No. 387, Hexi Road.
A long queue had already formed in front of this private museum.
News of the museum possessing the original manuscript of the last forty chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber* written by Cao Xueqin had spread like wildfire, sparking the curiosity of countless literature enthusiasts.
The sheer number of people wanting to see the manuscript overwhelmed the museum's capacity, forcing visitors to line up outside.
The crowd was so large that it caused a traffic jam, completely blocking the entire road.
...
A police car pulled up at the intersection of Hexi Road.
The car could go no further; anyone wanting to proceed would have to get out and push through the crowd.
Han Fei had come alone, not bothering to call Xu Mo, as this wasn’t a big deal and didn’t require too many people.
After getting out of the car, Han Fei frowned as he looked at the familiar street before him.
He felt like he had been here before.
“Whatever, I’ve been to so many places. No point thinking about it,” Han Fei muttered to himself, shaking his head. As a police officer, his job required him to travel all over, so it wasn’t unusual for streets to look familiar.
In fact, if Han Fei had taken a closer look at the surroundings and thought about it, he would have realized that the private museum on this street was actually owned by Xu Mo.
But Han Fei didn’t dwell on it, as his priority was to push through the crowd and investigate the situation at the museum.
“Excuse me, excuse me! I’m a police officer. I suspect this private museum is involved in false advertising. I need to check it out,” Han Fei said as he squeezed through the crowd, trying to use his status as an officer to get through faster.
However, as soon as he said this, someone nearby sneered.
“Hah, another one. In the past few minutes, seven or eight people have used that excuse to cut in line. Have you no shame?”
“Seriously, what’s with all these people pretending to be cops? Do you think we’re that gullible?”
“Yeah, do you think we’re stupid? This trick is so bad even a dog would shake its head. Go to the back of the line like everyone else!”
Even worse, a shifty-eyed man sidled up to Han Fei and whispered,
“Buddy, this trick doesn’t work. I already tried it, and they wouldn’t let me cut in line. Just get in line behind me, okay? Don’t try to jump ahead.”
Han Fei: “???”
I’m really a police officer!
To prove his identity, he pulled out his police badge and pressed a button on his car key.
A moment later, the police car parked not far away flashed its lights.
“I’m really a police officer. I’m not lying.”
As he said this, Han Fei turned to the shifty-eyed man.
“Did you just say you pretended to be a police officer to cut in line?”
The man: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Talk about bad luck—pretending to be a cop in front of an actual cop!
After seeing Han Fei’s badge and the flashing police car, the crowd immediately believed him and made way for him without a word.
Fortunately, Han Fei was in a hurry to investigate, and the man hadn’t done anything serious—he just wanted to cut in line—so Han Fei let it slide.
After giving the man a stern warning, Han Fei continued pushing forward, explaining his purpose as he went. With his badge in hand, he soon reached the middle of the road. Just a couple hundred meters ahead was the private museum.
From here, Han Fei could already see the museum’s entrance.
With just one glance, he recognized it—it was Xu Mo’s private museum!
Han Fei froze.
If the museum belonged to someone else, Han Fei would have assumed it was a scam, a gimmick to lure people in and make money off ticket sales.
After all, most scholars and experts agree that the last forty chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber* have been lost forever. How could they suddenly reappear out of nowhere?
But if the museum belonged to Xu Mo, that changed everything.
The longer Han Fei had known Xu Mo, the more he realized how enigmatic Xu Mo was. Xu Mo was a man of mystery, someone who seemed capable of achieving the impossible.
If Xu Mo said he had the original manuscript of the last forty chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber*... it wasn’t entirely out of the question!
Han Fei didn’t overthink it. Instead, he immediately pulled out his phone and called Xu Mo.
“Xu Mo, do you have the last forty chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber*?” Han Fei asked as soon as the call connected.
“Yeah,” Xu Mo replied without hesitation. “Did you see the file I sent you? Pretty exciting, right?”
“What file? What are you talking about? Are we talking about the same thing?”
“The file I sent you this morning. The photos in it are of the last forty chapters. Didn’t you say your father-in-law was a fan? That’s why I took the photos and sent them to you. Wait... you didn’t even look at the file?”
Xu Mo’s reminder jogged Han Fei’s memory. Xu Mo had indeed sent him a file earlier that morning and even stopped by his office to remind him to check it out.
But Han Fei had completely forgotten about it and hadn’t opened the file.
“The file you sent me is the last forty chapters of *Dream of the Red Chamber*?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold on a second...”
Han Fei moved the phone away from his ear and opened WeChat to access the file Xu Mo had sent him.
When he opened it, he saw a series of photos.
The pages in the photos were slightly yellowed, clearly aged. The title on the first page read: Chapter 81...
Han Fei: “!!!”