"Here, it's this. Found in the floorboard crack closest to Zhou Guanghan's right hand on the corpse. I pried it out with a hairpin."
Mr. Tang carefully lifted the tiny bead toward the sunlight.
"These tiny beads are called Mizhu, meaning they are pearls as small as millet. Natural Mizhu were quite popular in ancient Chinese royal courts; the best modern synthetic ones come from Czech and Japan."
He effortlessly detailed the background of the beads, leaving Shi Nian tongue-tied.
He turned his gaze to her: "Why did you intentionally hide it from me, hmm?"
Shi Nian quietly stuck out her tongue.
"I didn't intentionally hide it from you..."
"Liar."
His gaze swept over her, holding a hint of reproach yet overflowing with indulgence. She glanced at him briefly, feeling overwhelmed, and quickly withdrew her gaze, taking a deep breath.
