Chapter 384 Public Opinion
The identification result clearly showed that it was a replica.
This news instantly ignited public opinion.
"Holy crap! Is it confirmed?"
"I knew there was something wrong. It's really a fake."
"Oh my god, they even dared to fake a charity auction? Where's your conscience?"
"@Chi Group@Ji Wan, come out and explain."
When Ji Wan saw the public opinion, he felt a blackout in front of his eyes and his phone almost slipped out of his hand.
How could it be fake?
She had clearly checked the items herself to make sure they were all correct.
Before she could recover from her shock, Chi Wenyan's personal cell phone suddenly rang.
The ringing sounded urgent and ominous.
Chi Wenyan answered the phone and his face instantly darkened.
"Hello?"
An anxious and angry voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Mr. Chi, the items you bought at the auction are fake. I took them for appraisal and they are completely forgeries."
After hanging up the phone, before Chi Wenyan could speak, Ji Wan's own phone rang.
It's an unfamiliar number.
She pressed the answer button tremblingly.
"Ms. Ji, is that right? I bought a painting at your auction and asked an expert to look at it. They said it was a modern imitation. You must give me an explanation."
Another call.
"Miss Ji, the jade pendant I bought..."
The calls kept coming in one after another, like death warrants.
The content of each call was exactly the same.
The item is fake.
Fake.
Imitation.
Ji Wan's face gradually turned pale and bloodless.
She slumped on the sofa, her hands tightly covering her lower abdomen, breathing rapidly, and her chest felt like a huge rock was pressing on it.
how so?
This is impossible. Those items are obviously real.
Her mind was in a mess, with countless thoughts flashing through her mind, but she couldn't grasp any clues. Panic, like a cold tide, completely drowned her.
Chi Wenyan walked quickly to her side, squatted down, and held her cold hand.
Looking at her distraught appearance with empty eyes, his heart suddenly tightened.
"Wanwan, don't be afraid."
His voice was low and trembled slightly. He was worried not only about the sudden crisis, but also about her health.
And the fragile little life in her belly.
Chi Wenyan's voice was like a reassurance, steady and powerful, penetrating the buzzing in Ji Wan's ears.
She took a deep breath and pinched her palm with her cold fingertips. The stinging sensation made her confused thoughts clearer.
"I'm fine."
Her voice still had a barely perceptible tremor, but her eyes were shining again.
In that light, there was panic and uncertainty, but also unquestionable tenacity.
"There's no way this matter can be let go like this."
She held onto the armrest of the sofa and struggled to stand up, but the feeling of heaviness in her lower abdomen made her pause.
Chi Wenyan immediately supported her with a frown on his face.
"Wanwan, you need to rest now."
"No." Ji Wan shook his head, his tone firm. "This is coming at us, and even more so at me. I can't hide behind and let others throw mud at me. I've personally examined those items, and every one of them matches. The problem must be somewhere in the middle."
She raised her head and looked at Chi Wenyan with a burning gaze, "Wenyan, I must participate in the investigation. I will pay attention to safety, for the sake of the child and for myself, but I can't do nothing."
Looking at her pale yet determined face, Chi Wenyan's heart felt like it was being pulled by something, and it hurt so much.
He understood her pride, and even more so her unwillingness.
After a moment of silence, he finally nodded.
"Okay, I'll accompany you, but you have to promise me that if you feel any discomfort, you will stop immediately."
"Um."
Ji Wan responded, and his tense body relaxed slightly.
Chi Wenyan didn't delay and immediately called his assistant with a voice as cold as ice.
"Seal all the information about last night's auction, including the personnel list and surveillance footage. Leave nothing unobstructed."
"Notify the security department and conduct a thorough investigation of all individuals responsible for the safekeeping and transfer of the auction items."
"Also, contact the appraisal experts to re-appraise the receipts and photos we have on hand."
The instructions were issued clearly and with a thunderous momentum.
Ji Wan listened quietly at the side, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his lower abdomen.
She knew that a tough battle had begun.
The investigation soon made initial progress. The warehouse manager in charge of sorting the auction items asked for a long vacation the day after the auction ended, citing an emergency at home.
Surveillance footage showed that he stayed alone in the warehouse for a long time on the eve of the auction, and his behavior was somewhat suspicious.
More importantly, financial records showed that a huge deposit from unknown sources suddenly appeared in his account.
All clues point to this supervisor named Wang.
Chi Wenyan's men quickly found Director Wang's temporary residence.
It was an ordinary residential building, which was out of place with the huge amount of money that suddenly appeared in his account.
When I knocked on the door, Manager Wang was carrying a suitcase and looked like he was about to run away.
Seeing the sudden appearance of several bodyguards in black, and Chi Wenyan and Ji Wan following behind them, Manager Wang's face turned pale instantly, and the suitcase in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
"Mr. Chi? Miss Ji?"
He avoided her gaze and cold sweat dripped down his face.
Chi Wenyan's eyes were like knives, piercing straight at him.
"Manager Wang, please explain the money in the account."
Manager Wang's legs went weak and he could hardly stand.
“I…I…”
He stammered and couldn't speak complete sentences.
Ji Wan took a step forward, his voice cold.
"Did you exchange those items?"
Manager Wang suddenly looked up at Ji Wan, his eyes filled with fear.
He opened his mouth, then finally lowered his head dejectedly, as if all his strength had been drained away.
“…It’s me.”
"Who ordered you to do that?"
Chi Wenyan's voice was cold.
Manager Wang's body began to tremble even more violently, his lips quivering, and it took him a long while to utter a name.
"It was Miss He who asked me to do this. It really wasn't my intention, but I had no choice."
"He Wanqing."
When this name came out, Ji Wan's pupils suddenly contracted.
It turned out to be her.
The woman who always has a gentle smile but exudes a sense of incongruity everywhere.
A cold light flashed in Chi Wenyan's eyes.
"How much did she give you?"
"Five million, and a promise that after the matter is completed, you will give me another five million and send me abroad."
Manager Wang's voice was filled with tears. "She said she just wanted to teach Madam Chi a lesson. It's okay..."
"Where's the real thing?" Ji Wan asked, anger boiling in his heart.
"Ms. He took it. She said she would dispose of it..."
"Handle it?" Chi Wenyan sneered, the coldness in his tone sending chills down Director Wang's spine. "Sell the stolen goods and share the profits, right?"
Manager Wang didn't dare to speak anymore and just kept shaking.
Chi Wenyan stopped looking at him and turned to give instructions to the bodyguard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
