Qin Miaomiao returned to the hall and, upon seeing Lu Qing, instinctively touched her neck. Her hand froze—her necklace was gone!
Her face instantly went pale. Lu Qing approached her, noticing her distress, and asked suspiciously, "What’s wrong?"
"The necklace is missing."
Lu Qing’s expression darkened immediately. He summoned Han Shu and instructed, "Inform President He that I’ve lost something valuable. Seal off all exits—no one, whether man or woman, is allowed to leave."
"Understood, President."
Since it was a private auction with only a handful of attendees and no invited reporters, He Cheng, upon hearing that Lu Qing had lost something, immediately ordered all passageways to be sealed.
Qin Miaomiao knew the value of this necklace, especially since it was a gift from Lu Qing. If it was lost, how was she going to explain this to him?
She quickly thought back to the places she had been and suddenly remembered bumping into Chen Ran earlier near the restroom entrance. She leaned close to Lu Qing’s ear and whispered a few words.
Lu Qing’s gaze turned cold as he instructed He Cheng to pull up the surveillance footage from that period near the restroom.
It was clear. After Qin Miaomiao left, Chen Ran seemed to have picked up something at the entrance. Though the footage wasn’t very clear and it was hard to tell exactly what she picked up, Qin Miaomiao was a hundred percent certain—it was her necklace!
Chen Ran was quickly brought over. The moment she saw Lu Qing, she appeared visibly nervous.
"Miss Chen, please hand over the item you picked up at the entrance."
Chen Ran played the innocent, pretending not to understand, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Miss Chen, you must have picked up a necklace near the restroom entrance. Kindly hand it over."
Chen Ran’s heart jolted, but her face instantly turned hostile as she raised her voice, "Qin Miaomiao, stop slandering me! You lost your own thing and now you’re blaming others? Be careful, or I’ll sue you for defamation! If you know what’s good for you, let me leave now, or—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Qing’s cold glare silenced her, leaving her too scared to utter another word.
"Han Shu, search her bag."
Chen Ran clutched her bag tightly, but Han Shu forcibly snatched it away. After a thorough search, there was still no sign of the necklace.
Chen Ran deliberately cried pitifully in front of Lu Qing, her face adorned with tearful grievance: "Mr. Gu, how could you believe this woman’s baseless accusations about me? This is an insult and trampling of my dignity!"
She even had the audacity to turn the tables. A fleeting look of smugness crossed her face. Even if the footage showed her picking up the necklace, as long as the item couldn’t be found, no one could pin it on her.
Her expression shifted when she looked at Qin Miaomiao, adopting a mocking demeanor.
’Heidi’s Heart’ was worth over a billion. If it were hers, she could live comfortably even if she retired from the entertainment industry entirely! Sneering, she jeered, "Miss Qin, everything requires evidence. Falsely accusing people without proof—isn’t that going too far? I have appointments lined up; I don’t have time to play games with you. Please step aside."
Qin Miaomiao was absolutely certain the necklace was picked up by her!
But where could she have hidden it? If she left now, this matter might truly end unresolved.
At that moment, Lu Qing spoke up:
"Han Shu, review the surveillance footage to track her actions after she picked up the necklace."
"Yes, Young Master Lu."