A grand auction was being held in the bustling downtown area, attracting the attention of numerous collectors and investors. This was not just a venue for art transactions but a place where priceless treasures gathered. At the height of the auction, a priceless antique vase appeared before the crowd. The vase was ancient and exquisite, radiating the scent of time, making it a rare artistic treasure—something every collector dreamed of owning.
However, just as the auction was about to reach its climax, an unexpected event occurred. The auction house staff suddenly announced that the vase had been temporarily removed and the auction paused. Before anyone could react, chaos ensued. Some questioned the authenticity of the vase, others criticized the auction house for lack of transparency, and some regulars started whispering to each other. While the staff busied themselves, the identity of the deceased began to surface—he was Li Huaiyuan, the expert responsible for authenticating the vase, a well-known antique appraiser.
Days later, Li Huaiyuan was found mysteriously dead in his residence, his body in a tragic state with a pale complexion. Upon receiving the report, the police immediately arrived at the scene. After an initial investigation, it appeared that the cause of death was poisoning. During the autopsy, Su Wanqing discovered tiny pollen particles in the victim's nostrils, which piqued her interest. Before the vase swap incident, Li Huaiyuan had conducted a detailed authentication of the vase—could the antique vase be linked to his death?
"We may not have reacted in time, but this might just be the beginning," Lu Chenzhou said, staring at the autopsy report, his brow furrowed. "The victim died from poisoning, but it seems like a simple poisoning case. The question is whether he noticed something before his death, or if his death is related to that vase."
Su Wanqing nodded gravely. "Li Huaiyuan was a well-known appraiser in the industry, and his professionalism is unquestionable. If someone really wanted to silence him, it could be because of his judgment on that vase."
The immediate priority was to investigate the vase's origins and the transaction chain behind it. Su Wanqing decided to delve deeper into the auction house's internal situation, especially the investigation into the vase swap.
After several days of thorough investigation, the police began to uncover suspicious details about the auction house. According to Li Huaiyuan's authentication report, the vase was supposed to be genuine, but upon closer inspection, there were some inconsistencies in the vase's material and craftsmanship. More importantly, after the vase was removed from the auction, the staff's behavior seemed unusually nervous. These red flags led Lu Chenzhou to further question the staff of the auction house.
In one interview, Lu Chenzhou and Su Wanqing met with the auction house's director, Wang Chenxi. He was a man in his forties, exuding the aura of a business elite, seemingly suave but hard to read.
"Do you think Li Huaiyuan's death is related to the vase swap at the auction?" Lu Chenzhou asked directly.
Wang Chenxi replied flatly, "I'm not sure. Maybe we acted too hastily, but Li Huaiyuan was a professional. He had already found issues with the vase. We just decided to pause the auction, not expecting such a big problem to arise."
"What do you think— is the vase real or fake?" Su Wanqing picked up the conversation, her sharp gaze fixed on Wang Chenxi.
Wang Chenxi hesitated for a moment but quickly regained his composure. "Li Huaiyuan suspected it had issues, but that was just his personal opinion. As for the final conclusion, it was his decision to stop the authentication. As for his death, I really don't know anything about it."
However, Wang Chenxi's words did not convince Su Wanqing and Lu Chenzhou. Through further investigation, they discovered some hidden secrets within the auction house. Wang Chenxi had close ties with several antique dealers, one of whom was Li Jianjun, with whom Wang Chenxi had many high-value transactions.
"We can confirm that the vase was swapped before it arrived at the auction house," Su Wanqing concluded. "Li Huaiyuan's death is clearly not a simple poisoning case. He was silenced to cover up the truth."
Lu Chenzhou further tracked Li Jianjun's movements and finally identified him as a suspect. According to the leads, Li Jianjun had cooperated multiple times with auction house staff to swap genuine antiques for fakes, making huge profits at the auction. Together with Wang Chenxi, he had participated in the vase swap plan. Their mistake this time was that Li Huaiyuan's authentication exposed the truth about the vase's authenticity. To protect their interests, Li Jianjun decided to kill Li Huaiyuan before he could reveal the truth.
Further investigation revealed that Li Jianjun was connected to an artist who specialized in creating counterfeit antiques of such high quality that they were almost indistinguishable from the real thing. These fakes were sold at high prices through the auction house, earning vast profits. Li Jianjun and Wang Chenxi were deeply entangled in this illicit trade. To silence Li Huaiyuan, Li Jianjun poisoned him and tried to cover up the murder by staging it as another type of crime.
Ultimately, the police successfully arrested Li Jianjun and Wang Chenxi, exposing the entire counterfeit antique network. The case was solved, and the mystery of the swapped vase was finally cleared up.
After the case was closed, Su Wanqing and Lu Chenzhou stood on the balcony of the police station, the night slowly descending, with the city lights flickering in the distance. After a moment of reflection, Su Wanqing said quietly, "The beauty of this world is often veiled by pretense and vanity. The truth, like that vase, may be deeply hidden, but one day it will be revealed."
Lu Chenzhou nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "Yes, but we must be wary of seemingly perfect surfaces. Behind them often lies another trap."
They exchanged a knowing smile, both understanding that behind every truth, there is a deeply hidden story.