Working: Start by earning the boss a hundred million!

Chapter 77 True and False
"Your child?" Cheng Mai didn't mention anything she had learned about this from elsewhere. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know how much you've investigated, or if you've even investigated Shen Yuanbai, but Shen Yuanbai is definitely not an ordinary person." Qin Mai's emotions remained relatively stable; if this was a disguise, then her disguise was successful.

"Why does Miss Qin think we would investigate Shen Yuanbai?" Cheng Mai asked instead of answering.

Qin Mai looked at Cheng Mai, seemingly observing whether she genuinely didn't know or was pretending.

Cheng Mai let her look him over. At that moment, he brought in coffee. After taking it, Cheng Mai thanked him softly. Qin Mai withdrew her gaze and lowered her head.

Shen Luo only came in to deliver coffee, and left after that.

“Xuanhe Technology is in the business of catching ghosts and fighting evil spirits. Wasn’t that what you meant when you came to me before?” Qin Mai said bluntly.

Coffee is bitter, but it's invigorating.

"So can I trust that everything Miss Qin says is true?" After all, these three people are full of cunning, and with Shang Xingjian not around, she might not be able to tell the truth from the lies.

Qin Mai gripped the cup tighter again, seemingly as a subconscious action.

Cheng Mai tapped her fingertips lightly on the coffee cup, waiting for Qin Mai's response.

"I first noticed something was wrong with Shen Yuanbai five years ago. At that time, I wasn't familiar with him, but my boyfriend was, so we had only met a few times."

My boyfriend, Shang Jianxing, isn't exactly a good person either.

No, that's not a thing.

“My boyfriend was an antique appraiser, and he was quite well-known at the time.”

Isn't it like walking into the line of fire for someone who has lived for over a thousand years to authenticate an antique?

“Once, Shen Yuanbai was almost scammed, but Jian Xing helped him identify the fake antique, saving him tens of millions of yuan in losses. From that time on, they became acquainted.”

That's reasonable, there's nothing wrong with it.

However, Cheng Mai remained skeptical.

"After Jianxing met Shen Yuanbai, more and more people gradually sought him out for appraisal. It was around that time that Shen Yuanbai suggested that I become a star, saying that with my looks, it would be a pity if I didn't become a star."

Being a celebrity is probably a faster way to make money; they need money.

Cheng Mai didn't say this.

“Shen Yuanbai paved the way for my debut, but outsiders don’t know about our relationship. Later, Jian Xing and I saw each other less and less, and every time we met, I would see him with Shen Yuanbai. They were as close as brothers. Jian Xing always told me that Shen Yuanbai was his benefactor.”

A benefactor who will give you money?
“Until five years ago, Jian Xing mentioned him less and less in front of me. Every time I asked, he would say it was because Shen Yuanbai got married and he hadn’t been collecting antiques much lately.”

Cheng Mai finally became interested, because he couldn't hold onto Shen Yuanbai, this living god of wealth, so Shang Jianxing was going to change people?
"Actually, this is normal. After all, Shen Yuanbai has a powerful background. Collecting antiques is just a hobby for him. But during that period, Shen Yuanbai kept coming to see Jian Xing. They would occasionally quarrel, but I don't know the specifics of their arguments. Jian Xing told me to stop associating with Shen Yuanbai."

“At that time, I was pregnant and thought I would take a break and rest at home, but Shen Yuanbai couldn’t find Jian Xing, so he kept coming to me.”

"So the rumors are circulating that Shen Yuanbai cheated on you?"

Qin Mai nodded. "Later, in order to stop him from bothering me, Jian Xing arranged to meet him outside. As a result, Jian Xing never came back." He played the "golden cicada shedding its shell" trick quite well, which allowed him to frame Shen Yuanbai and also get away from Qin Mai.

"What did Shen Yuanbai say about this?"

"He said that when he and Jian Xing separated, Jian Xing was perfectly fine, and that Jian Xing's disappearance had nothing to do with him." Qin Mai scoffed.

Once Cheng Mai pieced things together, he would understand why Qin Mai's attitude towards Shen Yuanbai seemed hostile all these years, yet Shen Yuanbai had taken good care of her and her son.

"Why do you say that Shen Yuanbai kidnapped your son? What was his motive?" Cheng Mai asked again.

"Because I was heartbroken during my pregnancy, the child was born with mental impairment. But I don't know if it's a genetic issue, but he can always tell which of two identical antiques is real and which is fake at a glance. He has had this ability since he was one and a half years old."

"So you suspect that Shen Yuanbai kidnapped your son because of this? But didn't you say he no longer collects antiques?"

"I don't know, I don't know, I can't think of any other reason besides this." Qin Mai became agitated and looked at Cheng Mai anxiously. "But I know that my son is definitely in his hands. He killed my boyfriend and now he wants to kill my son."

Qin Mai was very clever. She seemed to say a lot, but when you summarize it, it was mostly repetitive talk. Cheng Mai didn't point it out, but just comforted her, "Okay, Xuanhe Technology will take over this matter. Miss Qin, go back and wait for news. We'll go to the Shen family tonight to investigate."

"Okay, thank you." Qin Mai finally put down her water glass.

"Shen Luo, see Miss Qin out." Cheng Mai told Shen Luo to see the guest out, showing no sign of anything unusual, as if they were just discussing a business deal.

Qin Mai nodded slightly, got up and walked outside.

"By the way, our boss's name is Shang Xingjian, isn't that a coincidence?" Cheng Mai suddenly said as Qin Mai reached the door. Before Qin Mai could react, he added, "Take care on your way, see you tomorrow."

Qin Mai was confused, but she still left.

Shen Luo had just seen the person off when he rushed over, closed the door, and asked, "How was it? How did it go? What did they say?"

“Amidst all that talk, there’s a mix of truth and lies.” Cheng Mai finished the rest of his coffee. “But I’m now certain that Qin Mai is definitely not innocent. Shen Yuanbai, Qin Mai, and Shang Jianxing are all working to make money for that person. As for whether Luo Linwen was involved, that remains to be seen.”

"You mean, internal strife?"

"Not necessarily. What if this is a trap they set for us?" Cheng Mai put his elbow on Shen Luo's shoulder. "Maybe they're after the boss. The more complicated the maze they set up, the harder it will be to figure this out."

Shen Luo thought about it and agreed with Cheng Mai's statement.

"However, I did discover something."

Seeing Cheng Mai's serious expression, Shen Luo couldn't help but say, "I've noticed that Qin Mai looks somewhat similar to you?"

"Nonsense," Cheng Mai retorted immediately. "I've discovered that selling antiques is indeed profitable. You've lived this long, why don't you take out some of the things in your Qiankun bags and contribute them?"

Cheng Mai whispered a devilish voice in Shen Luo's ear, his laughter malevolent.

Shen Luo immediately clutched her pockets and ran out, saying, "I don't have anything. Go get the shopkeeper's stuff. He has stuff from thousands of years ago."

"And didn't you swear to earn 100 million from the boss? This is a great opportunity, good luck!" Shen Luo cheered her on even as he ran away.