Chapter 32 Best Performance Award

Chapter 32 Best Performance Award

They rode the Song family's bicycle, with Jiang Chengxiao pedaling and Song Xilan sitting at the back.

It was the first time Song Xilan had sat on the back of a bicycle ridden by a man other than her father, and she felt a bit nervous. She was too shy to grab his clothes, so she tightly gripped the frame of the back seat instead.

Jiang Chengxiao had a mischievous idea and deliberately let the wheel roll over a small pebble, making the bike jolt suddenly. This startled Song Xilan, who instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist.

Her face flushed instantly, and she quickly let go.

"Don't move around," Jiang Chengxiao said. "The road is a bit bumpy. Grab my clothes so you don’t fall."

"Okay!" Song Xilan responded, not daring to hold on too tightly, and instead gently grasped the edges of his jacket.

Jiang Chengxiao said with a sigh, "Are your hands cold? If they are, you can tuck them into my pockets."

Song Xilan's face grew even redder, and she hesitated for a long time without moving.

Suddenly, Jiang Chengxiao let go of one hand, took her hand, and slipped it into his jacket pocket. "There, isn't that much warmer?"

Although it was just a brief touch, it set Song Xilan's heart racing. After a while, she quietly placed her other nearly frozen hand into his other pocket.

Jiang Chengxiao's lips curled into a secret smile, and he pedaled with renewed vigor.

After a while, he spoke up, "I'm sorry. I didn’t consider everything properly. I only wanted your help, but I ended up dragging you into this."

Song Xilan replied, "It's not your fault. She was after my photo frame."

"Huh?"

Song Xilan quickly corrected herself with a sheepish grin, "I mean, she was after buying our old paintings. I don't know what she was thinking."

At the police station, Zhang Jinbao initially tried to resist, insisting that he was just collecting junk.

Unfortunately, he overestimated his own mental fortitude. After a few intimidating words from the police, he spilled everything like a sack of beans.

This included his plan to secretly keep Song Xilan's picture frame for himself.

The police then brought in Jiang Jingru and the antique dealer for questioning.

The antique dealer had nothing to hide and directly admitted that Jiang Jingru had approached him, claiming to have an authentic Mi Fei painting and asking him to find a buyer.

"Officer, I really didn't do anything. Come on, an authentic Mi Fei painting? They’re incredibly rare. There aren't many left in the world. How could a young girl like her just have one? I didn't believe her at all."

Jiang Jingru, however, was stubborn and refused to admit that she had said anything to the antique dealer.

She only admitted to instructing Zhang Jinbao to collect the paintings, but that was because of her superstitious beliefs.

She had been struggling both at work and in her love life, and she had heard from someone that old portraits of great leaders, which had been worshipped and enshrined for a long time, were imbued with spiritual energy. Collecting them and keeping them at home would bring her good luck.

That's why she had Zhang Jinbao collect these paintings for her.

Song Xilan and Jiang Chengxiao arrived at the police station just as this was being said.

Song Xilan said, "Officer, my parents come from three generations of poor farmers. They are true proletarians. But now people are saying that there's some treasure hidden in our picture frame. If this gets out, I’m worried it might harm our family’s reputation. I’d like to request a thorough investigation and see if there's really anything hidden in that frame. That way, even if people gossip in the future, we'll have something to defend ourselves with."

So, the police took out the picture frame. Honestly, they were quite curious as well. Based on the statements from the three individuals, they were pretty sure that Jiang Jingru was lying. Only a fool would spend so much money on old paintings just for a bit of good luck.

The notion of treasure hidden in the frame was quite the legend, and everyone wanted to witness it for themselves.

As the frame was taken apart piece by piece, everything inside was examined by professionals. They concluded that the frame was made of the most common and cheapest wood, the portrait was just an ordinary one, and even the newspaper tucked behind it was nothing special—completely worthless.

The antique dealer sneered, clearly thinking, "I knew it."

Zhang Jinbao lunged at Jiang Jingru: "You tricked me, you lied to me! You made me spend so much money on this pile of junk. Give me my money back!"

Indeed, the hundred yuan Jiang Jingru had given him was long gone. To acquire the frame he believed held treasure, he had to chip in more than a hundred yuan himself. He had hoped to recoup everything by finding the treasure, but instead, he ended up with nothing but a pile of worthless items.

Jiang Jingru was completely stunned and in disbelief: "It’s impossible! It was supposed to be here. How could it be gone?"

She suddenly turned a vicious glare on Song Xilan: "It’s you, isn’t it? You’ve figured it out, so you know there’s something valuable inside. You’ve already taken it, and now you’re trying to trick me. It must be you—you’re out to ruin me!"

Song Xilan stepped back in fear: "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no beef with you; why would I harm you?"

Jiang Chengxiao immediately stepped forward, shielding her: "Don’t be afraid. This person must be crazy. Let’s not listen to her."

"Haha, I’d give this year’s Oscar for Best Acting to Ms. Song Xilan."

"Jiang, you’re the ultimate boyfriend!"

Song Xilan stood behind Jiang Chengxiao, her fingers trembling slightly as she clutched his clothes. She didn’t want any acting award; she was truly scared!

Zhang Jinbao: "Officers, you heard it, right? She must know there’s treasure in that girl’s frame. She must be hiding something. You need to investigate her thoroughly."

Jiang Jingru screamed hysterically at Song Xilan: "Where did you hide my things? Give them back to me! They’re mine, they’re mine!"

The officer shouted: "Quiet, all of you! Jiang Jingru, tell the truth—what’s the deal with this frame?"

"How shameless! Do you really think you’re a time-traveling heroine with a halo? Everything has to be yours? This was given to the kind-hearted Song Xilan by her grandfather!"

"I heard the plot of this drama took a wild turn, so I came to check it out. Oh my, how did this time-traveling woman end up like this? I remember liking her before!"

"Is it really just my perspective that’s off? Before, when I saw the time-traveling woman take over Song Xilan’s body and sell the original owner’s things for a lot of money, I actually found it satisfying?"

"It’s just a matter of perspective. If you put yourself in Jiang Jingru’s shoes as the heroine, knowing there’s treasure in someone else’s house, pretending to collect junk and then selling it for a high price, you’d find it satisfying too!"

Jiang Jingru was still in a daze: "No, it’s not like this. The plot development is wrong. There must be some mistake. Let’s do it again; I need to try again!"

Jiang Chengxiao: "Officers, I suspect this woman is deliberately playing dumb to cover up more serious facts. I suggest you investigate thoroughly."