228: A scapegoat

"Officer, I really misremembered. I absolutely didn't intentionally try to sell fakes. Please believe me."

After returning to the police station, the man's attitude changed instantly.

Gone was his previous arrogance; his whole demeanor was no longer as tough as before.

He completely cowered.

"Who are you fooling? Misremembered? Then why didn't you give them the expensive one?"

Gao Zhiman slammed the table. "If this item had left your shop today, and they came back later, would you still recognize it? Luckily, it was discovered on the spot."

In the adjacent room, Chen Tianming listened to Gao Zhiman's impassioned speech and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Gao Zhiman's personal ability was truly strong enough.

After her scolding, the man's attitude indeed became much more proper.

He lowered his head, stammering for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Since you've been caught, it means there's definitely something going on with you. If you tell the truth about what happened, I can handle it leniently. But if you remain stubborn, then I can't help you."

Hearing Gao Zhiman's words, the man sighed deeply.

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, someone asked me to specifically swap out a bronze artifact. These bronze artifacts were originally a pair, and from the outside, you couldn't tell any difference at all. That person told me that as long as I swapped one for him, he'd give me 50,000 yuan as a reward."

As the man spoke, he looked like he was about to break down.

"Officer, if you don't believe me, you can take them apart and look. I guarantee both items are genuine. I really don't know why that gentleman insisted on the original one."

Seeing his tearful expression, it didn't seem like he was lying.

Gao Zhiman immediately recorded his situation, then handed him over to her colleagues to handle.

She herself then walked to the adjacent room.

Once the door to the room closed, only Gao Zhiman and Chen Tianming remained inside.

"You heard everything he just said, didn't you?"

Chen Tianming hummed in affirmation.

"But he only said someone asked him to do it, not who that person was. Can your team investigate this out?"

Gao Zhiman's face was full of triumph. "Absolutely no problem. I know Little Zhao's capabilities. She'll get his name within an hour, guaranteed."

Chen Tianming nodded.

Sure enough, in less than half an hour, Gao Zhiman got the result.

"He said that person's name is Han Lei."

Gao Zhiman said, frowning, "Why would this person have a grudge against you?"

However, Chen Tianming was not surprised at all when he heard the name Han Lei.

He had repeatedly humiliated Han Lei, not only snatching all the valuable good things but also making him lose face with Mia.

It was normal for Han Lei to resent him.

He just didn't expect this guy to use such a foolish method to retaliate against him.

"It's indeed related to that guy."

Through the surveillance, Chen Tianming looked at the man in the video.

It was just a pity for this guy, who inexplicably became a scapegoat.

"As long as I know who has a grudge against me, it'll be easy to handle."

After speaking, Chen Tianming turned and was about to leave.

Gao Zhiman was still a little reluctant and also unsure how to settle this person.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Can't you stay with me a little longer? Besides, this guy is still here, what should we do with him?"

"Something worth 300,000 yuan was swapped just like that. What do you think we should do?"

Gao Zhiman immediately understood and could only sigh, "Alright, I get it. I'll go in now."

After speaking, she went to deal with the matter.

And Chen Tianming wasn't idle either.

Since this Han Lei had a grudge against him, he should also give him a surprise.

"Has the matter been resolved?"

Wan Yue had been waiting outside and saw Chen Tianming finally come out. She immediately went up to him, still full of curiosity.

"More or less. It was indeed Han Lei working against us. That guy just doesn't know what's good for him."

Wan Yue's expression was solemn. "To be honest, this person's strength doesn't pose any threat to us, but he's certainly affecting them now. If you hadn't been careful, these artifact refining materials would have been swapped by him."

"In my opinion, he doesn't understand artifact refining; he's just purely looking for trouble with me."

"Then we..."

"Let's go back first. I'll take these materials back. I can't let him delay my progress."

Seeing Chen Tianming's serious look, Wan Yue didn't say much more.

The two quickly returned to the manor.

Seeing the two bring back a large pile of things, Qu Wan'er excitedly came forward to greet them.

"Dad, what did you bring? It looks so strange."

Qu Wan'er blinked her eyes, unable to see anything special about these things.

However, Chen Yun, who was nearby, could vaguely perceive a unique aura from them.

"Dad, are these the materials needed for artifact refining?"

Chen Yun turned his head to ask, his eyes blinking, emitting a beautiful light.

Chen Tianming smiled and nodded, reaching out to gently pat Chen Yun's head twice.

Chen Tianming had only mentioned artifact refining to him once, but he didn't expect his son to have some talent in it.

He recognized the special nature of these things at a glance.

"Precisely. As long as they are used properly, the most basic artifacts can be refined very quickly."

"Can I help with anything?"

Facing his child's question, Chen Tianming hesitated for a moment, then finally shook his head.

"You are still too young; you don't need to do these things yet. When your internal energy becomes strong, I will slowly teach you."

Hearing Chen Tianming say this, Chen Yun, although a little unwilling, still nodded.

Even Wan Yue, watching from the side, couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"This child indeed has some talent. When he grows up, he will definitely have great prospects."

Chen Tianming smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Right now, I'm afraid I'll need your help."

Wan Yue did not refuse.

She also wanted to see what treasures could be refined from Chen Tianming's blueprint.

Soon, Chen Tianming called Zhao Xuexuan.

"Help me keep an eye on the antique market. If there's any big movement, let me know immediately."

Chen Tianming knew full well how much trouble Han Lei had caused him today.

He had given him such a big surprise, and he couldn't completely ignore it. He had to find an opportunity to counterattack.

After entrusting the matter to Zhao Xuexuan, Chen Tianming could finally rest assured, and then he pulled Wan Yue to refine artifacts.

Throughout the night, when all the materials were gathered together, a piece of protective gear appeared before Chen Tianming's eyes.

It was exactly as depicted on the blueprint!

Chen Tianming had a smile in his eyes.

It's done!