Feng Zheng suddenly felt an inexplicable anger surge from the bottom of his heart. He stepped forward and shoved the blond youth away.
"Stay away from my friends!"
"Damn it, you really want to..."
Just as the blond youth was about to make a move, another unfamiliar voice cut in: "Xiao Huang, stop!"
The blond youth shivered and quickly retracted his hand.
"Brother Hao, you're here."
The newcomer was a young man in a suit, with delicate features and an aura of a successful person.
"I only asked you to book a table, and you're causing trouble again. Third Master is arriving soon, just change to another table."
The young man didn't even glance at them. After speaking, he turned and left. The blond youth glared at Feng Zheng before leading his subordinates away.
"I apologize, everyone. Tonight's bill will be on us. We hope you can forgive us." The manager repeatedly apologized, which finally eased their tempers. They then urged the manager to serve the food.
They were no longer fixated on the free meal, but rather the manager's sincere apology. However, Feng Zheng still felt unsettled.
"They look like street thugs, with no manners," Feng Zheng muttered as he sat down, not noticing the strange expression on Li Chonglou's face.
"Alright, let's not let these people ruin our mood. Where were we?"
Zhang Yu changed the subject to appease Feng Zheng, and they gradually put the incident behind them.
Li Chonglou, however, suddenly stood up and said, "You guys chat, I'm going to the restroom."
They didn't think much of it, but after leaving his seat, Li Chonglou headed upstairs.
"Third Master? Could it be that Third Master who trains all the enforcers?"
Li Chonglou pondered, following the direction they had left. The layout upstairs was similar to the first floor, except for some decorative items in the center of the hall, making the atmosphere slightly less appealing, which was why Feng Zheng had chosen the first floor.
When Li Chonglou heard the young man mention "Third Master," he became curious. The four leaders of the Green Gang were addressed as "Master," and Third Master was the most powerful among them, responsible for training the entire gang's enforcers.
Throughout history, martial prowess had always been the primary means of vying for authority, with economic wealth serving only as a supplementary tool.
Therefore, Li Chonglou wanted to see what kind of person this Third Master was, as their future relationship was uncertain.
Fortunately, the group with the blond youth had not noticed Li Chonglou's presence. Now, he pretended to be a passerby and followed them without being discovered.
He chose a corner to sit and wait. About five minutes later, Li Chonglou saw a bald old man, accompanied by three burly men, approach the blond youth's group.
The young man then began to greet them, while the three burly men professionally surveyed their surroundings. To avoid suspicion, Li Chonglou got up and pretended to walk towards the crowd.
"This time it was a failure, what are Third Master's plans?"
Li Chonglou only heard this sentence before the group noticed him, and the conversation immediately fell silent. Seeing Li Chonglou leave as if nothing had happened, they continued their discussion, appearing very cautious.
After going downstairs, Li Chonglou suddenly heard Feng Zheng's voice again.
"How is that possible? A jade pendant costs sixty million?"
At the reception desk in the hall, Feng Zheng was talking to a man with a look of disbelief. Behind him, three women stood with a hint of anxiety.
Something else happened?
Li Chonglou's expression darkened, and he quickly walked over.
"Brother Li!"
Seeing Li Chonglou return, they were as excited as if they had seen a savior. One by one, they rushed forward and explained the entire situation.
It turned out that after Li Chonglou excused himself to the restroom, Ya Lili also suddenly needed to go. Feng Zheng naturally escorted her to the restroom entrance. As they were returning, another stranger approached Ya Lili to ask for her contact information. Feng Zheng, still simmering with anger, immediately got into an argument with the man.
In a moment of impulse, Feng Zheng pushed the man, causing his jade pendant to fall to the ground and break into two pieces. Feng Zheng knew he had acted rashly and offered to compensate him, but the man immediately demanded sixty million.
Sixty million! Even for these rich second-generation heirs, it wasn't an amount they could easily produce.
Feng Zheng also couldn't believe that a jade pendant would be worth that much, which led to the scene Li Chonglou witnessed.
At this moment, the man said in a condescending tone, "I'm asking for sixty million only because of this young lady. Don't think you're so great just because you have some money. You should learn some useful knowledge if you have the time."
Feng Zheng was rendered speechless by the retort, but he still couldn't believe that a mere jade pendant was worth sixty million.
At this point, Li Chonglou walked up to the two of them and picked up the jade pendant on the counter to examine it.
Just as Feng Zheng was about to speak, Li Chonglou said, "An imperial seal jade pendant from the Eastern Han dynasty. It's indeed worth sixty million, and that's on the low side."
The man chuckled and said, "There's actually someone who knows its value. That's right, if it weren't for this young lady, I definitely wouldn't have asked for this price!"
Li Chonglou then took a serious look at the man. He was dressed in a light ancient-style outfit and wore a string of jade beads on his wrist, clearly indicating that he was often involved with antiques. Li Chonglou could confirm his background almost at a glance.
Feng Zheng and the others' expressions changed drastically upon hearing Li Chonglou's words. After spending time together, they had come to regard Li Chonglou as a true elder brother, and they basically trusted his words unconditionally.
So, when they heard from Li Chonglou that it was indeed worth sixty million, Feng Zheng's face turned pale.
He was a rich second-generation heir, and his family could probably afford sixty million. However, if he had to pay sixty million today, he could basically bid farewell to his status as a rich second-generation heir. It wasn't because of bankruptcy, but because their family didn't need a spendthrift.
Ya Lili clearly realized this as well. Thinking that the entire incident had started because of her, she gritted her teeth and stepped forward, saying, "Sir, I will compensate you for the jade pendant. However, I can't come up with that much money at once. I hope you can allow me to write an IOU first."
A flicker of hesitation crossed the man's face, but after looking at Ya Lili again, he said, "Alright. If it's you, young lady, then you can repay the money slowly. However, we should at least exchange contact information first, shouldn't we?"
By the end of his sentence, the man's true intentions were revealed, with a lecherous smile and his eyes moving up and down unashamedly.
"No! Lili, don't listen to him. This is my fault, and I'll pay the money!"
Feng Zheng quickly refused. He understood what the man was thinking and could never allow Ya Lili to fall into his trap.
At worst, he would be fired from the company! A look of determination flashed across Feng Zheng's face as he directly shielded Ya Lili.