Intuition, a peculiar yet tangible thing.
It’s like walking down the street, and if someone is staring at your back, most people with keen senses will feel a prickling sensation.
They’ll unconsciously look back.
Thus, tailing someone is a skill. Those lacking skill are often discovered.
And right now, Li Chonglou’s intuition warned him that Tong Zhaolin’s change in attitude was no good.
However, he couldn't show it.
Things had reached this point; he could only brace himself and push forward.
“Since we’re here, let’s check out the auction. I like this kind of atmosphere,” Li Chonglou deliberately changed the subject, not mentioning that he didn't know the so-called vice president, and steered the conversation towards the auction.
Bai Jing chimed in agreement, “Boss Tong, it’s a good opportunity for me to see if there are any treasures I like.”
Looking for treasures was secondary.
The real purpose was to use the time during the auction to discuss matters with Li Chonglou and formulate a response plan.
Otherwise, under Tong Zhaolin’s watchful eyes, nothing could be done.
Fearing any mishap, they had to be cautious.
“Very well, since the two of you are in such a leisurely mood, we’ll discuss cooperation after the auction concludes,” Tong Zhaolin chuckled.
After a few cups of tea, he arranged for someone to escort Li Chonglou and Bai Jing to the auction hall.
After they left, Tong Zhaolin summoned a middle-aged man in a suit and tie.
“Old Wan, I won’t be attending the auction myself. Please keep an eye on things,” Tong Zhaolin instructed in a low voice. “Especially our two esteemed guests; take good care of them.”
“If they take a liking to anything, select an item and have it purchased under your name as a gift for them.”
“Remember, let them have a good time.”
The middle-aged man named Wan responded, “Don’t worry, Boss Tong. This is my responsibility.”
The auction hall on the second floor was laid out like a cinema, with a central area and three corridors on both sides. The seating was arranged in a tiered fashion, and it was already full.
Libaozhai invited guests on a seat-by-seat basis for every auction, much like boarding a high-speed train.
Li Chonglou and Bai Jing’s numbers were 28 and 29, in the second row, adjacent to the corridor on the right.
As Bai Jing led Li Chonglou past, several young men who were chatting stopped their conversation and their gazes fell upon Bai Jing.
“Who is this woman? She carries an unusual aura when she walks. She’s truly beautiful.”
“I haven’t seen her before. She’s like a flower adorning cow dung. What’s with that kid next to her?”
“Hey, you guys arrived late and didn’t see it. These two just had a conflict with someone, which drew Tong Zhaolin over.”
…
The crowd shifted their focus from Bai Jing to Li Chonglou, and then recounted the entire incident that had occurred on the stairs on the first floor.
Among the crowd, a young man with a proud expression and sharp eyes was fixated on Bai Jing’s profile, unable to look away.
“Young Master Yang, do you fancy that girl?” a shifty-looking middle-aged man beside him asked, leaning in and baring his yellow teeth.
The man named Yang showed a look of disgust and moved a few inches away. “Don’t get so close to me; your breath stinks.”
After speaking, he shifted his gaze back to the middle-aged man and asked, “What if I do fancy her? Can you get her for me?”
He indeed fancied Bai Jing.
As the son of a conglomerate in Zhonghai, he had seen countless women. All his life, he had been surrounded by all sorts of them.
As he grew older, women were never in short supply, and countless threw themselves at him willingly.
He had long grown tired of them.
Those women, all impeccably dressed, were steeped in the stench of money. Their interactions were full of feigned compliance and lacked any charm.
But Bai Jing’s appearance made his eyes suddenly gleam.
Her aloof beauty and the gallant spirit she exuded with every movement were like a small hook, firmly snagging his inner desires.
He felt that conquering such a woman would be incredibly exhilarating.
As for Li Chonglou, whom Bai Jing was linking arms with, he completely disregarded him.
No matter who he was, he definitely couldn't compare in wealth to himself. How could someone less wealthy than him possess such a woman with such elegance?
“Young Master Yang, it’s not difficult to get a woman,” the middle-aged man said, unfazed by Young Master Yang’s disdain, plastering a fawning smile on his face. “You know my abilities; I’ve never misjudged a woman.”
“However, this woman might not be easily won over with just money. You need to display your prowess.”
“Judging by her appearance, she’s a woman who respects strength.”
“It’s just that I find it strange that the scrawny man beside her doesn’t look like a strong person at all.”
Although the middle-aged man was unremarkable in appearance, his words made Young Master Yang’s eyes sparkle.
He sneered, “Displaying strength, isn’t that precisely what I excel at?”
As for the middle-aged man’s observation about Li Chonglou, he paid it no mind. Strong or not, in Zhonghai, before him, everyone had to grovel.
To have taken a liking to his woman was his fortune.
At this moment, Li Chonglou casually had his arm around Bai Jing’s shoulder, feeling her body tremble slightly.
He suppressed a smile in his heart and said, “There’s someone nearby staring at you incessantly. Perhaps they’ve been captivated by your beauty and demeanor.”
