Thinking of this, he frowned and pondered for a moment, then said to the experts present, "I'm sorry, everyone. The painting has been swapped, and this one is also fake. I'm sorry to interrupt your interest today and waste your precious time. Please forgive me."
The experts on the scene immediately expressed their opinions before she could finish her words:
"Officer Wen, don't worry about us. It doesn't matter whether we see it or not. What's important is that this national treasure doesn't fall into the wrong hands. We must get it back!"
"Yes, yes, Officer Wen, please leave us alone and get the painting back first. We have plenty of time to explore it. If the painting is lost, it will be the greatest loss to the country and the art world!"
"How dare they swap national treasures in broad daylight? Who has the guts to do that?"
Several experts even solemnly pleaded:
"Officer Wen, it's been over a month since the handover ceremony, so tracking it down will undoubtedly be difficult. However, I implore you, for the sake of our nation's historical heritage, to do everything you can to recover the painting!"
"Yes, we can't just sit there and watch this national treasure disappear. The archaeological community needs it, and the art world needs it too. If it were lost, the loss would be incalculable. Online, netizens were incredibly enthusiastic and excited about the return of this national treasure. I wonder how disappointed they would be if they knew their hopes were dashed, that the painting on display was a fake, and that the real one is nowhere to be found!"
Wen Qianqian listened and nodded seriously. After a moment's thought, she looked at the experts present earnestly and said, "Don't worry, experts. On behalf of the District C police, I, Wen Qianqian, guarantee that we will do our utmost to recover the national treasure and will not let you down!"
Then, she raised her eyes and said, "I wonder if anyone has heard recently about the case our bureau uncovered where an antique appraisal shop bought antiques at low prices and then smuggled them out of the country for illegal resale?"
The expert on the other side nodded. "Everyone has heard about this. The entire archaeological community is shocked. We never imagined someone would dare to dig up tombs privately and smuggle all our treasures out of the country. Those who do these things disregard the laws of our country. This is treason! These people should be imprisoned for life!"
"Yes, these people should all face legal sanctions," Wen Qianqian said, looking at the indignant experts before her. "We suspect the replacement of national treasures and the illegal resale of antiques are linked. After the bureau discovered the resale, it strictly controlled all channels that could transport antiques abroad. So please rest assured, the national treasures are most likely still in China."
She solemnly promised: "Please give us some time. I promise to give you a satisfactory explanation."
The experts felt relieved after hearing this:
"Officer Wen, we trust you. Just go ahead and do it. We're waiting for your good news!"
"Yes, yes, go ahead. If there's anything you need us to do, just tell us. We fully support the police action!"
Wen Qianqian nodded in thanks after hearing this, then left the hall and immediately went to find the museum director.
At this moment, the curator had just returned from a business trip. As he approached the office, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he responded while tidying up his office.
When Wen Qianqian heard the response, she immediately pushed the door open and walked to the director's desk. Then she greeted the director opposite her: "Hello, Director."
The curator looked at her, stunned for a moment, then touched his chin and suddenly remembered: "Oh, oh, oh, I remember you. You are Officer Wen who participated in the national heritage program we co-produced with Imperial Capital TV. You also introduced our treasure, the painting of the young general surrendering his horse, on the program."
As he spoke, his eyes lit up with a smile: "Hello, Officer Wen, what do you want to talk to me about today?"
Wen Qianqian nodded, then looked at the curator: "Please don't be surprised by what I'm going to say next."
The person on the other side became curious: "What's the matter? Officer Wen, please tell me."
Wen Qianqian looked at him: "I just saw the national treasure painting in the hall. It's not real, it's a fake."
"What?" Although the curator had prepared himself mentally, he couldn't help but stiffen when she said that. "You're saying the painting is fake?"
"Yeah," Wen Qianqian nodded. "Before I came in to see you, I had already reported it to the police station. The chief will bring people over soon to take the painting away."
Seeing the director's stunned expression, she said, "So, I'll have to trouble you to issue a notice stating that the national treasure painting is undergoing proper preservation and is temporarily off-limits to the public."
