Chapter 41 [017] Collector
Chapter 41 [017] Collector
Under the protection of the city police system, the night in the inner city was generally peaceful and harmonious. Chief Inspector Mu Yue attended a family gathering for the opening of the art gallery and was unable to leave until the evening.
So tired... This should be my dad's turn. There are so many relatives in the family, and I have to remember each one's name and their relationship to me. I really would rather stay up late to work on the case.
Most members of the Han family have a police background, and Mu Yue also wore a police uniform when she attended the party. This is a relatively common choice within the family and is not considered rude.
A slightly loose jacket, a purely decorative golden tassel ribbon next to the chest pocket, a short skirt that is not suitable for running, black stockings and high heels...even the police hat has a soft brim that highlights the feminine features.
This was the outfit he wore when he first met Qin Jiandan, and Qin Jiandan never saw him again after that.
The art gallery is located in a prosperous area around Shicheng. The tempered glass dome is magnificent and the interior decoration is extremely luxurious. It is magnificent enough for any emperor to hold a coronation ceremony here.
Before the Chief of Police arrived, Mu Yue would rather look at the cold night sky outside the dome.
After the Chief of Police arrived, he talked to Mu Yue for a long time, either about work or about family. In fact, police work itself is also part of the Han family's business.
The Chief of Police is the younger brother of Mu Yue's father and Mu Yue's uncle. The two families have a close relationship. Since the "Police Car Explosion Case", the uncle has been very concerned about the situation at Mu Yue's home. It can even be said that the uncle has replaced the role of the alcoholic father.
But Mu Yue did not think herself superior just because her uncle was the Chief of Police. As long as one of her and her uncle was wearing a police uniform, she would always call the other "Chief of Police".
The Chief of Police is now entertaining other people. He is in a high position and is the second son of the Han family patriarch. The fact that he can spare so much time to talk to Mu Yue already shows how much he values his niece.
Mu Yue sometimes forgets that the patriarch of the Han family is her grandfather. Her grandfather rarely goes out and did not attend the family gathering this time. Mu Yue even forgot what her grandfather looked like.
Now this art gallery is full of people who are related to me, but I don’t know why I feel so lonely… I kind of miss the noise of Vale, even the thick-skinned Qin Jiandan…
Mu Yue walked to an oil painting. There were many oil paintings hung at different heights on the pure white wall. Some had strange styles, and some were simply a pile of blocks of colors. This one at least was understandable.
The use of paint in this painting is very bold, even deliberately rough. The central tower stands alone under the night sky, and the blurred black crowds raise their arms, asking for salvation from the white color that symbolizes hope. Although the theme of "hope" is in the painting, the brushwork highlights "despair".
"How about it? Is there a style of "Van Gogh" in the Earth era? I heard that this painter also calls himself "Van Gogh"."
A frail old man in a wheelchair appeared on the right side of Mu Yue's field of vision. His skin was dry, with many dark age spots, and his lower body and legs were atrophied. It seemed that this was why he was unable to walk.
This is the oldest person in the family. He seems to be an art lover and likes to be called a "collector". Mu Yue is not familiar with him.
The "collector" is taken care of by a very tall female assistant who is responsible for moving the wheelchair from the back. The female assistant is blonde and white, with a smart and capable temperament, but her hands are long and slender, which is not very good-looking.
"I'm sorry, I don't know much about art history." Mu Yue bowed slightly to the family elder, "I just think this painting is very touching."
Mu Yue activated the "relative relationship calculator" in her mind, trying to figure out how to address the other person, but the other person spoke first:
"I know you. Aren't you my niece Mu Yue? I like people to call me "Uncle Collector". You should call me that too. It makes me look younger."
"Okay, then I'll call you uncle." Mu Yue saluted the elder again. Although the other party was very old, in terms of seniority, he might really be her uncle.
The collector waved his hand, and the female assistant pushed the wheelchair to a position more suitable for viewing the paintings.
"Mu Yue, you have good taste. This painting is indeed very touching. Yes, such despair..."
The collector stared at the colors on the painting like a madman, and Mu Yue felt as if a caterpillar was crawling up his back.
"My legs," the Collector patted his knees. "The regeneration pod can't cure diseases, let alone slow down aging. The nerves in my legs are deeply necrotic, and I can't even install prostheses... I've been trying for 20 years and still can't stand up again."
