Chapter 17 The truth comes out
The Shanghai Museum is located in the city center, close to many shopping districts, making it a short walk. Qin Tian walked along, explaining to Tong Zhongyuan which shops had special snacks, which milk tea shops were delicious, and which hand-brewed coffee shops were excellent. As they approached People's Park, Qin Tian suddenly remembered Tong Zhongyuan's love of running and said to him, "Now you can only run in People's Park at night. Don't come during the day."
Tong Zhongyuan was puzzled and asked why. Qin Tian said, "You can't run during the day. You'll be surrounded by onlookers." The specialty of People's Park during the day is the crowds of elderly people looking for sons-in-law and daughters-in-law.
When they reached the pedestrian street, Qin Tian took him to a new-style crab meat soup restaurant and demonstrated to Tong Zhongyuan how to use WeChat to scan the QR code to order and pay. Just as the soup dumplings were served, her phone rang. It was Tang Zhixu calling.
Tang Zhixu hadn't been to the museum today; he was in Beijing on business, attending the Qi Gong calligraphy exhibition. In Beijing, such events are followed by banquets, where everyone clinks glasses and praises each other's status. Logically, he should be busy socializing right now, so he wouldn't have contacted her unless it was urgent.
Qin Tian glanced at Tong Zhongyuan. Given his personality, he'd definitely avoid her if he got a call, answering from afar. But they were sitting in a semi-open snack bar, where could she go? Unless she took a detour and walked out. Never mind. We'd already come to China, so why would we care? She simply leaned over and swiped to answer the call.
"Have you read the link I just sent?" Tang Zhixu asked without thinking.
Qin Tian was just using Tong Zhongyuan's phone to demonstrate how to place an order and pay, and he didn't look at his own phone.
"I wasn't looking at my phone, what's wrong?"
"Take a look."
Tang Zhixu wasn't one to hesitate, and Qin Tian suddenly had a subtle, ominous premonition. She opened WeChat and felt dizzy just by looking at the link title.
Artifact from the British Museum has appeared on eBay for just £40!
Qin Tian stood up suddenly, without saying hello, and walked out of the store.
Tong Zhongyuan stopped eating when he saw her answer the phone, turning his gaze away to examine the unremarkable decor of the small shop. He didn't expect Qin Tian to suddenly leave the table. Watching her hurried back, Tong Zhongyuan vaguely suspected she might have encountered some urgent matter. His phone also rang at that moment, an email notification. He opened the email and took a look, his brows gradually furrowing.
"How long has the news been out? Does Director Ming know about it?" Qin Tian asked a series of questions.
"The news is the latest. Ming has more channels than us, so he should know it by now."
"What should I do? Should I call him now?"
"He must be contacting various parties right now, and it's already evening. Think about what to say tonight and talk to him tomorrow."
Qin Tian held the phone, biting her nails, and remained silent. She knew it, but she really couldn't wait. She even wanted to rush to Director Ming's house.
"Do you want me to come back now?" Tang Zhixu's voice sounded a little worried.
Qin Tian slowly shook his head, forgetting that Tang Zhixu couldn't see. She said, "What are you doing back here? Drink less tonight, and when I toast you, just say you're taking cefuroxime these days. Those guys are really wild."
Tang Zhixu was silent for a second, then said, "I see. Where are you? Not at home?"
Qin Tian remained silent. She was outside, with the British Museum staff who had just been in the news. He didn't know yet that the luggage he brought back from London the day before yesterday contained two of the museum's artifacts.
"Qin Tian? Did you hear that?"
"I heard you. I'm outside and will be home soon. I won't say any more. Go ahead and do your work."
Qin Tian hung up the phone and walked back to the store. From a distance, she saw Tong Zhongyuan sitting calmly, the food on the table still untouched. When he saw her come back, he looked up and smiled.
She knew he would never ask her what happened, he firmly adhered to the privacy of the distance. But at this moment, how could she have the nerve to eat with him face to face? The storm had already arrived, and he was completely unaware, and she had dragged him into the center of the storm without any preparation.
"I..." She didn't dare to look him in the eye. "I have something urgent to do. I have to go back first."
"Okay." Tong Zhongyuan said, "I'll treat you to a meal next time. Thank you very much for today."
