"Do you know what to confess? Confess how you misuse public resources and how you slander us?"
Xu Ke raised his eyes to look at the two, his leg resting on the desk started shaking as well.
"Kid, I’m warning you, if you don’t want to end up in jail, hand over the item to , and I can ask the police to treat you with leniency!"
"You seem quite pleased with your so-called status! But sorry, I’m soone who doesn’t believe in nonsense. If you have the guts, send inside!"
"You..."
"Stop with your ’you, you’. With all this ti, it would be better to check the surveillance. In case you’re unaware, I’ll kindly let you know to ask the manager if there’s a fat guy working here, about five foot seven inches tall, looks to weigh around eighty pounds. If that person is still here, I don’t mind where you send !"
Xu Ke finished speaking calmly, then closed his eyes. The two of them were stunned, and the middle-aged one imdiately exchanged a look with soone outside the door.
Instantly, soone rushed to the surveillance room to retrieve earlier footage. The manager was extrely anxious, but when they saw the fat guy disappear out the back door, everyone’s facial expressions changed dramatically.
They hurried back to the temporary interrogation room, whispered sothing in the middle-aged man’s ear, and his expression changed as well, turning gloomy all of a sudden.
Without saying anything, he turned around and walked out. The remaining appraiser old man, clueless about the situation, watched the middle-aged man leave and then followed him.
"I really don’t like being falsely accused, sir, old man, you better get ready!"
Xu Ke looked at the old man with a sly smile, his tone full of ill intent.
On hearing this, the old man’s body trembled. After seeing Xu Ke’s sinister gaze, he didn’t linger.
"How... how did you know?" Lin Yiran turned her head, looking at Xu Ke in surprise.
"I know many things. Do you want to ask for clarification on each one? For goodness’ sake, we’re still awaiting trial, is your curiosity misplaced right now?"
Xu Ke glanced at Lin Yiran, speaking irritably. Hearing this, Lin Yiran rolled her eyes and pouted.
"Fine, don’t tell . It’s not like I care!" Her indignant deanor was a lot more pleasing than her previously gloomy attitude.
This woman seed to act up more often in his presence for unknown reasons.
Watching her occasionally glance his way, Xu Ke couldn’t help but grin and say, "Aren’t you not interested? Then why are you looking at ?"
"Can’t I look? What are you going to do, sue ?"
"Pfft," Xu Ke couldn’t help but laugh, "If people called the police for that, they’d never get a break. Alright, I’m in a decent mood today, I’ll barely tell you."
Actually, the explanation wasn’t difficult. Since it couldn’t have happened en route, it must have occurred during boarding or alighting.
Initially, he truly thought it was the appraiser playing tricks; as the old man said, whether packing or unpacking, the appraiser was always hands-on.
To play tricks, no one was better positioned than the appraiser. However, coincidentally, his instincts made him alert to his surroundings, and once the incident occurred, he noticed one person was missing from the scene.
The incense burner wasn’t big, but neither was it too small. To take it out openly in hand or a bag would be too conspicuous; hiding it on one’s person was the only possibility. There were many staff mbers present, but only a few could hide it and not be detected.
Coincidentally, the missing fat guy t these criteria. More coincidentally, he knew soone, a forr subordinate, who had this audacious yet ticulous criminal style, and that disguise skill was comparable to a professional makeup artist.
His vision wasn’t low, and when he acted, he ensured success, even spending months preparing, which was common.
After the case broke out, he only needed a slight thought to recognize the familiar thod, almost effortlessly understanding the connections.
It’s likely that person infiltrated the preparations early, waiting for this crucial mont.
Of course, he couldn’t disclose everything to her, at least not matters regarding his subordinates.
But upon hearing Xu Ke’s words, Lin Yiran couldn’t help but wear a peculiar expression.
Looking at Xu Ke as if he were a stranger, as though she’d never known him.
This instinctive level of observation surely wasn’t sothing the proverbial loser should possess in her mind.
Thinking back to the two tis he rescued her, the label ’loser’ was sothing she expelled from her mind.
Sowhere along the way, this man no longer fitted that label; it was as if he’d truly transford.
But...
As she glanced at his increasingly handso face, for unexplained reasons, her heart suddenly fluttered, causing her to turn her gaze hurriedly elsewhere, her ears slightly warm.
"It’s been a while; they should be back by now, right?"
Xu Ke hadn’t noticed her deanor as he glanced at the door, his brows gradually furrowing, playing with his fingers, unsure what he was thinking.
"When does the exhibition begin?"
"It’s the day after tomorrow! Before that, there’s still so preparation needed, but the notices should have gone out a long ti ago!"
"So if we don’t retrieve the item within two days, that person will surely be disgraced!"
"If it were just a matter of losing face, that would be good. But that’s a national artifact supposedly earmarked for donation post-exhibition. What’s at stake isn’t just re reputation!"
"Sigh, if that’s the case, our trouble would indeed be considerable!"
Xu Ke took a deep breath, tapping on the desk, a trace of amusent curling at his lips. Speaking of trouble, he appeared unhurried.
On the other hand, Lin Yiran asked perplexedly, "But haven’t we already identified that the thief is soone else? The main responsibility lies with the exhibition hall, what does that have to do with us?"
"That’s precisely why I said the trouble is significant!" Xu Ke didn’t offer further explanation.
But Lin Yiran wasn’t foolish, processing Xu Ke’s words with her expression continually changing. She hadn’t forgotten the middle-aged man’s crab-like arrogance.
If the police were to have any ties with him, shifting the bla to her and Xu Ke didn’t seem too difficult.
"You an, they’re going to...?"
"Who knows? Hopefully, they’re not that ruthless." Xu Ke shrugged, casting a glance at the doorway, utterly unconcerned.
It’s just a few police officers and a dozen security guards; stopping him wouldn’t be easy.
Once outside, finding the thief would be child’s play for him.
When he returns with the items, that’ll be when the real show begins!
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