At this moment, Old Tao feigned anger. "You think so poorly of me? Years of teaching you for nothing. I should have just stood by and let you handle Qiao Si as you saw fit..."

"Teacher, I was just kidding, just kidding," Qiao Yu quickly coquettishly replied, "I was only joking!"

"Enough with the theatrics, I’m not used to you acting this way," Old Tao chuckled. "Look at your two friends, they’ve got goosebumps."

"Really?" Qiao Yu turned around to see Wang Guan and Bei Ye clearly trying to suppress laughter, and immediately complained, "How could you two, my good friends, be so disrespectful?"

"Little Qiao, it’s not us, it’s just not like you," Bei Ye said with a smile. "We were just curious."

"This is nothing, you’re even stranger," Qiao Yu pouted, leaning close to Bei Ye’s ear to whisper, "Especially since you got a boyfriend. You’ve completely changed—suddenly so quiet and gentle. I’m even less used to it."

Bei Ye smiled, adopting a manner remarkably like Wang Guan’s, then her slender hands precisely landed on Qiao Yu’s beautiful face and pinched...

"Ah, stop pinching! I was wrong," Qiao Yu pleaded in surrender.

While the two beauties were playfully squabbling, Wang Guan continued his conversation with Old Tao.

"Capturing the person is secondary; the crucial thing is to recover the print of the painting he possesses," Old Tao said seriously, which was the real reason he worried about alerting the snake. "If he dared to steal the painting, he must have already found a buyer. What we need to do now is follow the thread, find that buyer, and catch them both in one sweep..."

"Teacher Tao’s considerations are indeed thorough," Wang Guan agreed wholeheartedly. If they arrested the painting thief immediately, the buyer would surely sense trouble and flee instantly, making them much harder to find.

Old Tao smiled, then waved. "Little Yu, go back and ask your grandfather for a favor—have him send a few people to assist me."

"Teacher, there’s no need to trouble my grandfather for such a small matter," Qiao Yu shook her head like a rattle drum. Asking Grandpa Qiao Si for help meant willingly handing him leverage; she was absolutely unwilling to give others an opening.

"Then what do you suggest?" Old Tao mused aloud. "The police are too inefficient, and they always like to grab and interrogate directly. They don't understand indirect maneuvering..."

"That's easy."

Qiao Yu thought for a moment, walked directly to the balcony, glanced down, beckoned casually, and then returned to the living room to sit. Moments later, the doorbell rang. When the door opened, Chen Tao walked in excitedly, beaming with a smile. "Little Yu, you were looking for me?"

"It wasn't me looking for you, it was my teacher who needed you."

Qiao Yu said casually, "Teacher, whatever you need, just tell him directly."

"Old Tao, please command me," Chen Tao said quickly, not being foolish. He was well aware of Old Tao’s status and dared not show any disrespect or delay.

Old Tao accepted without reservation, pausing thoughtfully. "You help me keep an eye on one person. See who he contacts over the next few days... Pay special attention to anyone who seems highly secretive or whose mannerisms are suspicious. Keep it a secret tail, make sure no one notices."

"...No problem." Chen Tao was slightly taken aback, but he didn't press for a reason. Instead, he slapped his chest. "This is what we specialize in; we're highly experienced. They absolutely won't find us."

Qiao Yu pouted slightly, then said, "Teacher, you talk to him slowly and make sure he recognizes the person. My friends and I are heading back now."

"Little Yu, I'll see you off," Chen Tao offered solicitously.

"No need, you stay and listen to my teacher’s instructions..." Qiao Yu waved her hand and immediately pulled Bei Ye and Wang Guan away.

As they hailed a cab outside, Qiao Yu showed a flicker of worry. "When we get back, if that Han Lang is still there and Grandpa gets angry again, remember to cover for me a bit."

"When you were cornering him, why didn't you think about this outcome?" Bei Ye smiled helplessly. "It's too late to regret it now."

"I’m not regretting anything," Qiao Yu snorted. "That guy had better be smart. If he slinks back to my grandpa and cries about it, it won't end well. I know my grandpa’s temper; he hates people who lack backbone the most..."

"Then what are you afraid of?" Bei Ye seemed puzzled.

"I'm not afraid, just preparing for the worst," Qiao Yu, full of confidence, explained. "If Grandpa hears him complaining, he’ll definitely pretend to be angry and scold me harshly for a few words. If there's no way for me to back down gracefully, the pretense will become real. That’s why I asked you two to help him save face."

"You’re quite experienced," Wang Guan remarked with a smile. "Has something like this happened before?"

"Of course. When I was little and made a classmate cry, Grandpa reacted exactly like this when the teacher reported it..."

Seeing the smug look on Qiao Yu’s face, Wang Guan felt a mix of laughter and tears. It turned out that in her mind, Han Lang was just a child level character, which explained why their efforts ended fruitlessly.

As they spoke, the trio returned to the village. After a moment of hesitation, Qiao Yu cautiously entered the courtyard house.

