Chapter 249: 【249】The fish is on the hook_1
 

“Mr. Tang, rest assured, my friends here are all extremely wealthy. As long as there’s nothing wrong with your item, no matter how much it costs, they can pay.” Wang Xiaodao immediately assured him.

Tang Feng rubbed his hands together excitedly, “Then I’ll thank Big Brother Wang in advance. As long as I can sell this bracelet, I promise to give you a big red envelope.”

Wang Xiaodao smiled insincerely, “The red envelope is secondary. The main point is that my friends here all do legitimate business. They might not want anything of dubious origin.”

“May I ask, Mr. Tang, how did you come by this bracelet?”

“Well…” Tang Feng looked somewhat embarrassed, unsure whether to continue.

“If it’s inconvenient for you to say, then never mind.” Wang Xiaodao smiled and smoothed things over.

“I wouldn’t tell anyone else, but I get along with Big Brother Wang, so I’ll let you in on the secret,” Tang Feng spoke in a deliberately mysterious whisper, “Actually, I stole it from the store.”

Wang Xiaodao was taken aback, “From the store? What store?”

Tang Feng took a cigarette out of his pack.

Wang Xiaodao, quick on his feet, hurried to light it for him.

Tang Feng exhaled a puff of smoke before continuing, “From our landlady, Mrs. Qin’s antique store called Ya Garden. I work there as an appraiser.”

Wang Xiaodao was somewhat taken aback, “You’re so young and already an appraiser?”

Tang Feng chuckled awkwardly, “What appraiser? It’s just a title. Actually, I have ‘that sort’ of relationship with Mrs. Qin, hehe you know what I mean.”

A sleazy smile immediately appeared on Wang Xiaodao’s face, “Oh, I see, I get it.”

Tang Feng was handsome indeed, certainly having the looks to be kept by a woman.

Just thinking about Qin Yanan’s appearance and figure made him quite envious.

Indeed, being handsome is such an advantage, managing to snag such a pretty and wealthy lady.

“If you’re doing so well as an appraiser, why did you steal that bracelet?” Wang Xiaodao quickly regained his composure and continued his questioning.

“Psh, what appraiser? I only earn just over ten thousand a month, what can I do with that?”

Tang Feng complained for a while, then suddenly changed the subject, “A few days ago, Mrs. Qin brought back a bracelet, claiming it was worth over thirty million.”

“I thought, instead of being kept my whole life, I might as well make a big score. Steal the bracelet and sell it off, then I could live the high life forever.”

Wang Xiaodao’s heart raced. He was almost certain that the bracelet Tang Feng was talking about was the treasure they had been searching for these past few days.

However, he still tried to keep calm and continued to inquire, “Aren’t you afraid Mrs. Qin will give you trouble for selling that bracelet?”

“Pff, that woman is so foolish, she knows nothing about antiques. I’ve already replaced it with a fake, she won’t notice for now.”

“And by the time she does notice, that would be ages away.”

Tang Feng didn’t hold back in his disdain for Qin Yanan, a look of triumph on his face.

“That makes sense,” Wang Xiaodao chuckled dryly, quickly thinking of his next move.

After finishing the remaining cans of beer with Tang Feng, the latter staggered to his feet, “I can’t drink any more, I’ve got some things to do this afternoon. Gotta go.”

“The matter of contacting a buyer, I’ll have to leave it to Big Brother Wang.”

Wang Xiaodao hastily stood up, “You can count on me, Mr. Tang. Wait for my good news.”

Tang Feng left, satisfied.

Wang Xiaodao stealthily followed him to make sure he returned to his third-floor room. After a while, he watched him come out and go downstairs.

Wang Xiaodao felt a surge of excitement and fumbled for his phone to dial Xu Hongyuan’s number.

Xu Hongyuan was sitting on the couch at home, listening to Zhao Huaqiang as he briefed him on the last few days’ investigation results.

“Mr. Xu, after our investigation over the past few days, we’ve clarified the people Shen Tianyan met with before leaving Zhonghai. Please have a look,” said Liu Huaqiang as he handed over some documents.

Xu Hongyuan skimmed the documents with some dissatisfaction, “You’ve been investigating for so many days, and this is what you bring me?”

“All I want to know is who has the bracelet. You’re still unsure about that?”

Zhao Huaqiang wiped the sweat from his forehead in a hurry, “Please give me two more days… oh, one will do. I guarantee I’ll bring you a satisfactory answer.”

Xu Hongyuan was about to say more when his phone suddenly rang.

He looked at the caller ID to see it was Wang Xiaodao and casually answered.

“Mr. Wang, how have you been resting these past few days?” He was still very polite to the ‘Thief King’ of Gan Province.

“Mr. Xu, I know whose hands the bracelet is in now,” Wang Xiaodao announced explosively.

Xu Hongyuan instantly sat upright, “You know? Where?”

“In Qin Yanan’s hands, oh no, it’s actually in Tang Feng’s now,” Wang Xiaodao said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Xu Hongyuan glanced at the documents in his hand, which indeed included Qin Yanan.

However, out of the caution that came with years of experience, he felt something was amiss and pressed on, “How did you find out?”

“Kind of stumbled upon it by accident, just now in the corridor I ran into that guy…” Wang Xiaodao briefly described the recent incident.

After listening to the story, Xu Hongyuan furrowed his brows, “Why would the kid tell you all this? Could there be a catch?”

“He’s desperate to find a buyer; he might be grasping at straws. That kid seems really naive, I don’t think he’s lying,” said Wang Xiaodao, eager to conclude the deal after spending too much time in Zhonghai, which made him inclined to believe Tang Feng.

“I still think it’s better to be cautious, perhaps observe a bit longer,” Xu Hongyuan suggested, preferring caution.

There was a moment of silence on Wang Xiaodao’s end, “How’s the search going on your side, Mr. Xu? Got any final results yet?”

Xu Hongyuan looked at the documents on the table, “We’ve narrowed it down to the final few suspects, it won’t take long to find out the truth.”

“Does that include Qin Yanan?” Wang Xiaodao persisted.

“It does.” Xu Hongyuan didn’t conceal the information.

“Then there you go. Your suspect includes Qin Yanan, and my intel also points to Qin Yanan purchasing that bracelet. What’s there to doubt?”

“But…”