Chapter 1432 The Antique Smuggling Syndicate
"I..."
The man was startled by Chen Xuan's powerful aura and almost knelt before him.
But at that moment, a woman's voice suddenly rang out, "Stop!"
A woman, wearing high heels, rushed over righteously.
This woman was wearing a black long dress, with a slender figure, revealing a pair of fair legs below the hem. Her delicate feet were adorned with crystal shoes. Her slender frame was contrasted by a surprisingly ample chest, like two papayas, drawing considerable attention. Her round face had a hint of baby fat.
At this moment, Li Ziqi's face was solemn, and she glared at Chen Xuan with anger, as if looking at a heinous villain. "In broad daylight, under the heavens, you are publicly robbing! Stop!"
Seeing the beautiful woman's righteous intervention, the man was instantly relieved and couldn't help but sigh, feeling that there were still good people in this world.
Facing Li Ziqi's gaze, Chen Xuan couldn't help but frown. "Miss, you've got it wrong. He's a thief. He stole my things, so that's why I acted."
Li Ziqi glanced at the trembling man, then at Chen Xuan. The trembling, fearful man didn't seem like a thief. By logical deduction, the arrogant Chen Xuan should be the thief.
"Don't try to fool me. Do you think I'm stupid? I'm telling you, you are the thief!" Li Ziqi sneered.
Chen Xuan couldn't help but glance at the two papayas and pouted, "Big chest, no brain!"
Li Ziqi's face instantly flushed red, and she was furious. "You scoundrel, how dare you insult me! I'm calling the police right now. When the authorities arrive, they will bring you to justice!"
Saying this, Li Ziqi took out her phone, ready to report.
Upon hearing that she was going to call the police, the man's face turned pale, his expression changing drastically. He turned and fled!
He was a thief. If the authorities arrived, wouldn't he be finished?
"Trying to run?"
Seeing this, Chen Xuan also dashed out.
But before he could take two steps, Li Ziqi grabbed his arm. "You can't run, you thief!"
"Are you out of your mind? He's the thief! Didn't you see that guy run the moment you mentioned calling the police?" Chen Xuan was almost bursting with anger!
This was the first time he had encountered such a woman!
Li Ziqi froze for a moment, looking at the fleeing man with a frown.
However, she still felt that Chen Xuan was lying to her.
"Don't think you can fool me!"
Chen Xuan was speechless.
He suddenly said, "Look, the authorities are here!"
Li Ziqi looked over abruptly, but there was no one there.
When she turned back, Chen Xuan was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she saw that Chen Xuan had already run far away.
"Scoundrel! Thief!"
Li Ziqi said angrily.
She hated thieves because they had caused her psychological trauma.
Just after graduating, she had spent a month's salary on an Apple phone. But to her dismay, the phone was stolen on the subway ride home. Since then, she had harbored a deep hatred for thieves.
Perhaps it was for this reason that she was so stubborn.
...
In a small alley, the man leaned against the wall, panting heavily, a smile of relief on his face. "Fortunately, I encountered a woman with a big chest and no brain. Otherwise, I would have been finished this time."
"But no matter what, with this painting, I'm sure to get a reward when I get back."
As he spoke, the man unzipped his bag and took out the painting he had stolen from Chen Xuan.
But when he opened the painting, the man was stunned. "Blank paper?"
Yes, it was a blank piece of paper, the same one Diana had given Chen Xuan earlier. Chen Xuan had returned it in its original state.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed from above. "Is the painting nice?"
Chen Xuan jumped down from the wall, smiling at the thief.
"Kid, you tricked me?"
The man was enraged and bared his teeth.
"You can steal from me, but can't I trick you?"
Chen Xuan chuckled.
He wasn't foolish enough to hand over a real painting.
"You're asking for death!"
Then, the man pulled out a dagger from somewhere and stabbed towards Chen Xuan's chest!
One minute later, the man was squatting on the ground with his hands clasped behind his head, trembling. He kept saying, "I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I'll never steal from you again!"
Chen Xuan, holding a dagger, dangled it above the man's head. "Since you're being so honest, tell me, what organization is behind you? And who is this Diana?"
"What Diana? I don't know her. I'm just a thief. I saw that what you were holding seemed very valuable, so I planned to steal it to sell for money." The man shook his head like a rattle drum.
He didn't dare to easily reveal Diana's identity, or he wouldn't even know how he died.
"Is that so? Alright then, I'll start cutting your flesh, piece by piece, until you bleed to death."
Chen Xuan smiled and, without hesitation, prepared to cut the man.
"I'll talk, I'll talk..."
The man shivered with fear and quickly said.
"Speak!"
"Actually, the princess asked me to steal your painting."
"Princess?"
"It's Diana."
"Why call Diana a princess?" Chen Xuan frowned. This title seemed unusual.
The man slowly explained, and Chen Xuan understood.
It turned out that Diana was the daughter of the leader of an antique smuggling syndicate. The syndicate had tomb raiders, theft gangs, and legitimate antique shops. They engaged in both illicit and legitimate businesses, primarily aiming to obtain Chinese antiques through various means and then resell them abroad for substantial profits.
Diana's antique smuggling syndicate had found Tian Shijie, who posted on a forum about selling a painting by Tang Bohu. They contacted Tian Shijie, but unexpectedly, he didn't sell it to Diana. Angered, Diana then orchestrated a switcheroo to humiliate Chen Xuan.
Tian Shijie then called Diana again, saying he had another painting by Tang Bohu. Diana planned to repeat her scheme, easily acquiring Tang Bohu's painting without any effort. However, she didn't anticipate that Chen Xuan was actually setting a trap for her.
As for Diana's identity, Chen Xuan had also clarified it. She was the daughter of the boss of the antique smuggling syndicate, and within the group, she was always referred to as the princess, possessing incomparable noble status!
"Can I leave now?"
The man whispered.
"Scram."
Upon hearing this, the man was greatly relieved and turned to run. However, before he could take a few steps, Chen Xuan called out, "Wait!"
"What else is there?"
The man stopped, casting a fearful glance at Chen Xuan.
"Go back and tell your princess to obediently have someone return Tang Bohu's painting to me. Otherwise, I don't mind causing your antique smuggling syndicate to cease to exist."
The man was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded. "I will definitely relay your message."
After the man left, Chen Xuan's phone rang. Seeing that it was Tian Shijie's number, he immediately answered. "Mr. Chen, how did it go? Are you alright?"
Tian Shijie had called out of concern for Chen Xuan's safety.