In the car, Yvonne Whitlock kept checking her reflection in a compact mirror, touching up her makeup. "Do I stand out too much?" she asked.
Ray Morgan glanced in the rearview mirror and replied with a sigh, "Not at all, Madam. You’re already being very low-key."
’What kind of future mother-in-law dresses this plainly to et her daughter-in-law?’
His madam had just made a special trip to the mall to buy an outfit of ordinary-looking clothes and shoes. She’d even changed out of her expensive business suit right then and there, nearly giving the sales associate a heart attack.
Then, she’d dashed into a salon for a temporary perm and was now using makeup to make her skin look much darker. She was completely transford. Even her own son probably wouldn’t recognize her if he walked past.
Yvonne Whitlock was delighted to hear this. She began taking off her various pieces of jewelry, leaving on only the White Jade Bracelet passed down to the daughters-in-law of the Morgan family.
"In a little while, just drop off at the entrance to Arcadian University. We’ll be in touch through a secure line."
Ray Morgan nodded, sighing to himself.
’I hope Madam doesn’t scare the poor girl.’
***
anwhile, in the lab, the graduate student supervising the experint suddenly received a ssage from his advisor.
[Professor Greene: When the bell rings, don’t let Aurora Sinclair leave. Keep her there for a bit. Wait for my signal to let her go.]
The graduate student silently said a prayer for Aurora Sinclair.
About ten minutes later, the bell finally rang.
"Everyone, please clean up your lab stations and turn in your reports. Aurora Sinclair, could you stay behind for a mont?"
The other students shot Aurora curious glances. A few even deliberately dawdled, wanting to see why the grad student had asked her to stay.
But the grad student said nothing until everyone else had left the lab. Only then did he walk over to Aurora, seemingly unsure of what to say.
Then, he watched as she took out her lab equipnt again and started another experint.
Seeing this from the doorway, Dean Hale gritted his teeth and shot a glare at Chester Greene. ’You’re a ruthless one! Let’s see you guard her forever,’ he muttered before striding away in a huff.
"Sinclair, you can go now." The graduate student offered a guilty smile.
Aurora Sinclair had no more classes for the day. She glanced at her phone and sent a ssage to lody Sinclair, letting her know she wouldn’t be ho for dinner. Then, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed toward the Academy of Arts.
When Dean Hale saw her approaching, he rejoiced internally. ’Chester Greene can take all the precautions he wants, but he must have forgotten she cos to the Academy of Arts to paint!’
When Aurora Sinclair saw all the extra people in the room, she thought she’d gone to the wrong classroom. She took two steps back and looked up at the number on the doorfra.
"Aurora, co on in! You’re in the right place," Gregory Sherman called out cheerfully. Everything about Aurora seed to please him these days; he couldn’t wait to get her to join his project team.
He was a professor at the Academy of Arts who also taught an elective for students from the Academy of History. He was currently in charge of a national-level ancient painting restoration project and was in desperate need of a student with Aurora’s exceptional talent for traditional painting.
"Aurora, this is the dean of the Academy of Arts, Dean Quinn Hale. And this is Professor Rowell and Professor Morrison..."
Gregory Sherman introduced everyone in the room before telling her to resu her work on *Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers*.
After greeting everyone, Aurora put down her backpack. She picked up her brush, ground the ink, and moistened the bristles before resuming her painting right where she had left off.
The other professors all crowded around, standing quietly behind her to watch her work. Every now and then, a few of them would huddle together, whispering amongst themselves.
Every one of them looked as if they had just unearthed a treasure. Their gazes were fervent and intense, as if they wanted to whisk her away to the Academy of Arts that very instant.
As the minutes ticked by, a sudden RUMBLE broke the silence. The tips of Aurora’s ears flushed red.
The professors suddenly rembered how late it was and realized the poor girl hadn’t even eaten. Guilt-ridden, they quickly urged her to go get so food.
Aurora slung her backpack on again and headed in the direction of the cafeteria.
Suddenly, she heard the voices of a few girls behind her.
"Co on, let’s hurry back to the dorms! I heard Campus Belle Sinclair’s relative got caught stealing..."
"I can’t believe Campus Belle Sinclair has poor relatives like that. Stealing sothing and then denying it? How embarrassing for her."
"And it was an heirloom from Guthrie’s late mother, of all things! What a horrible person..."
A flicker of light crossed Aurora’s eyes. She stopped in her tracks, then turned and began following the group of girls.
The Academy of Arts wasn’t too far from the won’s dorms. After about a ten-minute walk, a few dormitory buildings ca into view.
A crowd had gathered downstairs. In the center of it all, a woman was clutching her wrist, her voice surprisingly strong as she argued, "I didn’t steal anything! You’re making baseless accusations!"
She had a strange accent, unlike the local Kingsford dialect. Her clothes were plain, and her skin was a bit sallow. She looked like she was from the countryside.
"How could a country bumpkin like you own a White Jade Bracelet? Hand it over, or we’ll call the police!" one of Joyce Guthrie’s friends shouted indignantly.
Yvonne Whitlock looked at the sobbing Joyce Guthrie, trembling with rage. She backed away a few steps. "This was passed down to by my mother-in-law..."
"She’s still denying it? Girls, let’s get the stolen property off her!" one girl shouted, lunging forward to grab the White Jade Bracelet. The other girls imdiately sward in.
The corners of Joyce Guthrie’s mouth slowly curved into a smirk.
"Help, robbery!"
Yvonne Whitlock clutched the White Jade Bracelet and crouched on the ground.
The girls around her kept shoving her, trying to rip the White Jade Bracelet from her wrist.
Seeing this, Aurora’s lips tightened. She strode forward, forcefully pulled the girls away, and shielded the woman with her body.
"Aurora Sinclair? Perfect timing! This relative of yours is a thief! She stole Guthrie’s White Jade Bracelet!"
When Yvonne Whitlock heard that the girl protecting her was Aurora Sinclair, her eyes lit up. She held out her hand plaintively to show her the White Jade Bracelet. "They’re lying. This was a gift from my mother-in-law."
Her wrist was covered in scratches from fingernails, which looked especially jarring against her fair skin.
Aurora took a small vial of dicine from her pocket and handed it to her. Then, her calm gaze fell on Joyce Guthrie. "Do you have any proof?"
Joyce Guthrie hadn’t expected such a question. She froze for a mont, her eyes welling with tears. "Aurora, you can’t just side with her because she’s your relative! I really did lose my White Jade Bracelet..."
"Do you have any proof?" Aurora asked again. Her tone was so dispassionate that it seed to bring so of the other girls back to their senses.
They had been so caught up in Joyce Guthrie’s story about losing her late mother’s heirloom bracelet, and then they’d seen an identical one on this suspicious woman’s wrist. They had simply assud she was the thief.
"You..."
"Could you entrust the bracelet to for safekeeping?" Aurora suddenly asked, turning to the woman.
Yvonne Whitlock froze, then her face broke into a delighted smile. She readily slipped off the White Jade Bracelet and began rattling off its virtues. "This bracelet was a gift from my mother-in-law. It’s over three hundred years old! See this quality? Isn’t it wonderful? It keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the sumr..."
Then, right in front of everyone, she slipped it onto Aurora’s wrist.
The crowd’s expressions shifted at the sight, but Aurora simply turned back to Joyce Guthrie and continued her questioning. "Guthrie, what are the distinguishing features of your bracelet?"
Seeing all eyes on her, Joyce Guthrie grew flustered and simply repeated what the woman had just said.
"Are there any cracks in the jade?"
Joyce Guthrie faltered and bit her lip. "Are you saying you don’t believe ?"
Aurora didn’t answer, repeating the question. "Are there any cracks in the jade?"
"You..."
"Guthrie, just tell her. That way we can see if it’s really your bracelet," so of the other girls urged.
Joyce Guthrie’s heart clenched. Recalling so facts about ancient jade her father had once ntioned, she replied, "Yes, there are cracks."
"How many?"
A hint of anger now colored Joyce Guthrie’s eyes. "Three or four."
Aurora nodded and stated plainly, "This isn’t your jade. There are no cracks on it."
Joyce Guthrie panicked and imdiately backpedaled. "Sorry, I misrembered. There are no cracks; it’s pure white all the way through. The one with cracks was my grandmother’s."
Aurora looked her in the eye. "Is that so?"
"Yes. I have a photo right here."
Joyce Guthrie suddenly pulled out her phone and showed everyone a photo of a White Jade Bracelet she had bought last year.
Upon seeing the photo, the crowd’s hostile gazes turned back to Aurora, waiting to see how she would explain herself this ti.
She simply raised her wrist for the girls beside her to see. "This isn’t yours. This jade bracelet has a crack inside it."
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