Seeing her like this, Li Zhonglou could only shake his head inwardly.
In his previous life, Fan Meng became pragmatic and cold-blooded, all thanks to her uncle.
Anyone, when facing desperate situations, their character and humanity undergo immense changes.
Fan Meng was like that, and so was he.
It's just that some people ultimately manage to break through numerous obstacles and still maintain a benevolent heart towards life and people, but such individuals are one in a billion.
After all, she was an old acquaintance. Seeing Fan Meng going astray, Li Zhonglou felt a pang of regret.
But everyone has their own destiny.
He couldn't help Fan Meng; there was no affection between them in this life, and the feelings from the previous one had long since faded. He didn't want to interfere in the Fan family's affairs.
Today was purely an accident.
If she had obtained the Golden Buddha in Yancheng, perhaps her fate would have changed.
But the affairs of the world are so unpredictable.
The Golden Buddha appeared in Yong'an and has now been confiscated by the state. Even if she had gotten it, it would have been too late.
"Brother Li, Sister Bai, can you lend me a hand?" After a brief chat, Fan Meng finally got to the point, requesting, "After this is done, I'll give you a tenth of my family's assets."
Upon hearing this, Bai Jing showed a shocked expression and turned to look at Li Zhonglou.
The Fan family was one of the eight major families, dominating Zhonghai for nearly a century.
Their wealth, to put it bluntly, was the most among the eight major families, given that Zhonghai's economy itself was number one in the country.
Fan Meng had made such a grand promise.
A tenth of it, at least tens, perhaps hundreds of billions.
An ordinary person probably couldn't earn that much money even in ten lifetimes.
This showed just how helpless Fan Meng was at the moment.
"We have other matters, and we don't wish to get involved in your family affairs." Unexpectedly, Li Zhonglou refused without even thinking.
As if tens or hundreds of billions were insignificant in his eyes.
Bai Jing's beautiful eyes couldn't help but show a trace of admiration. They had an important mission to accomplish, and helping Fan Meng was already going beyond their scope, so agreeing was naturally out of the question.
She was just afraid that Li Zhonglou might not be able to resist the temptation.
She hadn't expected Li Zhonglou's reaction to be even firmer than hers.
Hearing this, a look of disappointment and despair appeared in Fan Meng's eyes.
She was indeed at her wit's end. In terms of power and connections, she was no match for her uncle. Now, with her grandfather in her uncle's hands, she had no advantage at all.
If she couldn't find anyone to help, she could only be at their mercy.
Li Zhonglou had helped her twice, and she thought she might have moved him, only to be rejected so decisively.
Her pride was strong, and her reluctant request was rejected.
She had lost the mood to continue chatting.
She got up to leave, "Sister Bai, thank you for your help today. We'll meet again."
"You..." Bai Jing could tell she was displeased and wanted to persuade her a bit more, but Li Zhonglou subtly stopped her.
Li Zhonglou said indifferently, "We'll meet again. Take care of yourself."
Then, the two watched Fan Meng leave.
Only after she disappeared from their sight did Bai Jing say, "I thought you were a softie, but I didn't expect you to be so heartless."
"You can bear not to help such a beauty?"
Li Zhonglou knew she was teasing him and replied indifferently, "The people sent by Tong Zhaolin must have seen you saving Fan Meng and reported it truthfully."
"Knowing that we've offended the Fan family, he should be less suspicious of our identities."
"But that doesn't mean we can smoothly pass his scrutiny."
"What comes next is full of variables. I don't have the heart or the energy to deal with the Fan family."
"Agreeing to help Fan Meng at this time is no different from seeking death."
He knew the Fan family quite well, having had a relationship with Fan Meng in his previous life.
At that time, Fan Meng had already begun her gradual counterattack to regain control. He wasn't clear about the specific process, but since Fan Meng's fate was sealed, why should he interfere?
Moreover, with the Fan family's influence, the two of them, himself and Bai Jing, couldn't possibly handle it with their current strength.
It's better to have one less trouble.
"Well, it's getting late. Let's head back to the hotel," Bai Jing nodded, glancing at her watch. It was already past four in the afternoon.
After wandering around for most of the day, since Tong Zhaolin's people had already left, there was no need to continue the charade.
Bai Jing's counter-surveillance abilities were not weaker than Li Zhonglou's, who was self-taught in this regard.
The two returned to the hotel, ate dinner, and discussed their next course of action.
Around 8:30 PM, Li Zhonglou's phone rang.
It was Tong Zhaolin.
After answering, a fawning voice came through, "Boss Li, I was petty about what happened today. I, Tong, was petty."
"The more I think about it, the more I feel I've wronged you. I must apologize."
"Apologies are unnecessary. Just say what you want," Li Zhonglou said indifferently.
Tong Zhaolin was an old fox, his vigilance was outrageously high.
If he called at this time, what other reason could there be besides testing him?
In this regard, being a bit cold was appropriate.
After all, a conceited second-generation rich kid wouldn't be overly friendly to someone who was being cold.
"It's like this, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock there's an auction at Libao Zhai. I happen to have a few spots, and thinking that Boss Li has traveled a long distance, I'd like to offer them as an apology." Tong Zhaolin said without revealing his true intentions.
Libao Zhai was the largest auction house in Zhonghai, ranking in the top three nationwide.
