"What's wrong with me hitting you? Even if your father, Zhang Yichuan, were here, he wouldn't dare speak to me in such a tone!" Li Chonglou, unfazed by Zhang Jie's overbearing attitude, said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jie's expression changed dramatically, his pupils constricting, and his entire body trembled.
His raised hand involuntarily lowered.
Disbelief plastered across his face, he stammered, "You know my dad?"
To be able to call out Zhang Yichuan's name so casually, Li Chonglou's words were like a sword piercing directly into Zhang Jie's heart.
His burning anger was instantly doused.
It was replaced by shock and confusion.
Across all of China, there were no more than twenty people who dared to call his father by name.
Even many provincial officials treated him with respect.
This young, unassuming man before him actually knew he was Zhang Yichuan's son.
"Not only do I know you, but I also know that you, this unfilial son, came to Yong'an to pursue that girl named Yu Ke. Unfortunately, it's destined that you will face great misfortune and die in Yong'an!" Li Chonglou clasped his hands behind his back and gazed arrogantly at the sky.
His words sounded like those of a charlatan, a fortune teller.
Zhang Jie shivered, his eyes nearly popping out. "Who… who exactly are you?"
He desperately wanted to call his father, Zhang Yichuan, to confirm if he knew this scrawny youth, but he didn't dare. He had brought Yu Ke to Yong'an without his father's knowledge.
More critically, Li Chonglou knew Yu Ke's identity and his intentions with such clarity.
Did this person possess telepathy?
"No need to suspect, I don't have telepathy, I just see what ordinary people cannot," Li Chonglou saw through Zhang Jie's confusion at a glance.
Of course, he wouldn't reveal his name to Zhang Jie; that would be foolish.
In this life, he hadn't even met Zhang Yichuan, let alone had any acquaintance. It would be easily exposed.
His gamble was that this brat Zhang Jie had come to Yong'an for romance without his father's knowledge, and he wouldn't dare report it.
This statement instantly sent Zhang Jie into a frenzy.
If this wasn't telepathy, what was?
Not only could he name his and Yu Ke's identities, know his motives, but he could even guess his thoughts.
At this moment, even without confirming his identity, he knew the person standing before him was no ordinary man.
He no longer dared to be as arrogant and presumptuous as before.
Recalling the near car accidents on the way, and now facing Li Chonglou, he broke out in a cold sweat.
The reason he had gotten out to confront Li Chonglou was because he had been cut off by another car earlier and hadn't caught up, making him furious and losing face in front of Yu Ke.
When he connected these events, his heart sank with guilt.
After hesitating, his gaze finally firmed, and he bowed deeply to Li Chonglou, "Master, save me!"
Li Chonglou had said he would die in Yong'an, and he didn't know if it was true. But he always cherished his life, and it was better to be safe than sorry.
How could he lose his life in this great life, with so much prosperity and wealth yet to enjoy?
"This matter, it's not difficult, not difficult at all," Li Chonglou lowered his voice, feigning mystery.
In reality, he knew nothing about fortune-telling. That was his master's skill. Apart from his unparalleled eyesight and a larger-than-average nose, he had no other special talents.
He had merely activated his heavenly eye ability, glanced at the girl in the car, and after seeing her ID, learned her name was Yu Ke.
Furthermore, the prophecy of dying in Yong'an was something he had fabricated.
There was no other way; circumstances dictated.
Zhang Jie, known as one of the Four Princes of the capital, was arrogant and overbearing. At this moment, he was not restraining himself.
If he had true qi, he could have knocked him down with a single slap. But now, he couldn't even win a fight. If Ning Lang hadn't left, he might have had some recourse, but without him, he had to rely on something else, or he'd be in trouble.
However, with memories of his past and present lives combined with his understanding of human nature, a few words from him were enough to subdue a naive youngster like Zhang Jie.
"That Yu Ke is incompatible with your destiny. You should leave Yong'an immediately, return to the capital," Li Chonglou, imitating his master, performed a quick divination, his expression changing slightly after a few seconds. He shouted, "Absolutely do not take Yu Ke with you, or you will surely die on the way!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jie's forehead beaded with cold sweat, his pupils dilating to their maximum.
He was utterly terrified.
He had brought Yu Ke to Yong'an for tourism, intending to sleep with her.
This woman was extremely difficult to handle. She was the eldest daughter of the Yu family, one of the Eight Great Families in the capital. Although the Yu family had declined and was no longer as prominent, her inherent pride remained, and she always kept him at a distance.
This only fueled his desire to conquer her, making him salivate.
It was only when the Yu family faced trouble that she finally agreed to his terms.
Yet, it turned out to be a threat to his life.
No matter how good a woman was, she was not as important as his life.
After a few moments of stunned silence, he suddenly returned to his car. "Yu Ke, you… you should stay at this hotel tonight. I have an urgent matter and must return to the capital immediately."
"And I can't take you with me. I'll ask you out another time."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely do what I promised. I'll have someone sign the contract with your elder brother tomorrow."
The girl in the car, her beautiful eyes filled with doubt, said nothing, took her bag, nodded, and got out.
Then, she glanced at Li Chonglou, her eyes filled with surprise.
