"Have you seen my fishtail necklace? The one covered in diamonds, the one Sister Jingyan gave me for my birthday!" Cheng Siyan's voice trembled with anxiety.
The group looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Could it be that it was put somewhere and he just forgot about it?" someone guessed.
“Impossible! I wore it specifically today, and it was just now!” Cheng Siyan said firmly.
"Let's all help look for it!" suggested a girl named Jin Xue.
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of girls, some squatting down and others bending over, began to search.
"What's going on?" Han Feng noticed something was wrong and quickly walked over.
Jin Xue briefly told Han Feng about Cheng Siyan losing her necklace. Han Feng frowned, looked at Cheng Siyan, and asked, "Are you sure you lost it here? Where did you go just now? Could it have been dropped somewhere else?"
"I've seen that necklace before. Logically speaking, such a sparkly necklace would definitely be found if it were lost somewhere. It's been so long and no one has said they found it. Could it be... stolen by someone with ulterior motives?" Someone in the crowd muttered quietly.
"Yeah! Could there be a thief among us?"
Cheng Siyan crossed her arms, half-closed her eyes, and slowly scanned the faces of the girls. When she saw Qiu Mang, her gaze lingered for a moment longer.
Han Bing snorted coldly and stepped forward: "What? Do you think we stole your things? We, the Han family, have plenty of necklaces like that. Why would we bother taking your little trinket?"
Qiu Mang glanced at Han Bing and saw that the girl was only in her early twenties with a bit of baby fat on her face, but her words were domineering and she had a strong presence.
"Oh, Bingbing, we all know your Han family is big and powerful, with a diamond and jewelry business. Of course you wouldn't steal anything. We just suspect that someone stole Siyan's necklace. We didn't say that person was you. Why are you so anxious?" Jin Xue quickly smoothed things over.
"Oh, so who do you want to know the thief to be? Is it you, Jin Xue?" Han Bing asked back.
Jin Xue looked embarrassed. She had long heard that the young lady of the Han family had a fiery temper despite her young age, and now it seemed that she was indeed not someone to be trifled with.
"How...how could this be? Our family is a respected family in Guangcheng. How could we do such a petty theft? It would be so shameful if word got out!" Jin Xue was ultimately somewhat weaker under Han Bing's powerful aura.
“Jin Xue is right. Everyone here is a person of importance. They wouldn’t stoop to such petty theft. Of course, I don’t doubt you. But…” Cheng Siyan finished speaking and once again turned her gaze to Qiu Mang.
Seeing this, Qiu Mang stepped forward calmly, her face as still as water: "After saying all this, are you doubting me?"
Cheng Siyan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile, and she said slowly, "Miss Qiu, I didn't say that, but since you've taken the initiative to step forward, I'd like to ask you to cooperate with me on a matter."
How to cooperate?
Qiu Mang's gaze was sharp as he stared directly into Cheng Siyan's eyes, his eyes revealing an unwavering fearlessness.
Cheng Siyan snapped her fingers casually, and immediately, several uniformed security guards walked out from behind her in neat steps.
"Miss Cheng!" the security guards called out respectfully in unison.
“I lost this beloved necklace in your territory, and I strongly suspect that one of your employees took advantage of their position to steal it. I called you here today to ask you to help me search me,” Cheng Siyan said with a slight lift of her chin and a cold expression.
"Let's see who dares to move!" Shi Nan took a step forward and reached out to firmly protect Qiu Mang behind her, like a mother beast protecting her cub, her eyes full of vigilance and anger.
"Qiu Mang didn't steal anything from you. How can you let such an innocent girl be bullied and taken advantage of like this?"
Cheng Siyan laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Miss Shi, aren't you overthinking this? It's just a body search, it's not as serious as you're making it out to be. Besides, if Miss Qiu really didn't steal anything, as you claim, then a search would actually clear her name. Don't you think that makes sense?"
Shi Nan still felt that this matter was completely inappropriate. With her brows furrowed, she firmly retorted, "Even if we're going to search, everyone should be searched together. Why should Qiu Mang be the only one searched? This is clearly unfair!"
A hint of disdain flashed across Cheng Siyan's face. She curled her lip and said contemptuously, "Did you not hear me clearly? Everyone else here comes from a wealthy family and doesn't lack money at all. What motive would they have to steal? Right now, you two are the most suspicious. Am I being blunt enough?"
"Is Miss Cheng's necklace very valuable?" A deep and magnetic male voice seemed to come from the depths of the night, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Everyone turned around to look at the sound, and saw Lu Yanting walking towards them with his hands casually in his pockets, exuding an aura that was impossible to ignore.
"Brother Yanting, this is the fishtail necklace that Sister Jingyan gave me last time. I've always loved it, and I only took it out to wear today. It's a limited edition worldwide, you must know that."
Upon seeing Lu Yanting appear, Cheng Siyan immediately dropped her previous arrogance, her tone becoming soft and aggrieved, and her eyes seemed to well up with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
"Since you value it so much, then no matter the cost, we must find it tonight." Lu Yanting's tone was calm, revealing no emotional fluctuations.
Upon hearing Lu Yanting's words, which seemed to indicate that he was on her side, Cheng Siyan immediately perked up, her eyes lighting up as she eagerly asked, "Then, Brother Yanting also agreed to let me search you, right?"
Lu Yanting tilted his head slightly, his gaze like a deep pool, slowly landing on Qiu Mang, but he spoke to Cheng Siyan.
“Since you lost something so valuable, a body search isn’t enough. Just call the police! This kind of behavior constitutes a crime, and it’s best to let the police handle it.”
A fleeting, almost imperceptible panic crossed Cheng Siyan's eyes. She quickly said, "We're all friends, why make such a fuss? I just want to find my necklace. As long as it's found, let's pretend this never happened. I'm magnanimous and won't hold it against them!"
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