Li Zhonglou looked up at the girl upon hearing the sound.
She was about twenty, her face smeared with makeup like a panda.
She was petite and delicate, not unattractive, and dressed quite fashionably.
Her large eyes held terror and despair, and her eyelids were swollen.
“Boss, how much is this jade pendant worth?” the buzz-cut man asked, walking to the tea table and showing off a crystal-clear, emerald-green heart-shaped jade pendant he clutched.
He then sat down opposite Li Zhonglou.
Li Zhonglou glanced at it and, without reaching out, asked, “Whose is it?”
“It’s… it’s mine, my ex-boyfriend gave it to me…” the girl replied, trembling.
“Do you owe them money?” Li Zhonglou asked, nodding.
Before the girl could answer, the buzz-cut man’s expression changed, and he sternly cursed, “I asked you to appraise a jade pendant, why so much nonsense? Are you planning to pay her debt?”
“I don’t take items of unknown origin,” Li Zhonglou said with a cold snort, not even looking at the buzz-cut man.
The girl appeared dazed. Although her eyes held fear, they were clear, showing she was inexperienced.
Yet she had gotten involved with these societal thugs.
To the point where she had to pawn her belongings.
With Li Zhonglou’s eyesight, a single glance was enough to determine it wasn't jade at all, but industrial dyed glass, worthless.
If it hadn't been for the thug’s remark upon entering, “If you can’t pay, you’ll go out to entertain,” he wouldn’t even have been interested.
“Alright, go ahead and ask. Ask quickly,” the burly man suppressed his anger.
Li Zhonglou continued questioning the girl, “What did he say when he gave it to you?”
“He said it was jade, worth hundreds of thousands.”
The girl lowered her head, sobbing continuously, “Later, he lost money in business and asked me to guarantee a loan of 100,000 yuan from them…”
“And then he ran off, and now they’re coming for you?” Li Zhonglou finished for her before she could.
The girl nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face.
At this point, Li Zhonglou finally understood the source of the despair in the girl’s eyes.
Deceived of her wealth and affection, and now being pursued by loan sharks, for those with low psychological resilience, suicide wasn’t uncommon.
This girl was considered strong.
“Hmph, now it’s 125,000 with interest, and not a dime less,” the buzz-cut man said with a crooked lip, reminding them.
“I suggest you call the police!” Li Zhonglou ignored the buzz-cut man, his tone intensifying.
“What do you mean? Is the jade worth anything or not? Give me an answer, are you buying it or not?” Hearing the word “police,” the buzz-cut man’s face stiffened, and he banged on the tea table, demanding.
“I’m not buying.”
Li Zhonglou was not one to meddle in others’ affairs. With a single sentence, the girl’s face turned ashen, and she collapsed to the ground weakly.
There were too many cases of financial and romantic deception in this world, seen everywhere.
Many girls believed in toxic advice, yearned for love, and needed to be cherished; scumbag manipulators favored such prey.
But that had nothing to do with him.
Adults should bear the consequences of their own choices.
There would never be only sweetness in love, without bitterness.
Advising her to call the police was already the utmost he could do. His own mother was still in bed; he had no mood for such matters.
“Wasted my feelings.”
The buzz-cut man snatched the jade pendant back and snarled, “Did you hear that, Xu Qianqian? This broken pendant, they won’t take it.”
“Call your brother immediately. If we don’t see the money today, don’t blame us for being rough with you!”
“Please… don’t tell my brother, he’ll kill me if he finds out…” Xu Qianqian, slumped on the floor, pleaded with tears.
“Get lost. If you have no money, then obediently come back with me to entertain. We’ll settle when the debt is repaid!” The buzz-cut man showed no sympathy, his eyes filled with ferocity.
He ordered two subordinates to take the girl away.
“Wait.”
Just as the two men were about to help the girl up, Li Zhonglou frowned and asked, “Is your brother’s name Xu Lie?”
“Yes… you know my brother?” Xu Qianqian’s desperate eyes flared with a glimmer of hope.
“I suppose you could say that.” Li Zhonglou’s gaze dimmed, and past memories surfaced.
