Two days later, after Lin Zhiyi had finished designing the base of the brooch, only the setting of the sapphire remained.
Xue Man specially came to oversee the process.
But, unexpectedly, an accident still occurred.
With a snap, the sapphire shattered.
The room fell silent, and the master craftsman’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"No, it wasn’t me. I didn’t apply any force."
Xue Man came to her senses, picked up half of the sapphire to examine it, and suddenly felt as if her soul had left her body, drained of all strength.
Lin Zhiyi supported her, taking over the half sapphire, and after careful scrutiny, was also stunned.
"This isn’t the sapphire we signed for."
Xue Man immediately pulled up the surveillance footage.
It turned out that in the past two days, aside from storing it, no one had entered the storeroom again.
Xue Man slumped in her chair, her hands supporting her head. "How could this happen? Where did it go wrong?"
Lin Zhiyi was also panicking, but fear alone was of no help now.
The only thing she was certain of was that there had been no problem during the day of the appraisal.
Just then, coincidentally, Chen Hongwei’s call came through.
The two exchanged glances, understanding each other.
But Xue Man had her own concerns.
"Mr. Chen is very familiar with our progress, it seems we have a mole."
"But we don’t have any proof. A gem worth tens of millions lost right under our noses. If the word gets out, who would dare come to me for jewelry designs? Besides, you signed the handover document; you are the one responsible!"
Xue Man was giving her a warning—if they couldn’t find evidence in the end, she would have to bear all the consequences.
Lin Zhiyi took a deep breath. "I understand."
As for the mole—she had her suspicions.
Now, the most critical task was to find evidence.
After some thought, she answered the phone.
"Zhiyi, I just wanted to ask how the jewelry design is coming along?"
Lin Zhiyi feigned difficulty. "Mr. Chen, could I explain it to you in person?"
"In person? Sure, sure, I’ll send you the location. Just come over," Chen Hongwei laughed.
After hanging up, Chen Hongwei sent her the address.
It was a private restaurant, quite secluded.
Xue Man frowned. "You’re going to meet him alone?"
Lin Zhiyi clenched her phone. "How can one capture a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den?"
"Be careful, and call me if anything happens."
Lin Zhiyi turned and left the office.
Lin Zhiyi knocked on the door of the private room at the appointed time.
Upon seeing her, Chen Hongwei quickly asked, "Zhiyi, you were so urgent in meeting me, has something happened with the sapphire?"
"Mr. Chen, I apologize. Indeed, there has been an issue with the sapphire, and I came specifically to apologize to you."
Lin Zhiyi immediately stood up and politely poured a cup of tea for Chen Hongwei.
When she extended the tea cup toward Chen Hongwei, he blocked it with his hand, then stared intently at Lin Zhiyi.
"Zhiyi, I personally entrusted the item to you, and I have your signed handover document. I trusted you so much, yet now you’re telling me there’s been a problem, and you try to appease me with a cup of tea?"