The woman in front of them was utterly unremarkable, and her dwelling was equally humble. How could she possibly be the god-granddaughter of the Elder Madam Qing? It was utter nonsense.
"Who is your godmother?" a police officer asked.
"My godmother is naturally Elder Madam Qing of the Qing family. The Qing family, the most influential in Lancheng, one of the four great families," she explained earnestly.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the few police officers standing before her exchanged amused smiles, full of mockery and disdain.
"Young Master Qing has already reported the theft of his wine. We have opened a case. Please accompany us to the station."
"Oh, hehehe, alright, alright, alright. Wait for me to change my clothes."
Meng Jingwei plastered a smile on her face, but inwardly she was cursing. That scoundrel Qing Muye was truly a bastard, doing something so inhumane. She knew he was the type to report things, but she hadn't expected him to be so quick, giving her no chance to return the wine.
Grumbling, she changed her clothes in the bedroom and then walked out. When she reappeared before the police officers, they were all taken aback. "You... you... you wouldn't be the talented woman Li Yun'er from the Li family, would you?"
"She looks quite similar, but the temperament is far from it."
"Oh, she's the daughter the Li Corporation publicly announced as missing before, raised in the countryside. There are still some differences from the real Li Yun'er; she doesn't have the gentle nobility of a wealthy heiress, but I have to admit, she's prettier than Li Yun'er."
The officers chattered amongst themselves, making comments about Meng Jingwei as if she were an item on a shelf. It wasn't surprising they knew, as the Li family had publicly disclosed Meng Jingwei's identity. Elder Madam Qing intended to announce her recognition of Meng Jingwei as her god-granddaughter on her birthday. Currently, only those in high society were aware of these matters; ordinary people wouldn't know.
"Aren't we going to the police station? Let's go."
Meng Jingwei was annoyed by their pointing and discussing. She bypassed them and walked ahead. The police officers, now aware of Meng Jingwei's identity, became less vigilant. They followed behind Meng Jingwei, murmuring amongst themselves.
"As expected, raised in the countryside, light fingers, wanting to steal anything good they see."
"She said Young Master Qing gave it to her just now, and that Elder Madam Qing recognized her as a god-granddaughter. This matter is probably not simple."
"Tch, Elder Madam Qing would recognize a country bumpkin like her as a god-granddaughter? You're flattering her too much."
"Yeah, she's probably just talking nonsense. Otherwise, why would Young Master Qing report her?"
"It's hard to say. Young Master Qing knows where she lives but insisted we make a trip. With his capabilities, he could have settled this with a wave of his hand, but he's gone to such lengths. I think her words can't be entirely dismissed."
"But we can't fully believe her either."
"That makes sense."
...
Meng Jingwei walked in front, listening to their whispered conversations behind her. While somewhat resigned, she disdained to interrupt their talk. Taking the elevator downstairs, Meng Jingwei got into the police car and went with them to the police station to give her statement.
However, upon arriving at the police station and entering the lobby, she saw Qing Muye sitting there. He had his legs crossed, leaning back in his seat, his casual posture exuding an aura of overwhelming dominance. When Meng Jingwei saw Qing Muye, he looked up and met her furious gaze. Yet, a faint, fleeting smile appeared on his stern face.
"Qing Muye!"
Meng Jingwei stopped in her tracks, her anger surging. She snatched the bottle of 1945 Romanee-Conti from the officer's hand and strode towards him, slamming the bottle heavily onto the table. "Here, your wine. I'm returning it!"
As she spoke, Qing Muye's gaze rested calmly upon her. Though he said nothing, his presence exuded a formidable deterrence. Feeling unnerved by his stare, Meng Jingwei couldn't help but swallow. Her arrogant demeanor instantly deflated. "It's just a bottle of wine, and you had to call the police? Isn't this a waste of police resources?"
She swore to the heavens that she had simply thought it was a nice bottle of wine. When Meng Jingwei lived at the Nightfall Apartment, she could drink any wine from the wine cabinet without needing to ask Qing Muye. But ever since she declared she was leaving Lancheng and Elder Madam Qing, having lost her utility to Qing Muye, that scoundrel's attitude towards her had changed 180 degrees. She had eyed a bottle of wine that looked decent from the wine cabinet that day when she couldn't sleep, intending to keep it in her bedroom, but she never got to drink it. When she left the Nightfall Apartment, she took it with her. Who could have known that this unassuming bottle was worth as much as 3.9 million RMB! Even if the wine was expensive, he, Qing Muye, didn't contact her directly and instead reported her to the police.
"Do you know the value of this bottle?" Qing Muye remained seated, slightly raising his head to gaze at the young woman, his voice deep as he questioned her.
"It's just the '45 Romanee-Conti, who doesn't recognize it..."
She stopped mid-sentence, belatedly realizing she had fallen into Qing Muye's trap. Qing Muye knew she had taken the wine and called the police, clearly intending to frame her. If she admitted now that she knew the wine's origin, it would mean she was "knowingly breaking the law," deliberately "stealing" an expensive wine despite knowing its value.
Before Meng Jingwei could devise a way to argue her case, Qing Muye shrugged, tilted his head slightly, and looked past Meng Jingwei towards the officers behind her. "Officers, did you hear that? She knew the value of this bottle and took it."
"Damn it!" Meng Jingwei finally couldn't help but curse. "Qing Muye, how can you be so scummy? I..."
She was speechless and finally insisted, "You clearly gave me this bottle of wine. How would I know its origin? It was only when Xiao Cheng went to my house earlier and told me the wine's value that I got scared and was about to report it myself when the police arrived!"
Hearing her words, Qing Muye's calm expression suddenly darkened, and his gaze turned sharp. Just now? Xiao Cheng went to her house? Qing Muye's mind replayed Meng Jingwei's words. He casually glanced down at the limited edition sapphire blue Rolex watch on his wrist; it was already eleven o'clock at night.
"Oh, is that so? Who can prove it?" He tapped his hand rhythmically with his long fingers. Although his expression was as placid as still water, his heart was already churning like a storm.
"Of course, someone can prove it. I'll call Xiao Cheng right now." Meng Jingwei said this while taking out her phone to call Xiao Cheng.
However, Qing Muye's voice reached her ears at this moment. "Xiao Cheng is close to you and cannot serve as a witness. You have no evidence, but I have surveillance evidence." As he spoke, he took a USB drive from his inner suit pocket. Meng Jingwei stared intently at the USB drive, falling silent. However, her eyes, burning with fierce flames, betrayed her inner turmoil.