The curator was stunned for a long time before finally sighing dejectedly, "Oh, how could this national treasure that we finally got back be a fake? What a sin!"
Then he looked at Wen Qianqian and said, "Issuing an announcement is easy, but you can hide it temporarily, not forever. Do you know how passionate the people across the country are about this painting? How many people line up every day waiting to see it? I can issue an announcement to keep this a secret for now, but if everyone knew that this painting was fake and it wouldn't be exhibited anymore, how sad they would be!"
Wen Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "I know everything you said. The most important thing now is to get the painting back. I don't have time to explain it to you, but please trust the police. We will do our best to handle this matter properly."
The curator nodded and said, "Okay, I trust you and your District C Police Station."
Wen Qianqian responded, turned around and left, heading straight to the Imperial Capital TV station. Since she had previously recorded the show "Shuo Shuo Online" and had connections with the program director and the deputy station director, she easily obtained the entire TV station's video surveillance footage from that day. Afterwards, she immediately returned to the police station.
Seeing her walking briskly back to the police station, Zhao Shan couldn't help but lean over and said, "I just saw the National Museum's announcement saying that the National Treasure Map is undergoing maintenance to prevent damage and won't be open to the public for the time being. Is there something wrong?"
He knew that Wen Qianqian had been busy with paintings recently. She first went to Touguo to authenticate the paintings, and today she went to the National Museum to conduct research with experts. However, she came back before the end of the day, and the National Museum also issued a notice. It was obvious that something had happened.
Wen Qianqian said succinctly, "The painting in the museum is fake. Someone has replaced it. I've already reported it to the director. They will go to the museum to make contact soon. I'll come back first to look for clues."
"What?" Zhao Shan was stunned. "The national treasure map on display at the Imperial Capital Museum is fake? Oh my god!"
Then he looked at her. "What happened? Where was it replaced? Was it in a museum, when it was donated, or at an earlier auction?"
She thought for a moment and told him, "It must have been when it was donated. Just before it was donated, the painting was taken to the studio upstairs to record a program. I saw it live at the time. It was real."
"Oh my god," Zhao Shan said with wide eyes. "Sister, I never knew you were such a versatile person. You even know how to appraise antiques."
Wen Qianqian waved her hand: "That's not the point. The point is to figure out how the painting was lost, and then figure out who has it now."
After saying that, she frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Did Xie Yunjin do anything while I was abroad?"
Zhao Shan blinked, then remembered: "Oh, right, if you hadn't asked, I would have forgotten to tell you."
He was a bit mysterious. "That day, the news broke that the real thing might have been found. As soon as you guys got on the plane, Xie Yunjin disguised himself as a 60-year-old man and went to the airport in the capital."
"Of course. Because you explained it before, we kept close surveillance on the Xie family and immediately tracked any suspicious vehicles. Finally, we contacted immigration, and as soon as Xie Yunjin showed up, he was denied exit, so he had no choice but to return in disgrace."
"We were secretly monitoring him, so he couldn't show up," Zhao Shan said with a beaming smile. "So we didn't stop him ourselves. We just asked the immigration control department to stop him. The guys we sent to follow him came back and showed me photos of Xie Yunjin from that time. Oh my god, he was pretending to be an old man so convincingly. Not only was his face disguised, but even his body posture was specifically designed to imitate that of an elderly person."
Zhao Shan exclaimed in amazement. "Honestly, if we hadn't sent people to follow his car as soon as he came out, we would have never found him. He's pretending to be so real. I don't know who trained him in makeup. I even suspect his ancestors had some secret to disguise themselves."
After hearing this, Wen Qianqian breathed a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, fortunately you guys caught up, otherwise if he really left the country, the consequences would be disastrous."
Zhao Shan rolled his eyes. "It seems you suspect Xie Yunjin stole the painting himself. By publicly donating the painting, you can both gain a good reputation and help the appraisal company hype up its antique business. Kill two birds with one stone?"
