Investigation of the Strange Journey, Key Suspects

The scene before his eyes shifted rapidly once more.

This time, it wasn't a blinding light that dragged Lin Yu's consciousness back, but a cacophony of noise.

Lin Yu opened his eyes.

He was currently situated at the venue of the Guihang Auction.

He had visited this place previously when seeking Sister Hong's assistance with an auction.

There was no doubt about it.

In this iteration of the dream world, Lin Yu was seated in the bidders' section.

It appeared he was playing the role of a participant.

Seated beside him was, naturally, the owner of this dream world, Shen Jiuyi!

"Lin Yu, if you're tired, you can withdraw and sit this out."

"Today's event isn't intended for an actual auction, anyway."

Shen Jiuyi said calmly, not even glancing at him.

Lin Yu reached out and pinched Shen Jiuyi's cheek, grumbling, "Next time you speak to me, could you look at me?"

"Don't I deserve some respect?"

Having just been thoroughly toyed with in Huang Feirong's dream world, Lin Yu wasn't about to show any mercy now that the tables had turned.

Shen Jiuyi widened her eyes and whipped her head around. "!!!"

Her gaze seemed filled with utter bewilderment at Lin Yu's actions.

Lin Yu spoke with brazen confidence:

"What are you looking at? Can't I pinch your cheek?"

He was asking a question to which he already knew the answer.

Shen Jiuyi's expression said it all.

Such an intimate gesture was clearly unacceptable in her consciousness.

What a pity.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Yu might have maintained a respectful distance.

But now?

Shen Jiuyi was definitely one of the people who had mocked him inside the dream of the "Queen of Dirty Jokes"!

Shen Jiuyi took a deep breath.

Trying to remain composed, she said:

"Lin Yu, you can't just because my destiny..."

Before she could finish, Lin Yu cut her off abruptly:

"It's precisely because of that. So what?"

"If you don't behave, I'll tell everyone about your destiny!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel Shen Jiuyi tremble.

The Lin Yu in her imagination wasn't this kind of person. Had he suddenly changed today?

To think he would actually use her weakness to blackmail her so directly.

The crucial point was...

Shen Jiuyi didn't dare retort.

If she really provoked him and he revealed the secret of her destiny...

Wouldn't she be unable to hold her head up in front of Shen Buyao for the rest of her life?

Over the years, she had frequently used Yao Yao's destiny as the "Lone Star of Tiansha" to strike heavy blows against her.

She couldn't even imagine the terrifying scenario if Yao Yao found out about her own destiny!

No! No!

She absolutely could not let that happen.

Faced with Lin Yu's fierce and direct assault, Shen Jiuyi chose silence on the spot.

She turned her head away, trying her best to avoid locking eyes with him.

Lin Yu observed her submissive reaction.

Hiss!

It was true.

Playing the villain once in a while was truly liberating.

Being a good guy was just too hard!

Lin Yu slightly suppressed the wicked thoughts in his heart and asked:

"Little Jiu, tell me what's going on here."

"Hasn't the auction not started yet? Why are there so many people crowded up front!"

"Don't tell me they're all here to cause trouble?"

Lin Yu hadn't forgotten the main business at hand; he still needed to understand the situation.

Hearing Lin Yu switch to a serious topic, Shen Jiuyi breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at the bustling crowd ahead and explained:

"Most of them are just onlookers; there's only one person actually causing a scene."

"That burly man in the black tank top!"

"He claims he bought a counterfeit item at the Guihang Auction. It's the exact same story as the two people from a few days ago."

Lin Yu looked at the man in the tank top Shen Jiuyi had pointed out.

He really wanted to see the man's face, but it was nothing but a blur of pixels—a mosaic. He couldn't see it clearly at all.

This indicated that the man's identity wasn't important in Shen Jiuyi's subconscious.

What mattered was likely the person behind him.

"He's just a hired thug, right? Have you found the boss behind the scenes?"

Shen Jiuyi didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Lin Yu with astonishment, remaining silent for a long time.

Lin Yu gave her a flick on the forehead, instantly bringing her back to reality.

"Little Jiu, what's with that expression?"

"It's as if you think I couldn't figure out someone put him up to this!"

"I have a brain too, you know. Anyone with eyes could see that, right?"

Shen Jiuyi rubbed her forehead. Following Lin Yu's logic, it made sense.

Only then did she speak:

"Sister Hong and I think so too. Counting this man, there have been three people causing trouble now."

"The person behind this is acting very cautiously; the three troublemakers have absolutely no connection or commonality."

"Dragging the mastermind out into the light won't be an easy task."

Lin Yu nodded; he wasn't surprised by this result.

If the opponent couldn't even handle a small detail like that, what confidence would they have to play dirty?

At the same time.

Lin Yu realized why the Huang family felt so stifled.

Without leads or evidence, there was simply no way to prove their innocence.

Since the approach of following the vine to the melon—tracing the clues step by step—wasn't working, they needed to shift their perspective.

In the dream world today, Lin Yu didn't intend to identify the "real culprit" in one go.

But at the very least, he needed to gather some useful information.

"Even if you can't find the specific person behind this, with the experience your two families have in the antique trade..."

"You should be able to roughly narrow down their identity, right?"

Shen Jiuyi nodded once more.

This time, Lin Yu had guessed correctly again!

"That's right. This circle isn't that big; it's easy to guess who the players are."

"There are three main suspects: Xiao Hu, Lu Zeyuan..."

"Both are old hands in the antique business, and each runs an auction house in the same province as us."

"It wouldn't be strange at all if it were one of them."

"The Guihang Auction has been too high-profile lately, which easily invites jealousy."

"Come to think of it, this actually has something to do with the treasure you brought."

Shen Jiuyi was actually being very honest; whatever key point Lin Yu asked about, she answered.

However, when listening to someone speak—especially someone as cautious as Shen Jiuyi...

One had to listen not only to what she said, but also to what she didn't say!

There were three main suspects...

The first two mentioned were obviously not the primary focus.

The most significant one had been saved for last and remained unspoken!

Shen Jiuyi's gaze was fixed on him.

This implied she wanted Lin Yu to guess who the final suspect was.

In that case.

Lin Yu must know this last person. Otherwise, how could he guess?

Lin Yu went along with Shen Jiuyi's intent and said:

"If I'm not mistaken, the last suspect..."

"Is someone from the Huang family itself!"

"Am I right?"

Shen Jiuyi nodded, admiration written all over her face.

This matter had nothing to do with Lin Yu, and he hadn't participated in any of their discussions.

Yet, simply from the perspective of a bystander, he was able to deduce so much.

He was truly impressive!