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The attendants invited Wang Guan and his group to follow them, but failing to explain the situation, naturally left everyone feeling confused and uncertain about what was happening.

After a round of glances, Old Meng frowned and asked, "What exactly do you need us for?"

The attendants still offered no explanation, maintaining their distant smiles, insisting that the group accompany them on this excursion. Seeing this, Wang Guan didn't want to waste anyone's time and casually said, "Let's go then. We'll know the reason once we get there."

The others considered it for a moment, found no objection, and followed the attendants away.

A moment later, upon entering a certain room, Wang Guan and the others realized something felt amiss. Several other people were already seated inside, observing them with a tense readiness, creating a subtle atmosphere.

Just then, a man who appeared to be a supervisor spoke up. His tone was polite but carried a definite edge of suspicion: "Gentlemen, I sincerely apologize. The reason we asked you to come over is mainly to understand a few things."

"Understand what things?" Old Meng’s brow furrowed further. With his extensive experience, he could easily detect the scrutinizing gaze in the supervisor’s eyes, as if they were being treated as suspects.

The supervisor dispensed with pleasantries and stated directly, "When you were touring Exhibition Hall No. 7 just now, did any of you notice anything unusual?"

His expression was exceedingly serious; such an demeanor suggested accusation rather than inquiry, as if Wang Guan and the others had committed some misdeed in Hall No. 7.

"What was unusual in Exhibition Hall No. 7?" Sha Qingfeng caught the underlying implication and, amidst his confusion, felt a surge of annoyance. "Even if something happened, what does it have to do with us?"

"Sir, please don't be upset," the supervisor said calmly. "We are actually quite sincere. We wish to negotiate a friendly resolution to this matter to avoid causing any further inconvenience to anyone."

"What do you mean by that?"

Old Meng was also displeased, anger lacing his voice. "First, we don't know what happened in Exhibition Hall No. 7. Second, even if something did happen, on what grounds do you assume it was our doing? Investigate clearly first, and don't wrongfully accuse people."

At this point, the supervisor fell silent, but a cold sneer flickered across his lips before his expression became impassive. "Sir, this is a very professional museum. Every exhibition hall is monitored by security cameras at all times, just in case, so..."

The supervisor’s implication was perfectly clear: they had already investigated via the cameras and had evidence linking the incident in Hall No. 7 to Wang Guan and his companions.

Hearing this, Wang Guan and the others exchanged bewildered looks.

After a brief moment of thought, Wang Guan decided he couldn't be bothered to guess anymore and spoke plainly, "What happened in Exhibition Hall No. 7, and why do you suspect us? At the very least, let us know what the issue is. Furthermore, bring out the surveillance footage for us to review. If the evidence is irrefutable, are you suggesting we would stubbornly deny it?"

"Exactly."

Old Meng and the others nodded repeatedly. As people of status and cultural refinement, if they were truly responsible for any negative impact, they would naturally apologize and compensate for any losses. However, if they were being wrongly accused, they wouldn't hesitate to demand an apology and restoration of reputation from the supervisor.

The supervisor understood this logic and showed a faint flicker of hesitation. But recalling the footage captured by the surveillance cameras instantly dispelled this doubt, leading him instead to think that Wang Guan and the others were simply refusing to believe the truth until the bitter end. Since they wanted to be publicly shown up, he might as well oblige them.

With that thought, the supervisor's expression grew colder. Without saying more, he simply waved his hand lightly, and someone nearby immediately brought an object over and placed it on the table next to Wang Guan’s group.

Wang Guan and the others followed the movement and saw that the object on the table was a shūzhuāng lián (cosmetic casket).

Speaking of the shūzhuāng lián, perhaps many people don't understand what it is. If one were to use a modern term, the understanding would immediately become clear. Simply put, the so-called shūzhuāng lián is the modern makeup box.

In ancient times, women preparing their toilette often used just as much, if not more, rouge and powder than modern women. However, due to the inferior sealing techniques of the time and the lack of exquisite glass containers to hold cosmetics, dressing tables ended up cluttered with numerous small jars and pots.

Everyone knows that too many items make things inconvenient to use. Thus, a clever person invented the shūzhuāng lián, integrating various containers for rouge and powder into a single box. This box had a specific name; the ancients called it lián, or colloquially, jìnglián or shūzhuāng lián.

Of course, although they were all shūzhuāng lián, there was a world of difference between the caskets used by ordinary families and those used by the wealthy and noble.

Ordinary families, lacking means, usually had simple wooden boxes adorned with basic carved patterns, so there wasn't much to elaborate on. But the cosmetic caskets of the affluent, even if made of wood, were crafted with meticulous care.

