The car repair shop owner indeed knew the key was fake.
He forced an ingratiating smile, glancing between Qin Guan and the two police officers, his face tense. "I only found out last night, I really didn't do it on purpose! I tried calling you, but your phone was off!" He even pulled out his phone to show Qin Guan.
"I truly didn't mean to! I'm not an idiot, right? How many years have I run this shop? Everyone in the neighborhood knows me! I'm not some street vendor who moves from east to west every day! I've even bought a house here!" He pointed proudly at the old residential complex near the shop. "See that? That's my place. You can check! I moved my household registration here, my kids go to school here—I'm practically a local now! I own a house, a car, and this shop. Why would I cheat you over a car key?"
Qin Guan couldn't stand the man's rambling. He roared, "Why are you spouting all this nonsense? These are police officers! Open your eyes! Tell the truth—who put you up to this? Don't think I don't know you're colluding with them! Where's Zeng Demei hiding? At your place? And Qi Min—where is she? You must know! Call them right now! Tell them to come out! Stop hiding like lunatics! They're causing chaos everywhere, you know that?!"
The owner paled. "Put me up to it? Colluding? Hiding?" He stared at the key, then at their stern faces, bewildered and fearful. "What... what do you mean? Aren't you here about this key?"
"I... I accidentally gave you the wrong one that day," he stammered, his forced smile gone. "Here's what happened: The little son from the bun shop next door always plays in my store. That kid loves cars—he's got all kinds of toy ones. He even has these fake car keys bought online. His dad got them for him. They look so real! He often leaves his toys here by mistake."
He rushed into the shop, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out two more fake keys—one BMW, one Porsche. "See? These toys nowadays—aren't they convincing? The shape, the weight, even the buttons! Easy to mix up if you're not careful!" He handed them to the officers. The keys resembled the "Cadillac" one Qin Guan held—realistic but undeniably fake upon closer inspection.
The owner turned to Qin Guan, genuinely apologetic. "You never came to pick up your key, so I kept it in the drawer. When you came the other day, I was in a hurry—my brother-in-law was visiting, and I was about to close. I grabbed the wrong one without checking. Last night, I found the real Cadillac key still here! I tried calling, but your phone was off. Look—it's right here!"
The genuine key lay in another drawer. Trembling, the owner handed it over. "I... I'll compensate you, okay? It was an honest mistake. Was it really necessary to call the police? If you don't believe me, ask the bun shop—they even spanked their kid last night over this!" He gestured toward the neighboring store.
He seemed truthful. The mix-up was accidental—he wasn't Qi Min's accomplice. The faint hope in Qin Guan's heart withered. Without an ally, his escape from this mess would be harder. His only path now was to use this clueless owner to lure out Xu Ruyi—by steering him to provide a certain phone number...
"Have you seen Qi Min?" Officer He suddenly interjected, chewing a bun from next door. He casually pulled out Qi Min's photo. "She copied two car keys here—first a Toyota, then this Cadillac half a month ago. This girl—recognize her?"
The photo hovered before the owner. "Y-yeah, her. Pretty, with nice makeup..." He blinked rapidly, now sensing deeper trouble. Key mix-ups usually ended with apologies or discounts—not police involvement. The words "collusion" and "Zeng Demei" hinted at criminal investigation.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. His wife always scolded him for loose lips—two years ago, a customer beat him for gossiping; five years back, a cuckolded husband trashed his shop after his careless remark exposed an affair.
"Look carefully! When did you last see her?" Officer He's tone sharpened despite the bun in his mouth.
The owner studied the photo. He couldn't be certain—both times Qi Min came near closing, under dim streetlights. His poor eyesight blurred details. Was this about a crime? Missing person? Murder?
His family's livelihood depended on this shop. One misstep could ruin everything.
"Probably her..." he equivocated, blinking faster. The girl in the photo seemed taller and fuller-faced than the slender, softly-spoken woman with wavy hair and heavy makeup who'd introduced herself: "Master, I need a car key copied. I'm Qi Min from the law firm."