The subscription ratio is insufficient, this is an anti-theft stamp, or the system is delayed.

He stood up holding on to the wooden cabinet and heard the ringing of a police car outside - someone nearby had called the police. The balcony gradually became noisy, and Lin Hao stood in the yard with his dog, reporting what he saw and heard to the police.

The sky was already dark, and Lin Hao was worried and repeated intermittently: "I was in the living room, and my dog ​​was in the yard, and it suddenly barked. Sir, if you have also raised a dog, you may know how to distinguish a dog from barking."

He omitted the adjectives and went directly to the subject: "I saw from the window that a man in brown clothes climbed over the wall and entered the door. I assure you, he was wearing a black hood..."

Lin Hao finally said: "Then I called the police."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Mingyuan and Su Qiao both appeared.

The police interrogation lasted for half an hour, but unfortunately they found nothing. There were no casualties at the scene, no property was stolen, and Lu Mingyuan did not receive malicious threats. No one could tell the cause and effect.

The man wearing a hood disappeared from the surveillance range. This matter will probably go unsolved.

After seeing off the police, Lu Mingyuan sat on the steps in front of the door. He stretched out his long legs and extended his sight into the distance. The stars in the night sky were bright and could illuminate invisible places.

Su Qiao sat with him, still keeping a distance. The two were no longer as close as they were in the basement. After all, the situation was urgent and the circumstances were extenuating. When the gunfire disappeared, their relationship seemed to have returned to its original point.

Lin Hao's border collie was lying at Su Qiao's feet. Su Qiao put his knees together and bent down to touch the dog's head. It accepted the touch quietly, but its owner suddenly said: "Lu Mingyuan, this

We can't just let the matter go. Who knows whether that person is a psycho or a murderer? Didn't the police tell you that they will contact you tomorrow."

Lu Mingyuan sat quietly for a moment and suddenly said: "The houses here are decades old. The community is old and the place is remote. In the middle of the night, the streets are full of drunkards who are messing around and delirious. Occasionally, someone climbs over the wall and comes in...

"

He paused and said in a sort of comforting tone: "Does that make sense?"

"What the hell!" Lin Hao took out his lighter and lit a cigarette casually, "Which alcoholic would wear a hood? Man, I'm not scaring you, I heard a strange sound."

He held his breath and smoked, and swore: "Fuck the big city, you might as well live in the country."

"It's the same damn thing everywhere. I heard gunshots in the countryside," Lu Mingyuan said truthfully, "Every household has a hunting rifle."

Lin Hao was familiar with his experience and blurted out: "When you first came here, your father put you at a friend's house in the countryside... You hunted with them, so you have seen the world."

He continued: "Anyway, I think this matter is not simple. You can figure it out yourself."

Before Su Qiao came to Lu Mingyuan, she knew that he was only close to a few people - these people included Lin Hao, Jiang Xiuqi, and his friends in the countryside.

But even when facing Lin Hao, Lu Mingyuan still had reservations. Su Qiao initially judged that Lu Mingyuan did not intend to be honest with anyone, and he always had his own ideas and plans.

At midnight, all the lights in the house went out.

Lu Mingyuan was facing the computer screen, reviewing an email reply from his father. He rarely took the initiative to contact his father, and today was unprecedented.

Not long ago, his father let go of his dove. After Lu Mingyuan learned that his father was safe, he did not give back any information. Now, he mentioned the uninvited guests tonight and the inexplicable gunshot on the balcony.

The father replied: "I am a guest at a friend's house in Italy. This is by far the safest place. Has the HS Group found your head? Come to Italy. Let's discuss whether to return to China."

The "hs Group" in the email refers to Hongsheng Group, where my father worked for most of his life. The chairman of Hongsheng Group passed away in a car accident in January this year, and then his eldest son announced that he would temporarily serve as general manager. Due to many

The senior executives come from within the family, and Hongsheng's nickname is the "Su Group".

During his tenure, the chairman was not satisfied with legal operations. He opened several nominal art companies, partnered with overseas teams for smuggling, laundered a large amount of money at auctions, and made countless false accounts - Lu Mingyuan knew clearly.

His father is a facilitator.

Because his father once tried to win over him.

His parents divorced at an early age, and Lu Mingyuan was sent abroad. He grew up in a boarding school. During school holidays, he would stay at his father's friend's house and follow several uncles to hunt, fish, and ride horses. He once wanted to live in the virgin forest.

His grades in cultural classes were poor, especially in mathematics and French. He only excelled in art and received enthusiastic encouragement from teachers. When choosing a university, he asked his father's opinion. It was not until that moment that Lu Mingyuan's father knew that

It turns out that my son likes to do art.

His father strongly supported him.

What followed immediately was a confession and analysis.

It's a pity that Lu Mingyuan couldn't accept it. He had a big fight with his father and had no contact for about two years. The relationship between the two parties was lukewarm and was at a critical point of almost collapse.

He could not tell Lin Hao or Jiang Xiuqi about the twists and turns. Moreover, his father had always been secretive and rarely met with Lu Mingyuan. His understanding of his biological father may not be as good as that of the lawyers in the firm.

Lu Mingyuan's thoughts were in a mess, and someone knocked on the bedroom door again.

He turned around and saw Su Qiao.

Su Qiao hugged the quilt and said, "Hey, you have quite a lot of space here."

