The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 161 Who Stole the Bracelet?

Chapter 161: Chapter 161 Who Stole the Bracelet?

Shen Mingzhu was called by Zhong Qing to help choose the button patterns in the fabric room. When she returned to the exhibition hall, she saw the reception staff with anxious and grave expressions on their faces.

"Miss Zhong, I am very sorry to disturb you, but I’d like to ask this lady by your side if she has touched the Qingyu Bracelet on the display case by the window?"

Zhong Qing asked calmly, "What happened?"

"I had just gone to the changing room, and when I came back, I discovered that the Qingyu Bracelet was gone." The receptionist spoke with great restraint and caution, "I just wanted to ask if this lady might have accidentally moved the bracelet to somewhere else?"

Shen Mingzhu denied emphatically, "No, I didn’t touch the bracelet."

The receptionist then fell silent, but her complexion was quite unsightly.

Even if she harbored suspicions, she did not dare to outright accuse Shen Mingzhu without evidence, for Zhong Qing at Shen Mingzhu’s side was someone she could not afford to offend.

At this moment, Sun Feifei returned from the direction of the restroom.

Sighting Sun Feifei, the receptionist immediately approached her to inquire, with almost the exact same words she had used for Shen Mingzhu.

From the moment Shen Mingzhu learned of the bracelet’s disappearance, she had an ominous guess in her heart, and now seeing Feifei had not left, her suspicions only deepened.

Sun Feifei first denied taking the bracelet and then, with a twirl of her eyes, looked at Shen Mingzhu, "Shen Mingzhu, you should know where the bracelet is, right?"

Shen Mingzhu returned the gaze coldly, "Why would I know if you don’t?"

Sun Feifei: "Since I came in, you’ve been staring intently at the bracelet, and then we went to the changing room to get dressed. You were the only one in the exhibition hall. If you want to prove your innocence, it’s very simple, just let them check your bag, right?"

"There’s no need."

The voice came from Zhong Qing, whose tone remained unhurried and gentle as she spoke to the receptionist, "I have purchased the bracelet. Please put the bill in my name, and we’ll settle it all together later."

The receptionist was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

Sun Feifei stared at Zhong Qing, her expression both shocked and filled with jealousy.

What kind of luck does Shen Mingzhu have, always having various patrons by her side to help?

She said unwillingly, "That bracelet wasn’t cheap, right? It’s just disappeared without a trace; how can this matter be settled without explanation?"

Zhong Qing looked towards Sun Feifei, her usually smiling amber eyes devoid of mirth this time, but her voice remained gentle, "I have lost count of how many bracelets of this quality I have lost since I was young. If I had to search for every single one, I would spend my whole life searching for bracelets and do nothing else."

Sun Feifei was left speechless.

"Let’s call the police."

Just when everyone thought the matter was about to be put to rest, Shen Mingzhu suddenly said something shocking.

Sun Feifei reacted the fastest, "Yes, call the police! Let the public security handle this for the fairest investigation!"

After speaking, seeing everyone looking at her, Feifei hurriedly explained, "I just don’t want to be wrongly suspected of theft. Shen Mingzhu, you wouldn’t want that either, would you?"

Shen Mingzhu replied with a sardonic smile, "I’m not like you; I prefer seeing the real culprit caught, which is always a satisfying sight."

Sun Feifei’s face stiffened for a moment, then she spoke as if nothing was amiss, "Alright, then let’s wait and see."

The receptionist, unsure of what to do, looked towards Zhong Qing.

The latter nodded in agreement, prompting the receptionist to turn and make the call.

"It’s hot outside; let’s go inside and wait," said Zhong Qing as she moved to pull Shen Mingzhu back into the exhibition hall, only to be stopped by Sun Feifei.

"We should all enter together once the police arrive," she asserted.

Zhong Qing looked tranquilly at her opponent, still speaking softly—but her words were anything but gentle, "Are you going to walk away on your own, or should I have someone throw you out?"

Sun Feifei’s complexion subtly changed.

"Forget it," Shen Mingzhu patted Zhong Qing’s arm.

Zhong Qing turned her head. The elegant and domineering socialite had suddenly transformed into a coquettish woman, "I’m hot, I don’t want to stay outside."

Shen Mingzhu was at a loss for a moment, then pointed to a clump of banana plants in the courtyard, "Go there, it’s cooler, and have them move a chair for you to sit on."

"Alright," she agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

It had to be said, a socialite was truly a socialite, even an ordinary bamboo chair seemed to exude the aura of a work of art when she sat on it.

Banana plants, bamboo chairs, and the beauty in the cheongsam were so enchanting that they resembled a painting.

Shen Mingzhu wondered which man would be so fortunate as to marry such an exceptionally beautiful woman as she looked at Zhong Qing’s profile.

The news of the bracelet’s disappearance spread quickly, and other staff members at Junlin also gathered around, whispering and speculating to each other.

It wasn’t worth mentioning the distant past, but in the last decade or so, Junlin had not experienced any theft.

Those who could enter Junlin were either wealthy or noble, or were introduced by regular patrons; their quality and upbringing were assured.

However, today was an exception, with Shen Mingzhu and Sun Feifei, both newcomers.

It was hard not to harbor doubts and disdain for both when a theft occurred shortly after their arrival.

Zhong Qing’s light brown eyes shimmered as they watched Shen Mingzhu, her tone tinged with a touch of petulance.

"Why go through such trouble and inconvenience for something money can easily solve?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled back, "If someone has set the stage, it’s not polite to refuse to play along, is it?"

From a distance, Sun Feifei looked at the two women’s intimate gestures and felt a surge of jealousy and envy.

She too wished to have such a wealthy and influential friend, then she could effortlessly enter the circle of high society.

The police arrived quickly.

After learning the circumstances of the bracelet’s disappearance, two police officers immediately wanted to conduct a search inside the exhibit hall.

"Hold on."

Seeing Shen Mingzhu intervene, Sun Feifei immediately questioned loudly, "Shen Mingzhu, could it be that you’re feeling guilty?"

Ignoring the other party, Shen Mingzhu addressed the two police officers with her own opinion, "It’s hot, and hands are sweaty. It’s easy to leave fingerprints on the surface of jade. I bet the thief’s fingerprints are on that bracelet."

"To avoid destroying evidence, officers, you’d better wear gloves during the search. Additionally, if the bracelet is found, you also shouldn’t touch it. Wait for professionals to come and take fingerprints, and compare them with those present at the scene."

The police officers listened and realized that they were dealing with an expert.

After hearing her words, the staff members who had initially been suspicious of Shen Mingzhu began to dismiss their doubts and instead started to suspect Sun Feifei.

After all, the bracelet couldn’t have just run off on its own.

Sun Feifei never dreamed that Shen Mingzhu had such a strategy up her sleeve.

But she reacted very quickly, "Fingerprints don’t prove anything. The bracelet was there for anyone to try on. Who knows how many fingerprints it has? How could you possibly finish checking all of them?"

Shen Mingzhu smiled faintly, "Don’t you know that after trying on a jade bracelet, the staff immediately clean it to maintain its luster and translucence?"

The receptionist hurriedly agreed, "That’s right, I cleaned the bracelet with silk cloth this morning when it was displayed. I made sure there wasn’t even a speck of dust. Until now, no one has tried the bracelet on."

Watching Sun Feifei’s face turn increasingly pale, Shen Mingzhu’s smile bloomed brilliantly, "I can be one hundred percent sure, I haven’t touched the bracelet. So, if the bracelet is found later, just one check of the fingerprints on it will reveal who stole it."