"Sister Tangtang! You were right! I had my hometown friend look into the stand collapse at the cultural town. Guess what? A guy named Wang Bin left the same day it happened, without even picking up his pay. My friend got his family's phone number back home, and they said he never went back. He's definitely in hiding!"
Ruan An burst into the studio first thing in the morning, rambling excitedly.
Meng Shutang nodded. "Good. Have your friend keep digging."
She'd seen the blueprints for the stand. It could have held concrete blocks without collapsing. There was no way it had fallen apart just from a few pearl exhibits.
Someone had tampered with it.
"Want me to come with you to the Gu Group collection exhibition later?" Ruan An organized the files and handed them to Meng Shutang.
Meng Shutang's head ached at the thought of seeing Gu Yunci again. If only Chen Man wasn't on bed rest—she could have taken her place. But Ruan An was just an apprentice. She couldn't handle this kind of high-profile event.
"No. Stay here and study the bracelet types and craftsmanship from different dynasties I taught you yesterday. I'll quiz you when I get back."
Ruan An saluted. "Yes, ma'am! Mission accepted!"
Meng Shutang grabbed her bag and headed to the Gu Group Collection Exhibition Center.
Before she even got close, she saw Gu Yunci and Bai Cixian standing side by side. She glanced over, her heart completely calm.
The exhibition hadn't started yet. She found a quiet corner to sit down and go over her notes for the guided tour.
She'd been hired as a guest expert for the exhibition. She knew the pieces inside and out, but meticulousness was her professional habit. No matter how big or small the event, she always brought the same passion, like it was her first time.
Fifteen minutes later, Qin Zheng walked over. "Miss Meng, Mr. Gu is asking for you."
Meng Shutang walked over. Gu Yunci introduced her to the VIPs who'd arrived for the private viewing.
"Director Wang, Master Pang, Chairman Zhang—this is Meng Shutang from Starlight Studio. She's our guest pearl expert for this exhibition. She's got an impeccable knowledge of the craft, and just won first place in a national ancient pearl restoration competition. She'll be giving you the exclusive tour today."
He turned back to her. "Shutang, this is Director Wang from the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Master Pang, the godfather of cultural relic collection, and Chairman Zhang, founder of the Yancheng Private Museum."
Meng Shutang nodded politely. "Hello, everyone. I'm Meng Shutang. I'll be your guide today. Please let me know if I get anything wrong."
She spoke with confidence and grace, walking them through the collection flawlessly.
Gu Yunci watched her, glowing in her element, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Bai Cixian stood beside him, smiling sweetly, but her eyes were cold and calculating.
She'd come back to the country six months ago, and heard Gu Yunci was getting a divorce.
She still couldn't believe it had been six months, and they still weren't divorced.
Last time, she'd tried to use the chrysanthemum exhibition to end the Starlight contract early. But Meng Shutang had only cut the timeline by four days.
*No more waiting.*
*I can't let Meng Shutang keep showing up in front of Yunci like this.*
When Meng Shutang reached the showcase of rare pearl strands, Bai Cixian walked over from a staff member, taking the tray from him. She was playing the part of Meng Shutang's assistant.
The second she got close, Meng Shutang glanced over.
She saw it. Bai Cixian flicked the clasp on the pearl strand loose with one finger, and tipped the tray down with her other hand.
Meng Shutang knew exactly what she was going to do. She lunged forward to catch it.
But it was too late. The strand snapped. Pearls scattered across the floor with a clatter, bouncing everywhere.
The room went dead silent.
Meng Shutang froze.
This was the biggest mistake of her professional career.
Bai Cixian dropped to her knees, scrambling to pick the pearls up and put them back on the tray. "Miss Meng, how could you be so careless? This is a priceless piece from our collection. Is something bothering you? You're so distracted."
Meng Shutang stared at her, ice in her veins. "It was you—"
Before she could finish, Gu Yunci cut her off. "My apologies, everyone. We'll get the tour back on track immediately."
He turned to Meng Shutang, his eyes cold. "Leave. Now."
Meng Shutang stood there, ready to explain herself. But Bai Cixian walked over, taking the microphone off her. "Miss Meng, don't make it worse. If you try to blame someone else, Yunci will only hate you more. If I were you, I'd leave while I still can."
Bai Cixian had set her up, but she was right. There was no point explaining now.
She turned and walked out without another word.
Qin Zheng grabbed a backup guide, but she took one look at the pearls and said to Gu Yunci, "Mr. Gu, I don't know anything about this specific piece…"
Bai Cixian saw her chance, and said softly, "Yunci, let me try. I don't want to mess up the meeting."
"You? You don't know enough about this. Don't make it worse." The man's voice was sharp. He took the microphone from her, slipped it on, and picked up the tray of pearls. He walked back over to the VIPs.
"This set of pearls dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty. The water and soil patina on the beads is textbook for the period. The drop earlier didn't damage them at all…"
He spoke calmly, covering every detail from the material to the craftsmanship, every word perfect. He quickly pulled the group's attention back from the chaos, and the tour went on without a hitch.
Meng Shutang had almost reached the door when she heard his voice, steady and sure, talking about the pearls she loved so much. She turned, glancing back for just a second.
Bai Cixian stared at Gu Yunci, starstruck. But when she saw Meng Shutang was gone, a cold, triumphant smile spread across her face.
After the tour, Gu Yunci walked the VIPs out, apologizing again for the mishap and promising to make it up to them.
The second their cars drove away, he turned, his face like thunder.
"Get Meng Shutang to my office. Now."
He'd just watched her publicly humiliated and thrown out of the exhibition, but now he was summoning her to his office alone. What would he do when she got there?