She had been observing Zhang Jie and Li Chonglou. She had expected Li Chonglou to be crippled by Zhang Jie, but to her surprise, after a few words, Zhang Jie's expression changed drastically, and he told her to get out.
This was exactly what she wanted.
She couldn't afford to offend Zhang Jie, nor could her family. She was fully aware of Zhang Jie's intentions in bringing her to Yong'an.
It was to sleep with her.
But she had no other choice. Either she would attach herself to the Zhang family and save the already rotten Yu family.
Or, the Yu family would be completely erased from the capital by Zhang Jie.
She had endured countless days and nights of torment before finally choosing the former.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jie was letting her go and returning to the capital.
All of this must be related to that person.
In an instant, Yu Ke was filled with curiosity about Li Chonglou.
What kind of extraordinary ability did this unassuming young man possess to make a pampered princeling like Zhang Jie obediently listen to him?
Seeing him lingering at the hotel entrance, she guessed he was staying there as well.
Yu Ke decided that after Zhang Jie left, she would have a good talk with him. Such a master should not be missed.
"Master, could you leave me a phone number? I'll repay you when I get back to the capital." Seeing that she had no objections, Zhang Jie breathed a sigh of relief and ran back to Li Chonglou.
"Of course, 158xxxxxxxx." Li Chonglou gave a phone number, it was the number Li Hanlong used to use.
He'd trick him first. There was no need for sincerity with a rich second-generation like Zhang Jie.
Zhang Jie thanked him profusely and drove back to the capital that very night.
After he left, Li Chonglou, with his hands behind his back, entered the hotel.
He had tricked Zhang Jie and, incidentally, saved the eldest daughter of the Yu family.
He wondered how long it would take for this foolish rich kid Zhang Jie to wake up and realize he had been deceived.
Sometimes, a good tongue was no less effective than fists. Li Chonglou was no stranger to the art of psychological warfare. Every master of antique appraisal was skilled in such methods, and these methods did not conflict with kindness; they were not conspiracies.
It was merely seeing through human nature.
"Sir, please wait." Just as he was about to get on the elevator, Yu Ke's voice came from behind, calling out to Li Chonglou.
She asked earnestly, "Can we find a place to talk?"
"What do you want to talk about?" Li Chonglou had no interest in wasting words with Yu Ke.
Although the woman was quite beautiful and had an noble demeanor, in his eyes, she was still a commoner.
To be associated with someone like Zhang Jie, and to come to Yong'an, even if they weren't birds of a feather, she was certainly not an easy person.
It was best to avoid contact if possible.
"Talk about how you tricked Zhang Jie away." Yu Ke's expression was calm, but her beautiful eyes shimmered with a hidden light.
It showed her strong interest in Li Chonglou.
"Let's go to a coffee shop," Li Chonglou said, finally giving up on entering the elevator.
"To your room," Yu Ke, however, walked into the elevator.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou naturally did not object.
They could talk there, and then he could leave and rest.
Moreover, on his own turf, he wasn't afraid of this woman playing any tricks.
Entering the room, the girl looked around and smiled, "Zhang Jie said you were a bumpkin, but he was mistaken."
"A room like this in Han Palace costs at least over ten thousand a night, right?"
"How could a bumpkin afford to stay in such a place alone? Let alone scare Zhang Jie back to the capital with just a few words."
"I saw the fear in his eyes."
"What exactly did you say to him?"
With that, she sat on the sofa and casually browsed through the hotel's wine cabinet.
Everything she did was smooth and natural.
"I told him that you and he are incompatible, and you would die if you stayed together," Li Chonglou said with a half-smile.
Sometimes, whether the truth or a lie mattered less than how the listener perceived it.
Just like when he told Jiang Yuxin that he was reborn from the future, Jiang Yuxin didn't believe him because her understanding prevented her from believing such a thing.
But if he told his master, his master would believe him.
Facing Yu Ke, Li Chonglou was being both truthful and deceitful because he was unsure of what kind of person she was.
"Then I guess I really need to thank you," a hint of surprise flashed in Yu Ke's beautiful eyes.
She hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so frank. In fact, she could understand some of his spoken words.
Zhang Jie had his back to her, so she hadn't noticed what he said, but what Li Chonglou said did seem to align.
"Why are you thanking me? Don't you like Zhang Jie?" Li Chonglou smiled, probing her.
"It's not about liking. People like us have no freedom in marriage and love," Yu Ke's pretty face showed a hint of sadness. She then pulled out a bottle of 2002 Bordeaux wine from the cabinet.
Her delicate hand picked up two wine glasses and gestured to Li Chonglou, "Can I have some?"
"Feel free, just don't drink too much," Li Chonglou said indifferently.
For a strange woman to want to drink in his room, there could only be two possibilities.
One was that she wanted to seduce him, which was unlikely. After all, he wasn't some dignitary or noble, nor was he particularly handsome, apart from his large nose, he had no obvious advantages.
The other was that she was deeply unhappy and didn't care where she was, as long as she could drown her sorrows.
Yu Ke was most likely the latter.
However, half an hour later, Li Chonglou began to regret it.