Reborn as a heiress, she transforms into a ruthless vengeful woman.

Qiao Lin said in a very low voice, "When you first went on stage, Zheng Juan was still in the audience. Later, when you hugged Mrs. Ye, I had just wiped away my tears and looked for her again, but she was gone. I searched the first floor but couldn't find her. I haven't been upstairs yet."

Ye Xinghe suddenly burst into laughter to hide her true emotions, "Okay, I understand."

Then she found a quiet corner, took out her phone, and checked the security camera footage.

While setting up the banquet venue, Ye Xinghe secretly installed several cameras. She rewound the surveillance video to half an hour earlier and saw the entire process of Zheng Juan's departure and return. A plan spontaneously formed in her mind.

She stood side by side with Qiao Lin, smiling as they watched the guests pass by. Their mouths were only slightly open as they whispered to each other, "Qiao Lin, would you steal anything?"

Qiao Lin had the same expression. "Young Miss, what are your instructions?"

Ye Xinghe picked up a piece of cake and scooped it out spoonful by spoonful, casually recounting her plan.

Qiao Lin lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Leave it to me."

As night fell, the temperature gradually turned cool. Mu Jinyue went back to her room and put on a coat. When she came out again, the visiting guests presented her with their congratulatory gifts.

Ye Xinghe asked Qiao Lin to help carry some gifts inside. Taking advantage of the crowd and the chaos, Qiao Lin quietly snatched the expensive imperial green jadeite bracelet from Mu Jinyue's wrist.

"Got it." A voice suddenly came from behind Ye Xinghe. She replied quietly, "Okay, find a chance to put it in Zheng Juan's bag."

The banquet was a buffet, with various delicacies displayed along one side of the courtyard. This facilitated networking and social interaction among the attendees.

Seeing that the guests had given their gifts, Ye Xinghe instructed the servants to bring up the birthday cake.

Butler Fu brought out a five-tiered birthday cake to the stage. Mu Jinyue called her three children and daughter-in-law Zheng Juan to join her.

After making a wish and blowing out the candles, Ye Xinghe and Zheng Juan helped Mu Jinyue cut the cake, and Ye Xingyu and Ye Xingchen then distributed it to everyone.

After cutting a few pieces, Ye Xinghe suddenly said casually, "Mom, why aren't you wearing your bracelet anymore? Did you put it away?"

Mu Jinyue was startled. She realized that her bracelet was missing. "I went back to my room to change clothes. I must have left it there. I'll go back to my room to check after I cut the cake."

At this moment, several guests standing nearby gathered around and advised that since the item was so valuable, it would be best to go back to the room to check it first, lest it be lost.

Mu Jinyue put down her knife and hurriedly returned to her room. She searched everywhere she had been—the dressing table, the bed, the wardrobe, the bathroom—but couldn't find it anywhere.

She came out of the room, quietly went to her husband Ye Minghan, and called him aside to explain the situation.

Upon hearing this, Ye Minghan frowned, glanced around at everyone present, and said calmly, "Don't panic, let's check the surveillance footage. They've got some nerve stealing from my Ye family's territory!"

Mu Jinyue nodded worriedly and led Ye Minghan to the front of the stage.

Ye Minghan picked up the microphone and said with a smile, "Distinguished guests, there's been a sudden situation. My wife's bracelet has just been discovered to be missing; it may have fallen somewhere. Please watch your step and help us look for it."

Most of the guests were prominent figures, and Ye Minghan was confident they wouldn't steal this item. Because any intelligent person would know that if something so valuable were stolen, and the police were called, the thief would find it difficult to make a move.

The servants in the Ye family were all brought from the old house. For decades, they never shortchanged anyone, not even a single yuan, let alone anything valuable.

After careful consideration, Ye Minghan narrowed down the suspects to Chu Mofan, Qiao Lin, Zheng Juan, and several younger guests.

At this moment, the guests were all looking down, searching for the bracelet, and some had even gone to the backyard. Aunt Chen comforted Mu Jinyue, telling her to think carefully and see if she had forgotten where she had been.

Ye Xinghe stepped forward and suggested, "Let's check the security footage and see if Mom was still on her arm when she went into the room. If she was there when she went in but not when she came out, then we can look for it in the room."

Mr. and Mrs. Ye nodded in agreement.

Ye Xinghe projected the surveillance footage onto the screen. The footage was divided into four parts: the villa entrance, the first-floor living room, and the corridors on the second and third floors.

Mu Jinyue's room was on the second floor. When she appeared in the scene, the bright green bracelet on her wrist was clearly visible. When she came out of the room, she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, so it was impossible to tell whether she was wearing the bracelet or not.

The onlookers fell into deep thought; in this situation, it was impossible to determine whether the item had been left in the room.

At this moment, Qiao Lin spoke up from the back of the crowd: "I think we should check the surveillance footage on the second floor again to see if anyone went to the second floor after Mrs. Ye came out of her room. Everyone here today is a VIP, so it's impossible for them to steal anything. I suspect that a thief might have sneaked in while there were so many people."

Everyone agreed that this was a feasible idea, and their curiosity had been piqued; they all wanted to find out who the person who stole the bracelet was.

Ye Xinghe continued to project the surveillance footage onto the large screen; however, this recording had been edited and the time adjusted.

She zoomed in on the second-floor surveillance footage, while zooming out on the other three to one side.

Suddenly, the person standing in front exclaimed, "Someone has appeared! But it looks like this person is coming down from upstairs."

Ye Xinghe's cold smile vanished in an instant.

The guests were somewhat unfamiliar with the people on the screen, but the Ye family members knew them all very well. Zheng Juan came down from the third floor and sneaked into Mr. and Mrs. Ye's room, glancing downstairs before entering.

Ye Minghan's face instantly darkened. Suppressing his anger, he shouted, "Zheng Juan! Where is Zheng Juan!"

At this moment, Zheng Juan was on the outskirts of the crowd of onlookers, unaware of what had happened. Hearing Ye's father calling her in an unfriendly tone, she hurriedly made her way through the crowd to the screen, asking, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Ye Xinghe paused the video, went to Zheng Juan's side, and said softly, "Sister-in-law, did you go to Mom and Dad's room?"

Zheng Juan was taken aback by the question. The moment she saw the screen, her whole body tensed up, as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart tightly.

She cursed inwardly: Damn it! When did they install surveillance cameras on the second floor?! It's all my fault for being too hasty and not noticing this at all!

She forced a calm expression, a warm smile spreading across her face. "Oh, yes. My stomach wasn't feeling too well earlier, and there was someone in the bathroom downstairs, so I went to my parents' room. What's wrong?"

Ye Xinghe scratched her head, looking puzzled. "But, sister-in-law, why did you come down from the third floor?"