The one who entered was none other than Li Duo'er, the young girl he had met at the coffee shop last time.
On that occasion, Li Duo'er had taken someone's heirloom, the Red Jade Ring, and he had helped her out of trouble.
After they exchanged WeChat contacts, they hadn't been in touch again.
He hadn't expected to see her at his shop.
"I work here. You didn't come specifically to see me, did you?" Li Chonglou put down the diamond he was holding and stood up to ask.
He had felt a sense of familiarity with this girl from the first moment he saw her.
It was because after he left Qin Province in his previous life, he had encountered a woman who left an indelible impression on him for the rest of his life.
The same bright, lively eyes, the same gaze.
Unfortunately, this was just a coincidence.
Where she was now was unknown, and he was still the live-in son-in-law of the Jiang family.
Past and present lives could no longer be reunited.
"Of course not. I... I wanted to pawn something." Li Duo'er stuck out her tongue, her expression exceptionally cute.
She took out the Red Jade Ring she had shown Li Chonglou last time from her pocket. "Since you're working here, big brother, it'll be easier."
"Can you appraise it for me?"
As she spoke, she sat down at the tea table of her own accord, poured herself a cup of tea.
Her large eyes held a captivating, cunning charm.
"You don't plan on returning it to its owner?" Li Chonglou asked, looking at the ring.
"Not returning it. He deserves it!" Li Duo'er replied casually. "He's always been a sycophant, bothering me. I hate sycophants the most."
"I'm short on cash right now. How much is this worth if I sell it?"
"Are you a little scammer?" Li Chonglou was quite speechless.
Those who are favored are indeed fearless.
Not only did the other person's attentiveness go unappreciated, but he was also disliked, and even his heirloom was brought to a pawnshop.
If that man knew what was happening, he wouldn't know how he would feel.
"Yes, I'm a little scammer." Li Duo'er showed no embarrassment on her face, shaking her head adorably. "Are you going to report me?"
"I don't meddle in others' affairs, so I live long," Li Chonglou said with a smile.
He reached out, picked up the Red Jade Ring, and examined it closely. It was indeed an authentic antique.
It appeared to be from the mid-Qing Dynasty.
The jade was of excellent quality, with a mature texture, sufficient moisture, and vibrant color, worthy of the description "radiant and pure." It was rare to encounter such high-quality goods in the jade market in recent years.
This ring, if it found the right person, would be worth no less than ten million.
Unfortunately, Donglin was a legitimate pawnshop.
Items of unknown or illegal origin, no matter how profitable, were not accepted!
After examining it, he pushed the ring back towards Li Duo'er and said calmly, "If you want to pawn this ring, you'll need to find the original owner and bring him here."
"You don't want to earn money? Big brother, are you silly?" Li Duo'er's large eyes widened, her face full of confusion.
"There are things one should do and things one shouldn't. I advise you to return the ring. Money is secondary; relationships are paramount. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Don't play with fire." Li Chonglou, unusually serious, advised her.
He felt a natural sense of closeness to this young girl from their first meeting, otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to help her.
This feeling was akin to treating a family member, with excessive worry and a desire for control.
He couldn't help but think a few steps ahead, helping her avoid trouble.
"Hmph! I understand all that, but I just don't want to. If you don't accept it, I'll find someone else. Bye!" Li Duo'er put the ring away, her expression indifferent.
As she walked to the shop door, she didn't forget to turn back and make a face at Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou could only shake his head.
Less than a hundred meters from Donglin, Li Duo'er stopped. The cute smile on her face vanished.
She took out her phone and sent a voice message.
"He didn't fall for it. Should we continue testing him?"
"Continue!" The reply was exceptionally concise.
Li Duo'er's brows furrowed into a small knot. She put away her phone and murmured, pouting, "Big brother, what's so special about you?"
"To actually attract his attention, and even make me act so hard."
"Ah, it's really annoying!"
With that, she twisted her small body and walked away.
Inside the shop, Li Chonglou received a photo from Wu Hao, his brows tightly furrowed.
"This is the result of my two days of investigation. The order was given by a fatty named Tong Chuan. He seems to be the leader of the Hengmen in Qin Province."
"This person used to frequent Dongshan, but then he stopped for a while. I couldn't find out where he's been lately."
"The information is limited, that's all I know."
Looking at the photo, Li Chonglou's eyes gradually turned cold.
He remembered this fatty named Tong Chuan. He had met him once at Old Chen's house in Dongshan.
He had exposed the price of the agarwood, and the fatty had held a grudge against him, even issuing a threat as he left.
Could it be because of this incident that he wanted to teach his mother a lesson?
No, how could the Jiang family's compass be explained?
Li Chonglou thought about the connection for a full hour but couldn't figure it out.
He decided to close the shop, call Xu Lie, and then ask Chen Zhenghe to drive them to the hospital to meet.
"Master Li, what are your orders for asking me to come?" Chen Zhenghe saw Li Chonglou like a mouse meeting a cat, bowing respectfully with a smiling face.
Jiang Tao was already gone, and his life was still in Li Chonglou's hands. He had no choice but to behave himself.
He even had to go back and pretend to be reformed in front of his old man to make him happy.
Upon receiving Li Chonglou's call, he rushed over without daring to say a word.
"Do you recognize this person?" Li Chonglou opened Tong Chuan's photo and presented it to him.
"I... I recognize him. A while ago, he kept staring at the agarwood in my old man's possession. He visited our house more than ten times. I haven't seen him recently." Chen Zhenghe's eyes flickered as he spoke.
Clearly, he wasn't telling the whole truth.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chonglou kicked him in the backside. "I'll give you another chance. Where is he?"
Someone like Chen Zhenghe, who had spent a lot of time in the outside world, wouldn't tell the truth from the start.
If he wasn't shown a little bit of force, he wouldn't know why the flowers were so red.
After the kick, he gave Xu Lie a look.
Seeing this, Xu Lie clenched his fists, making cracking sounds. His tiger-like eyes seemed ready to devour, and sharp glints burst forth.
He glared at Chen Zhenghe, making his hair stand on end and cold sweat stream down his face.
Cowering, his tongue tied, he stammered, "I'll... I'll tell you. He's... at the KTV. He's been staying at the KTV recently."
"I'm not familiar with him at all. I just wanted to make some money from him before, but now we have very little contact."
"Master Li, he has a lot of influence. I can't afford to offend him."
"Please don't say I told you."
Seeing his pathetic state, Li Chonglou couldn't be bothered to ask further. A chill rose in his eyes. "Leave the car and get out."
"Yes, yes, yes." Chen Zhenghe, as if granted a great pardon, fled like a frightened dog.
"You're just going to let him go?" Xu Lie snorted.
"He's not important. What's important is that fatty. Since we know where he hangs out, we'll go wait for him." Li Chonglou's voice was calm but sent chills down one's spine. "Rather than waiting to be defeated, it's better to strike proactively."
"I suspect there's someone behind him. Until this person is dealt with, I won't have peace of mind."
"No matter how influential he is, if he wants to harm my mother, he will have to pay the price!"