Li Zhonglou was not good at business.
He specialized only in antiques.
Therefore, he could not offer any professional advice on the current situation faced by the Lü family.
However, he was well aware of one thing: even if Xiao Yun managed to handle her uncle, it wouldn't necessarily stop the Xiao family from annexing Qin Prefecture.
After all, business was business, and human relationships were as thin as bamboo paper in the face of profit.
Lü Yunxu should be able to see this.
"My trip to Yong'an this time was actually to find a different path. With the Xiao family getting involved in Qin Prefecture's real estate, we won't be able to do business for long," Lü Yunxu frankly revealed her plans during their casual conversation.
Besides her father, only Li Zhonglou could earn her complete trust.
She had been in Yong'an for many days, but she hadn't managed to borrow money or secure investments.
She already understood that someone was interfering behind the scenes.
The intention was to force her Lü family to collapse.
Therefore, the immediate capital was no longer important. The Lü family, after the previous incident, had not yet reached a point of no return. What was crucial was to pivot quickly and make a decisive break.
As long as they didn't go under, there was still hope.
"Are you interested in the internet industry?" Li Zhonglou's eyes lit up as he asked.
His senior sister had mentioned on the way that his shares in Desheng Grand Hotel had been taken over by Wang Jingwu, and the Jiang family had gone bankrupt.
The Lü Corporation was facing immense difficulties, and Donglin had been smashed.
Only Wu Hao, whose business was small and had not yet taken off, had managed to escape unscathed.
This was his opportunity to make a comeback.
Having lived two lives, how could Li Zhonglou not understand the importance of power and money?
He didn't want to sit idly by any longer; otherwise, he would constantly worry about his mother and Jiang Yuxin's safety in the future.
But to fight against the colossal entity behind Li Hanlong, money was an indispensable resource.
"You mean the antique appraisal platform?" Lü Yunxu, being exceptionally intelligent, understood immediately and readily agreed, "Let's do it. I trust anything you lead, I'm in!"
Li Zhonglou nodded in agreement.
Previously, the platform was meant to find the base for Shi Boqiong.
Now that the base had appeared, it was time to use it to genuinely earn money.
It just so happened that the Lü family was looking for a way out, so why wouldn't they join forces?
"I'll invest as well," Lin Ying said from the side, her interest piqued.
Lin Ying actually knew what Li Zhonglou was up to. She hadn't participated before because she didn't want to interfere too much.
Now that things had reached a critical juncture, what else was there to worry about?
Li Zhonglou was overjoyed when Lin Ying voluntarily offered to join.
He had always wanted to bring his senior sister in but hadn't found a suitable opportunity to ask.
He never expected them to hit it off so perfectly.
He then borrowed a phone and called Wu Hao.
On the other end, Wu Hao's voice was tense and excited, clearly having known about his disappearance and that his phone had been unreachable.
He expressed concern and asked about Li Zhonglou's current situation.
Hearing that the company was fine, Li Zhonglou felt a sense of relief.
This was his foundation; as long as it remained, he could still find a way out of his predicament.
After a brief conversation, Li Zhonglou asked Wu Hao to handle the share transfer, adding Lin Ying and Lü Yunxu.
As for the exact share distribution, that would be decided later.
He wasn't worried about the investment; neither of the two women would let him down.
Moreover, with Lü Yunxu, a professional manager, on board, Wu Hao could finally focus wholeheartedly on the projects.
As the three of them were discussing share distribution and business matters, two men in suits walked over. One was fat, and the other was thin.
The fat man had very small eyes, squinting into slits, making him look like a perpetually smiling Maitreya Buddha, with a benevolent smile.
However, that smile always held a hint of malice.
The thin man was gaunt and bony, like dried firewood, with sunken cheeks and a sour, sharp expression.
Both appeared to be around thirty years old.
Their clothing and the Rolexes on their wrists indicated they had some wealth.
The two men walked over to Li Zhonglou and his companions and unceremoniously pulled up chairs to sit down.
Lü Yunxu was taken aback, not understanding the situation.
Before she could ask, the thin man spoke in a raspy voice, "Brothers, you've got quite the luck with the ladies, having two beautiful women with you."
His words were filled with mockery and jealousy.
Lü Yunxu was known as one of the three beauties of Qin Prefecture. Born into a wealthy family, she was a standout in both temperament and appearance.
Lin Ying was heroic and spirited, with a dazzling aura, like a luminous pearl wherever she went.
With these two remarkable women surrounding an unremarkable Li Zhonglou in ordinary attire, how could they not be envied?
"Get lost before I lose my temper," Li Zhonglou glanced at the thin man, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.
His impression of Yong'an had already soured considerably.
He hadn't expected to encounter thugs coveting the two women even while having coffee.
Naturally, he had no pleasantries for such people.
However, Li Zhonglou was also thinking of them; at most, he would only scold them.
If they angered his senior sister, it was likely that broken hands and legs would be the least of their worries.
But Li Zhonglou's words instantly made the faces of the fat and thin men turn grim.
The fat man's eyes narrowed even further, and he let out a cold snort, "Kid, since you're drinking coffee here, you should know who my brother and I are."
"How dare you spout nonsense at us. The last person who did is still in the hospital."
"I won't bully you. Get up and leave quickly."
"We'll pay for the coffee, and you two girls can stay and chat with us."
The fat man appeared harmless, but his words were exceedingly overbearing.
He was like a wicked bully from ancient times, snatching women in the streets.
Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, a crisp bang was heard.
The fat man was sent flying back three to four meters, landing on the ground clutching his swollen face and panting heavily.
