CHAPTER 87: 76. IF I WERE TO LEAVE YOU FOR A WHILE, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO BEAR IT?

"Here, it’s this. Found in the floorboard crack closest to Zhou Guanghan’s right hand on the corpse. I pried it out with a hairpin."

Mr. Tang carefully lifted the tiny bead toward the sunlight.

"These tiny beads are called Mizhu, meaning they are pearls as small as millet. Natural Mizhu were quite popular in ancient Chinese royal courts; the best modern synthetic ones come from Czech and Japan."

He effortlessly detailed the background of the beads, leaving Shi Nian tongue-tied.

He turned his gaze to her: "Why did you intentionally hide it from me, hmm?"

Shi Nian quietly stuck out her tongue.

"I didn’t intentionally hide it from you..."

"Liar."

His gaze swept over her, holding a hint of reproach yet overflowing with indulgence. She glanced at him briefly, feeling overwhelmed, and quickly withdrew her gaze, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, I did intentionally hide it from you. First, I wasn’t sure if this Mizhu was related to the Zhou Guanghan case. After all, that dormitory has a hundred-year history, and many people lived there before him. The pearl was wedged in the floorboard crack; it might have fallen there long before Zhou Guanghan moved in."

She looked up at him: "If it had nothing to do with the case, and I formally brought it back for you to see, you would definitely laugh at me."

He laughed gently: "Hmm, I would laugh, but not mock."

His indulgence, though intangible, washed over her like rippling waves, making Shi Nian uncomfortable. She lowered her head, letting her gaze quickly sweep around, afraid their colleagues would notice anything between them. She pleaded softly: "Mr. Tang, I’m begging you..."

He tilted his head, gazing into her eyes: "But I really want everyone to know I like you."

Shi Nianxin panicked: "Mr. Tang, if you insist on doing this, I can only apply to the police department to change the officer protecting me."

"Petty." He laughed instead of getting angry: "Hmm, but it is the best way to handle the situation."

His gaze rose slowly, like a collection of gleaming black Mizhu beads.

"Sleeping Beauty, you’ve grown up... Hmm, Mr. Shi’s ability to respond immediately is really impressive."

.

The topic couldn’t continue...

Shi Nian quickly took a deep breath, seizing the conversation: "Mr. Tang, listen to my second reason!"

Without waiting for Tang Yanqing’s agreement, Shi Nian spoke rapidly: "The second reason for not giving you the pearl is: generally speaking, such small beads are only used for women’s accessories. Mr. Tang, you’re a man after all and might not know as much about women’s jewelry as I do—er, alright, having heard your knowledge about Mizhu, I’ve revised this thought—but I did feel that it was better to keep the pearl with me temporarily until I found relevant clues before handing it to you."

In fact, there was a little pride in her heart; she also wanted to discover something he couldn’t find on his own.

She wanted to see the little marvel on his face.

Tang Yanqing stared at her for a moment before humming softly, pinching the small Little Pearl between his thumb and forefinger, and extending his hand in front of her.

"Hmm?" Shi Nian was stunned.

With a raised eyebrow, he grabbed her hand with his left hand, turned it over, palm up, and solemnly placed the small pearl in her palm.

"Hmm, you’re right, this pearl should be entrusted to you." He looked up, eyelashes trembling slightly, making one’s heart flutter: "I also believe it will be more valuable in your hands than mine."

.

The small pearl resting in her palm made Shi Nian’s hand feel a rush of heat.

Actually, no. From the way he spoke so easily about Mizhu, she knew he surpassed her knowledge by far.

Yet amazingly, he still entrusted the pearl to her...

Shi Nian couldn’t help but think of watching a cartoon as a child, seemingly called "The King and the Bird." She couldn’t recall the specific plot, just deeply remembered a scene: a giant robot gently picking up a tiny girl with its massive hand, like a modern crane lifting an egg, a millimeter’s difference could lead to disaster—though in the cartoon, that scene conveyed the robot’s careful gentleness through its lines.

Behind that gentle carefulness was a love even larger than the robot itself...

——Before her eyes, Tang Yanqing used his elegant fingers to place the tiny pearl into her palm in a way that involuntarily stirred her heartbeat.