Firstly, the wood used would undoubtedly be extremely precious material, such as Zitan or Huanghuali. Secondly, the craftsmanship would be exquisite, perhaps even inlaid with gold, silver, or gems. For the truly immensely wealthy or noble families, the materials might be pure gold, silver, lacquerware, ivory, or jade, showcasing their lavishness.

The shapes were also infinitely varied. The most common was likely circular, but square, rectangular, or polygonal forms were not uncommon either. Furthermore, depending on the different storage requirements for the cosmetic accessories, there were single-layer or double-layer designs, and the difference in layers added even more variation to the lián's shape...

However, the lián before them was clearly a relatively simple, circular, single-layer design. Yet, a simple structure did not imply simple value. After all, a shūzhuāng lián decorated with red lacquer and painted with dragon and phoenix motifs was not something even an ordinary rich person would dare to use. In ancient times, daring to use dragon and phoenix motifs strongly suggested it was an imperial artifact, or at the very least, something bestowed by the court upon meritorious nobles.

Thus, there was no question that this shūzhuāng lián was extremely valuable. Wang Guan and the others were well aware of this, which is why they had observed it carefully when viewing it in Exhibition Hall No. 7. It was precisely because of this careful observation that they were even more puzzled: the lián was still here, it hadn't been stolen—on what grounds was the supervisor interrogating them?

Seeing their utterly bewildered expressions, the supervisor felt even more repulsed, believing they were feigning ignorance even at this stage—truly refusing to see reason until facing death.

"Open the lid of the casket and take a look," the supervisor, now convinced they were the culprits and having lost patience, said bluntly. "Two of the inner compartments are missing."

"What?"

Hearing this, Wang Guan and the others realized the situation with a slight start. At the same instant, Old Meng reached out and directly lifted the lid, peering down.

As mentioned before, the shūzhuāng lián was an apparatus that integrated and fixed small cosmetic boxes of various sizes. This casket was no different; it had nine recessed compartments carved inside, varying in size—some long, some square, some round. These compartments were meant to hold the small makeup boxes, each position fixed securely to allow for easy access without confusion.

But at this moment, only seven small boxes remained inside the lián; two of the round ones had vanished, clearly indicating another theft.

The word 'another' was used because theft cases in museums, both domestic and international, were unfortunately common occurrences. Not just major museums like the Palace Museum in China, but even super-large museums in Britain and America frequently reported news of robberies. It could be said that as long as items in a museum held value, incidents of theft were inevitable.

Of course, inevitability did not mean a lack of preventative measures. Security cameras, for example, were the most conventional method. After an item was stolen, reviewing video recordings should make it relatively easy to find key clues. Clearly, Wang Guan and his group were the primary suspects.

"Now," the supervisor asked, with a touch of triumph in his voice, "what else do you have to say?" After all, swiftly discovering a theft and apprehending the alleged thieves counted as a success.

Especially on such a grand day, reporting this to Mr. Feng later on would surely please him, perhaps leading to a raise or promotion. Thinking of this, the supervisor unconsciously allowed a smile to grace his lips...

Wang Guan and the others naturally refused to confess. Sha Qingfeng flatly stated, "Where is the surveillance footage? Let us see it. Why must you assume we did it?"

At the same time, the supervisor could no longer hold back, his expression full of disdain. He scoffed, "To this extent, and you still won't admit it? You are simply being shameless."

"I was considering, if you had honestly admitted your mistake and voluntarily returned the items, I might have considered overlooking your responsibility. But since you insist on lying, don't blame me for calling the police."

As he spoke, the supervisor picked up the receiver, preparing to dial.

"What's going on? Why are you calling the police?"

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a steady voice carrying a degree of authority entered.

"Mr. Feng!"

In an instant, not only the supervisor but also the other attendants quickly stood up and called out.

"Mm."

Mr. Feng walked in lightly, accompanied by several people behind him; his entourage was not insignificant.

However, upon entering, Mr. Feng ignored his own staff and walked directly toward Wang Guan, a warm smile on his face. "I haven't seen Mr. Wang around; I thought perhaps you hadn't arrived."

"Mr. Feng invited me so graciously; how could I possibly not come?" Wang Guan chuckled lightly, though his spirits were not high, as anyone accused of theft would naturally be in poor spirits.

Mr. Feng noticed the tension and glanced between the supervisor and the attendants, then tentatively asked, "Is Mr. Wang upset that I kept you waiting?" (To be continued...) No pop-up novel website www.RT