Meng Yuxin saw Chu Han pacing back and forth at the door of her house and assumed he was waiting for her to return with Yi Xuecheng's autograph, which she had promised him earlier. However, today, Meng Yuxin was unable to secure Yi Xuecheng's signature.
She had greeted the event manager and given him a gift, believing it would make it easy to obtain the autograph. To her surprise, the manager informed her that Yi Xuecheng had left shortly after the event ended. Not only was she unable to get the autograph, but Yi Xuecheng could not even be located.
"I'm sorry, Xiaohan, but I didn't manage to get that autograph," Meng Yuxin said apologetically.
Chu Han's expression was displeased, but it wasn't solely because Meng Yuxin hadn't secured the autograph.
"Forget the autograph for now, sis. Can you tell me about that set of badges?" he asked.
"Badges? What's wrong with them?" Meng Yuxin replied, confused.
"It's the set of badges you gave me. Yi Xuecheng mentioned that his badges have been stolen!"
"Stolen?" Meng Yuxin exclaimed, taken aback.
"Yes, I need you to tell me where you bought that set of badges," Chu Han urged.
Meng Yuxin was shocked to learn that the set of badges that had been sent to Chu Ci had actually been stolen. Her eyes widened as she quickly explained, "I'm not sure what happened. I bought them online."
"Bought them online? Who did you buy them from? Didn't you tell me before that you asked a friend to use his connections to get them from Yi Xuecheng?" Chu Han questioned.
"I don't know! My friend lied to me. He told me that he purchased them from Yi Xuecheng," Meng Yuxin replied, panic setting in. She had no idea things would turn out this way. When she collected Chu Ci's package, she had no knowledge that it belonged to Yi Xuecheng.
"Sister, this is a serious matter. Yi Xuecheng has already reported the incident to the police, and it has become a trending topic. Netizens are rallying to help Yi Xuecheng find the thief. You need to turn your friend in so the police can follow this lead to catch the culprit."
Chu Han took out her cell phone, opened Weibo, and showed it to Meng Yuxin. The topic #Yixuecheng's badge was stolen# at the top of the trending list, attracting a lot of attention. In the comments, netizens had taken on the role of online detectives, engaging in various speculations and conducting their own investigations.
"Well... I only met him online. I don't know his specific identity information."
"Then you should give the other person's online information to the police," Chu Han said to Meng Yuxin. "I'll go get the badges now, and we can go to the police station together."
"Xiao Han," Meng Yuxin said, grabbing Chu Han's arm.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't want to go to the police station."
"Sister, this situation is very serious. The market value of this badge is over 200,000 yuan. This is a criminal case. If we don't go to the police station and explain everything clearly, we won't be able to justify ourselves when the police find out about us."
Chu Han was determined to take Meng Yuxin to the police station. Meng Yuxin stood still, her hands clasped tightly together. The concept of "criminal responsibility" weighed heavily on her.
Chu Han didn't notice how Meng Yuxin was feeling; he was preoccupied with what he needed to bring to the police station. "By the way, sister, please make sure to bring your phone and computer—the ones you used to communicate with the other party. The chat records might be helpful."
"Xiao Han, I don't want to go," Meng Yuxin said, biting her lip and looking pale.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Chu Han asked, sensing her fear. "I understand how you feel. I was really nervous while waiting for you to come home just now. But if we don't confront this situation now, it will only lead to more trouble later."
Meng Yuxin lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, feeling trapped in a difficult situation. She was reluctant to admit that she had taken Chu Ci's belongings from the courier, as that would mean openly acknowledging her theft. However, if she didn't confess to taking Chu Ci's items, she wouldn't be able to explain where the entire set of badges came from.