A few young men gathered together, arguing and making noise, quickly attracting the attention of campus security.
Before they could sort out the situation, they were all taken to the on-duty teacher’s office.
Luo Yingbai: “…” How did all this happen?
Although his mind was a mess and he couldn’t remember the details clearly, the situation was obvious. Either he accidentally bumped into Zhao Qi or Zhao Qi accidentally bumped into him. Anyway, it was a minor issue that could be explained.
However, no one wanted to hear his explanation at the moment. The counselor was a woman under forty named Zou Ying. Students usually avoided her.
Zou Ying had been a counselor for many years and was currently looking for a way to change her position. Seeing Zhao Qi among the students, she immediately showed bias, not giving anyone else a chance to speak, first asking Zhao Qi: “Zhao Qi, your pants are covered in dirt. Were you beaten? You young men have such a temper. Can’t you talk things out as classmates instead of fighting?”
She hadn’t understood the situation at all, immediately assuming Zhao Qi was beaten, clearly showing favoritism. However, Zhao Qi didn’t take the opportunity to elaborate and instead remained silent.
Normally this would be fine, but half the people in the office were his subordinates who usually called him “big brother”.
Zhao Qi had just threatened to deal with Luo Yingbai, and now he was running to the teacher to complain about being beaten by this “pretty boy”? He still had some pride!
“Teacher, this is actually a misunderstanding,” Luo Yingbai said, taking the opportunity to explain. “Zhao Qi and I accidentally bumped into each other while walking, and we both became a bit unhappy, leading to a small conflict. Nothing more.”
Luo Yingbai took the opportunity to break free from Zhao Qi and complained to Zou Ying: “Teacher, this is what happened just now. Look, he hit someone for no reason.”
Zhao Qi: “…”
“What are you all making a fuss about?” As everyone was in chaos, another teacher walked in from outside the office, frowning and looking at Zou Ying with a very dissatisfied expression. The students were about to fight, and she was just standing by and not intervening?
This slightly overweight man was the director of this office. Zou Ying was startled, and quickly stood up with an apologetic smile: “Director Zhang, it’s nothing. The students have a small conflict, and I’m mediating.”
Director Zhang’s gaze paused on Zhao Qi’s face. The weather was getting a bit warm, and the office doors were open. He had seen from the hallway that Zhao Qi was grabbing Luo Yingbai’s collar before being stopped.
In Director Zhang’s view, there was nothing to mediate.
The one trying to hit was tall and strong, while the one being grabbed was gentle and refined – it was clear who was causing trouble. He knew exactly who Zhao Qi was, with the same bad temperament as his uncle, absolutely in need of discipline.
Director Zhang frowned and criticized Zhao Qi in front of everyone, then waved his hand: “You can all leave. It was just a small conflict, don’t make a big deal out of it.”
After speaking, he gave Zou Ying a fierce glare.
Zhao Qi felt utterly humiliated. He had planned to mess with someone, but ended up losing face from start to finish, and the other party didn’t even get a hair out of place. What kind of world was this!
He pointed at Luo Yingbai and gave him a fierce “you’ll pay for this” look before leaving without turning back.
Zou Ying also felt awkward. She was at a critical point for promotion, hoping to curry favor with Director Zhang, but now it seemed she had offended him. With both sides being superiors, she felt both frustrated and anxious, and found an excuse to escort students out of the office.
She looked at Luo Yingbai and the others, feeling frustrated, and reprimanded them: “You must be careful in the future. You’re grown-ups now, always causing trouble. You have no upbringing at all.”
“Teacher Zou.”
Just as she was about to leave after speaking, she was unexpectedly called by Luo Yingbai.
She turned back impatiently: “What?”
Luo Yingbai said seriously: “Teacher, make sure your child doesn’t go out this Sunday. Be careful of breaking a leg.”
Zou Ying: “…”
She had a high school daughter, and after a moment, she realized what Luo Yingbai was saying. She could hardly believe it and angrily said: “Are you threatening me?”
Luo Yingbai said: “You misunderstood. I’m telling the truth.”
Zou Ying was furious, pointing at him and too angry to speak. She turned and stormed away.
Chapter 17: Catching a Thief
Looking at the various interesting comments, Luo Yinbai couldn’t help but laugh. He placed his fingers on his brow bone and carefully examined the enlarged photo of the jade incense burner, his eyebrows slightly raising. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, “The lighting is poor, I can’t see clearly. Do you have a photo of the incense burner in natural light by the window?”
Next were comments about jade accessories, apparently from a girl who had bought a jade necklace and a jade ring, both worn in photos.
“White Brother” divined: “Jade accessories should not be worn together, as they can cause energy conflicts. Do not tie them with black cords, as it attracts evil and harms the spirit.”
Another person discussing their new home decoration had some small issues.
The bathroom belongs to water, so use warm yellow lights. For the living room entrance and other areas that affect family fortune, lighting should be high and bright, leaving no dark corners.”
In the sunlight, the incense burner was emerald green and vibrant, with no impurities, clear and uniform lines – truly a top-quality piece. However, Luo Yinbai was not focused on these details.
Luo Yinbai had just noticed a faint golden qi on the jade vase, forming a dragon shape near the burner’s mouth – a dragon’s qi unique to a true emperor, but with gold inside and green outside, it had lost its vitality. This jade incense burner was definitely a burial item, and judging from the clarity of the dragon qi, it had been recently unearthed, with minimal contact with turbid energy, likely not second-hand.
The result was clear: with 99% certainty, this item had just been stolen by tomb raiders. Luo Yinbai’s request for a window photo was not about lighting, but to observe the person’s living environment.
The thief was bold, displaying stolen goods so brazenly, confident that the incense burner, though a cultural relic, was not well-documented and known by few people. He didn’t expect to be caught by Luo Yinbai.
Luo Yinbai reported to the police: “Hello, police officer. I suspect someone has robbed a tomb and stolen cultural relics… Yes, that’s right… I don’t know the specific name, but can determine the approximate location from buildings visible through the window, likely in a residential area near Dongfeng Square… Okay, I’ll send the photos for you to verify.”
Wang Diao admired the incense burner, noticing that “White Brother’s fortune-telling” hadn’t replied to his message for a long time. He sneered. What kind of master was this, just putting on an act, not as skilled as himself.
Growing impatient, he scrolled through Weibo, about to mock someone, when suddenly “White Brother’s fortune-telling” replied: “Decent quality, approximately 300-500 years old, estimated value around 6 million. Friendly reminder: National cultural relics belong to the state. Tomb robbing and antique trafficking are illegal.”
Wang Diao’s smile froze. His heart sank, his fingers slightly trembling.
How did he know? That burial site hadn’t been discovered yet. What difference would one more or less antique make? No, impossible!
He stood up, pacing like a trapped beast, gritted his teeth, quickly grabbed two stacks of cash from under the bed, and rushed to the door.
