Bang!
Just as expected, Huang Yongshou slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
He shoved the gold bars towards Li Chonglou, his rat-like eyes flashing with malice as he demanded, "What do you mean by this?"
"Three months ago, when I pawned them, they were pure gold."
"How come when I come to redeem them, they've turned into tungsten-filled gold?"
"Do you people at Donglin owe us an explanation?"
He struck first.
He was positioning himself as the victim, taking the initiative.
This was his plan before he even arrived.
Anyone more timid would have panicked at this point.
But unfortunately, the twenty-something body Li Chonglou inhabited housed a soul that was at least a generation older than Huang Yongshou.
These tactics were not enough to make him lose his composure.
His expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently, "They're exactly as you left them. No one has swapped your gold bars. Are you trying to be the pot calling the kettle black?"
The typical gold-clad tungsten plates could fool X-rays but not internal sampling.
These four gold bars had tungsten rods and wires mixed into their outer layers, leaving the center hollow.
This could deceive X-rays and also evade central sampling.
Even an experienced craftsman could make a mistake if not careful.
Li Chonglou noticed that the person in charge on the pawn ticket was Zhao Yecheng.
Although Zhao Yecheng's character was questionable, he had followed his master and possessed considerable skill. He shouldn't have made such a low-level mistake.
If this matter wasn't handled properly, he and Donglin would have to take the blame.
"Who are you calling a thief?"
Huang Yongshou narrowed his eyes, his confidence unwavering as he sneered, "Kid, I advise you to watch your words!"
"Your Donglin people have sticky fingers and swapped my gold bars."
"I don't want these four gold bars anymore. Compensate me according to today's gold price."
"If you're a penny short, I'll smash your shop!"
Three months ago, Zhao Yecheng had given him these four gold bars and asked him to pawn them for verification.
Afterward, he had paid him a commission.
At the time, he had deleted the video evidence of the pawn transaction, making it appear flawless.
He was initially going to let them go unredeemed.
But last night, Zhao Yecheng suddenly contacted him again, offering a million yuan to cause trouble at Donglin.
He wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of this kid named Li Chonglou.
"Do you know how many years you'd get for large-scale fraud?" Li Chonglou asked calmly, his eyes showing no trace of panic. "This money is too hot for you to handle."
Smash the shop?
Were the cameras in the shop just for show?
Huang Yongshou's low-level intimidation tactics might scare children, but they were useless against him.
On the contrary, he was now quite interested in Huang Yongshou.
Every profession had its own rules.
Scammers were no exception.
Once these tungsten-filled gold bars were pawned, they were considered irredeemable, and it was highly unlikely anyone would come to redeem them, let alone expose them face-to-face and demand compensation.
Because the nature of the offense was different.
If fake gold bars were identified, pawn shops would typically refuse the transaction rather than report it to the police; this was a matter of discernment.
However, knowingly accepting fake goods and then extorting compensation was blatant fraud.
Huang Yongshou's actions could only mean one of two things.
Either he wasn't a professional in this line of work.
Or, he had ulterior motives!
"Kid, are you trying to bluff me?"
Huang Yongshou's gaze darted around, his bravado masking his fear as he threatened, "Who's committing fraud? I have facts and evidence. If you have the guts, bring your proof."
"Either pay up quickly, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
Li Chonglou's composure was beyond his expectations.
He had been a broker in the antique market for many years and had seen all sorts of people.
This kid looked barely twenty, yet he remained unperturbed in the face of adversity.
He felt as if he were facing a seventy-year-old elder.
He began to feel anxious.
Although Zhao Yecheng had assured him that the video had been completely deleted, who knew if there was any other evidence.
"If I were you, I'd obediently pay the redemption fee and take the gold bars," Li Chonglou said, sensing Huang Yongshou's guilt, his eyes flashing with coldness. "It's not worth ruining the rest of your life for such a small sum."
This matter was indeed a bit tricky.
The price of gold had risen astonishingly this year, with investment gold bars exceeding 450 yuan per gram.
According to Huang Yongshou's demand, Donglin would have to pay out thirty-five thousand yuan in losses.
And these four tungsten-filled gold bars, with a gold-to-tungsten ratio of at most 4:6, even at the current gold price, their actual value was only around seventy-two thousand yuan.
One way or another, Donglin would lose a full ninety thousand yuan. By convention, he, the current manager, would have to bear half of this loss!
Even if he could find the video of the original pawn, it would be useless.
As long as the pawn ticket clearly stated "thousand-foot gold" (千足金), the pawn shop had to accept the loss.
That was the rule.
So he was trying to trick Huang Yongshou, seeing who had the stronger nerve.
"You've got guts, kid." Huang Yongshou's eyelids twitched, his face turning ashen.
He wasn't Zhao Yecheng and didn't understand the pawn shop's rules. With a guilty conscience, he was naturally more hesitant.
Li Chonglou's words only made him more nervous.
But he couldn't show it on the surface. He decided to resort to force, to pressure Li Chonglou into submission.
His eyes darting around, he shouted, "If you don't pay, can you take a beating?!"
"Zhuzi, teach him how to behave!"
His brother was naturally strong, easily capable of handling two or three ordinary people. Li Chonglou's slender frame wouldn't withstand a single punch from him.
If he had him in his grasp, he wouldn't dare to defy him.
"Mm."
The burly man grunted, the rough flesh on his face twitching.
He twisted his neck with a loud crack, and with a flap of his fan-like hands, he reached out to grab Li Chonglou's shoulder.
His towering physique seemed to press down like Mount Tai.
It was almost suffocating.
Li Chonglou rarely got into fights, and he was even less adept at direct confrontation.
Facing an opponent of this caliber, he had no chance of winning.
Even after practicing the sheepskin scroll technique all night, the absolute disparity in strength made him unable to even resist.
He was then gripped by the shoulder by the burly man.
He couldn't move.
But his strong mental fortitude made him even calmer in this situation.
His eyes flashed with cold light as he stared directly at the burly man, "Think about the consequences. There are cameras here. If I get injured, neither of you will escape."
A normal person would have hesitated upon hearing this.
But this burly man didn't seem to have a sharp mind.
He acted with tunnel vision, completely disregarding the consequences.
Not only did he not let go, but he tightened his grip.
Like a massive iron vise, it prevented Li Chonglou from moving an inch.
Otherwise, the pain would be piercing.
"Kid, Zhuzi has some intellectual problems. He's like a six-year-old."
Huang Yongshou sneered triumphantly, "He doesn't know when to hold back. If you get hurt by him, you can only blame your bad luck."
"No law can help you!"
"I'll give you one last chance. Are you going to pay or not?"
"Think carefully before you answer."
No wonder Huang Yongshou was so confident.
Li Chonglou gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain, but his eyes showed no sign of surrender.
He would absolutely not pay the money!
"Tough nut to crack, huh? Zhuzi, break his arm and teach him a lesson!" Huang Yongshou felt a chill down his spine from Li Chonglou's gaze and became enraged.
"You dare touch him!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a thunderous roar erupted from the doorway.
It startled Huang Yongshou, who turned around in fear.
A powerfully built young man with a scar over his brow strode into the shop.
His eyes, like those of a hawk, emitted a soul-stirring radiance.
He stared fixedly at the burly man, radiating an intense aura of menace.
"Xu Lie..." Li Chonglou's heart pounded.
His friend from his past life, the ferocious wild tiger who was undefeated in the underground boxing rings of Qin Province.
He had actually come looking for him.
Today was destined to be a day where Huang Yongshou would face severe repercussions!