At that time, Grandpa Qiao Si was watching television in the main hall. It was a blood-pumping anti-Japanese war epic, featuring endless martial arts marvels—things like catching bullets with one hand or tearing people apart bare-handed were basic skills. Of course, perhaps to emphasize supposed iron-willed tenderness, it was not short on ** scenes, such as nude salutes and so forth...

While the program was absolutely shocking to Wang Guan, Grandpa Qiao Si watched with keen enjoyment, seemingly completely absorbed, failing to notice the three who had entered the hall.

Seeing this, Qiao Yu subtly signaled Wang Guan and Bei Ye and tried to sneak away tip-toeing. Just then, Grandpa Qiao Si, without lifting his eyes, said lazily, "You're back, where are you trying to go now?"

"Nowhere, I just didn't want to disturb Grandpa watching TV," a flash of disappointment crossed Qiao Yu's face, then she quickly turned back with a smile. "Oh, by the way, where is that Han something? When we were guests at Teacher’s house, he said he was busy, and we couldn't keep him... He should be back by now, right?"

"He left," Grandpa Qiao Si said flatly.

"Huh?" Qiao Yu froze, blinking as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Grandpa Qiao Si replied casually. "He left, went home."

"Heh heh..." Qiao Yu looked delighted, then said without much sincerity, "It seems whatever he had to do was very urgent..."

"Stop playing dumb."

At this, Grandpa Qiao Si picked up the remote and turned off the TV, turning back to glare. "Didn't you drive the person away? Now that you have your wish, are you happy?"

"Not at all."

Qiao Yu quickly defended herself. "Grandpa, you'd rather believe an outsider than your own granddaughter."

"I know my granddaughter well enough to be certain that the outsider wasn't lying; it's absolutely your fault," Grandpa Qiao Si grumbled. "Only you could pull something like that."

Immediately, Qiao Yu lowered her head and muttered, "For a grown man to be so long-tongued..."

"It wasn't him saying it; I guessed it," Grandpa Qiao Si said with an angry expression. "You, girl, how can you be such a worry? Why don't you ever listen to my arrangements?"

"Grandpa, it’s not that I don’t listen, it’s just that..."

After exchanging a look with Wang Guan and Bei Ye, Qiao Yu quickly explained, "I was just testing him a little, not doing anything to him. He was the one who couldn't handle it and insisted on leaving. What does that have to do with me?"

Wang Guan and Bei Ye cooperated by nodding. The situation was indeed as she described. Setting aside Qiao Yu's mild mockery and veiled insults, they hadn't truly embarrassed Han Lang; they had merely given him the cold shoulder deliberately. But his pride couldn't handle that treatment, and he requested to leave on his own accord—there was nothing they could do about that.

"Is that so?" Grandpa Qiao Si’s eyes were full of suspicion.

"Yes, exactly so," Qiao Yu asserted confidently, swearing on it. "If you don't believe me, just ask him to come back, and I'll confront him face to face."

"Nonsense. You angered him away; how could he possibly come back?" Grandpa Qiao Si stroked his chin. "It seems I need to find someone else again. Luckily, I was prepared early."

As he spoke, Grandpa Qiao Si reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of photographs, scattering them on the table, then smiled broadly. "Here, pick one..."

"Grandpa!" Qiao Yu was genuinely angry, her cheeks puffed out. "I’m very busy right now, I don't have time for this."

"Busy?" Grandpa Qiao Si looked surprised. "What are you busy with?"

"Serious business, very, very important serious business," Qiao Yu emphasized. "I’m helping Teacher catch a thief."

"Catch a thief?"

A hint of suspicion crossed Grandpa Qiao Si's eyes, and he asked curiously, "What kind of thief? Even if you needed to catch one, with your teacher's capabilities, a single call to the Provincial Department would have people scrambling to help. Why would you, a little girl, need to go out?"

"What's wrong with me? I'm very capable too," Qiao Yu wielded her small fist. "I’m not some frail, delicate flower."

"Capable?" Grandpa Qiao Si scoffed. "Has your fainting-at-the-sight-of-blood problem gotten better?"

"Fainting at blood?"

In that instant, Wang Guan and Bei Ye were deeply astonished. In their minds, Qiao Yu, this fierce tomboy, was much stronger than some frail shut-ins. Yet, they never imagined she suffered from a condition where she fainted at the sight of blood.

"Grandpa, why are you undermining me?" Qiao Yu's beautiful face flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I don't have hemophobia..."

"I know you don't, but you get tense when you see blood, unable to move freely—that's true, isn't it?"

Grandpa Qiao Si said casually. "Don't think catching a thief is simple, like a bunch of people rushing in to pin the scoundrel down. Those are small-time crooks. Real big thieves carry weapons and dare to fight the CID. What about you, a young girl? If someone slashed your face, what would you do? You'd probably cry and regret it for life."

"What’s there to be afraid of? At worst, I’ll just go get some work done in Korea," she joked.

Saying that, Qiao Yu carefully avoided mentioning going out herself to catch thieves. Meanwhile, Grandpa Qiao Si was naturally curious. "Tell me then, without any reason, what kind of thief are you trying to catch?"