The rising sun cast a golden glow across the vast, undulating sea, welcoming a new day to Pingdan Island.
Around six or seven o'clock, a number of people were already moving about at the Qiankun Resort. The resort boasted a beautiful and pleasant environment, with shady trees, fragrant flowers, and birdsong. The distant sound of waves lapping the shore added to the tranquil atmosphere, making everyone feel relaxed and refreshed.
On the beach not far from the Qiankun Hotel, a group of young people carrying easels sat or stood, their paintbrushes flying across the canvas. Facing the vast sea and the rising sun, the students were awestruck by the wonders of nature and eagerly tried to capture the breathtaking scenery on their canvases.
Su He was also painting among the crowd, but her attention wasn't as focused as the others. Her eyes kept glancing at Chen Yang, who was sitting on a beach chair not far away.
Chen Yang had also gotten up early. He'd just swum several laps at the beach and now, wearing a pair of royal blue swim trunks, he lay leisurely on a beach chair, watching the calligraphy and painting club members. Water droplets still clung to his body, and his rock-hard muscles shone healthily in the morning sun, the water droplets glistening like flawless pearls.
His small bag was casually draped over the beach chair, containing a few changes of clothes, his phone, wallet, and other miscellaneous items.
Shen Tu Fan was equally distracted. Seeing Chen Yang's muscular physique, Shen Tu Fan felt a pang of inferiority, his gaze, tinged with a hint of envy, sweeping over Chen Yang intentionally or unintentionally, while a subtle, nervous anticipation stirred within him.
Time passed slowly. The calligraphy and painting club members had all finished their artwork, and many began packing up, chatting amongst themselves, preparing to return to the hotel for breakfast. Chen Yang stood up, casually draped a white cotton towel with the resort's logo over his shoulders, and walked towards the crowd, carrying his small bag.
Su He carefully packed up her easel and paintbrushes. Seeing Chen Yang approach, a sweet smile appeared on her face. What had initially been a reluctant field trip, undertaken out of politeness, had become filled with joy thanks to Chen Yang's company. Su He was now no different from any girl in love; as long as she could be with her beloved, everything was happiness. Moreover, the resort's facilities and environment were indeed quite excellent; in Su He's eyes, this was truly a pleasant trip.
Just then, Shen Tu Fan, who had been secretly observing Chen Yang, suddenly exclaimed dramatically:
"Huh? Where's my phone?"
Shen Tu Fan's shrill voice immediately drew everyone's attention. Shen Tu Fan pretended to rummage through his pockets and bag, then looked around and asked,
"Has anyone seen my phone? I just put it on top of my backpack."
The students from the calligraphy and painting club, seeing their president's phone was missing, all gathered around, chattering excitedly.
"President, look again carefully. Is it somewhere you didn't find it?"
"Everyone, check your bags! Maybe someone accidentally packed the wrong thing while packing!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Everyone look! The president's phone is missing!"
At this moment, Hu Qing sidled up, his eyes darting around furtively, and asked:
"President, could it have been stolen?"
Shen Tu Fan pretended to hesitate, then said tentatively:
"Probably not! These are all our classmates. Who would do something so despicable? Besides, my phone isn't worth much!"
Hu Qing intentionally glanced at Chen Yang, and said sarcastically:
"President, I think you're overestimating people. Our calligraphy and painting club members certainly wouldn't steal, but outsiders… well, that's another story. You say your phone isn't worth much, that's your standard, President. To some country folk, an iPhone 4 is still quite tempting!"
Hu Qing's words were like daggers, aimed directly at Chen Yang. The students in the calligraphy and painting club noticed as well, and they all fell silent, their strange gazes lingering on Chen Yang.
Su He's face flushed red with anger upon hearing this. Just as she was about to stand up for Chen Yang, she suddenly felt a tightening in her hand—Chen Yang had grasped it. Su He turned to look at Chen Yang, her eyes filled with indignation. Chen Yang shook his head slightly, signaling her not to act impulsively and to observe the situation calmly.
From Shen Tu Fan's exaggerated performance, Chen Yang had sensed something was amiss. Then Hu Qing chimed in, and Chen Yang immediately understood—these two kids were up to something again! He'd better see what tricks they were playing!
Sure enough, after Hu Qing finished speaking, he enthusiastically suggested:
"President, why don't you use my phone to dial your own number right now? Everything will be clear then! If a classmate took it by mistake or you forgot where you put it, the phone will ring and you'll be able to find it!"
"Great idea!" Shen Tu Fan said happily, taking the phone from Hu Qing and skillfully dialing his number.
