31: Chapter 31 The Grand Feast Begins, Celebrities Gather

Jianghai City, International Convention and Exhibition Center.

Night fell, and the building, shaped like a giant UFO, now seemed like a steel beast waking up, its entire body wrapped in shimmering neon lights. Several powerful searchlights pierced the clouds, dyeing half the night sky as bright as day.

Luxury cars converged like a flowing river.

Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Maybachs... limited edition vehicles rarely seen on ordinary days were now lined up in front of the red carpet like common cabbages. The sound of shutters was as dense as rain, and flashes illuminated every entrant's face in vivid detail.

But this was only the surface.

If you had X-ray vision, you would find that this wasn't a banquet at all, but a snare with its pocket wide open.

At the venue entrance, every "waiter" responsible for checking tickets had a slight bulge at their waist and eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

In the corners of the hall, the "waiters" weaving through with trays had steady and powerful steps, with calluses on their palms from long-term gun handling.

Even the valets responsible for parking had miniature earpieces in their ear canals, reporting the undercarriage status of every car at all times.

"This is no jewelry exhibition; it's clearly a SWAT Team building event."

Qin Feng sat in the rented stretch Lincoln, looking at the group of fully armed "waiters" through the one-way glass, his mouth twitching twice.

With this level of security, let alone a person, even a mosquito trying to fly in would probably have to show its ID and get a blood test first.

"Feng... Brother Feng..."

The sound of teeth chattering came from beside him.

Su Tang shrunk into the corner of the leather seat, her exquisite little face pale.

She was stunningly beautiful today. A wine-red backless evening gown, like a ball of burning fire, outlined her graceful curves. Around her neck was a brilliant diamond necklace (a high-quality imitation bought online for 99 yuan with free shipping), shimmering under the lights.

But at this moment, this "ball of fire" was shivering.

"My... my legs are weak... there are police everywhere... the one checking tickets is the same SWAT Captain who chased us yesterday..." Su Tang gripped Qin Feng's sleeve tightly, her nails almost sinking into his flesh. "Should we just run?"

"Run?"

Qin Feng turned his head, looking at her like a startled little rabbit, and suddenly smiled.

He reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his movements as gentle as those of a true noble scion.

"If we run, this play will have a bad ending."

Qin Feng's voice was low, carrying a strange, soothing magic. "Remember, from now on, you are not the hostage Su Tang, and I am not the bandit Qin Feng."

He raised his wrist, looked at a non-existent luxury watch, and his gaze gradually turned playful.

"You are the daughter of Jianghai City's richest man, and I am a mysterious investor from overseas."

"Straighten your back and tuck away your fear."

Qin Feng leaned close to Su Tang's ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe as he whispered, "Tonight, all of Jianghai City is your stage. As long as you aren't embarrassed, the ones who will be embarrassed are the police."

"Click."

The car door unlocked.

Qin Feng took a deep breath, and that "Best Actor instinct" etched into his bones instantly awakened.

His previously somewhat decadent aura vanished, replaced by an all-encompassing arrogance and elegance. He pushed open the door, stepped out with his long legs, and his leather shoes made a dull thud on the red carpet.

Then, he turned and gentlemanly extended his hand.

"Please, my princess."

Su Tang looked at the man who seemed to have become a completely different person, and her heart skipped a beat.

She grit her teeth, took a deep breath, and placed her trembling hand in Qin Feng's palm.

As the two walked arm-in-arm onto the red carpet...

"Click, click, click—"

Countless flashes went off instantly, the white light almost blinding.

"Wow! Who is that? He's so handsome!"

"I've never seen him before. Could he be a mysterious billionaire who just returned to the country?"

"Look at the female companion beside him, that aura is incredible! This is simply a high-society couple walking into reality!"

The onlookers and the uninformed media frantically pressed their shutters.

Qin Feng wore a smile, calmly waving to both sides. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge hid the faint trace of mockery in his eyes.

This is what you call "hidden in plain sight."

The more dangerous a place is, the safer it often becomes.

As long as you act the part, the fake can become real.

...

Second floor, VIP observation deck.

This was the highest point of the entire ballroom, offering a panoramic view of the scene.

Xie Qingshang leaned his hands on the railing, his black trench coat swaying slightly in the air conditioning. His bloodshot eyes were scanning every person entering like radar.

"Crunch."

He was chewing a piece of 99% pure dark chocolate, the bitter taste providing a slight relief to his tense nerves.

"Consultant Xie, have you found anything?"

Zhao Shanhe stood nearby, fiddling with two iron balls in his hand, spinning them with a clattering sound, clearly anxious to the extreme.

"Nothing."

Xie Qingshang swallowed the chocolate, his brow furrowing deeply. "It's too quiet. This doesn't feel like the calm before the storm; it feels more like..."

His voice suddenly trailed off.

His gaze shot toward the crowd below like a sharp sword.

Among the bustling guests, a man and a woman were particularly eye-catching.

The man had a tall stature and an extraordinary bearing; that noble aura emanating from his bones made him seem like the protagonist under a spotlight even in a crowd.

At that moment, the man seemed to sense something.

He stopped in his tracks and slowly raised his head.

Across a distance of over ten meters.