Xu Lie was his fellow inmate in his previous life. As his name suggested, he was formidable.
He came from a martial arts school and fought in underground boxing matches. He was a man of few words but very loyal.
Sentenced to seven years for intentional assault, he entered prison a month after Li Zhonglou.
The reason was that his sister, Xu Qianqian, was coerced by loan sharks into entertaining and prostitution, and when she refused, she jumped to her death.
In a fit of rage, Xu Lie single-handedly stormed the loan company, taking down twelve men and crippling the boss’s hand and leg.
If a patrol officer hadn't happened to pass by, it might have been a homicide.
After his release, Xu Lie worked as a bodyguard for Li Zhonglou for a few years. During a car accident, he was seriously injured saving Li Zhonglou.
After recovering, he resigned and went to track down the scumbag who had harmed Xu Qianqian, and had been unheard of since.
It could be said that everything in life had its predestined cause and effect.
Li Zhonglou had no intention of getting involved.
But Xu Lie had saved his life. Now that he encountered his sister, how could he stand idly by?
Li Zhonglou looked at the buzz-cut man and said coldly, “The pawn shop won’t take it, but I will!”
“You’ll take it? I think you want to pocket this jade pendant yourself. Maybe it really is worth hundreds of thousands.” The buzz-cut man’s face was filled with suspicion and undisguised greed. “How much are you offering?”
The talk of acquaintance was irrelevant.
In his eyes, Li Zhonglou was clearly using it as an excuse to drive down the price and take it for himself.
“Let me see it.” Li Zhonglou reached out and took the jade pendant.
*Crack!*
The next second, the jade pendant was smashed heavily onto the ground, shattering into pieces.
“What are you doing?” The buzz-cut man’s face contorted.
His two subordinates also showed fierce expressions.
The girl, even more, turned pale with fright and stood frozen.
“Glass product, worthless.”
Li Zhonglou’s eyes glinted with coldness as he glared at the buzz-cut man, “Bring the IOUs, I’ll return her money.”
“Take the money and get out!”
That glare sent a chill through the buzz-cut man, making his scalp tingle.
What kind of look was that?
It held no emotion, yet seemed to pierce through his soul.
It felt as though he was standing naked before Li Zhonglou, without even a fig leaf.
A tremor ran through him, and he involuntarily felt fear.
Swallowing with difficulty, he produced the IOUs and his phone. Seeing that 125,000 had been transferred, he didn’t dare utter another word, signaled his subordinates, and left Donglin.
“Thank you, big brother… thank you…” Xu Qianqian’s voice trembled, choked with tears.
“No need to thank me. Consider it me repaying a favor to your brother.”
A trace of melancholy appeared in Li Zhonglou’s eyes. “Leave your brother’s phone number, and then go to the police station to report it.”
“I’ll keep your matters confidential.”
This was all he could do.
Not long after Xu Qianqian left, only one customer came in the afternoon, pawning gold and silver jewelry.
Only after a proper transaction did Li Zhonglou discover that Donglin’s account held over seven million yuan.
On his first day working there, he was given free rein to spend it.
This was beyond trust.
Combined with his previous apprenticeship and the sheepskin scroll of cultivation techniques, he was certain Sister Ying knew something.
It was just that the time wasn't right, and she didn't want to tell him.
He couldn't rush this matter.
The more pressing issue now was how to earn money.
A man with money is a strong man; a man without money is a weak man.
This was an eternal truth.
The 150,000 yuan in the card, originally intended for Wu Hao to build a live streaming appraisal team, now only had 25,000 left.
The cost of his mother’s surgery alone far exceeded this amount.
Furthermore, there was Jiang Tao’s constant pressure. Although Jiang Yuxin and her mother hadn’t done anything yet, based on his understanding of Deng Zhiru, they would make a move soon.
Money wasn’t everything, but it certainly played a crucial role.
*Ring ring…*
As he was contemplating, the phone rang.
“Brother Li, a friend wants me to invite you to a private appraisal event within the circle. The appearance fee is not insignificant. Are you free tonight?”
Lu Yunxu’s voice was like heavenly music.