Chapter Two: Memory Is the Commission

“Don't raise your head,” Linchuan whispered. Emergency lamps came on. The display case was empty. At that same moment, a weight appeared inside Zhiwei's clenched hand: the sapphire brooch. Yutang's guards blocked the exits. He Chenzhou calmly lifted his gavel. “The hidden consignor completed a prior sale. A lawful transaction. Congratulations, Miss Shen.” Everyone stared at Zhiwei. She stared at the man shielding her and sensed something wrong. She remembered a storm when she was seventeen. She remembered running across the old Lan River bridge, soaked through, and someone covering her head with a school jacket. But that person's face had become white light she could not bring into focus. “Did we ever get caught in the rain together?” she asked.