"A necklace?" Mrs. Ruan asked in confusion. "What necklace?"
"The diamond necklace Mr. Ruan bought at the auction for Miss Ruan last time."
"That girl is always misplacing things. Did she put it somewhere and forget again?"
"Miss Ruan said she took it out to look at it this morning and left it on her dressing table, but now it's gone."
Mr. Ruan spoke in a low voice. "Could someone have taken it?"
Mrs. Ruan chided him. "This is our own home. Who would take Hanli's necklace? She must have misplaced it. Have you searched the whole house?"
"We've searched everywhere," the maid said. "We still couldn't find Miss Ruan's necklace."
Mr. Ruan considered it for a moment. "Go find out who entered her room today."
Something stirred in Qiao Hua's heart.
She kept feeling that something was strange about this.
Before long, the maid returned. She cast a cautious glance at Qiao Hua and forced herself to say, "Today... today, only Miss Qiao entered Miss Ruan's room."
The moment she said that, the atmosphere shifted, and several pairs of eyes turned toward Qiao Hua.
Qiao Hua raised an eyebrow and turned to the maid. "Are you saying I stole Ruan Hanli's necklace?"
The maid dared not look at her, and her voice dropped. "I'm only telling the truth. You really were the only person who entered Miss Ruan's room today, and then her necklace went missing."
"You're mistaken."
Gu Wenze broke the silence. His measured voice carried a dangerous arrogance beneath its refined elegance. "I went into her room too, so you should add me to your list of suspects."
Mr. Ruan's voice sharpened. "I trust Wenze and his wife. They would never do something like that."
"But Miss Qiao really was the only... along with Mr. Gu... who