Bab 24: 24. Revealing the Truth
Lies? Ha! Barbara's shrill voice echoed
through the street. Then tell me, where is Old Joe's electric tricycle, huh? The question
took Aiden by surprise, as he had forgotten about the tricycle until just now. Having
returned home late last night and buried himself in the kitchen early this morning, he
completely forgot to tell Old Joe about the situation with the electric tricycle.
To think that Barbara would act so rashly in front of all these people without even
attempting to have a rational discussion about the matter first. The woman was crazy!
What's wrong? Does our chef have nothing to say? Hurry up and give us back our electric
tricycle! When Barbara saw how stunned Aiden was, she thought she had managed to
expose him, and a smug expression flashed across her face. Although Old Joe remained
silent, he did not look very pleased either.
Uncle Joe, is this what you think too? Old Joe let out a deep sigh and said, Little Aiden,
it's not that Uncle Joe is being stingy. A tricycle on the verge of collapse actually isn't. worth much money either. But that old stallion has been following Uncle Joe for so many
years, I've developed a close attachment to it.
I hope you'll stop playing around and return it soon. In the end, they really thought that
Aiden simply did not want to return the tricycle. What they didn't know, however, was
that the tricycle had been completely abandoned in the wasteland of the southern
suburbs.
Aiden would not be able to return it, even if he wanted to. Shaking his head, Aiden said
softly, Uncle Joe, I have no way to return that old electric tricycle to you. I'm really sorry.
But I can buy you a new one. A new one? Barbara sneered. Do you know how much a
brand new electric tricycle costs? Can a poor student like you afford to pay for it? Don't
think you're rich just because you managed to sell a few lousy noodles.
I think it's clear that you don't want to return the favor, so you'd rather leave us with
nothing and send us on our way. Barbara, don't go too far. Clara could no longer hold
back her temper.
She immediately put her hands on her waist and scolded. Stop it with the lies. Aiden is
an honest and upright young man.
Why would he be interested in stealing an old broken down tricycle? Morris's face was
livid. Old Joe, he said, turning to the man. As his parents, we will naturally compensate
you with a new tricycle on his behalf.
Rest assured. That's not what I meant. Old Joe looked rather conflicted and sighed
heavily.
Aiden, on the other hand, realized that the atmosphere inside the store had changed. I'm
surprised he'd do such an awful thing at his age. I heard he's the chef responsible for
making the supreme chicken noodle soup.
Is that right? I'm a little worried about eating noodles made by a chef of such poor
character. Ladies and gentlemen, keep lining up if you want. I'll be taking my leave first.
Just as Aiden began to untie his apron, a convoy suddenly appeared at the end of the
street. A silver car in the middle was guarded by four black Mercedes-Benz. Two in the
front, two in the back.
As the procession moved forward, the customer waiting in line made way for the cars
and looked after them enviously. Isn't the black car the latest model of Mercedes-Benz?
It should be worth at least several million, right? Look at that silver BMW. Its license plate
number is Jiang A8888.
Doesn't that license plate belong to the boss of the K Group? I remember hearing something about that from one of my friends. Where are they going? Just when everyone
thought the convoy would pass through the street without stopping, the five luxurious
cars came to an unexpected halt in front of the entrance to Midnight Snack Corner.
Suddenly, a few grim-faced men in black emerged from the four black Mercedes-Benz.
Hurrying toward the silver BMW, they immediately opened the doors for the occupants,
even holding up umbrellas for them. The moment the car door opened, a little girl
wearing a flowery dress quickly jumped out. When she saw Aiden standing on the stairs,
she started laughing and jumped into his arms.
Haha, big brother, we meet again!
Dora Aiden patted
the little girl's head and smiled brightly. This was the same little girl he had rescued from
the kidnappers yesterday.
He was happy to see her, but he hadn't expected they'd meet again so soon. Dora, why
are you here? Dora pointed to the silver BMW and said sweetly, I came with Dad and
Grandpa. Just as Aiden lifted his gaze, he noticed a middle-aged man emerging from the
white BMW in a dignified fashion.
Wearing a well-tailored gray suit, the man was rather handsome, with a strong build and
graceful features. He glanced at the people and shops around him with ferocious tiger-
like eyes. One could tell just from the way he carried himself that he was a man who had
held a powerful position for a long time.
It's Anthony K. of K Group! I've seen him on the news before. He's one of the Bayside
District's top 10 entrepreneurs! I even heard he owns a 1,300-square-foot villa in the
northern suburbs! Do you really think that Mr. K has come all the way out here just for a
bowl of soup? Mr. K bent down to help an old man out of the car. Dad, your waist isn't
completely healed yet.
Please be careful. Sure enough, this was the same old man Aiden had helped at the
market yesterday, also known as Dora's grandfather. The old man looked at Dora, who
was currently hanging on to Aiden, and smiled lovingly.
Then, with Mr. K's support, he stood in front of Aiden. Aiden, I came here today to thank
you, he said sincerely. If it wasn't for you, then yesterday, Dora would have... Fear
surfaced in the old man's expression.
Aiden smiled. It's no big deal, he said. You didn't need to bring all these people here just
to thank me.
The old man wanted to say something else, but a slightly plump, middle-aged man
suddenly squeezed out of the crowd. He approached Mr. K and greeted him in an
ingratiating tone. Director K, do you still remember me? I'm Walter Gilmore from Fei
Tang Company.
Anthony K's reply was cold enough to send a chill down the man's spine. In that case, I
won't keep you from your meal any longer, Mr. K. After the middle-aged man had left,
the old man realized he had yet to introduce himself to Aiden. My surname is K, and my
first name is even easier to remember.
John. This is Dora, as you already know, and this right here is my good-for-nothing son,
Anthony K. Anthony K, in contrast to his earlier coldness, smiled kindly at Aiden and
handed him a business card. I won't waste any more of your time on thanks and praise.
If you ever need anything, come find me at K's group. Your Uncle K can help you out with
all sorts of problems. Wow.
An audible gasp of envy rose from the surrounding crowd. In Bayside District, getting the
chance to talk to Anthony K wasn't something that happened every day. What on earth
could he have done to make the K family care about someone as unimportant as him?
Noticing that the atmosphere at the front of the shop had changed, John could not help
but ask, Did something just happen? Aiden smiled bitterly and told him the whole story.
John shook his head and laughed. Oh dear, it seems that we deserve to be blamed for
causing this situation. He turned to look at the large crowd in the street.
With a voice filled with vigor, he announced boomingly, Everyone, you have all
misunderstood young Aiden here. He then proceeded to passionately recount everything
that had taken place at the grocery store yesterday. Finally, he demanded, How can he
be a brave young man and a scheming thief at the same time? It's absurd! Only then did
everyone recall the news about the heroic events that had taken place at the grocery
store yesterday.
I remember! Last night, the Arklands Police Department posted an article about it. He's
the kid who rescued a little girl after chasing the kidnappers for over a dozen miles on an
electric tricycle. It was him! I can't believe it.
We almost mistook a hero for a thief. We should be ashamed. The crowd exploded into cheers and applause.
Ding! Receiving praise for doing good deeds. Morality, plus one. Current progress, one
out of ten.
Current level, beginner level.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone