"Confession? What do you need to confess to ?"
Zhou Shitao didn’t understand why Huo Sining suddenly changed the topic, but he still asked.
"Uh, please don’t scold if I tell you. I’m a bit timid."
"You tell first, and I’ll see what the situation is." Zhou Shitao’s face had already turned serious. He had a vague suspicion and subconsciously reached out his other hand to pick up the teacup on the table, nodding as he pretended to be calm and took a sip.
Huo Sining felt a bit embarrassed and hesitated for a mont before slowly saying, "Well, Master, the thing you just ntioned, it was actually who did it."
"Pfft—"
The tea leaves in Zhou Shitao’s mouth suddenly sprayed out, and the tea choked him, causing his face to turn red as he coughed uncontrollably: "Cough cough—what did you just say?"
Huo Sining regretted it right after she said it, feeling that telling Zhou Shitao about this seed a bit impulsive. She subconsciously scratched the back of her head, trying to muddle through it.
But how could Zhou Shitao let her just gloss over it? He’s old but not senile, especially with sothing this important. Even if Huo Sining wanted to pass it off, it wasn’t possible.
Zhou Shitao kept on asking questions, and Huo Sining realized she couldn’t get away without explaining, so she decided to just co clean. She was just about to explain when Zhou Shitao suddenly interrupted her.
"Wait, don’t say anything yet."
Zhou Shitao’s tone was serious, and the urgency and caution in his voice surprised Huo Sining.
"What’s wrong?" Huo Sining was stunned.
"You’re still in Dongyang, and it’s not convenient to talk about this over the phone. I’ll ask you for the details when you’re back."
The news from Huo Sining was too shocking, and Zhou Shitao found it hard to process at first. Despite the shock, he knew his little apprentice well and didn’t doubt her sincerity. Since she dared to say it, it ant that she really did it.
Zhou Shitao was both happy and proud, thinking about how his little apprentice actually managed to get those dozens of national treasures. He was thrilled but also clear-headed, knowing that since Huo Sining was abroad, she wasn’t entirely safe yet. Even though the items were in hand, they were still uncertain until they were safely brought back ho.
"Stay safe, the items are secondary. Your safety is the most important. How are you right now? Is there anything unusual? Is anyone watching you?"
More than the treasures, Zhou Shitao was worried about his little apprentice’s safety. This girl wasn’t that old but had the guts to pull off such a big feat; she was really too audacious!
Huo Sining could hear Zhou Shitao’s concern for her and quickly reassured him with a smile: "I’m fine, you can rest assured. Without evidence, they won’t suspect ."
"It’s better to be cautious. This is no small matter. Rember, walls have ears, words are the source of trouble, and be careful of being monitored. Keep this matter to yourself, and don’t tell a third person. Don’t let anything unexpected happen before you return ho, understood?"
Huo Sining quickly responded: "Okay, I got it."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Shitao’s mind was still in turmoil, his breathing unsteady, switching between excitent, tension, pride, and anxiety, leaving his emotions extrely unstable.
In his seventy years of life, it was the first ti Zhou Shitao felt such nervousness. After a bit of thought, he couldn’t help but pick up the phone and call the Lu Family.
Chief Lu was also a bit confused when he received Zhou Shitao’s call. After understanding what Zhou Shitao was saying, he couldn’t believe it: "Old Zhou, you must be joking? Although that girl Huo has so skills, hearing that she went to rob the Dongyang Museum sounds off. How could a young girl do sothing like that?"
Zhou Shitao didn’t think what Huo Sining did was out of line. On the contrary, he had a proud smile on his face:
"Why? From the sound of it, you seem to look down on soone who does this sort of thing? What’s wrong with this move? If not for my good apprentice, just a few protests and demonstrations from you all wouldn’t make those Dongyang devils return anything. I’m telling you, this had to be done, and they have to cough up what they took from us; not one piece should be left to those people!"
Chief Lu was left speechless by Zhou Shitao’s brazen words, his mouth twitching slightly. He thought, no wonder that girl Huo could pull off such a bold move; turns out she learned this from her master!
"I didn’t an to criticize her. What she did is indeed heartening. Now that you’ve told , I have so confidence. Since the items are in hand, they certainly can’t be returned. I’ll arrange for soone to assist, ensuring no one can catch any evidence against that girl."
Hearing Chief Lu’s words, Zhou Shitao was finally satisfied: "That’s more like it. But for now, it’d be better for you not to make any sudden moves. Dongyang has lost such a massive amount of relics; they’re bound to be watching closely. If we act now, it might attract attention. That girl sounded at ease on the phone; there shouldn’t be any major issues, so let’s wait until this blows over."
In fact, Zhou Shitao himself wasn’t sure how Huo Sining, a young girl not yet twenty and new to Dongyang, managed to bypass the layers of surveillance at the National Museum, enter their warehouse, and take out several dozen heavy relics without a sound.
Zhou Shitao was full of questions but had to calm himself, waiting for Huo Sining to return and clear up these doubts.
anwhile, Huo Sining was also worried. These many relics were no small matter. If the East Ocean Police Bureau decided to monitor all communications nationwide, they might trace it back to her. So, to prevent this, Huo Sining simply stopped using her phone during this period, contacting family and friends back ho through online ssaging, to prevent any unforeseen issues.
As five days passed, the theft at the Dongdu National Museum continued to escalate with all sorts of theories erging, from the Santa Claus theory to the Sadako theory, to theories of international spies exacting revenge. There was no end to the speculations. Naturally, because the stolen relics were Huaxia antiques, Huaxia Country was listed as the pri suspect, undoubtedly.
However, suspicion without proof doesn’t an much. The National Museum can’t just randomly accuse any Huaxia person of being a thief. Besides, those items originally belonged to Huaxia Country, and now that they’re lost, the National Museum has no standing to demand explanations from Huaxia Country’s diplomats.
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