The landlady glanced into the room through the slightly open door. The space had become more crowded with things since Yun Tutu first moved in. “You didn’t go to work today?” she asked.

“I just finished a delivery and was about to take a break,” Yun Tutu replied, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the corner. “Auntie, would you like some water?”

The landlady didn’t mind that she wasn’t invited inside. The small room wasn’t much to look at anyway, so it was better to get straight to the point. “It’s nothing major, really,” she began. “Our village road is about to undergo renovation, and construction will go on for quite some time. It might cause some inconvenience, so I hope you can understand.”

She scratched her head and continued, “But don’t worry. Once the road is fixed, it’ll be much easier to get around. We’ve discussed it with the village committee, and since this is our issue, we’re going to reduce your rent by 20%.”

The landlady pulled out a notebook. “So, do you want me to refund the money now, or should I just deduct it from next month’s rent?”

“Let’s just deduct it next month,” Yun Tutu replied with a smile. “You could have just sent me a message about this, Auntie. There was no need for you to come all the way here.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble. We feel bad about the situation, so we thought it best to inform you face-to-face,” the landlady said as she jotted down the note. “I still have to notify the other tenants, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“…” Yun Tutu felt a bit guilty for lying earlier.

As she watched the landlady head upstairs, Yun Tutu was about to close the door when she suddenly saw a few burly men standing in front of her. Startled, she quickly retreated into the house and slammed the door shut.

“Those people are here to see you,” Song Song said excitedly. “Hurry up and let them in; I’m dying to see what happens next!”

“Of course they’re here for me. Who else would they be here for?” Yun Tutu snapped back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I don’t know who they are!”

“Did you suddenly forget? Do you have the memory of a goldfish?” Song Song retorted.

“…” Yun Tutu was speechless.

“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted—to report me?” Song Song continued.

“Did they have to come so quickly?” Yun Tutu asked, still shocked.

“Quickly? You’ve already ordered takeout and eaten! Considering we’re in the same city, I’d say they took their sweet time,” Song Song huffed, clearly unimpressed by the speed of their arrival.

Outside, Zhang Yaowen, the leader of the group, quickly recognized the girl. They had met once before. He knocked gently on the door and called out, “Comrade Yun Tutu! We’re here to ask you a few questions.”

Yun Tutu took a deep breath, opened the door slightly, and smiled. “I’m Yun Tutu. May I see your identification?”

Zhang Yaowen promptly held up his badge for her to see: Deputy Leader of the Security Action Group, Zhang Yaowen.

After verifying his identity, Yun Tutu noticed the three burly men standing behind him. She opened the door wider and said, “Come in.”

Given the small size of the apartment, Zhang Yaowen instructed his colleagues to stay outside while he stepped inside alone. The space was too cramped for all four of them.

“It’s a bit small in here,” Yun Tutu said with an awkward laugh, feeling the strong sense of pressure from his presence.

“We’re here to investigate a matter and would appreciate your cooperation,” Zhang Yaowen said, sizing her up. There was something different about her from the last time they met, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Of course,” Yun Tutu agreed, looking up at him. By her estimation, this guy must be over six feet tall. “There’s a chair over there, if you don’t mind.”

Talking to someone so tall while craning her neck felt odd.

Zhang Yaowen surveyed the room before pulling up a wooden chair near the entrance and sitting down. His three colleagues remained outside, making sure the conversation wouldn’t be interrupted.

“You’re the one who sent the file to our office, correct?” Zhang Yaowen cut straight to the point.

Yun Tutu glanced at the empty space before her. These men hadn’t noticed the screen hovering in front of her. She asked Song Song in her mind, “Can you make yourself visible to them?”

“I can, but it will cost energy…” Song Song replied, spinning in place.

“If you show yourself, it would be more convincing than anything I could say.”

Song Song thought for a moment before agreeing. “Alright, but I won’t stay visible for long.”

Zhang Yaowen couldn’t understand why this young woman seemed so lost in thought. Was his question really that difficult to answer? Or was this some sort of elaborate prank, and she was just an unwitting participant? Still, they hadn’t come here on a whim. They had thoroughly investigated Yun Tutu’s background, including the mysterious appearance of a new delivery bike and the sudden influx of money into her account.

His eyes briefly flicked to the ordinary-looking motorbike outside, knowing it had no clear origin, as if it had materialized out of thin air.

Just as he was contemplating his next question, a flash of light suddenly appeared, and a screen materialized before him.

Not only did it startle him, but his colleagues outside also immediately assumed defensive stances.

“Don’t be alarmed,” Yun Tutu hurriedly assured them, worried they might draw their weapons. “This is why I contacted you. It won’t harm you.”

Zhang Yaowen signaled his men to stand down, but their eyes remained wary.

“Is this some kind of new technology?” Zhang Yaowen asked, scrutinizing the screen. In the center was a small doll.

“I’m not new technology. Allow me to introduce myself…” Song Song began, briefly explaining what it had already told Yun Tutu. “This is the situation. Yun Tutu was very insistent on handing over these valuable items, but since I’m bound to her, this was the best compromise we could come up with.”

As a loyal partner, Song Song made sure to highlight Yun Tutu’s integrity.

“How can you prove that what you’re saying is true?” Zhang Yaowen asked, though he was already inclined to believe them. He just needed some concrete evidence.

Yun Tutu walked over to the bed, pulling back the covers to reveal the treasures she had obtained from the Qin Dynasty. “These are from the Qin era. You can verify their authenticity.”

Not wanting to stop there, Yun Tutu quickly pulled a backpack out from under the bed, unzipped it, and revealed the gold ingots inside. “There’s also these.”

Zhang Yaowen was taken aback. “Aren’t you worried that we might do something to you?”

Yun Tutu took a deep breath. “Eventually, you’d find out everything anyway. There’s no way I could keep this hidden on my own.”

Zhang Yaowen nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words. For instance, the large sums of money that had been deposited into her account hadn’t raised any alarms yet, but they eventually would. Then there were the artifacts casually lying on her bed. He recalled their first meeting at the antique market. “Last time you were at the antique market, what exactly did you sell?”

Yun Tutu’s eyes widened. They had even tracked that down?

At the same time, she felt a surge of relief. It was a good thing she had come clean. If those Qin Dynasty bronze swords had surfaced without explanation, it would have been impossible to clear her name.

“Since you’ve already investigated, how could you not know what I sold?” she replied.