“The pure will remain pure. I believe in the fairness of the law.”
Li Chonglou casually put the fragments back into the file bag and said with a blank expression, “Xu Tianhou and Jiang Tao are nothing but insignificant clowns.”
“As long as you don’t want a divorce, no one can force you.”
Li Chonglou understood his father-in-law.
He was upright and broad-minded.
Even though he was transferred away from Qin Prefecture because he married into the Jiang family back then, he never insulted or was harsh to Li Chonglou like Liu Zhiru.
The entire matter was clearly a grand scheme.
It was to force Jiang Yuxin into a corner.
But this was not the only way.
Xu Tianhou.
He was merely a perverted profiteer.
If he didn’t cause trouble, fine. But if he foolishly dared to provoke him, he was courting death!
“You’re going back on your word?”
Jiang Yuxin didn’t expect Li Chonglou to change his mind.
He had said before that he would divorce her after her mother recovered, but now he was refusing to divorce her.
Her eyes were filled with disgust, and suppressing her anger, she said coldly, “We’ve been married for three years. I always thought you were timid and fearful.”
“Only now do I realize how two-faced you are.”
“How can you fight against Jiang Tao and Xu Tianhou?”
“If you had any real ability, would you have ended up in this situation?”
“My mother is right. Poverty corrupts the will. You changed your mind simply because you want more benefits.”
“It’s understandable that the Jiang family didn’t treat you well, but you shouldn’t use my father’s future as a bargaining chip!”
Li Chonglou saw Jiang Yuxin’s expression clearly. The deep-seated disgust he felt made his heart ache.
He thought that with two lives under his belt, he was as calm as still water.
He could view everything with detachment.
Yet, he discovered that when it came to his mother and Jiang Yuxin, he couldn’t remain indifferent.
But some burdens had to be borne by someone.
“Think whatever you want. In this world, there are always variables. The only constant is change,” Li Chonglou said, not wanting to talk anymore. He turned and left.
Jiang Yuxin’s face flushed crimson, her eyes burning with rage. She stared at his retreating back and cursed, “Li Chonglou, if my father goes to jail because of this, I will never forgive you.”
Seeing that he didn’t react at all, she was so angry that tears streamed down her face.
She turned back to her car and sped away.
Her heart was filled with regret.
Regret for why she had been so willful in choosing to marry Li Chonglou.
If this divorce couldn’t happen, with Xu Tianhou’s methods and influence, her father would surely end up in jail and suffer greatly.
How would she face the entire Jiang family and her mother then?
“As long as I am here, I will never let you repeat the mistakes of your past life!” Li Chonglou muttered inwardly, his gaze firm.
Misunderstandings were the biggest stumbling blocks in marriage, but he couldn’t explain.
No one would believe his rebirth, and they would only think he was making excuses.
Now was not the time for explanations.
His words carried no weight.
The only way was to make a name for himself.
In his previous life, it took him decades to reach the pinnacle.
In this life, he didn’t have that much time.
To contend with the Jiang family and Xu Tianhou, he had to become famous quickly to protect Jiang Yuxin.
Until then, forbearance was the only option.
Adjusting his emotions, he returned to the ward and chatted with his mother, coaxing her to sleep.
Tomorrow, he still needed to finalize the surgery date with the doctor. The sooner the surgery was done, the better he could rest.
As night fell, lying on the accompanying bed in the ward, he couldn’t sleep due to the glaring lights.
His thoughts churned.
Recalling everything from his past and present life, it felt like a dream.
In his past life, he was framed by Jiang Tao and imprisoned.
Fate decreed he should not die, and in prison, he met his master, Lin Zhendong.
Only then did his destiny change.
If not for him, how could he have come into contact with that Qin Dynasty treasure and returned to the present?
He would never forget this life-saving grace.
Now that the crisis of his mother’s surgery fees was resolved.
He should have visited his master in prison as soon as possible, but due to the fixed visiting hours, he couldn’t go yet.
However, Lin Zhendong had a daughter named Lin Ying, who was his senior disciple and worked at the Donglin Pawnshop on West Street.
In his past life, he was taken care of by her, which led to his subsequent glory.
Since he couldn’t go to prison, he decided to visit his senior disciple first.
The next morning, after taking care of his mother, Li Chonglou took a taxi straight to Donglin Pawnshop.
“Past and present, like a dream.”
Looking at the familiar shop sign, Li Chonglou’s emotions surged.
This shop was the only property his master left to his daughter, and it was where Li Chonglou got his start after being released from prison in his previous life.
However, at this moment, they had never met.
“This item was a gift from a wealthy boss before. It’s an authentic Qianlong seal. How can it be a fake? Take a closer look.” As Li Chonglou took a deep breath and stepped inside, he heard an anxious argument.
In front of the solid wood tea table in the shop sat a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, his face red and his eyes wide.
Even with his good attire, the ferocity in his eyes couldn’t be concealed.
Standing before him was Zhao Yecheng, the appraiser of the pawnshop.
Li Chonglou was very familiar with this person from his past life. He was cunning and harbored illicit desires for his senior disciple.
Later, Li Chonglou caught him embezzling funds through his position and had him expelled from the pawnshop.
He harbored resentment and secretly caused trouble for Li Chonglou.
A scoundrel.
“Brother Wang, believe me. I’ve seen countless calligraphies and paintings. Everyone who comes to sell them spins a story about them being heirlooms.” Zhao Yecheng’s eyes glinted with malice. He held a scroll of ancient painting covered in seals, saying, “This painting is attributed to Bian Jingzhao, a painter from the late Ming Dynasty.”
“It’s stamped with various Qianlong seals. Since ancient times, there has been no such practice.”
“What matters in a painting? The overall aesthetic and style. What do you think this looks like? A child’s doodle!”
“It’s not even by Bian Jingzhao. The paper and mounting are definitely from the Qing Dynasty.”
“It’s completely a copy, undoubtedly a fake.”
“Five thousand is already the highest price, Brother Wang.”
“It’s only because of our good relationship that I’m offering this. If you leave this shop, you won’t be able to sell it anywhere else.”
At these words, the middle-aged man surnamed Wang looked dejected. He lowered his head, sighed, and cursed, “Truly, a phoenix with fallen feathers is no better than a chicken.”
“When I was in power, everyone was fawning over me.”
“I did so many favors for him, and in the end, he took advantage of my ignorance of antiques and gave me a fake painting.”
“If I weren’t on the verge of bankruptcy, I still wouldn’t know who was genuine and who was fake!”
“A bit more!”
Wang Dehai was so angry his forehead veins bulged.
He had dominated Qin Prefecture’s underworld for so many years, and when he was in his prime, everyone trembled at the sight of him.
Now that he had turned over a new leaf, his company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
He was trying every means to secure funds to keep it afloat.
The person who gave him the painting told him it was a genuine Qianlong, worth a fortune.
As it turned out, it was a fake.
In that moment, he gnashed his teeth in hatred.
“It’s only because of your face, Brother Wang, that I’m buying it with my own money and not through the pawnshop,” Zhao Yecheng said, his eyes growing more smug. He added hypocritically, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be able to offer this price.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chonglou’s cold voice came from the doorway: “Zhao Yecheng, you’re incredibly bold. Using the pawnshop’s name, you intend to pocket a genuine opening piece worth two million for just fifty thousand.”
“What do you take the pawnshop for?”