"Fine, I'll trust you this once. But if I find out you're playing tricks on me again, I'll make sure you learn the consequences of deceiving a police officer."

Chapter 5: The Pixiu Hides Gold

Yubao Xuan Main Hall!

Eric Foster had already given up on pleading his innocence. He stood there, looking utterly dejected, like an eggplant hit by frost, held up by two police officers. The other two officers were questioning the rest of the staff for their statements.

"Don't worry, your dad will be fine. Very soon, big brother will find out who the real thief is."

Brian Carter had somehow appeared beside Eric Foster's daughter. The little girl's tears had long since dried up, and now her red, tear-stained eyes looked at Brian Carter full of helplessness.

While Brian Carter was comforting the little girl, Emily Parker also came down from upstairs. Her gaze first swept over to Brian Carter, and finally landed on the Pixiu statue in the center of the hall.

"Emily, why aren't your colleagues asking Eric Foster where he hid those gold ornaments? Why are they questioning everyone else instead?"

Seeing Emily Parker come down, William Miller looked displeased. He believed the evidence was already clear, and that the police should be asking Eric Foster about the whereabouts of the gold ornaments, not interrogating everyone else.

"Uncle, although Eric Foster is a suspect, there's no evidence yet. My colleagues are taking statements to make sure Eric Foster doesn't have a chance to make excuses."

Emily Parker explained, then changed the subject and asked, "Uncle, what made you think of putting a Pixiu here? I don't remember seeing it here before."

"Business has been bad lately, and isn't the Pixiu supposed to bring in wealth? I just wanted to try for some good luck. Who knew, instead of attracting wealth, I attracted a thief."

William Miller looked frustrated. Emily Parker walked over to the Pixiu, placed her hand on it and stroked it for a moment before saying, "Uncle, since this Pixiu hasn't brought you any luck, why not just move it out of here?"

"What, you like this big thing? It's just a wooden ornament. If you want it, take it."

William Miller didn't mind, but at that moment, the manager standing next to him quickly stopped Emily Parker from moving the Pixiu, saying, "Miss Parker, you can't move this thing. If you do, the boss's luck will be ruined."

"What luck? This is just superstition. If it really worked, how could my uncle's gold ornaments have been stolen?"

Emily Parker ignored the manager. She didn't believe in these things at all, and her real purpose was to move the Pixiu, so no one could persuade her otherwise.

"Boss, please talk to Miss Parker. This thing really can't be moved. When we brought the Pixiu in, the master said that if it's moved, the boss will lose ten years of good fortune."

William Miller hesitated a bit. After all, the master had been very serious about it. He figured it was better to just leave it there for peace of mind.

"Miss Parker, it's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send one away. It's like burning incense and praying at a temple—not asking for good luck, just hoping not to bring bad luck."

"Ever since we brought the Pixiu in, I've cleaned it myself every day. One time I didn't clean it properly, and on my way home I almost got into a car accident."

Hearing the manager's words, William Miller blinked a few times and said, "Emily, then let's not move it. If you like Pixiu, I'll get you one in a few days."

Since her uncle had spoken, Emily Parker couldn't insist. She looked at Brian Carter, about to ask what to do next, but Brian Carter didn't give her any signal. Instead, he walked over to her.

"I think I already know who the real thief is."

Brian Carter's voice was loud, and his words immediately drew everyone's attention. Even Eric Foster, who had given up defending himself and kept his head down, now looked up at him.

"What do you mean, the real thief? The thief has already been caught, isn't it Eric Foster?" William Miller questioned after a brief moment of shock.

"Eric Foster is just an unlucky scapegoat. The real thief is someone else, and that person is right here."

Brian Carter's gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally settling on the manager.

"Am I right, sir?" Brian Carter smiled slightly, looking at the manager of Yubao Xuan with a meaningful expression.

"You... what are you saying? I'm the thief? That's hilarious..."

John Grant was stunned at first, but then burst out laughing. "Sir, are you out of your mind? First, I don't have the key to the vault. Second, every time I go to the vault, Eric Foster is with me. If I stole the gold ornaments, would Eric Foster not know?"

Emily Parker stared at John Grant for a moment, then frowned and asked Brian Carter, "Are you sure? Or do you think he and Eric Foster worked together to steal the gold?"

"No, there was no collusion. Like I said, Eric Foster was just an unlucky scapegoat from start to finish. He has no idea who really stole the gold ornaments."