In the antique shop on Ginza, Lin Weiwei listened intently to Li Zhonglou's words, her pretty face filled with surprise.
"Boss, if you do this, will he still dare to come?"
Li Zhonglou had originally planned to arrange a private location for Tian Shan to walk into a trap.
But after thinking things through, he changed his plan.
If he followed the original design and had Zhang Chen and Ren He sell the goods privately, leading Tian Shan to them would only have two outcomes.
One, a fruitless effort, with Tian Shan not taking the bait.
Two, he would come, and simultaneously, a bloodbath would ensue, harming innocent people.
He did not want anyone else to be injured because of this, much less see anyone die at Tian Shan's hands.
Therefore, the plan was slightly adjusted.
"It's perfect to have you lead a public auction. First, it will expand the shop's influence and build momentum for Wu Hao's website platform," Li Zhonglou stated his idea. "Second, I need a venue where people can be hidden, which will give me more confidence."
"However, this matter is very dangerous. You can refuse."
Before coming, he had considered having Ren He's secretary serve as the auctioneer.
Whether Lin Weiwei went or not would not affect his plan.
Unexpectedly, Lin Weiwei replied with a serious and determined look, "No, since this is such an important matter, and I've been promoted by the boss, I must participate!"
She had previously worked in the real estate company under Xiao Yun, but she was always ostracized by her colleagues.
That environment was filthy, yet she had no choice but to endure it.
It was only because she wanted to establish roots in the big city and not return to that small mountain village to farm and sell grain.
There was no one left to support her there. Venturing out alone, achieving this goal was almost an impossibility.
But Li Zhonglou gave her this opportunity, the chance for a new beginning.
He allowed her to abandon everything from her past without hesitation and become a store manager with independent authority.
This kind of leap in social status was something most people could not achieve in their lifetime, yet she, at the young age of twenty-three, had accomplished it thanks to Li Zhonglou.
In the days to come, it was foreseeable that simply following the steps would lead to a bright future.
She was grateful at all times, grateful for Li Zhonglou's appearance, and grateful for his unparalleled trust in her.
They were strangers, having only met when she bought a house, yet he treated her with such regard.
He had even paid so much money for her in advance.
Although she called him "Boss" and "Brother Li" out loud, in her heart, she had already come to regard him as family.
She didn't know how to repay such great kindness, and it weighed heavily on her.
Now that Li Zhonglou needed her, how could she refuse?
"Alright, I will do my best to ensure your safety. Don't be afraid." Li Zhonglou saw the determination in Lin Weiwei's eyes and nodded, instructing, "The venue will be at the Han Palace. I will rent the conference hall to serve as the auction room."
"For Ren He's items, we will auction them for real, taking this opportunity to help her solve her funding issues."
"For Ning Lang's treasures, you will be responsible for arranging for people to bid on them. Not a single piece can be leaked."
He had promised to return all items to their rightful owners, and there could be no mistakes.
"Yes!" Lin Weiwei diligently took notes.
After discussing these arrangements, Li Zhonglou chatted for a while before leaving the shop, intending to go up and find Zeng Wang.
As the leader of the Yong'an Treasure Association, Zeng Wang had considerable connections.
This time, using Ren He to lure Tian Shan out of his hiding place would require some compensation for her.
If Zeng Wang's influence could be borrowed, it would be twice as effective with half the effort.
Simply auctioning off Ren He's collection could resolve the trouble. Those people were willing to pay high prices, but the problem was that their values and understanding were not keeping up.
How to make them shift their perception from the "Treasure Association" to genuine collectors was something only Zeng Wang could achieve.
That fellow was skilled at persuasion.
Additionally, he wanted to check on Xu Ling'er.
This girl had lost her brother, and Liu Ping'er had gone to Xiong Ying. The girl was still young, and enduring day and night alone would likely be difficult.
As he stepped out of the elevator, he bumped into Zeng Wang.
Zeng Wang's face lit up with a smile. "Zhonglou, what a rare visitor! Why didn't you notify me before coming?"
After speaking, he turned and instructed, "A distinguished guest has arrived, cancel all my appointments below."
His attitude was extremely enthusiastic. If Li Zhonglou hadn't been so composed, anyone else would have been overwhelmed by the favor.
This was Zeng Wang's ability and skill. Having been in high positions for a long time, his interactions with people and matters were extremely seasoned.
He made people feel comfortable.
Unfortunately, Li Zhonglou never paid attention to such things. He smiled and said, "Mr. Zeng, I have something to say and then I'll leave. There's no need to be so formal."
"Please, please, please, come to my office and say whatever you wish." Zeng Wang had his secretary serve fine tea.
He then led Li Zhonglou into his office.
"I plan to hold a public auction these few days at the Han Palace," Li Zhonglou got straight to the point. "We need people, or rather, potential buyers."
"I know you're well-connected, Mr. Zeng. Could you help me out?"
Upon hearing this, Zeng Wang showed surprise. "Oh? Why are so many people doing these things lately?"
"Ren He's side, and the Zhang family..."
The Yong'an circle was small, and any stir was known everywhere.
Zeng Wang, being a local insider, was naturally aware of everything.
"It's all my doing," Li Zhonglou replied with a smile. "I want to take this opportunity to make some money. I hope you can lend a hand, Mr. Zeng."
"No problem, no problem. I'll gather the clients, but can you help me bring a few items too?" Zeng Wang, the old fox, never acted without a quid pro quo. He readily agreed, subtly stating his condition.
Li Zhonglou was prepared for this and agreed without hesitation.
His items were nothing more than "treasures," after all. No matter how fake they were, they couldn't be that fake, and he had already seen them.
At worst, he could give them face and bid for them himself.
As long as it didn't damage the reputation of Wu Hao's platform.
The conversation went smoothly.
After they finished discussing, Li Zhonglou brought up Xu Ling'er. Zeng Wang's expression became confused.
He frowned and said, "You are truly forgetful. After the incident with Zhao Tianci last time, Xu Ling'er resigned after your second visit."
"She said you were opening a shop, and didn't go to help you?"
*Slap!*
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhonglou suddenly slapped his thigh, startling Zeng Wang.
"Damn it, how could I forget about this? Damn it." Li Zhonglou gasped, cursing inwardly.
During that period, he had been very busy. After dealing with Zhao Tianci, he had visited again. At that time, Xu Ling'er had not yet resigned, so he hadn't taken their previous conversation seriously.
Later, he even joined the Xiong Ying with Liu Ping'er and had no further contact with her.
During his month-long undercover mission in Zhonghai, when his phone was unreachable, Xu Ling'er must have called him.
But why did she resign and not go to help Lin Weiwei? He had never heard Lin Weiwei mention her either. Where did this girl go?
"Okay, I understand. I'll go look for her. You can continue with your work." For a moment, Li Zhonglou had no intention of chatting with Zeng Wang anymore.
These were unusual times. With Tian Shan lurking in the shadows, he couldn't guarantee his own safety at any moment.
What about the young girl, Xu Ling'er?
He left Yinzuo and immediately called He Yin, asking her to use the police system to check Xu Ling'er's recent whereabouts and information.
Soon, a reply came: she should be at the cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
"She's going to see her brother?" Li Zhonglou realized immediately and drove there.
About half an hour later, he indeed saw the girl coming out of the cemetery from a distance.
However, at this moment, a few rowdy punks with dyed yellow hair blocked her path.