Lu Mingyuan asked, "What do you mean, you want to sleep in this bedroom?"

Su Qiao entered the room unceremoniously, hooked the door with her foot, and closed it with a "snap". But she did not come over, she just stood behind the door and said calmly in a narrative: "That man wearing a hood, today

Will you come again tonight? I thought about it, it’s safer to stay with you. I’m not going to sleep, I’ll keep watch.”

Lu Mingyuan remained silent.

After a while, he said: "I will take you to Lin Hao's house. They also have a vacant room. When you go to bed at night, lock the windows and doors. I will take you back to China early tomorrow morning."

Just from the tone of voice, he didn't feel any nostalgia at all.

Su Qiao refused: "Lin Hao is one of the witnesses. Are you sure their home is safe? We can't tell the origin of the other party, and he didn't do anything. He just shot a bullet. Because he was pretending

The silencer was turned off, and the gunshots could only be heard within twenty meters. I suspect he was demonstrating. Do you have any suspicions?"

Lu Mingyuan stood up from his seat and repeated: "The suspect..."

He joked jokingly: "What about you, Xiao Qiao?"

Lu Mingyuan said casually, and Su Qiao's expression changed drastically.

She seemed to have suffered a huge grievance, and her whole face turned pale for a moment. A laugh rolled out of her throat. She stared at him and asked, "Lu Mingyuan, are you serious?"

Before Lu Mingyuan could answer, Su Qiao threw the quilt on the ground. She turned away and walked away without looking back. She said in a cold voice: "I'm going back to China tonight. I wish you good luck, Mr. Lu. The emergency number is 999.

For people like you who don’t use smartphones, you’d better set up a one-touch button.”

The bedroom door was opened, and she was wearing a dress, which made her figure look even thinner.

Su Qiao was walking so hard, but something fell out of her pocket and she had to bend down to pick it up.

——It’s the little stone goldfish.

The little goldfish lay on the floor of the bedroom, as if stranded. The round fins and shiny scales were illuminated under the lamp. It was motionless and still lifelike.

Lu Mingyuan still remembers the mood when he was carving goldfish. He went fishing for a day in the countryside, but not a single fish was hooked. On the way back, he picked up a beautiful stone on the side of the road, put it in his backpack, and started working on it when he got home.

Now, that goldfish was caught by Su Qiao again.

Lu Mingyuan stood in front of Su Qiao. He didn't know why, but at this time, he still wanted to offend her. He quoted Su Qiao's words just now: "When you run out at night, you need 999 more than me. Do you have a call on your mobile phone?"

Key button?”

Su Qiao had nothing to say. She put her arm on his shoulder.

Lu Mingyuan stood there without responding.

Su Qiao held the goldfish stone sculpture tightly with her left hand and gradually wrapped her arms around his neck. She must say something to him to dispel all his doubts. With this thought in her heart, her body naturally moved closer to him. She remembered the hug in the basement.

, the landscape paintings all over the wall, the dim lights, and the way he looked at her - she actually became more and more speechless.

Lu Mingyuan didn't know either.

There was still half an hour before the exhibition started, and Lu Mingyuan and Su Qiao arrived together. The entire exhibition hall had been prepared, and the chandeliers illuminated the room brightly. In the center of the main hall was an ingeniously carved statue of a galloping horse.

, there is also a man holding a sword on the horse.

Su Qiao took a step closer and studied the horse's mane carefully. She was surprised to find that the texture was so delicate that it could almost look real. But at the same time, she also wondered with lingering fear - did this mean that Lu Mingyuan had strong observation skills and was good at all kinds of knives?

, also familiar with the structure of the human body.

She couldn't help but think for a while.

On the other side, Lu Mingyuan was talking to Jiang Xiuqi.

Lu Mingyuan said: "Investors can be found through the exhibition hall. Thirty percent of the proceeds from the venue belong to the brokerage company. I have no other requirements. I just want to know the name of the investor."

"This is difficult to handle," Jiang Xiuqi replied, "I told you, that investor values ​​you very much. He paid a lot of money to buy this exhibition hall and only let you use it..."

In Jiang Xiuqi's social circle, there are many rich people from well-off families. They spend a lot of money, live a leisurely life, and each have their own preferences and hobbies. In Jiang Xiuqi's view, the boss behind Lu Mingyuan's sponsorship must be these rich people.

one of them.

Perhaps because throwing money at an unknown artist is not a decent thing in the industry, the rich man chose to remain anonymous and refused to disclose any private information.

After Jiang Xiuqi sorted out the cause and effect, he began to comfort Lu Mingyuan: "The contract he signed included a confidentiality clause. You and I can't find out even if we want to find out."

Security was in place in the exhibition hall, and staff in black suits were walking back and forth, with whispers everywhere. Many employees knew that Lu Mingyuan was the creator of these artworks, and gave him a friendly smile when they passed by him.

Lu Mingyuan was not used to attending formal occasions as a host.

He said: "After the exhibition started, I went to the bar. Jiang Xiuqi, I leave this place to you."

Before Jiang Xiuqi said anything, Su Qiao came closer and asked, "Why? You are the author, Lu Mingyuan, why don't you join us in the exhibition?"

Lu Mingyuan said unreasonably: "What they should focus on is the work, not me."
Chapter completed!