Lu Dong's death did not spread through the company.
Kong Mo had imposed a gag order and handled the matter discreetly within the company.
The employees of Xingzhi Group were unaware of the terrifying event that had transpired above their heads.
Li Chonglou returned to the appraisal room.
He immediately saw two faces brimming with schadenfreude.
"Little Li, did Lu Dong call you in because you stole something from the company?"
"I think it's very possible. An appraisal specialist who just parachuted in, relies on his connections, right? But to be targeted by Brother Lu, he's gotta shed a layer of skin if he doesn't die!"
The two of them were in cahoots, as if performing a skit.
Lu Dong was notorious in the company for being the head of security, with a reputation for ruthless methods.
In the past, he had caught an insider stealing company property and had directly broken all four of his limbs before dumping him on the street.
There were also those who disappeared without a trace, although there was no concrete evidence.
But the veteran employees knew that Lu Dong was somehow involved.
Li Chonglou, a young and inexperienced newcomer who had been appointed an appraisal specialist from the start, already made the two senior employees unhappy.
However, they lacked any excuse to provoke him, so they had to tolerate it.
Now, they finally had an excuse.
No matter what Lu Dong had called Li Chonglou for, it wouldn't be anything good.
"Does it have anything to do with you? Are you bored?" Li Chonglou glanced at the two of them and deliberately scoffed, reprimanding them.
These two had spoken no more than five sentences to him since he joined, and their animosity and rejection were palpable even from ten feet away.
Fortunately, being an appraisal specialist was a task that required focus, and there had been no friction.
Now, it seemed they could no longer hold back.
Under normal circumstances, Li Chonglou wouldn't bother with these busybodies who enjoyed stirring up trouble and would simply dismiss them.
But now, it was different.
He had become a vice president of Xingzhi Group. Although no official announcement had been made yet, he was already touching the initial core of Xingzhi Group.
He had to do something to completely dispel Kong Mo's suspicions about his identity.
When acting, he needed to be more arrogant and overbearing.
This remark immediately caused the expressions of the two to freeze and slowly turn unpleasant.
Two senior appraisal specialists were being reprimanded like this by a junior who had only been there for a few days. Didn't they have any pride?
It was too arrogant.
Immediately, one of them pointed at Li Chonglou and shouted angrily, "Kid, don't push your luck. We're concerned about you."
"Someone like you, who got in through the back door and relies on connections, is not even worth a hair in our eyes."
After this person finished, the other immediately echoed, "Old Wu, what ability can a wet-behind-the-ears brat like this have?"
"All show and no substance!"
"What qualifications do you have to work in this company? Do you think anyone can be an appraisal specialist?"
Li Chonglou watched the two of them ignite with anger and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
These two were named Wu Tao and Zhang Zhiyuan.
They didn't have much skill but had big tempers.
Since they had run into his crosshairs, he wouldn't blame him if he fired back.
He retorted, "Whether I have skill or not, won't trying it tell?"
"I don't really put two useless birds like you in my eyes."
"You..." Wu Tao's face turned red with anger, and he was about to curse.
But he was immediately stopped by Zhang Zhiyuan, who whispered a few words in his ear.
The anger in his eyes immediately faded, replaced by a look of deep malice.
He said, "Li Chonglou, you said it yourself. You want us to test your abilities, right?"
"Don't say we, as your seniors, aren't giving juniors like you a chance. We happen to have something here that needs appraising."
"Appraisal specialists rely on their eyesight. I want to see if you have the guts!"
He had been about to get angry, but Zhang Zhiyuan came up with a malicious plan.
He would take out a meticulously forged replica that the company had acquired and force Li Chonglou to sign a military order, making him leave voluntarily.
Wouldn't that be much better than just getting angry?
He deliberately spoke in a loud voice. Immediately, the apprentices and many staff members around the appraisal room heard that there was a show to watch and gathered around.
Seeing the two appraisal masters targeting Li Chonglou, everyone secretly showed a look of satisfaction.
They were all roughly the same age. They were apprentices, constantly serving tea and water to the master craftsmen, and cleaning.
Why should Li Chonglou, upon arrival, be a formal appraisal specialist?
These people had long been resentful but had no one daring to step forward to cause trouble due to their status.
Now that they saw Li Chonglou being troubled, they were naturally happy.
"Do you have the guts?"
"Do you have the guts..."
"Do you have..."
Not wanting to shy away from trouble, many people began to deliberately echo and instigate, with more and more people joining in to shout and provoke Li Chonglou.
The scene became chaotic and noisy.
Wu Tao and Zhang Zhiyuan exchanged glances, secretly smug.
Today, they would force Li Chonglou, this junior, to a dead end, making him resign automatically.
Li Chonglou glanced at the crowd and let out a cold laugh, showing no weakness. "Why would I not dare?"
"Do you two think you can make things difficult for me?"
"With your level, you're not qualified to test my eyesight, but since everyone wants to watch, I'll reluctantly show off a little."
"However, let's be clear: if I appraise it, you two must hand over something as collateral."
"If I lose, I will automatically leave Xingzhi Group."
"What if I win?"
How could Li Chonglou not see the wicked intentions of these two?
He might as well go along with the plan and trap them.