Through the brilliant crystal chandeliers.

The gazes of the two men collided in mid-air without warning.

Xie Qingshang's pupils constricted suddenly.

This look...

It was too familiar.

That nonchalance, that half-smile, that playfulness as if looking at a clown...

Before Xie Qingshang could think further...

The man below suddenly raised his champagne glass and offered a distant toast toward the second floor.

The movement was elegant and impeccable.

It was like a junior paying respects to a senior, or an old friend saying hello.

Then, he took his companion's arm, turned, and blended into the crowd, leaving only a dashing silhouette.

"Who is he?" Xie Qingshang turned sharply, his voice raspy.

Zhao Shanhe leaned over to take a look, appearing somewhat bewildered. "That's... the young master of the Qin Group who just returned from abroad, right? He's on the list, his name is... Qin something, supposedly a playboy."

"The Qin Group..."

Xie Qingshang stared fixedly at the direction where the silhouette had disappeared, his fingers unconsciously exerting force, actually chipping off a piece of decorative paint from the railing.

"Investigate!"

"Investigate his entire ancestry for eighteen generations!"

That intuition was too strong.

Although the face was completely different, the voice was different, and even the way he walked had changed...

He just felt that something was wrong.

That feeling of being toyed with by his prey had returned.

...

Inside the banquet hall, elegant dresses and fine hair mingled as glasses clinked.

Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his back already soaked with sweat.

At that moment just now, he was truly afraid that the madman Xie Qingshang would jump straight down from the second floor and shoot him.

Fortunately, the system's [God-level Disguise Technique] could not only change his aura but also fine-tune his facial bone structure and muscle contours. Combined with that fabricated perfect identity, no one would ever recognize him unless they did a DNA test on the spot.

"Brother... that scared me to death just now..." Su Tang whispered, her palms covered in sweat.

"Stay calm."

Qin Feng casually took a glass of red wine from a waiter's tray, his eyes seemingly scanning the room at random.

This place was quite interesting.

Not only were there many police, but there were also many "colleagues."

Just now, he had discovered at least three suspicious people.

A middle-aged fat man in a gray suit, seemingly tasting wine, but in reality, his gaze was fixed on the security rotation schedule over there.

A glamorous young woman with excessively long fingers; when she brushed past a wealthy businessman just now, his watch had already ended up in her handbag.

And one more...

Qin Feng's gaze landed on a young man eating cake in a corner.

He wore an ill-fitting waiter's uniform and looked timid, but when a security guard passed by just now, this person's footsteps made almost no sound, and his breathing frequency even perfectly synchronized with the surrounding noise.

"Thousand-Hand Guan Yin?"

Qin Feng chuckled to himself.

It seemed he wasn't the only one eyeing that stone tonight.

Is this what they call the "Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts"?

Lively.

It's really damn lively.

Just then, Alice's signature cold voice came through his miniature earpiece.

"Boss, the show is starting."

"I've successfully hijacked 30% of the venue's surveillance cameras using the backdoor I previously planted in the police department's internal network."

"Including that Cybersecurity Expert named Gu Heng; the images he sees on his screen now will have a three-second delay."

"Three seconds, is that enough?"

Qin Feng took a sip of red wine, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile that made the surrounding socialites' hearts flutter.

He thought to himself:

"Three seconds?"

"For a man, three seconds is a disgrace."

"But for a master thief..."

"This is practically a century."

Qin Feng put down his wine glass, took Su Tang's arm, and walked toward the very center of the banquet hall.

There.

A giant bulletproof glass display case stood under the spotlight.

And in the center of the case, a diamond necklace as blue as the sea and as large as a pigeon egg lay quietly on black velvet.

heart of the ocean.

The "Tears of the Abyss," valued at three hundred million US dollars.

Around it, invisible infrared lasers wove a web of death; the slightest touch would trigger an alarm or even activate a high-voltage electric shock.

There were also four fully armed SWAT officers standing with their backs to the display case, their gazes like lightning.

This was simply a flawless dead end.

But in Qin Feng's eyes.

This was no dead end.

This was clearly a... blind box waiting for him to open it.

[Ding!]

[Target detected: heart of the ocean.]

[Host is detected to be less than five meters from the target.]

[God-level Skill: Grandmaster Magic Hands has been automatically activated.]

[Current Environment: Under the watchful eyes of the public.]

[System Hint: Only the craziest magician would dare to steal their hearts right under everyone's noses.]

Qin Feng stopped, standing only a step away from the display case.

He reached out his hand, appearing as if he wanted to touch the diamond through the glass.

"Sir, please step back."

A SWAT officer immediately turned around, the dark muzzle of his gun raised slightly, his tone icy.

Qin Feng withdrew his hand, an apologetic smile appearing on his face.

"My apologies."

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his voice as warm as jade, yet carrying a hint of mockery that only he could understand.

"I just feel..."

"It seems like it's waiting for me to take it home."

Before he had even finished speaking.

Qin Feng snapped his fingers in the air.

"Snap."

The crisp sound wasn't very noticeable in the noisy banquet hall.

But at this very moment.

Alice's finger hit the Enter key.

The three-second delay began.

A golden light flashed in the depths of Qin Feng's eyes.

The performance begins.