Chapter 37: Caught Red-Handed

Inside the mahjong parlor.

The bald officer scrutinized the two men before him, one fat and one thin.

Their figures seemed to gradually overlap with the images of the two thieves from the surveillance footage.

Could it be that this little girl named Jiang Yuan actually had real skills?

The fat man and the thin man were extremely guilty.

*Damn it, we just went to grab the goods, and the police showed up right after. Were we discovered?*

Gathering his courage, the thin man said, "Officer, it's a misunderstanding. We are good citizens; how could we possibly steal anything?"

"Yeah, yeah!" the fat man chimed in. "We've been framed!"

The bald officer flashed his search warrant. "Whether you've been framed or not, we'll know once we've searched you."

Ten minutes later.

Nothing was found.

Having failed to find anything, the two nervous thieves immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

A flash of triumph crossed the thin man's eyes as he said with a grin, "Officer, you believe us now, right? We are good citizens!"

Seeing this, the bald officer's expression instantly turned dark and unsightly.

He had been too impulsive, actually listening to the words of a young girl!

The bald officer clenched his fists.

Little Mo flew to Jiang Yuan's side, chirping, "Yuan Yuan, they just hid the gold under those two green tables."

*Green tables?*

Jiang Yuan's eyes shifted, her gaze landing on the mahjong tables.

"Withdraw!" the bald officer said in a heavy voice.

"Wait," Jiang Yuan suddenly spoke up. "I know where the stolen goods are."

The bald officer no longer believed her. His brow furrowed in dissatisfaction. "Enough! Miss Jiang, we don't have time to play games with you!"

"Play?" Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Captain Zhang, I am being very serious."

"Beauty, don't make false accusations!" the thin man protested. "The fact that the officer found nothing proves we are innocent!"

"You also know that nothing was found," Jiang Yuan's lips curled slightly as she walked toward the mahjong table with long, straight strides. "I am certain that you are the thieves who stole the gold and the gemstone necklace."

The thin man said defiantly, "Officer, I want to report her for slander!"

"Sorry, your report is invalid." Jiang Yuan smiled faintly and reached out to press a function button on the mahjong table. "What I am saying is the truth."

Seeing this, the faces of the thin and fat men changed abruptly, fear and unease creeping into their eyes.

*We're dead! How could she know...*

The control panel in the center of the mahjong table rose up.

Jiang Yuan then pressed the function button on another table.

With a smile playing on her fair face, she said unhurriedly, "The gold and the necklace are inside here."

Si Heng stepped forward and indeed saw gold bars hidden within the mahjong table.

He turned his head toward the bald officer. "Captain Zhang, the case is solved."

The thin and fat men's faces turned ashen, filled with immense regret.

The bald officer was incredulous. He walked to Si Heng's side, and as his eyes met the gold bars, he was profoundly shocked.

How did she know?

Throughout this journey, aside from petting the cat and feeding the birds, she hadn't even made a single phone call.

This was simply miraculous.

***

With the thieves caught red-handed with the stolen goods, the thin and fat men confessed their entire motive.

They had accidentally overheard Ms. Zhou talking to someone, mentioning that she had a hundred gold bars stored at home and had also won a gemstone necklace worth tens of millions at an auction.

Everyone had assumed that was the truth.

On the day Jiang Yuan went to collect the reward, she met the owner, Zhou Shuyu, at the police station.

Zhou Shuyu was wearing a Chanel-style jacket and flared jeans, dressed entirely in black—elegant and simple.

"Miss Jiang, I heard that you found the gold bars and the necklace. Thank you so much." Zhou Shuyu extended her hand toward her.

"I only did it to collect the reward, so there's no need for formalities." Jiang Yuan was wearing a long camel-colored trench coat, her long curly hair draped over her shoulders. Standing in 5cm black high heels, she was half a head taller than Zhou Shuyu.

As she spoke, her slender fingers returned the handshake.

Zhou Shuyu hadn't expected her to be so blunt and felt a growing sense of goodwill toward her. "Miss Jiang is a person of character."

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to remind her to watch out for the person beside her, a voice drifted over.

"Shuyu." A young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked up to Zhou Shuyu's side. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me to come together?"

Zhou Shuyu chuckled. "Nanyue, I couldn't help it. I was too anxious."

Hearing this, Li Nanyue affectionately rubbed her hair. "I wasn't comfortable letting you come alone."

"It's fine," Zhou Shuyu said amusedly. "This is a police station; there's nothing to worry about."

Jiang Yuan watched their interaction quietly.

If she didn't know that this man had orchestrated the jewelry theft, she might have thought he was a good man who doted on his girlfriend.

Zhou Shuyu introduced them, "Miss Jiang, this is my boyfriend. Nanyue, Miss Jiang is the one who found the gold bars and the necklace."

Li Nanyue looked at Jiang Yuan, a trace of malice flashing in his eyes behind his lenses. He smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, we owe it all to you."

*Damn it, it's this wench who ruined my plans!*

Jiang Yuan said indifferently, "I just got lucky."

She looked at Zhou Shuyu. "Ms. Zhou, would it be convenient to speak privately for a moment?"

Although she didn't know why Jiang Yuan wanted to avoid Li Nanyue to speak with her, Zhou Shuyu still nodded.

Li Nanyue stared at Jiang Yuan's retreating back, his gaze like that of a venomous snake.

Once they reached the entrance of the police station, Zhou Shuyu spoke first. "Miss Jiang, what did you want to say to me?"

Jiang Yuan glanced back at Li Nanyue inside and said slowly, "Ms. Zhou, I accidentally learned that this theft case is related to your boyfriend. You might not believe me, but it never hurts to be cautious."

Zhou Shuyu looked at her in shock. "This..."

Jiang Yuan gave a faint smile and turned to walk back into the police station.

Li Nanyue stared at her, his gaze filled with ill intent.

Jiang Yuan ignored him completely. As she was preparing to leave after collecting her reward, the bald officer approached her.

She nodded slightly in greeting. "Captain Zhang."

"Miss Jiang." Captain Zhang invited her to a nearby cafe.

Jiang Yuan's tone was calm. "No need for coffee, Captain Zhang. If you have something to say, please say it directly."

"Then shall we talk in the meeting room?"

"Fine."

In the meeting room, Captain Zhang apologized to her for questioning her the previous day. "I was out of line. My apologies, Miss Jiang."

"It's fine," Jiang Yuan said unconcernedly. "I understand."

Seeing that she wasn't holding a grudge, Captain Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.

This Miss Jiang was so capable; perhaps he would need to ask for her help with difficult cases in the future.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he truly wouldn't have believed it.

This young girl was actually that amazing.

Before leaving, Jiang Yuan left behind one sentence: "Captain Zhang, actually, there were more than just two thieves."

Captain Zhang, who was holding his thermos ready to drink water, was stunned by those words.

What did she mean?

More than two thieves?

Equally unsettled by Jiang Yuan's words was Zhou Shuyu.

That evening, Li Nanyue pulled his girlfriend toward him on the sofa. "Baby, why have you been so distracted today?"

Zhou Shuyu's body went stiff, and a flash of unease crossed her eyes. "Have I? I'm fine."

Li Nanyue rested his chin on her shoulder. "Isn't it a good thing that the gold bars and the necklace were recovered?"

"It is a good thing." Zhou Shuyu instinctively avoided his touch and stood up. "I'm just thinking about work. I'm a bit tired; I'm going to my room first."

(End of Chapter)