"Despair! Deep despair! I can understand the mood expressed in this painting! This new "Van Gogh" is really an excellent painter. I want to collect all his paintings!"
"Is this 'Van Gogh' still alive?" Mu Yue was a little curious. "With your uncle's financial resources, it would be no problem to support the painter and let him create works for you, right?"
"That won't do." The collector refused immediately. "It is said that this painter lives in the outer city and lives in poverty. Some people also say that he was made into a "brain machine" by the company and can only use the only mechanical arm to hold the old paintbrush to create. If I raise him, he will be far away from these despairs and will never be able to create these beautiful works again!" Mu Yue was speechless. The Han family is one of the three major families in the inner city. Born in such a well-off family, most people have no sympathy for the lower class. When Mu Yue was a child, on his birthday, he asked why the remaining cake would rather be thrown away than shared with the poor in the outer city, and was laughed at by relatives.
It seems that this "collector uncle" is just a parasite that rides on the people's heads and sucks their blood...
As the conversation was not going well, Mu Yue was about to say goodbye and leave, but the collector made one last request of her.
"Mu Yue, can you use your hands to straighten this painting? I feel like it's hanging a little crooked."
Mu Yue frowned slightly. Even without the "super vision" mode of her artificial eye, she could still keenly sense whether an object was placed horizontally. Even a 5-degree tilt could not escape her naked eyes. The painting was not hung crooked at all.
But the request from the elders could not be ignored, so Mu Yue had to pretend to hold the picture frame with both hands and made symbolic adjustments.
"Is this okay?"
"Hmm, hmm, very good." During the whole process, the collector did not pay attention to the picture frame, but stared at Mu Yue's hand with greedy eyes.
"Thank you for your hard work. What a beautiful pair of hands..."
※※※
A little later, in a small, secluded room in the southeast corner of the art gallery.
Miyamoto Konatsu hooked her hands and feet around the heating pipe and hung upside down on the ceiling, not daring to breathe.
After the incident of crying in the street, Xiaoxia learned from Fengjian that the child sent by Doctor Li was Jiro Watanabe's, and the young master was in a hurry to go to the store with the pink sign just to go to the toilet.
"I've been cheated! I've lost a big person! How can you pass on a message like this! How can you compensate me!"
That being said, Dr. Li, who delivered the message, was trusted by the president and could not be offended. After thinking about it, it was Chief Inspector Mu Yue's fault.
"If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have mistaken this as the young master and her child! If it weren't for her, the young master would have married me long ago and made me his wife! In short, if there was no Han Muyue, how much better this world would be!"
Koxia entrusted Kazama to hand the child over to Watanabe Jiro's mother, and then came to the inner city alone on her own initiative.
"Although I can't assassinate her, I can investigate Han Muyue's scandal! Since she is the sheriff, she must be corrupt, abuse the law, and take human lives lightly, right?"
"Hehehe~ Even if we only find out that she showers less often than I do, it's still a big achievement! Han Muyue's "black file" will surely keep growing page by page. When the young master sees the whole file and realizes that she is a corrupt, lawless, and unhygienic person, he will completely hate her!"
With this in mind, Xiao Xia found out that the Han family had a party today and sneaked to the vicinity of the art gallery.
The Chief of Police was in charge of the security of the family gathering, and naturally the city police were in charge. No less than 200 special duty city police were stationed every three steps and every five steps, monitoring everything inside and outside the museum.
The entrances and exits were heavily guarded, and the windows upstairs could not be sneaked in. Xiao Xia spent a long time trying to find a blind spot in the defense, and used the "phantom substitution technique" she had just learned to pass through the glass and enter the dark room in the southeast corner of the art gallery.
She regretted it after she went in, because this seemed to be a spare archive storage room. There was only one wooden door leading to the main body of the art museum, which was probably locked. The thick dust between the bookshelves almost choked Xiao Xia to death.
At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from behind the wooden door. Xiao Xia hurriedly made a triangle jump, quickly rushed to the ceiling, and hung upside down on the heating pipe.
There were three people in total who opened the door and came in. One was the Chief of Police whose photo Xiao Xia had seen, and the other was an old man in a wheelchair, who was pushed by a tall female assistant.
Xiao Xia held her breath with her heart pounding.
(End of this chapter)