Among them was a subordinate who had helped Gao Ming buy a bracelet.
Upon hearing this, his expression changed drastically. He rushed to Gao Ming's side in three steps and said, "Young Master Gao, you mustn't be fooled."
"A mere waiter, not only does he not have that much money, but he probably hasn't even seen genuine jade."
"Do you know what imperial green ice jade is?"
"What if you smash it and he goes back on his word?"
"It's common knowledge that these poor people don't keep their promises."
His words stirred up a thousand ripples, and as soon as he spoke, countless people echoed his sentiments.
"Young Master Gao, Zhao Jun is right. You mustn't fall for this kind of loser's trick."
"Ice green imperial jade that even I haven't seen? He just says it so easily, isn't that just showing off?"
"Miss Lv, you'd better stay away from this kind of garbage, or your own class will be dragged down to the bottom by him."
The reason a circle is called a circle is because it is closed and exclusive.
These second-generation rich individuals were highly repelled by people from the lower class like Li Chonglou who wanted to break into their circle.
It was as if everything he said and did was wrong.
It was precisely these people who looked at others through colored glasses.
"Did you hear that? The eyes of the masses are discerning. Do you think you can fool me with these little tricks, kid?" Gao Ming quickly reacted and sneered.
What they said was right; how could someone like Li Chonglou have seen such high-grade jade?
Eighteen million yuan, not eighteen yuan.
He hadn't even touched it yet, and he claimed it was glass, even daring him to smash it.
This was clearly an attempt to provoke him. If he fell for it, they would pretend to be ignorant and refuse to pay, and he would become a laughingstock.
He almost fell for it.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lv Yunxu's pretty face turned cold, and she shouted, "Shut up!"
"Brother Li never misjudges. If he says it's glass, it must be glass."
"Gao Ming, it's your own fault for being blind. Brother Li kindly reminded you, and you took it as a donkey's liver and lungs. You're truly an idiot."
"You said you were going to give it to me, but you're reluctant to smash it? I'll smash it!"
Saying that, she snatched the bracelet from Gao Ming's hand and, before Gao Ming could react,
*Bang!*
She smashed it directly onto the ground, shattering into countless pieces.
Gao Ming was stunned.
Zhao Jun's face instantly turned ashen.
Li Chonglou bent down to pick up a shard and gently drew it across his hand, immediately causing a trace of blood to appear.
As blood beaded out, Lv Yunxu, startled, quickly took out a handkerchief to cover it, asking nervously, "Brother Li, what are you doing?"
Li Chonglou's sudden self-harm with a shard made her flustered.
"Since ancient times, jade has possessed the five virtues of a gentleman, one of which is that it does not injure when it cracks," Li Chonglou smiled and scanned the crowd, "Anything that does not possess this quality is not worthy of being called jade."
"This is genuine—glass."
"It's actually very easy to identify. Just look at the bubbles inside. Experts can tell it's fake at a glance. However, you are all amateurs, and you may not recognize it even if I tell you."
"So, it's best to smash it to verify."
"Gao Ming, I think you're not wise at all. Either you're treating Yunxu as a fool, or you're being fooled by others."
"In any case, it's extremely low-class!"
*Hiss.*
Li Chonglou's extremely sharp words made everyone in the room gasp.
What shocked them wasn't Li Chonglou accusing Gao Ming of being a fool.
It was that someone like Gao Ming had actually been deceived.
Eighteen million yuan, spent on a beer bottle.
This…
This was simply the biggest joke in the business circles of Qin Province in decades.
It wasn't that such things hadn't happened before. Lü Chenggong's purchase of sweet white glaze was similar, but he hadn't publicized it, so no one knew.
Now, Gao Ming buying fake goods, and for an engagement, no less, had been exposed by Li Chonglou on the spot.
It was no longer just a case of being cheated.
"Gao Ming, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. You wanted to get engaged to me with a glass bracelet? My father really misjudged you!" Lv Yunxu, being very intelligent, seized the opportunity to vent her anger.
