pretended not to know.
She had assumed it was just a man unable to control his hands, that it was nothing more than a few minor touches. She told herself it wasnβt causing any real, substantial harm, so she couldnβt be bothered with it and simply turned a blind eye.
What she had never, ever imagined was that Sun Qiang hadnβt just been touching Song Qingyaβhe had also been stealing her small belongings, one after another, and hiding them in the back of the wardrobe.
Hair ties, scarves, even clothes she had worn...
βSo all these years, heβs been hiding these things. Itβs pure perversion!β
Now it was all exposed in public. The evidence was irrefutable, especially with the cabinet door wide open for all to see.
Who couldnβt see that these were all a young girlβs personal items?
The large crowd of onlookers understood everything.
Youβre not supposed to air your dirty laundry in public.
But given the situation today, she was afraid that before evening, rumors about "the Sun Family ganging up to bully a little girl" and "Old Man Sun hoarding a young girlβs clothes" would spread through half of Qi City!
As for Sun Qiang and his son, Sun Zhenhai, their faces were ashen with fear. Their legs gave out, and they could no longer stand.
With a THUD, they collapsed to the ground, shaking like leaves and unable to move.
If things were handled according to how they were unfolding now...
...the two of them could very well be charged with a crime!
The two of them scrambled on their hands and knees over to Song Qingya, crying and begging for their lives.
It seemed they were genuinely remorseful and terrified!
"Qingya... Sis... I must have lost my mind!"
Sun Qiang said, his voice thick with sobs.
"These things... I donβt even know why I started collecting them. I just couldnβt bear to throw them away... I know it hasnβt been easy raising you. Please, give me a chance to turn over a new leaf. Iβll never do anything wrong again..."
"Sis, Iβll do whatever you say."
Sun Zhenhai also fell to his knees, crying out.
"But I really didnβt push you! Iβm telling the truth! Iβve never done anything to hurt you! Sis, please, can you put in a good word for me? If I get arrested, how will I ever find a job? My life will be over!"
"Qingya, please say something! Uncle Sun never did anything too out of line with you, really."
Sun Qiang pleaded, his face a mask of remorse and feigned grievance.
"Iβve always taken good care of your Song Family, and Iβve never mistreated you..."
"Iβm at my age... if I get sent to jail, Iβll never survive it..."
He sighed, his eyes filled with terror.
Song Qingya still hadnβt responded. She just stood there silently.
But Fei Jin was already so angry he couldnβt contain himself, his brow furrowed deeply.
He motioned for the team members who had accompanied him to step forward and gave them an immediate command.
"Drag this father and son away. Donβt let them get another step closer to Qingya."
Before the team members could say a word, two of them had already stepped forward. They grabbed Sun Qiang and his son, forcibly dragging them several feet back and creating a gap between them and Song Qingya.
"What right do you have to say any of this to Qingya?"
Fei Jinβs cold gaze swept over everyone present.
