Everyone acts with purpose.
Sometimes we are aware of it, and sometimes it is driven by the subconscious without our knowledge.
For example, Li Duo'er asking for help, and me, breaking my habit of staying out of other people's business, helping her, were both subconscious actions.
But that boss who was scammed, hiring two expert bodyguards to capture Li Duo'er, must have been because she had stolen something extremely important from him.
"I'm told it's his family heirloom," Li Duo'er stammered, taking something out of her pocket and placing it in her palm.
It was an archer's ring, pure white all over, with a cleverly carved red flower.
The moment Li Zhonglou saw this ring, his pupils contracted.
This was a red jadeite ring.
The jadeite commonly spoken of actually represents two colors: red jadeite and green jadeite.
This ring was clearly a clever carving of red jadeite on a white base.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, the base pure white and clean, the jadeite a vibrant red, and crystal clear. The red flower was adorned on the white base, a stroke of genius.
Such conception and craftsmanship could only come from a master.
Without needing to examine it up close, the aged, patina-covered skin of the ring seemed to dissolve before Li Zhonglou's eyes.
A red jadeite archer's ring from the early Qing Dynasty.
There was no doubt it qualified as a family heirloom.
"He's really stingy. It's just a jade ring, and he's talking about buying houses and cars. That boss is probably wearing dentures," Wu Hao said dismissively.
In his opinion, what value could such a small item hold?
To make such a fuss and send bodyguards to find someone was just being bored.
"In the Qing Dynasty, jadeite was called Emperor's Jade; only those with official titles were permitted to wear it," Li Zhonglou withdrew his gaze, imparting some knowledge. "Jadeite values are judged by its brilliance, translucency, and purity."
"Although red jadeite is not as precious as green, its extreme rarity means that those who possess and wear it must have considerable status."
"This ring was crafted in the imperial palace. Its market price alone would not be less than ten million."
"But antiques cannot be valued solely by money. It likely represents the honor and reputation of a family."
"Little girl, the fact that the boss you mentioned could give you this ring shows his deep affection for you. Why did you deceive him?"
Li Zhonglou's vision was exceptionally sharp.
He saw the root of the problem at a glance. If the man hadn't been willing to give it, Li Duo'er might never have even seen this ring, let alone stolen it.
This was clearly an emotional issue.
Wu Hao, who had been looking on with disdain, was now wide-eyed, his jaw almost dropping to the floor.
Such an item was worth tens of millions!
And he hadn't seen it at all?
"I... I hate him. He's too clingy," Li Duo'er pouted slightly, looking quite aggrieved, hesitating to say more.
There seemed to be a hidden story.
Li Zhonglou was not one to pry. Seeing that she didn't want to talk, he didn't ask further.
After a few seconds, Li Duo'er seemed to make a decision. "I didn't know he cared so much. I'll just return it to him!"
Hearing this, Li Zhonglou smiled.
As expected, she was a girl with a pure heart, outwardly stubborn but inwardly kind.
"Big brother, thank you for helping me today. You make me feel very close," Li Duo'er put away the ring and said earnestly, "Let's exchange WeChat IDs, so it's convenient to keep in touch."
Li Zhonglou gave her more than just a sense of security.
The way he explained the ring earlier showed no trace of greed.
How many people in this world were unmoved by ten million?
This kind of person must be extraordinary.
The natural closeness, coupled with the abilities she had witnessed firsthand, made her infinitely curious about Li Zhonglou.
However, curiosity aside, she had important things to do today and had to leave immediately.
Li Zhonglou nodded, took out his phone, and added Li Duo'er on WeChat.
He watched her leave the coffee shop.
"Zhonglou, why do I feel like you treat her differently from other women?" Wu Hao said mysteriously at this moment. "Aren't you afraid your wife will be jealous?"
"What are you thinking? She just resembles an old acquaintance of mine. We both have the surname Li, maybe I see her as a sister," Li Zhonglou glared at Wu Hao.
"Scumbag!" Wu Hao playfully cursed.
Li Zhonglou ignored him and instructed, "You keep an eye on company matters. I'm leaving first."
He then left the coffee shop.
He had met Wu Hao today to investigate the perpetrator who harmed his mother.
Many other matters awaited him. It was already difficult to steal a moment of leisure.
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Meanwhile.
In Xu Tianhou's spacious and bright office, the胖子 (Fatty) frowned deeply, smoking three cigarettes in a row.
He then said leisurely, "There's been a snag with that Li Zhonglou matter. He's been exposed."
Hearing this, Xu Tianhou's face changed drastically. "Your Hengmen is always cautious. How could you not even handle a live-in son-in-law?"
"He didn't betray me, did he?"
"Don't worry, even if he investigates, he can only trace it back to me, not you," the胖子 wiped the sweat from his forehead, his fleshy face creasing, his expression hateful. "I underestimated that son-in-law. I didn't expect him to be a martial artist."
"He doesn't even put Hengmen in his eyes, threatening to make Hengmen disappear from Qin Zhou within a month."
Xu Tianhou breathed a sigh of relief. "Ignorance is bliss."
"The barefoot aren't afraid of the shod. Are you still planning to keep him?"
"Just deal with him directly!"
The胖子's fleshy face trembled slightly. "It's not that simple. I checked his bottom line, guess what?"
"He's currently a valuer at Donglin Pawnshop."
"You might not know about Donglin unless you're in the circle."
"As long as he remains a valuer at Donglin, anyone who wants to move against him has to think twice. If I had known his identity earlier, I wouldn't have promised you so readily last time."
His words revealed a clear apprehension of Donglin.
Xu Tianhou looked shocked.
He had known the胖子 for over a decade. Although Hengmen was not publicly known, its influence in the underworld far surpassed common knowledge.
The street thugs in comparison were nothing.
They could decide life and death, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Such people were actually so reverent of a pawnshop.
It made him ask, "What's so special about this pawnshop?"
"The pawnshop itself isn't special. It's the people who are special. The founder of the pawnshop, Lin Zhendong, is currently in jail, but..." the胖子 hesitated, "You don't need to know too much. Let's put this aside for now."
"Li Zhonglou has made an enemy of me. I will find a way to deal with him, but first, I have to force him to leave Donglin!"
"I don't want to draw trouble upon myself!"
"I'll listen to you." Xu Tianhou, though extremely unwilling, had no choice.
The胖子 had said as much as he had. If he couldn't understand, he would be a fool.
That person named Lin Zhendong was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend. He hadn't expected Qin Zhou to have such a major figure, and one who was imprisoned.
But that was unimportant. What was important was that Li Zhonglou wouldn't live for more than a month at most.
"I have something else to do. Recently, I saw a treasure in the Eastern Mountain. If we can't negotiate a price, I'll have to use other methods," the胖子 said with a satisfied expression, rising to his feet. Greed flickered in his eyes, his gaze turning cold and fierce.