Her beautiful eyes secretly held gratitude, thankful to Li Chonglou for completely rescuing her.
With this incident, her father would no longer agree to the engagement.
After all, one had to maintain face in high society.
Gao Ming was completely stunned, his face pale, his lips trembling, his eyes wide open.
He was unable to snap back to reality for a long time, remaining dazed for a good thirty seconds.
Suddenly, he lunged at Zhao Jun like a madman, grabbed him by the hair, and roared hysterically, "You bastard, I gave you money to buy the bracelet, and you dared to cheat me!"
"I'll beat you, you ungrateful dog slave!"
He had paid eighteen million yuan to Zhao Jun in full.
But all he got in return was a glass bracelet. At this moment, he felt that his subordinate had thoroughly swindled him.
If he didn't beat him to death, he wouldn't be able to vent his hatred.
"Young Master Gao, Young Master Gao, spare me! I'm innocent, this wasn't me!" Zhao Jun wailed, begging for mercy.
Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to openly cheat Gao Ming.
This was, after all, an engagement gift. Even if the parties involved couldn't recognize it, with the Lv family's connections to the antique circle, how could it be hidden forever?
Tampering with it would be seeking his own death.
The only explanation was that he too had been deceived.
Not only was eighteen million yuan wasted, but Gao Ming's face was also utterly disgraced on the spot, beyond repair.
And he, however, became the sinner.
Only after beating Zhao Jun until he was almost unrecognizable and hospitalized was Gao Ming pulled away and escorted from the scene.
As soon as he left, Li Chonglou instantly became the center of attention.
The fact that he could identify the bracelet as fake with the naked eye alone made no one dare to look down on him anymore.
Moreover, with Miss Lv defending him so fiercely, this person was certainly not simple.
Many of the second-generation rich who had been unwilling to offend Gao Ming earlier now rushed forward, wanting to befriend Li Chonglou.
Unfortunately, Li Chonglou was not interested.
He found an excuse to leave and returned to Wang Dehai's office to change into another set of clothes.
"Little brother, that was brilliant! That young man who had no eyes to see offending you really kicked a steel plate." Wang Dehai gave a thumbs-up. He had seen everything that happened earlier through the surveillance.
With a casual gesture, Li Chonglou had completely humiliated Gao Ming, who had caused him trouble.
He couldn't match such skill.
"Brother Wang, watching a show requires payment. Make sure you handle the matters I entrusted you with, or I'll settle the score with you." Li Chonglou said with a wry smile.
Wang Dehai had intentionally not let his nephew send him the clothes, clearly wanting to see him put on a show.
"Definitely, definitely," Wang Dehai chuckled.
Li Chonglou, after changing into new clothes, joined the party in the latter half and revealed his identity as the owner of Desheng Grand Hotel.
After all, Lv Yunxu was the protagonist, and he couldn't let her lose face.
The crowd couldn't help but express their amazement, their gazes toward Li Chonglou filled with admiration.
Before the party ended, Li Chonglou took his leave and returned to the hospital.
For the next few days, unless there was something important, he didn't plan to go out again. He would stay by his mother's side.
He wanted to spend quality time with her.
After all, once Xu Tianhou was dealt with and he had visited his master, he would be heading to Shuzhou with his senior sister.
He didn't know how long it would be before he returned.
Time passed quickly. During this period, Jiang Yuxin visited a few times, wanting him to go to the company to work. However, upon hearing that he was going to Shuzhou in a few days, she didn't insist.
The cooperation with the Lv family had been successfully achieved, and with the power he held under the military order, his future prospects were bright, and he was in a great mood.
He stayed in the hospital for three full days until the second day of the National Day holiday. Li Chonglou finally received a call from Chen Tianhe.
His eyes lit up: "The east wind has arrived. It's time to make Xu Tianhou go bankrupt!"