Shen Tu Fan held the phone tightly to his ear, while the other members of the calligraphy and painting club watched him nervously. After a while, Shen Tu Fan dejectedly put down the phone and said:
"It's off…"
"That's it! It must have been stolen! President, call the police right away!" Hu Qing exaggeratedly slapped his thigh and shouted, then looked around and said, "No one here is allowed to leave! Until the thief is found, everyone is a suspect!"
After saying that, Hu Qing ran to the side to make a phone call.
Although the members of the calligraphy and painting club were somewhat resentful, firstly, Shen Tu Fan had a very strong background at Fuzhou University, especially in the art department, and most people wouldn't dare to go against him; secondly, they knew that Shen Tu Fan was probably targeting Chen Yang this time, and they were just there by chance. Therefore, Hu Qing's words didn't cause a strong backlash. Everyone casually sat down on the beach, chatting easily, but their eyes occasionally swept towards Su He and Chen Yang, with a hint of schadenfreude.
Two or three minutes later, everyone saw a middle-aged man dressed in crisp trousers, a short-sleeved shirt, and a meticulously tied tie, leading several security guards and two police officers, walking briskly towards them.
"Really fast!" Chen Yang thought with a touch of sarcasm. Although the Development Zone Police Station was very close to the resort, arriving at the scene in three minutes was rather strange. With Chen Yang's intelligence, he easily guessed the general situation.
Chen Yang glanced meaningfully at his small bag, took out his phone to send a text message, then crossed his arms and leisurely watched the spectacle unfold before him.
The middle-aged man was Xu Guifa, the general manager of the resort and Hu Qing's uncle. Initially, Hu Qing had asked him to deal with a guest at the resort, and Xu Guifa had hesitated slightly. But upon learning that the guest was just an ordinary college student, and the person tasked with dealing with him was the nephew of the deputy director of the art department at Rong University, Xu Guifa immediately agreed.
Xu Guifa knew his nephew was striving for a spot as an outstanding student leader in his department. Since ancient times, maternal uncles have been considered the closest relatives, and Xu Guifa was no exception. Hu Qing had been well-behaved and sensible since childhood, and Xu Guifa doted on him. Therefore, after hearing Hu Qing's plan, Xu Guifa quickly made the arrangements.
Last night, before Chen Yang returned home, Xu Guifa arranged for one of his trusted confidants to use a spare room card to open Chen Yang's villa door with a phone that Hu Qing had already prepared, secretly hiding the phone in a hidden compartment of Chen Yang's small bag. This morning, he had already spoken to the familiar police officers at the local station and they were waiting in his office.
Upon receiving Hu Qing's call, Xu Guifa immediately led the police officers and security guards to the beach. Seeing Shen Tu Fan standing reservedly beside Hu Qing, Xu Guifa quickly walked up to him and said warmly,
"You must be Shen Tu! Hello, hello! I'm Xu Guifa, the general manager of the resort!"
After speaking, Xu Guifa proactively extended his hand. Shen Tu Fan immediately felt incredibly honored; even the resort's general manager was taking the initiative to shake his hand. Wasn't this much more prestigious than the executive chef personally delivering food last night? He quickly reached out and shook hands with Xu Guifa, saying,
"Hello, Mr. Xu! It's just a small matter, how could I trouble you to come all this way?"
Xu Guifa said seriously,
"Shen Tu, this is no small matter! Since our resort opened, the security situation has always been excellent. This is the first time we've encountered a theft case. As the main leader of the resort, it's only natural that I need to come to the scene to understand the situation!"
After speaking, Xu Guifa introduced the two police officers beside him to Shen Tu Fan:
"Shen Tu, these two are police officers from the Development Zone Police Station. This is Officer Zhou, and this is Officer Li. Please explain the situation to them!"
Shen Tu Fan nodded, first giving a polite greeting, and then said,
"Officers, I am the president of the Rongda Calligraphy and Painting Society. This morning, I brought the calligraphy and painting society..." "My classmates and I were sketching and painting here. After we finished, I was packing up to go back to the hotel for breakfast when I realized my phone was missing. My classmates helped me search for a long time but couldn't find it. Later, I used Hu Qing's phone to call my own number, but it was switched off. So I suspect my phone was stolen!"
The older Officer Zhou asked:
"Are you sure you brought your phone to the beach? Did you forget it in your hotel room?"
Shen Tu Fan said confidently:
"I definitely brought it! I even used my phone to read the news before sunrise!"
At this moment, Hu Qing also chimed in:
"Yes, officer, I can testify to that. I also saw the club president using his phone!"
The students in the calligraphy and painting club remained silent. They genuinely didn't remember whether Shen Tu Fan had brought his phone or not. With so many people around, who would notice such a small detail! But since Shen Tu Fan said he brought it, then he probably did…
Another, younger officer, Li, immediately said:
"Then things are simple! Everyone was here this morning, right? Just check! Whoever the thief is will have nowhere to hide!"