Wen Qianqian nodded: "But he was too greedy. He wanted both fame and fortune, but he couldn't bear to part with the painting. In the end, he even had someone steal it and replaced it."
After she finished speaking, a gleam in her eyes: "I've always wanted to search their house, but I didn't have the opportunity. Plus, he's a foreigner, so it's difficult to apply for a search warrant. Now is the perfect opportunity. Once we find a clue, we'll have sufficient reason to apply for a search warrant."
Zhao Shan was immediately excited after hearing this: "Oh my god, that sounds exciting! Is there anything I can do?"
Wen Qianqian curled her lips and handed Zhao Shan a copy of the video she had copied from the TV station. "This is the entire TV station's video recording of the day. Let's each have a copy. Let's take a look at what happened that day from all angles. Pay special attention to the emcee who appeared at the program and the donation site that day."
"Okay." Zhao Shan agreed, and the two of them immediately started working.
I watched the video from day to night. I just finished sorting out the etiquette lady's route and looked up. It was already 10 o'clock in the evening.
Zhao Shan yawned. "Hey, it's really tiring to work with you, sister. You work too hard. I want to work with you, but my stomach and energy won't allow it."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door: "Qianqian, can I come in?"
Zhao Shan was stunned for a moment, then immediately perked up: "Damn, who would come here so late?"
Wen Qianqian curled the corners of her mouth and stood up to open the door.
The door opened, and the dim light from the corridor outside shone on the clothes of the person who came in. He was wearing a thin gray shirt, which made the night look a little gentler.
Wen Qianqian saw him and raised the corner of her mouth: "You're here so soon?"
Lu Xingyan on the opposite side nodded: "When I sent you a message, I was already downstairs."
Zhao Shan looked at Wen Qianqian, then at Lu Xingyan: "Tsk... Let me make it clear in advance, dog abuse is prohibited in the office!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Xingyan picked up the exquisite takeout box in his hand and glanced at Zhao Shan: "Come, eat."
Zhao Shan was stunned: "I have a share too?"
Lu Xingyan looked at Wen Qianqian, then at him: "Of course you have a share. Qianqian works hard, and you've worked hard following her. You deserve a reward."
Zhao Shan let out a cry and happily accepted the midnight snack and coffee from Lu Xingyan's hands. He sighed as he looked at them, "How could I, Zhao Shan, have such good deeds that I could even trouble the richest man in Beijing to send me midnight snacks? If anyone knew about it, I'd be able to brag about it for a whole year."
Wen Qianqian smiled and said, "Alright, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I have to review it again so that I can report to the director tomorrow morning."
Lu Xingyan looked at her with a faint smile on his face. He tried to hold it back, but couldn't help it. He reached out and touched her hair: "Don't be too late."
Wen Qianqian's face instantly heated up when he touched her hair unexpectedly, and she subconsciously replied, "Yeah, okay."
After Lu Xingyan touched her hair, he withdrew his hand contentedly and turned to leave.
Wen Qianqian couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want to sit down and eat something?"
Lu Xingyan waved his hand and pointed to the office building: "No, it's not convenient here. When you are free one day, I will take you to find something delicious."
After saying that, he waved goodbye and turned to leave.
Wen Qianqian stood at the door, watching his back, the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you said you wouldn't abuse the dog, but now you're reluctant to leave." Zhao Shan protested loudly behind him.
Wen Qianqian turned around, clicked her tongue, and then ate some midnight snack before continuing to play the video and saying to Zhao Shan, "Look here."
"There was someone in the studio, and then there was someone outside the studio who looked just like her."
Zhao Shan glanced at the screen and couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap! The beginning and end are so similar, almost identical!"
"Hmm," Wen Qianqian looked at the screen and continued to fast forward the host's line: "So I think they might be twins."
“One is in the studio and the other is outside.”
After she finished speaking, she pointed at the screen and said, "Judging from her movements, she must have known the general layout of the TV station's cameras and consciously avoided them."
After saying that, she continued to fast forward to a corner that was invisible to the camera. The emcee was seen deliberately approaching that blind spot. Then after a while, another camera flashed by and showed another woman who was dressed and looked exactly like the emcee, also approaching the blind spot from another line.