“Let go of me, you’re going too far.” Bai Jing bit her lip lightly and subtly patted Li Chonglou’s hand, shaking off his arm around her shoulder.
She obviously knew who Li Chonglou was referring to. If she couldn’t feel someone staring at her so brazenly, she’d be blind.
But this was during a mission, and the young man exuded an air of decadent dissipation; he was simply not her type.
So, she didn’t even glance back.
“Don’t you find this strange too?” Li Chonglou asked with a smile, feigning ignorance.
“Of course, it’s strange. Tong Zhaolin was so guarded against us before. This auction, as you said, might have been a test of your discerning eye,” Bai Jing’s expression immediately turned serious and cold as she discussed business. “But his sudden change in attitude is absolutely not without reason.”
“He said you have a good relationship with that vice president…”
“Could it be the vice president of Xingzhi Group? That major question mark that the information couldn't uncover!”
Li Chonglou nodded. “I think so too.”
The information Fan Lei had given them earlier only provided superficial details about Xingzhi Group.
Much of the deeper information was marked with question marks.
However, the main members of the company's structure could mostly be identified.
Yet, the position of vice president was also a red question mark, signifying that even Fan Lei and the state apparatus couldn’t track this person down.
At first glance, the information seemed unremarkable, as their purpose was to fill in these question marks.
But thinking about it now, a problem arose.
If the person couldn’t be found, it meant this individual had no social connections whatsoever.
Otherwise, no matter how discreet, they couldn’t have remained so deeply hidden.
Yet Tong Zhaolin claimed Li Chonglou was friends with this mysterious person, which was very peculiar.
“Could it be that while we were in conflict with that Chen Yulin, Tong Zhaolin received favor from that mysterious vice president?” Bai Jing frowned, voicing her speculation.
Li Chonglou nodded slightly.
This was the most plausible hypothesis; other possibilities couldn't explain Tong Zhaolin’s anomaly.
However, this hypothesis lacked any basis.
After all, Li Chonglou didn’t know any vice president at all. He didn’t even know if they were male or female, or their age.
How did a relationship materialize out of thin air?
“I suspect our identities might have been exposed, and they are deliberately luring us into a trap,” Li Chonglou said after considering for a while.
But Bai Jing immediately refuted it, “Impossible.”
“I observed Tong Zhaolin carefully. There was no hostility in his eyes. While his tone and demeanor can be faked, his eyes cannot, only concealed.”
“I majored in criminal psychology in college, so I can tell.”
These words caused Li Chonglou to fall silent.
If it wasn’t a trap, then why?
Was it an eagerness to conduct this business with him?
If Xingzhi Group were so easily accessible, would they have sent him and Bai Jing on this mission?
A stream of mysteries arose in Li Chonglou’s mind, making him feel as though he was shrouded in fog, missing some crucial information.
“Don’t overthink it for now. Let’s focus on how to deal with Tong Zhaolin,” Bai Jing pushed the thoughts aside and outlined her action plan. “Since he now trusts us, let’s have the prepared goods brought over.”
“First, we’ll finalize the transaction, then use the excuse of doubts about the safety of the goods to infiltrate.”
“If he takes us to Xingzhi Group, we’ll act accordingly then.”
“If not, we’ll have to resort to the most rudimentary method: planting listening devices on the artifacts.”
At this point, Li Chonglou gently interrupted her, “That would be seeking death.”
“In the antique trade, discernment is paramount. Xingzhi Group must have numerous experts.”
“These individuals can distinguish minute differences in handwriting and brushstrokes with the naked eye, even tell the difference between marks made by electric drills and hand drills.”
“Trying to hide listening devices under their noses is tantamount to telling them we are undercover agents.”
Based on Li Chonglou’s understanding of the antique trade, Bai Jing’s subsequent plans were all invalid.
“What if Tong Zhaolin doesn’t take us there?” Bai Jing worried.
“Don’t worry, he will,” Li Chonglou said with confidence.
He wasn’t adept at formulating plans, but everything had its own course. As the saying goes, when soldiers come, they will be met, and when water flows, it will be dammed.
*Clang!*
At this moment, a large gong on the auction stage was struck.
A middle-aged man in a tailcoat walked onto the stage with a microphone to deliver the customary opening speech.
Every auction house had its own opening remarks, and Li Chonglou was tired of Libaozhai’s, so he didn’t listen at all.
He continued discussing the subsequent matters with Bai Jing.
Seeing them acting so intimately at the scene, Young Master Yang, who was not far away, was consumed by jealousy.
He preferred women who were already taken; the feeling of snatching a woman from another man was also a form of conquest.
A woman like Bai Jing excited him even more.
“Kid, you’re out of luck, meeting me.” Young Master Yang’s inner desires were already uncontainable, and a twisted smile spread across his face. “Today’s auction will be a special event catering to me, Yang Qian!”
“I will steal your beloved woman right before your eyes.”
“And you will only be fit to watch from afar as I wantonly toy with her body and soul!”