However, unbeknownst to the two, outside the coffee shop, Xiao Feng's two previous friends were lying in ambush, each holding a stick.
According to Xiao Feng's plan, the two would intentionally attack Li Chonglou, and when he resisted, they would seize the opportunity to smash the jade Buddha, frame him, and force him to pay.
In his calculations, as long as Li Chonglou came out, Hu Han would definitely follow, and if Li Chonglou couldn't afford to pay, Hu Han could be the backup.
This was what Xiao Feng considered a flawless plan. The consequences he had to bear were merely paying a sum of money to his two friends, as they would likely be detained for a few days for unintentionally attacking someone.
However, on this point, he had also misled his friends. In his own words, he knew people in the police station and they could play it off as a joke, ensuring the two would have no criminal record.
Under the temptation of money and Xiao Feng's solemn guarantees, the man and woman finally agreed to his request.
So, as soon as Li Chonglou stepped out of the coffee shop, the man raised his wooden stick and swung it fiercely towards his head.
Li Chonglou instinctively raised his hand to block and simultaneously kicked the man. However, when the wooden stick hit his arm, he realized it was merely a prop with no real force. Nevertheless, his foot landed firmly on the man.
"Ah!"
The man cried out in pain and knelt on the ground. Xiao Feng looked on with confusion, because according to the script, the jade Buddha should have shattered at this moment, but the man was only clutching his stomach.
What Xiao Feng didn't know was that although Li Chonglou had lost all his strength, his reflexes were still intact. Even with ordinary strength, the kick landed squarely on the man, enough to make him feel it.
Xiao Feng paused for a moment, then reacted, realizing something had gone wrong. He quickly blocked Li Chonglou's line of sight, stood in front of the man, and asked with feigned concern.
"Li Si, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Beneath his concerned tone, he whispered.
"Hurry up and smash the jade Buddha!"
The man, enduring the discomfort and pain in his abdomen, quietly smashed the jade Buddha he was holding onto the ground.
At this moment, the woman, getting into character, cried out and dropped her prop, rushing over.
Xiao Feng suddenly stood up and moved aside, and the woman, at the opportune moment, exclaimed again.
"Ah! Li Si's jade Buddha!"
Xiao Feng feigned a look of shock, then crouched down again and picked up the jade Buddha, which now had a chipped corner.
Such items were extremely fragile. Even the man's hasty smash had caused it to be damaged.
Xiao Feng stood up abruptly, holding the broken jade Buddha, and said sternly to Li Chonglou.
"You're finished! This is Li Si's most precious jade Buddha, worth over four million yuan on the market! Now it's broken, you have to pay!"
Hu Han, who had followed, his face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he immediately stepped forward to question.
"You have something worth over four million yuan? Isn't that fake?"
"Fake?"
Xiao Feng had been waiting for this. So, as soon as Hu Han spoke, he immediately took out his phone.
"I'll call a friend from the Antiques Association right now. If you don't believe me, you can call someone too, or we can go to the Antiques Association ourselves for appraisal!"
Xiao Feng's confident demeanor immediately stunned Hu Han. However, he didn't notice that Li Chonglou had been staring at the jade Buddha in his hand the whole time.
After a long while, just as Xiao Feng was about to urge the two to make a decision, Li Chonglou suddenly spoke.
"There's no need for appraisal. What you have in your hand is fake."
Xiao Feng's expression froze for a moment, but then he sneered, "Just because you say it's fake, it's fake? What evidence do you have? Do you still think you're part of the Antiques Association?"
Li Chonglou chuckled, "How about this, let's call the police directly. If this thing isn't fake, not only will I compensate you, but I'll pay you double."
The words "pay you double" made Xiao Feng's eyes flash with excitement. But then, seeing Li Chonglou's confident look, he couldn't help but wonder: Did he really see through it? Who exactly is this guy? Can he tell it's fake just by looking at it?
According to his original plan, he would find an unreliable appraisal agency to declare it authentic, and then demand compensation. As for the friend from the Antiques Association he mentioned earlier, it was just an excuse. He didn't know anyone from there. He just happened to have a friend who ran such an appraisal agency, and it was just a small shop.
So, Li Chonglou's confident tone at this moment disrupted his plan. Especially hearing Li Chonglou suggest calling the police, if the police were called, the appraisers would definitely be from established institutions, perhaps even from the Antiques Association, and the identity of this jade Buddha would be exposed.
Moreover, this would blow the matter out of proportion. Although he had intentionally blocked the camera earlier, if there was a thorough investigation, Xiao Feng was worried that some clues might be found.
After much deliberation, Xiao Feng ultimately decided not to accept the original price as compensation. This matter was not suitable for involving the police.
"Heh, do you know what this is? Even if it's fake, it's worth over eight hundred thousand yuan! You still have to pay!"
This time, it was Hu Han who didn't believe it.
"A fake is worth over eight hundred thousand yuan? Are you kidding me!"
However, what Hu Han didn't expect was that the one to retort was not Xiao Feng, but Li Chonglou.
"It's possible. If I remember correctly, there's something called exquisite replicas on the market. These items also have a market. The imitation is quite high, and the materials used are close to the genuine product. If it's a genuine exquisite replica, eight hundred thousand yuan is indeed the price."
In this line of work, Li Chonglou had touched upon almost everything involved. Therefore, with just a few glances, he could discern the origin of this jade Buddha, and his description was almost perfectly accurate.
Xiao Feng finally understood at this moment that he had probably kicked a steel plate. This stranger in front of him clearly had rich experience in antiques, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to say these things in such a short time!
But even so, he still had to pay what was due!
Xiao Feng said coldly, "Did you hear that? Your friend has some discernment, but you can't shortchange him!"
Hu Han's expression turned flustered. Over eight hundred thousand yuan was a significant sum for him, at least something he couldn't afford immediately. Although he could get the money from Second Master, he didn't want to trouble Second Master if it wasn't necessary!