He Kao hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I didn't do it, no need to thank me! I just want to ask, it's fine if you break the law yourselves, but why drag me into it? Hiding things in my place, do you take me as family?"
He Shan raised her head and said, "Yeah, hiding things at your place is precisely because we're close and trust you, right?"
This logic is simply... He Kao didn't even know how to respond, but upon careful thought, it does seem absurdly reasonable. Being able to hide contraband at his house shows they don't consider him an outsider.
If a third party heard them, they'd probably laugh out loud and comment—at least you're not bothering outsiders.
Seeing He Kao silent, He Shan thought she had cornered him and added, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll come block you every day, and even go to your workplace to find you."
He Kao's gaze passed over her shoulder, noticing Qian Guran and Huang Xiaopang standing at the company entrance, looking over from a distance. Instinctively feeling uneasy and flustered, he had to resort to his trump card—
"What's the point of coming to me, why not report it to the police, tell them you suspect me of stealing your hidden things!"
He Shan stomped her foot in anger and said, "What kind of talk is that?"
He Kao: "Or I could report it? Just say someone is blocking my door every day asking for things..."
He Shan's already pale face seemed to lose even more color, leaving her angrily glaring at He Kao.
After speaking, He Kao turned and left. He didn't want to be so resolute with his cousin but couldn't bear her blocking the door of his workplace every day. He already had enough worries and couldn't care about He Shan's emotions.
While He Kao and He Shan were arguing by the roadside, Huang Si and Qian Guran also stood outside the office building observing.
He Kao told Huang Si to go back first, but Huang Si dawdled for a long time, leaving later than He Kao. Outside the building, he happened to run into Qian Guran, and both simultaneously noticed He Kao and He Shan in the distance.
Qian Guran raised his chin slightly and said, "What's He Kao doing, is he arguing with his girlfriend?"
Huang Xiaopang: "That's not his girlfriend, it's his cousin. Maybe there's something going on at home."
"Oh, a cousin—" Qian Guran's tone had a profound implication, since the word 'cousin' is indeed quite ambiguous in certain contexts.
Huang Xiaopang: "Stop being so sleazy, it's a true cousin, an actual cousin."
Qian Guran: "What's going on, they seem to be arguing."
Huang Xiaopang didn't want to discuss He Kao's family matters with colleagues and just said, "Their relationship isn't very good."
From their position, they couldn't possibly hear He Kao and He Shan's conversation, but Qian Guran wasn't ordinary; he could hear clearly by concentrating, though he couldn't let Huang Xiaopang know.
So Qian Guran pretended not to hear clearly and laughed, "Not good relations? But I see that girl seems quite concerned about He Kao."
Huang Xiaopang: "Nonsense, how did you notice that?"
How could he not notice? Qian Guran, after all, is a sorcerer from the Qi Observation Sect, with the achievements of Level 1 'Peeping Tom', Level 2 'Broker', and now a Level 3 'School of Cross and Vertical'.
But these aren't things to tell Huang Xiaopang, so Qian Guran explained, "Look at her, clearly dressed up meticulously, yet trying to appear naturally light on makeup... Going to argue but making such effort, isn't that because she cares?"
Huang Xiaopang: "Caring and concern are different things; even during war you need to care about the enemy."
Qian Guran: "They are family."
Huang Xiaopang: "I mentioned their relationship isn't good, the cousin always bullies He Kao, but He Kao has always yielded to her since childhood."
Qian Guran sighed inexplicably, "Rivalry born of love, envy born of fear, hope leading to hatred; all eventually turn into hatred, which then causes harm. Harm is just harm, let's not speak of love, hope, or fear, even they don't understand themselves."
Huang Xiaopang glanced at Qian Guran and said, "Old Qian, what are you on about here, pretending to be a philosopher?"
Qian Guran certainly knew what happened back at He Kao's home and why He Shan came looking for He Kao, so he wasn't surprised. He was just slightly intrigued by the relationship between the two.
Seeing He Kao stop arguing with He Shan, Huang Xiaopang left as well, taking a slightly longer route to avoid greeting He Shan, then caught up with He Kao near Sesame Apartment, proactively asking, "What's up, I saw Xiaoshan blocking you at the door again earlier."
He Kao: "It's still that troublesome issue. She insists that I moved those things and keeps pushing me to admit it, demanding I tell her where they're hidden."
Huang Xiaopang: "How can it be handled that way! It's originally their own mess, nearly causing issues. Initially unrelated to you, why do they insist on dragging you in?"
He Kao: "I actually understand her feelings, she's just worried."
Why is He Shan worried? Those items are indeed dangerous. Though temporarily gone and avoiding police investigation, if stolen, any future incidents would still implicate their family.
Even if nothing happens, it's tantamount to having leverage held against them, and the worst part is not knowing who did it!
He Kao suspects Huang Xiaopang did it but he wouldn't admit to it. Xiaopang, having just mocked Qian Guran for pretending to be a philosopher, now made a surprisingly philosophical remark—
"Xiaoshan simply hopes it was you, thus she decided it was you, then tried to get you to admit it. Once you admit, she'll be reassured. Many people are like this, unable to distinguish between hopes and beliefs."
He Kao was stunned, pondering Huang Xiaopang's words until he returned to the apartment. "I hope" and "I believe" are two different concepts; hope requires no basis, but belief needs actual evidence.
I hope for an omnipotent god, who has chosen me alone for divine grace, punishing those I dislike.
This is mere hope, or perhaps delusion.
But then to believe such a god exists and I am the chosen one, turning the hoped-for events into acknowledged reality, that is the root of many religions, where religious doctrines don't require real-world evidence.
This phenomenon isn't limited to religions; it exists within every ordinary person. From He Shan's perspective, she genuinely hopes He Kao did it, offering greater safety and minimal losses.
He Shan hopes He Kao did so out of a desire to help them and gain familial acceptance, so she wanted him to acknowledge it, thus basing her acceptance on it.
When He Kao didn't concede or affirmed her belief, it disappointed her further, hence her anger.
The angry He Shan didn't come seeking He Kao the next day, nor did Section Chief Hu contact him. But He Kao proactively reached out to Section Chief Hu as the weekend was approaching, planning to return home and deal with the site.
Do not misunderstand, He Kao doesn't intend to confess or cooperate with investigations. His communication with Section Chief Hu involves just three matters: unsealing, unlocking, and compensating for the lock.
At his residence, located at 65 Aimin Road, Pugang Town, Jiangbei District, after the police searched and withdrew without results from the scene, someone unknown posted yellow tape on the courtyard gate, not an official seal yet resembling one.
The police initially had only search warrants, lacking sealing documents because of insufficient grounds.
It's hard to argue the police acted improperly as no basis is apparent; they lacked formal sealing documents, but didn't affix standard seals either. Yet if He Kao tore the tape without consent, trouble-seekers could accuse him of destroying evidence.
He Kao is a cautious person; in such situations, even returning to his own home requires notifying the police in advance and securing witnesses.
Even without Huang Xiaopang's reminder, he would have done the same.
**