"Don't thank me!" Qin Tian thought she was just shouting in her heart, but he heard his own voice.
Tong Zhongyuan was startled for a moment, then reacted and said with a smile, "Okay, no more polite words. Go back quickly. See you tomorrow."
Qin Tian left. Tong Zhongyuan checked his phone. Several colleagues had emailed him about the latest scandal at the British Museum. Honestly, he wasn't too bothered. It was a scandal, but it had nothing to do with him. The museum might be in chaos, but he was abroad, spared from the chaos. He looked at the table full of his favorite dim sum and picked up a steamed dumpling. It was better than Din Tai Fung in London. She had recommended it.
After dinner, he strolled back to the hotel. His old home, before he left for England, wasn't far from here, but it was no longer like the old days. He followed the navigation system to take a shortcut through People's Park, thinking about what she had said on the way here.
She struck him as impulsive and somewhat careless, yet surprisingly attentive. She downloaded apps covering every aspect of life, and fearing he wouldn't know how to use them, she took him on a hands-on demonstration, even taking into account his running habits.
When she came to the UK, he just picked her up on the first day to go to the port for inspection as a routine, and then gave her a travel book and never asked any more questions.
At night, the lights of the square shimmered, a city brighter than London. He opened WeChat and scrolled through her Moments. She hadn't posted much, the most recent one from her first day in London. It was a photo of fries. The caption read: "Fish and chips, awful."
Qin Tian walked along the night road, unsure of where to go. Home? What could she do there? Oh, there were two more artifacts waiting for her at home. This thief in the British Museum might be giving away the addresses of all the buyers, including Tong Zhongyuan's.
Tang Zhixu told her to talk to Director Ming again tomorrow morning. She knew the reasoning, but she couldn't do it. She picked up her phone and called Ming Yuanxing. The line was busy. She sat on the street corner and tried every ten minutes. On the third call, the line connected, and Qin Tianxia instinctively stood up.
"Xiao Qin," Ming Yuanxing's voice came, "I'm sorry, I should have called you earlier. Are you worried?"
"Director Ming..."
"There's been a lot going on lately, including the incident with the rotating heart bottle. I've been meaning to talk to you about it, but I just couldn't find the time. I should have told you sooner. Don't worry about that. I'm glad you told me in time. As for me, I thought about it and contacted their director. I told him that while on a business trip to London, our experts discovered a possible preservation flaw in their collection. Unsure, and unable to communicate with the director, we kept the artifacts to ourselves for the honor of the Shanghai Museum. We purchased them and brought them back to China. They're now in the Shanghai Museum's warehouse, under surveillance. Once they confirm their identity, we'll return them. The director said it was impossible. You know how important British people are to their reputation. The artifacts were sold on eBay, and even the Shanghai Museum's experts noticed. I don't know if he checked, but I didn't expect it to be exposed by the media now. We don't care. I warned him a week ago anyway."
At this moment, Qin Tian finally understood what it meant to feel relieved and to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. He covered his mouth and sat back on the steps.
"Then Director..." Qin Tian couldn't control the excitement in his voice, "Did you mention the fact that Tong Zhongyuan showed me the internal catalogue?"
"Yes, yes. We can't burden others with this matter. Our experts asked your staff to adjust the catalog. Since we are partners, it's normal to review the catalog. So your staff also actively cooperated, which saved these cultural relics from being lost all over the world. I didn't know that this person was Xiao Tong, hahahaha."
Qin Tian finally relaxed completely and was speechless for a moment.
"Okay, Xiao Qin, you don't have to worry about this anymore. When Xiao Tong returns to England, I'll have him take it back, and this matter will be over. We only spent 500,000 on the Shanghai Museum, and I think it's a good thing that the British Museum owes us such a big favor. As for the revolving vase, it's broken, and there's nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, Xiao Tong is here. Although the broken vase can never be truly restored, at least he can restore it to its original appearance. Another call came in, I'll..."
"Director Ming," Qin Tian said anxiously, "Wait a minute, I have something else to tell you. I actually bought a total of thirteen cultural relics, and the last two were Chinese cultural relics. Because they were shipped late, I... asked Tong Zhongyuan to collect them. He... didn't know what he was getting, but he brought them to China this time."
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