"You think you'll win? How laughable!" Wu Tao sneered repeatedly.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked at him with disdain, "Dreaming. But to avoid people saying we two are bullying a junior, we'll give you stakes, what do you say?"
"Tell us, what do you want as stakes?"
Wu Tao didn't stop him, as in his mind, Li Chonglou was destined to lose.
Because even they had misjudged that item back then. Li Chonglou, such a young kid, even if he had played with antiques since he was in his mother's womb, couldn't possibly see through it.
"I'm short on money, so I naturally want money." Li Chonglou thought for a moment and said, "If I misjudge, I'll leave the company automatically."
"If I appraise it correctly, I'm not asking for much. You two just give me ten times my monthly salary, how about that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in laughter.
Many apprentices showed contempt. Li Chonglou was truly digging his own grave.
To make such a bet with two master craftsmen, these were experts who had been playing with antiques for decades. They would at least shed a layer of skin, if not die.
Wu Tao and Zhang Zhiyuan were even more disdainful, laughing so hard they bent over backward.
Li Chonglou's vision was still too low. He thought he would demand something significant.
But in the end, it turned out to be ten months' salary!
For appraisers like them, their salaries were fixed, around ten thousand yuan a month. Their main income came from appraisal commissions.
Ten months would only be a hundred thousand yuan, which was peanuts.
If they could get rid of Li Chonglou, the two of them would get more tasks, and the money they earned would far exceed this hundred thousand.
So, this kid was indeed green.
He couldn't even think things through clearly and dared to make a bet with them.
He was asking for death!
"Okay, since you've said it to this extent, it would seem petty of us not to agree." Zhang Zhiyuan feigned politeness and said, "Come, come, write down the military order. A clean piece of paper prevents future disputes."
Wu Tao immediately brought paper and pen and handed them to Li Chonglou.
His eyes were filled with smugness.
Once this military order was signed, even if President Kong himself came, they wouldn't be afraid.
No matter what connections Li Chonglou had, he would have to obediently scram.
Li Chonglou took the paper and pen, without any nonsense, and with swift strokes, wrote out the bet. He signed his name first, then asked Wu and Zhang to sign respectively, write the date, and have everyone take photos as witnesses. A perfect military order was thus completed.
Only then did a faint smile appear on Li Chonglou's face.
These two were too clever for their own good, unaware that they were digging their own graves.
After putting away the military order, he said loudly, "Bring out the item."
"Just wait. No need to be so eager to find death." Wu Tao sneered a few times, turned around, and opened the safe door.
He took out a black, cloud-patterned disc.
It was unclear what material it was made of, looking like neither metal nor wood.
As soon as the black lacquer touched the light, it reflected a solemn, dim glow, appearing low-key and luxurious.
Wu Tao handed the disc to Li Chonglou and said, "Take a good look. You only have one chance. Is this disc real or fake, and what is its origin?"
Zhang Zhiyuan remained silent, with a sinister smile.
When they first obtained this disc, their immediate reaction was that it was fake.
Why? This disc was styled after Xuande period porcelain, but black lacquer was different from ceramics. No matter how good the craftsmanship, it would weather over time.
Cracking, and even peeling, were common occurrences.
After hundreds of years, it was impossible for it to be preserved so perfectly, completely undamaged. It was almost humanly impossible.
Furthermore, the Xuande mark on this lacquerware was incorrect.
It was well known that on most Xuande period artifacts, the character "De" in the mark was missing a horizontal stroke on the top.
This symbolized a lack of virtue, serving as a reminder to oneself.
But the "De" character on this black lacquer was the same as the modern "De," with a horizontal stroke in the heart, which was clearly different from what was known before.
Based on these two points, both of them believed this lacquer disc to be a modern, meticulously forged replica.
Although the cloud patterns were exquisitely carved, the knife strokes were smooth, the black lacquer was rich, and the shape was particularly delicate, they could not conceal these two flaws.
But the truth proved that they had both misjudged.
After the company invited a master to come and teach them a good lesson.
So they kept this disc in the safe, using it as teaching material.
Unexpectedly, today it could be used to drive away Li Chonglou, this junior who occupied their resources. It was not a waste to have misjudged it back then.
"A black lacquer lotus-petal shaped disc from the Ming Xuande period, unmistakably real. Do I even need to look?" Li Chonglou took it in his hand, examined it back and forth, and said confidently.
His statement caused the expressions of Wu and Zhang to change slightly, but after exchanging glances, they sneered again.
To be able to tell at a glance that this disc was real, one was either a novice or a master.
This kid was clearly lacking in experience, obviously a novice.
He couldn't possibly be a master.
It was just a blind cat catching a dead mouse. A few words could lead him astray.
Wu Tao deliberately sneered a couple of times, contemptuously saying, "As expected, a fake. You judge whether something is real or fake after just a couple of glances. Do you think you have fiery golden eyes?"
"We're giving you another chance to take a good look and re-evaluate your conclusion, considering you're a junior."
"So that people don't say we're bullying you!"
Zhang Zhiyuan also immediately feigned agreement, "Take another look. Young people are too impatient."
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
These two big fools were still trying to trick people, he was truly speechless!
Since they were so eager to lose face, he would let them know in front of these apprentices what it meant to show off in front of an expert!