Chapter 56 Being Taken Away

Hearing this, Zhao Qiankun instantly regained his spirit and pointed at Cheng Ziqiu, cursing loudly.

"Well, you little bastard! I knew you were nothing good! How dare you try to snatch things in broad daylight! Security! Where is the security?"

Several security guards rushed over upon hearing the commotion and, without a word, grabbed Cheng Ziqiu by the arms.

"Hey, wait, listen to me explain! I didn't steal any painting! This is a complete misunderstanding!"

Cheng Ziqiu struggled desperately, but it was all in vain.

"A misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding could there be? Caught red-handed! You just said the painting was fake, and now you come to snatch it—this is clearly a thief crying thief!"

Zhao Qiankun said angrily.

Cheng Ziqiu felt even more wronged than Dou E.

He had simply wanted to take a closer look at the painting, so why was this heavily made-up woman howling away like that?

With acting skills like that, it was truly a crime for her not to be in the movies.

"I really didn't snatch it! I just wanted to take a look! If you don't believe me, ask her if I even touched the painting!"

Cheng Ziqiu shouted at the woman.

Alas, the surrounding crowd was a cacophony of noise, and his voice was no louder than a mosquito's hum—no one could hear him at all.

At that moment, Bank President Li strolled over to Cheng Ziqiu with measured steps and shook his head with feigned distress.

"Young man, why aren't you learning to be decent at such a young age? Stealing is breaking the law!"

Held firmly by the two security guards, Cheng Ziqiu couldn't move an inch.

His face flushed red, and he roared at President Li:

"Steal your head! This lousy painting is fake! You old fart, stop putting on a show here!"

The surrounding guests began to whisper among themselves.

"That young man has quite a big mouth, daring to speak to President Li like that."

"Exactly, what kind of person is President Li? He's a bank president, would he ever lower himself to care about whatever little junk this kid has?"

"I bet this brat is nothing more than a swindler trying to fish in troubled waters."

President Li's eyes darted around, and he immediately assumed an expression of profound grief and indignation.

"Ah, the youth of today really will stop at nothing for money! This painting is a prized possession of Mr. Zhao Qiankun; how could it possibly be fake? I personally had it authenticated by Master Zhang, a grandmaster in the antique world!"

With that, he turned his gaze to Zhao Qiankun standing nearby.

"Mr. Zhao, wouldn't you say so?"

Patting his protruding beer belly and wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, Zhao Qiankun said loudly:

"That's right! I spent a fortune bidding for this painting at an overseas auction house, how could it be fake?"

"This punk is clearly a swindler. He even came to my house earlier, claiming that my entire collection consisted of counterfeits and trying to trick me into putting them up for auction so he could profit from the middle!"

President Li widened his eyes in feigned astonishment.

"Such a thing actually happened? Mr. Zhao, you must be careful—there are simply too many fraudsters nowadays!"

"You said it!"

Zhao Qiankun wore an expression of extreme indignation.

"If I hadn't had sharp eyes discerning right from wrong, I almost fell for this punk's trick! President Li, you must uphold justice for me!"

President Li patted his chest righteously.

"Rest assured, Mr. Zhao, I will certainly not let this fraudster off the hook!"

As he spoke, he cupped his hands toward the onlookers, wearing a deeply compassionate and benevolent expression.

"Everyone, you have all witnessed it for yourselves. Not only did this young man attempt to steal a painting, but he also slandered Mr. Zhao's collection as fake—it is a complete and utter disregard for the law! As the organizer of this auction, I absolutely cannot tolerate such behavior! Security, take him away and hand him over to the police!"

Cheng Ziqiu felt as though he was about to explode with rage.

These people were singing the same tune, and their ability to turn black into white was truly masterclass!

He struggled furiously, trying to explain, but the two security guards held him in a death grip, rendering him completely immobile.

"Let me go! I didn't steal anything! The painting is fake! You bunch of bastards!"

Watching Cheng Ziqiu being hauled away, President Li curved the corner of his mouth into a sinister smirk.

He turned around and said to Zhao Qiankun with a face full of ingratiating smiles:

"Mr. Zhao, are you satisfied with how this matter was handled?"

Patting his round belly, Zhao Qiankun nodded with satisfaction.

"Naturally, I'm at ease with the way President Li handles things. This punk actually had the audacity to run to my house before and claim my treasures were counterfeits—he must have been completely blind!"

"Indeed, as if he couldn't see what kind of status Mr. Zhao holds; how could you possibly collect fakes?"

President Li chimed in with obsequiousness.

"This time, we'll let him suffer a bit so he learns that not everyone is someone he can afford to provoke."

The two men exchanged a knowing smile, everything understood without a word.

...

On the other side, held tightly by two burly security guards, Cheng Ziqiu was shoved and pushed all the way to the back door of the banquet hall.

"Let go of me! You bunch of lackeys! I didn't steal anything!"

Cheng Ziqiu struggled with all his might, but his opponents were tall and broad-shouldered, and his meager strength was nowhere near enough.

The two security guards exchanged a glance, and the one with the fierce, scarred face grinned hideously.

"Kid, once you're at the police station, you'll have plenty of time to cry! Behave yourself for now and don't force us to get physical!"

With that, he applied even more pressure, causing Cheng Ziqiu to feel a sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder.

"Damn it! Go easy! You're going to snap my shoulder!"

Cheng Ziqiu grimaced in agony.

The other security guard sneered.

"It'd be better if it snapped! At least it would keep you from stealing again!"

With a heavy "thud," he was violently thrown to the ground, wincing from the pain.

Rubbing his bruised backside, Cheng Ziqiu cursed inwardly.

President Li and Zhao Qiankun were truly cut from the same cloth!

However, he was a stranger in this place, and if he were really dragged off to the police station, it would spell serious trouble.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best!

With a roll of his eyes, an idea struck Cheng Ziqiu, and he clutched his stomach, groaning in agony.

"Agh... oh... my stomach..."

The two guards were momentarily stunned by his sudden performance.

"Kid, what kind of trick are you trying to pull now?"

The scarred guard asked suspiciously.

Clutching his belly, Cheng Ziqiu turned as pale as a sheet, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down his forehead.

"I... my stomach hurts... I need to use the restroom..."

He said in broken intervals, his voice weak and feeble.

The other guard grew impatient.

"Stop putting on an act! Get up right now and come with us!"

Cheng Ziqiu threw himself even more wholeheartedly into his performance.

He curled his body up, rolling on the floor while emitting pathetic groans from his mouth.

"Agh... it kills me... I can't hold it... I'm going to shit myself..."

The two guards looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what to do for a moment.

If this kid really soiled his pants, that stench...

Holding his nose and stepping back in disgust, the scarred guard said, "You... hurry up then! Don't do it here..."

Seeing his plan succeed, Cheng Ziqiu felt a surge of secret delight.

Pointing weakly toward the direction of the banquet hall, he managed to say, "The restroom... is over there..."

After a brief hesitation, the two guards finally hoisted Cheng Ziqiu back up and headed toward the banquet hall.

Being half-carried along, Cheng Ziqiu covertly surveyed his surroundings.

He calculated in his mind that the moment they stepped into the restroom, he would seize the opportunity to slip away.

Arriving at the restroom entrance, Cheng Ziqiu feigned extreme weakness as he told the guards:

"I... I can go in by myself..."