Then the two of them had about a minute of intersection in the blind spot. After a while, an emcee in a cheongsam appeared in front of the TV camera. Half an hour later, the other one came out.
After watching it all, Zhao Shan stared at the screen in amazement. "Holy crap! If we hadn't all been using the computers together, we wouldn't have noticed these intersections. These people are amazing! How did they figure out the location of the TV station, its blind spots, and even its no-man's land so clearly?"
Wen Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "I used to think that in a place like a TV station, where there are cameras everywhere, it would be impossible to fake the substitution, so I was a little careless. Now it seems that there could be loopholes anywhere. As long as someone is determined to commit a crime, they can take advantage of even the smallest blind spot."
"Amazing, amazing!" Zhao Shan watched the video. "This is simply divine positioning. If they move a little further out, passersby will see them. If they move a little further in, they will be captured by the cameras. How long did they spend studying the TV station's terrain and cameras before finding a pair of twins to pull it off?"
Wen Qianqian touched her chin. "I don't know how long they've been planning this, but one thing is certain: Xie Yunjin never really intended to donate the painting. He always wanted to donate it and then find a way to get it back."
"This person is so insidious," Zhao Shan couldn't help but smack his lips. "He wants fame, he wants money, and he also wants paintings. This person is really greedy and sinister."
He looked at Wen Qianqian and said, "Then can we report to the director tomorrow?"
She nodded: "Well, I'll go to work tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Wen Qianqian and Zhao Shan stood directly at the door of the director's office, waiting for Director You to come to work. When they saw the two people standing at the door, they were shocked.
Director You looked at Zhao Shan and asked, "Why do you look so listless? Didn't you go home last night?"
Zhao Shan immediately responded, "Director, I was working overtime with Captain Wen last night and didn't go home."
The director looked at him and couldn't help but smile: "Why is it that Xiao Wen looks so energetic and cheerful, while you look so listless even though we both worked overtime and didn't go home?"
Zhao Shan: ...
It felt like I had been hit by an arrow in the knee.
Wen Qianqian smiled, then showed Director You the contents of last night's video and explained briefly: "This is the situation. Judging from the video, it is most likely that the painting was swapped by the twins."
She looked at Director You and said, "I think the twins will be sent for investigation. We should be able to find the mastermind soon."
Director You nodded: "Okay, approved."
Soon, the police found out the identities of the twins. They used to be clerks selling jewelry in a jewelry store under the Xie Group.
Wen Qianqian struck while the iron was hot and immediately took the twins to the police station for investigation.
When they were found, they had already quit their jobs, taken the money, and were spending their days hanging out in bars, eating, drinking, and having fun. They had no idea that the police would come to their door.
Because Xie Yunjin had told them before that they just needed to replace something, it would be very safe and no one would find out, and he would give them some money after the task was completed, so the two of them agreed.
After the police arrived at their door, the two were so frightened that they quickly confessed that it was Xie Yunjin's secretary Qu Fei who asked them to do it.
"Qu Fei?" Wen Qianqian frowned when she heard the name.
It was him who robbed the tomb last time, and it was also him who contacted the treasure appraisal company. Now he says that he instructed the twins to replace the painting, and it was also him who took the painting away.
Xie Yunjin never shows up and hides behind the scenes. All the public appearances are done by a man named Qu Fei. However, what's even more infuriating is that Qu Fei has disappeared for more than a month and cannot be found at all.
"Shit!" Zhao Shan couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Director You was also in a difficult situation at this time. He could not find direct evidence of Xie Yunjin's evil deeds, nor could he find Qu Fei, so it was difficult to take direct action against Xie Yunjin.
At this moment, Li Zaixin suddenly called the C District Police Station and said that he wanted to report Xie Yunjin directly.
After hearing this, Wen Qianqian curled the corners of her lips and thought, great, I finally waited for it.
The author has something to say:
Catch him, I’ll catch him in the next chapter, I’ll do what I say, hehe.
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