It usually held auctions once a month, featuring treasures ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions. People from all over the country and even many foreigners flocked to it.
Often, tickets were hard to come by.
But this was nothing for Tong Zhaolin, as the largest shareholder of Libao Zhai was Xingzhi Group.
To verify Li Zhonglou's discernment and ensure he wasn't someone sent by the police, he had gone to great lengths.
He had forcefully moved the monthly auction, which was scheduled for more than a week later, to tomorrow.
In any case, Zhonghai was a place that wasn't short of customers.
As long as the news was spread that evening, tomorrow would still be full of guests.
This meant that the auction this time was specifically organized for Li Zhonglou.
"Alright, I've long heard of Libao Zhai's reputation. We'll be there on time tomorrow," Li Zhonglou agreed readily after a moment's thought.
After hanging up, he explained to a confused Bai Jing, "That guy Tong probably wants to use the auction to test my discerning eye."
"Logically speaking, the police can't persuade a treasure appraisal master like me to help them undercover, as it's very dangerous."
"So, if my discernment is extraordinary, he can completely eliminate his suspicions."
Hearing this, Bai Jing's proud expression couldn't help but melt, and she chuckled, "You, a master?"
"I think you're more like a sieve."
"But speaking of which, you've already surprised me a lot."
"Not even twenty-five yet, your combat skill surpasses Chen Yong's, your counter-surveillance ability isn't weak, and you even understand antiques."
"What kind of family background do you have to be able to cultivate someone like you?"
The short day and a half of interaction had already made Bai Jing feel that Li Zhonglou was no ordinary person.
The three points mentioned above could explain why Fan Da had specially recruited him into Xiong Ying and assigned him this important mission, making her follow his lead.
Although she thought Li Zhonglou was boasting, she couldn't help but feel curious.
"No comment," Li Zhonglou said with a smile, keeping her in suspense.
Seeing his expression, Bai Jing rolled her eyes, "Show off!"
After that, she sat upright on the sofa and began studying information about Libao Zhai.
Li Zhonglou secretly admired her.
As expected of an elite from the Xiong Ying Special Forces, she showed no slack even when indoors.
Her posture was straight, always prepared.
Yet, outdoors, she could switch seamlessly, striving to conceal her edge and become unnoticeable.
This ability was probably the true art of disguise.
The night passed uneventfully.
From midnight onwards, Li Zhonglou returned to his room to cultivate with focus.
At the same time, in the most luxurious villa in Zhonghai, Tan Gong.
A middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle, wearing a brocade robe and swirling a glass of red wine, stared at the bodyguard in front of him, who was lowering his head and wearing a neck brace.
"Second Young Master, that woman is a master... she's Fan Meng's friend. We..."
The speaker was the bodyguard captain who had been kicked into a coma by Bai Jing.
His voice was filled with shame, and he dared not meet the gaze of the middle-aged man.
He knew the temper of his Second Young Master, Fan Keli. He rewarded useful people with high salaries and discarded useless ones like worn-out shoes.
He had messed up the job, and he didn't know what the consequences would be.
Fan Keli's expression gradually turned cold, "You can't even handle one woman."
"You don't deserve a million-year salary. From now on, you will gain experience at the lowest level. Lin Huai will take over your position. Have him come see me, and get out!"
His words were commanding and unquestionable.
The man's eyes were filled with fear, but he dared not say another word.
He could only lower his head and retreat.
Soon, a young man with a square face and a sinister expression strode in.
He respectfully called out, "Second Young Master."
"Lin Huai, have you heard about Fan Meng's matter?" Fan Keli asked coldly.
Lin Huai nodded.
"From now on, you will take over as the captain of the bodyguard team. Go and capture that man and woman." Fan Keli said after finishing his wine, then calmly added, "I want to see who these people are, to dare to interfere in my Fan family's affairs."
Lin Huai's eyes gleamed with unconcealed surprise and excitement, "Yes!"
After speaking, he even thoughtfully asked, "What about Fan Meng? Should we capture her as well?"
Suddenly being promoted to bodyguard captain by Fan Keli meant he had become a confidant from now on.
Not only would he receive a million-year salary, but he would also enjoy various super benefits from the Fan family.
It was like having learned literary and martial skills to sell to the emperor.
He had waited for this day for three years, and it had finally come true.
From now on, he was Fan Keli's dog; if told to go east, he would never go west; if told to bite someone, he would never eat shit!
"Hmph, that girl is very cunning and has hidden herself in that person's house," Fan Keli said with a cold smile, his eyelids drooping. "It's not appropriate to fall out with that person yet."
"For now, we'll let her off. She can't stir up much trouble anyway."
"As for that man and woman, especially that woman, openly defying my Fan family. If there's no explanation, then everyone will dare to slap my Fan family in the face in the future."
"Alive or dead, bring them to me."
When Fan Keli spoke, there was no fluctuation in his tone or any sign of resentment; it was extremely calm.
But beneath this calmness lay immense confidence and control over power.
It was as if an emperor of ancient times could decide life and death.
And the lives and deaths of Li Zhonglou and Bai Jing had already fallen into his grasp.
"Yes!" Lin Huai replied heavily.
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he rushed out of the villa.
He took fifteen men, one handgun, and three Range Rovers, heading straight for the hotel where Li Zhonglou was staying.
He was determined to capture him and bring him before the Second Young Master to beg for mercy.