113: Auction theft

"What!" Xiao Mingyan, who was in the first row, stood up abruptly.

The entire auction venue was in chaos, like a pot of porridge, with everyone whispering and debating whether it was true or false.

Several owners of the auction items were about to rush out. "Is my heavenly crafting stone still there?!"

Xiao Mingyan gave the staff a look, and they immediately blocked the doors.

"Everyone, please remain calm. Our staff will go and verify right now!"

The auctioneer and the host both spoke up to soothe the crowd, while Xiao Mingyan went out to verify the situation. Were the auction items really all gone?

How could that be!

Just as he exited the venue, he nearly collided with Gu Xiaoyue, who was returning from the restroom.

Xiao Mingyan narrowed his eyes and asked, "Gu Xiaoyue, what were you doing just now?"

Gu Xiaoyue was confused. "I went to the restroom. President Xiao, what is with that tone of yours?"

Xiao Mingyan snorted and didn't answer her, heading straight for the auction item display stands.

Gu Xiaoyue followed immediately.

When they saw the empty crystal display stands one by one, Xiao Mingyan's eyes became bloodshot.

All the auction items had vanished into thin air!

"Where are my treasures? The hua yu fruit, the Soul Exchange Fruit, and my tianling fruit, where did they all go?

Xiao Mingyan, you explain this to me! How could these auction items disappear into thin air? Is it because you, the Xiao Family, wanted to line your own pockets that you held this auction!?"

Gu Xiaoyue screamed in shock. She no longer cared about her lady-like image, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Xiao Mingyan's nose.

Her shouting reached the venue, and everyone wanted to come out to see what was happening.

With so many people, how could the staff control them!

The owners of the heavenly crafting stone and the Golden Herb were furious and immediately demanded an explanation from Xiao Mingyan.

"If you, the Xiao Family, don't have the capability, then don't hold an auction! I don't care, someone has to pay for my Golden Herb!"

"My heavenly crafting stone! Give it back to me!"

The owner of the heavenly crafting stone was named Sun Chao. He had a violent temper and immediately grabbed Xiao Mingyan by the collar.

The nearby staff tried to pull him away, but Sun Chao was not weak, and three or five staff members couldn't budge him.

The scene became even more chaotic, with only the owner of the immortal-rank pet egg not coming out to cause a scene.

Gu Xiaoyue was certain that this immortal-rank pet egg was the bait Xiao Mingyan used to lure her in.

It was also a coincidence; if it were only the immortal-rank pet egg, Gu Xiaoyue wouldn't have come. She had come for the han jiang grass and the Golden Herb.

Xiao Mingyan, having had his collar grabbed for so long, became anxious. He exerted force to throw Sun Chao off and pointed at Gu Xiaoyue, roaring.

"Her! At the time, she was the only one not in the venue. It must have been her!"

The scene went quiet for a few seconds, followed by another round of discussion.

"Why is President Xiao clutching at straws? How could this young girl have done it?"

"I think it's just his excuse. It's quite possible that the Xiao Family stole it themselves!"

Xiao Mingyan, with red eyes, pointed at those who spoke ill of the Xiao Family. "None of you are leaving! How dare you criticize my Xiao Family!"

Gu Xiaoyue crossed her arms, looking a bit roguish. "President Xiao, you need evidence when you speak!

I just went to the restroom, and now I'm a thief?

Although there is no surveillance inside the restroom, there is some at the entrance. You can check the surveillance to see if I ever came out of the restroom!"

"Hmph—" Xiao Mingyan sneered. "I'm afraid you have an invisibility skill or a pet. Naturally, the surveillance wouldn't be able to capture it!"

This point was something Xiao Yun had told him. She had gone back and thought for a long time about why Chu Li and Gu Xiaoyue were able to suddenly appear in her private dormitory.

The only possibility was that Gu Xiaoyue and Chu Li had invisibility skills or invisible pets!

Before Gu Xiaoyue could argue, Sun Chao roared, "Nonsense!

Even if this young girl could turn invisible, didn't your display stands claim to block Mental Power and connect to an alarm system?

How could she take things from a distance!"

Gu Xiaoyue was secretly pleased, but her face showed an expression of grievance. "President Xiao, you can't do this. Those treasures of mine were obtained by risking my life!"

Someone nearby chimed in, "If you can't find the perpetrator, you shouldn't randomly frame people.

President Xiao, you should pay the star coins first, then investigate the perpetrator."

The people around echoed this, saying that he should pay the star coins first regardless.

After all, they only brought their treasures to auction because they trusted the auction held by the Xiao Family.

Xiao Mingyan's face turned black. He tried hard to maintain his gentle demeanor, but under the pressure of public opinion, he still chose to compensate the owners of the auction items at their value.

He roared internally, you only lost a few things, but what he lost was an immortal-rank pet egg!

The owners of the han jiang grass and the Golden Herb received 400 million star coins for the two stalks of han jiang grass and two stalks of Golden Herb.

Sun Chao received 80 million star coins and turned to leave.

The staff blocked him. "Sorry, sir, you cannot leave for the time being. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Sun Chao pointed at the staff member's nose and cursed loudly, "Your grandfather here has been in the inner venue the whole time and never came out. You want me to cooperate with an investigation? Investigate what?

You do your investigation, and I'll go my way. Why are you blocking me!"

Gu Xiaoyue received the compensation for her items, plus the star coins for the two portions of Xisui Spring Water just now, totaling 970 million star coins.

She comforted Sun Chao, "Senior, don't be angry. This is their work procedure. Let's try to cooperate."

Sun Chao was very dissatisfied, snorted hard through his nose, and returned to the inner venue with the others.

He Zhichen brought his bodyguards and approached Gu Xiaoyue, reaching her side. "Gu Xiaoyue, are you okay?"

Gu Xiaoyue smiled at him and shook her head gently.

Everyone sat back down in the venue, and the staff went to retrieve the surveillance footage from the time of the incident.

Several troublesome bidders clamored for Xiao Mingyan to make the surveillance public.

Since their movements were restricted, they naturally had the right to view the surveillance together.

Xiao Mingyan displayed the surveillance footage on the large screen in the venue.

There were 12 surveillance cameras in the outer venue, and 12 small screens appeared simultaneously on the large screen.

The surveillance clearly captured Gu Xiaoyue entering the restroom.

Within the next minute, the auction items in the crystal display stands actually disappeared into thin air one by one!

Then came the scene where people discovered the items were missing, followed by Gu Xiaoyue coming out of the restroom.

Xiao Mingyan said to Gu Xiaoyue, "Gu Xiaoyue, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Gu Xiaoyue sat there calmly and did not speak.

Instead, Ye Wanrou and Lin Zhiyi spoke up first. "Everyone saw our Xiao Yue go to the restroom. What is there to say?"

"Exactly. President Xiao, are you trying to frame Xiao Yue?"

Xiao Mingyan didn't reply. With a dark face, he continued to play the surveillance footage over and over, hoping to find some clues from the 12 camera feeds.

It was nearly ten o'clock, and many people could no longer sit still.

An old man stroked his beard and analyzed objectively, "Although only this young girl is in the surveillance, the problem is that the perpetrator seems very powerful.

Not only can they turn invisible, but their ability can ignore the isolation of the crystal display stands. I'm afraid—they fled the scene the moment they obtained the treasures!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Sun Chao also stood up directly and shouted, "The perpetrator has run away. Xiao Mingyan, what is your intention in keeping us locked up here?!"

Gu Xiaoyue spoke softly: "President Xiao, do you still want to pin the blame on me as the perpetrator?

You have to produce evidence to make me willingly plead guilty!"