"Certainly not, a national treasure would never be carelessly leaked!"
Li Chonglou flatly denied, "Leaking it abroad would be a crime against the nation."
"It's a hot potato in your hands, and you can't sell it. Have you considered donating it?"
"It would fulfill its purpose, and also fulfill your Lu family's objectives."
Hearing this, Lu Yunxu's beautiful eyes lit up, her face filled with admiration, "I understand..."
Li Chonglou was right.
She felt uneasy holding this item, as she had obtained it by deceiving Tang Xiuzhu.
Knowing Tang Xiuzhu's character, she couldn't imagine how angry he must be by now.
His father was the second largest shareholder of the Lu family. Although there were already internal struggles, they at least maintained a semblance of peace.
If this incident caused a complete falling out, it would be detrimental to everyone.
It was indeed a hot potato.
But if she donated it, it would be a different story.
Not only would it give the Tang father and son no excuse to retaliate, but it would also offset a significant amount of negative impact on the company.
Li Chonglou's suggestion was a move that killed two birds with one stone.
The fact that he could think of this demonstrated his broad-mindedness.
However, the saying goes, "When the tree stands out in the forest, the wind will blow it down."
She couldn't help but worry, "Brother Li, we took something so precious from the Tang family. Their father and son will surely not let this go."
"You have to be careful..."
"Someone with nothing to lose fears nothing. What can he do to me?" Li Chonglou raised his eyebrows, completely fearless.
Tang Xiuzhu lost his wife and his soldiers; it would be strange if he didn't seek revenge.
Besides his mother, he had nothing to fear.
This was, after all, a society governed by law.
No matter how aggressive, one had to follow the rules.
Lu Yunxu knew that her worrying was useless, as she couldn't stay by Li Chonglou's side every day.
She carefully placed the box on her lap and transferred one million to Li Chonglou.
"Is this the appearance fee from Tang Xiuzhu?" Li Chonglou was somewhat surprised.
"It's a testament to his composure that he didn't cause trouble for you on the spot," Lu Yunxu smiled charmingly. "Originally, this million was the bet, and since it's no longer payable, it naturally belongs to you."
"You've helped me a great deal, so take this money for now."
"If it's not enough, come back to me."
Li Chonglou was no ordinary person. He viewed the entire Qin Province antique circle with disdain, not with the superficial arrogance of common folk, but with an ingrained, bone-deep audacity.
When interacting with someone like him, one must not give him the slightest feeling of condescension.
Lu Yunxu grasped this boundary tightly, daring not to overstep.
"I'll earn my own money. But there's something I need to discuss with you in detail after the auction." Li Chonglou said with confidence.
Money was merely an add-on to value.
He was more interested in the live appraisal platform.
Having only himself and Wu Hao was far from enough. Only by aligning with the Lu Group could they progress more steadily and rapidly.
"Is there something you can't say now?" Lu Yunxu looked at Li Chonglou curiously, her gaze hazy.
This man was truly too mysterious.
Unlike the guardedness found in the business world, he was like an endless, unfathomable abyss.
This mystery acted like a powerful magnet, unconsciously stirring in her a strong urge to get closer.
"It's too early to say anything definitive," Li Chonglou glanced at her.
Their eyes met, and a spark of electricity passed between them.
Lu Yunxu's gaze sent a tremor through his heart.
With his keen sight and experience, how could he not tell that Lu Yunxu had developed feelings for him?
But he was already married. Although he had no marital relations with Jiang Yuxin, they were not yet divorced.
Furthermore, his mother was still in the hospital awaiting surgery.
He had neither the desire nor the energy to engage in such romantic entanglements.
Li Chonglou turned his head away, remaining silent.
The atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.
Lu Yunxu seemed to sense Li Chonglou's rejection, her hazy gaze gradually clearing, though tinged with a hint of disappointment.
Since childhood, countless men had vied for her attention, yet she had ignored them, even grown weary of them.
Only Li Chonglou could stir her heart.
But...
He had deliberately ignored her...
Could it be that I don't even have this much charm?
Ding ling ling...
As she was lost in thought, Li Chonglou's phone rang.
It was Wu Hao calling.
"Louzi, I've found a tech genius for you. We just finished dinner and are heading to a KTV to sing. Why don't you come over and meet him?" Wu Hao's voice was excited.
"I don't understand the technical stuff; if you think he's good, that's enough," Li Chonglou declined.
It was getting late, and he should return to the hospital to accompany his mother.
Otherwise, she would worry.
"Don't do that. I actually wanted to use this opportunity for you to vet him. Your future sister-in-law will be there too."
Wu Hao was clearly tipsy, his words slurred with alcohol. "If you don't come, you're not a good brother."
"We didn't get to sing last time; it's a rare chance to relax..."
Unable to resist Wu Hao's pleading, Li Chonglou finally agreed.
After confirming the address, he turned the car around and drove to Melody KTV, a karaoke bar next to the pedestrian street.
"You can drive back yourself. Remember to put the box away safely," Li Chonglou instructed after getting out of the car. "Be careful."
"Have fun," Lu Yunxu said as she moved to the driver's seat, bidding him farewell generously.
Only after the car had driven onto the road did she reveal her disappointed expression, a trace of melancholy rising in her heart.
Li Chonglou, are you deliberately making a point, or am I just being overly sentimental?
Or are you just a hopeless straight man?
She had expected Li Chonglou to invite her along, but instead, he had sent her away alone.
---
In room 308.
Besides Wu Hao, there were four other people.
A lively and outgoing girl was playing dice with another man who had a smirking expression and wore glasses.
The other two men, also wearing glasses, were diligently holding microphones and singing.
Li Chonglou pushed the door open. Except for the smirking man, everyone else stood up.
Wu Hao, his face flushed, introduced them, "This is my brother, Li Chonglou. I've gathered everyone here today for his grand plan!"
"These two are my colleagues, Zhang Yuan and Qi Bei. One is proficient in front-end development, and the other in operations."
Then, he gestured towards the seated man, "That's Wu Zhijie, the tech genius I mentioned. He just returned from studying abroad."
"He's an absolutely all-around talent, whom I've worked hard to invite."
"And this is Ren Ping. You get the picture..."
Seeing Wu Hao's winking and nudging, Li Chonglou understood.
The guy wanted to pursue her but didn't have the courage to confess, so he called Li Chonglou over for moral support.
After greeting everyone individually, Li Chonglou declined the microphone offered by Zhang Yuan and sat down next to Wu Hao.
"So, you're the one starting a live appraisal platform?" Wu Zhijie looked Li Chonglou up and down, seeing his ordinary attire, and said with a sneer, "You have quite the ambition. Do you even understand the internet?"
"No, that's why I'm relying on all of you," Li Chonglou replied truthfully.
He always respected people in technical fields.
Even when he saw the disdain in Wu Zhijie's eyes.
Hearing this, Wu Zhijie sneered, "So you're an outsider. Don't tell me you think you can get things done just by throwing money at it."
"If it weren't for Ren Ping, I wouldn't have shown up today."