His screams echoed through the air.
Li Zhonglou, as if nothing had happened, retracted his raised hand, picked up his half-finished coffee, and poured it directly onto the fat man's face.
The heat made him howl in pain.
This scene caused the thin man's face to change drastically. He quickly rushed to his fat brother's side, trying to help him up.
However, he was too light, and the other man was too heavy; he couldn't move him.
He grit his teeth and threatened, "You little bastard, how dare you hit my brother, you're dead."
"No one in Yong'an can protect you."
"If I don't make you kneel and call me grandpa today, I'm not named Zhang!"
These words were incredibly arrogant.
Li Zhonglou found them amusing.
Were there still people like this nowadays?
It seemed they had quite the background. To disregard the Xiao family, no wonder they dared to brazenly approach the two women beside him.
However, they had picked the wrong target.
He had escaped after being held captive by Li Hanlong for more than half a month, coupled with Xu Lie's injury and his mother and wife being taken hostage.
His heart was already filled with boundless rage.
If it weren't for his senior sister showing him a way, he wouldn't have been able to sit still here.
And now, someone dared to provoke him.
"I really didn't know Yong'an had such important figures like you. What's your background?" At this moment, Lin Ying asked leisurely.
The thin man thought Lin Ying had become scared.
His face immediately showed a hint of smugness, and he shouted, "Scared?"
"Little girl, if you're sensible, you'll spend the night with me tonight."
"Perhaps I'll be merciful and let you off."
"But that little bastard won't be leaving today."
As he spoke, he took out his phone to call for reinforcements.
Lin Ying remained still, waiting for him to summon his people.
About ten minutes later, a group of migrant workers in dirty overalls rushed down from upstairs in the hotel, many holding hammers, wrenches, and other tools.
They were menacing in their approach.
Upon seeing the fat and thin men, they immediately surrounded them.
"Manager Zhang, what happened?" The burly man leading the group looked at the fat man, whose face was swollen like a peach, and asked the thin man with an unfriendly expression.
"That kid hit him. How dare he cause trouble on our territory? If we don't make him pay a million or so today, I'll break his legs," the thin man's confidence surged as his people arrived.
He made an outrageous demand, asking for a million or so right off the bat.
Seeing these people, Li Zhonglou finally understood the source of their confidence.
So they were the construction crew working on the hotel.
These two were probably foremen or something similar.
They were waiting for the workers to finish here and happened to encounter them.
Consumed by lust, they approached to harass them.
As it happened, Li Zhonglou was already in a bad mood, and thinking they were local bosses trying to bully others, he hadn't held back with his slap.
If he had known they were from the construction team earlier, he wouldn't have acted.
Li Zhonglou was not so low-class as to bicker with such people.
"Your face isn't worth a million or so, maybe a hundred or eighty yuan at most," Lin Ying said with a smile. "How about this, we were indeed the ones who initiated the physical contact first. I'll compensate you for my junior brother's medical expenses."
"Take your men and leave."
Saying that, she took out a stack of bills with seals still intact from her bag and placed them on the table, gesturing for the thin man to take them.
"You want to dismiss me with ten thousand yuan?" The thin man's face turned green when he saw this. "I have plenty of money. I'd rather get my dignity back than be appeased with money."
"I'm putting it out there, no one can do anything about this matter today!"
In front of so many of his subordinates, Lin Ying, a woman, actually refused to give him face.
She intended to settle the matter with ten thousand yuan.
Wasn't this an insult to him?
If no one were present, it would be one thing, but in front of so many people, who could tolerate that?
"Zhang Datou, it's only been a few days, but your face seems to have gotten a lot bigger. Is it really true that no one can do anything about this matter?" Just then, a carefree voice rang out.
Immediately after, an old man in a Tang suit, holding a Zisha teapot, slowly walked down the stairs.
However, his appearance and attire were completely mismatched.
With shifty eyes, he exuded vulgarity from his very being.
Seeing this person, a smile immediately appeared on Lin Ying's face.
"Cao... Old Cao... Why are you here?" The thin man named Zhang turned around, his expression freezing for a moment, and then immediately twisted into a fawning smile. "I was just about to discipline a few blind fools who don't know their place, so as not to offend your eyes."
The smile on Cao Chunhua's face vanished in an instant.
He strode to the thin man and kicked him directly to the ground.
He asked, "Who did you call a fool?"
"How dare you disrespect my old friend Cao? I think you're looking for death!"
"F-friend?" The thin man lay on the ground, exchanged a look with the fat man, and his expression changed drastically.
Who was Cao Chunhua?
He was nicknamed King Yama Cao. Ordinary people might not recognize him,
But everyone in Yong'an's underground world knew him.
He was a godfather-like figure.
He wouldn't even give face to the Heavenly King, but whose face dared to refuse Cao?
Even the Xiao family had to treat him with respect.
He never imagined that his momentary lust would lead him to offend Cao's friend.
And then threaten extortion.
This...
How would he dare to operate in Yong'an in the future?
Thinking of this consequence, the two of them turned pale with fear.
The fat man no longer dared to pretend to be dead and quickly flipped over and knelt on the ground, intending to kowtow.
Unfortunately, his belly was too large, and he couldn't bend his waist.
Anxiously, he grabbed the thin man, head and all, and pushed him to the ground, begging, "Old Cao, we two worthless dogs were blind and almost caused a great disaster."
"Please be magnanimous, Old Cao, and don't hold it against us juniors."
Their piteous cries caused the workers, who had been indignant moments before, to look at each other in bewilderment.
Their faces were filled with shock.