Li Chonglou considered himself not a gentleman, but certainly not a lecherous scoundrel.
After watching for a while, he forcibly curbed his thoughts and turned his body away.
He always did things to the best of his conscience.
Bai Jing was impersonating his girlfriend, not a real lover. If anything untoward were to happen, how would he explain it to Fan Lei when they returned?
*Creak!*
Soon, Bai Jing finished her bath, changed into her own pajamas, and opened the door to come out.
She deliberately glanced at Li Chonglou. Seeing him with his back to her, she assumed he had fallen asleep.
Without thinking further, she closed the door, returned to the sofa in the living room, and began to deepen her understanding of her new identity.
For her, who hailed from the Eagle special forces, any mission could only succeed, never fail.
To perfectly infiltrate the enemy's ranks, not a single detail could be overlooked.
Li Chonglou, inside the room, listened to the movements outside. His sensitive ears, capable of hearing the chirping of ants, did not miss Bai Jing's soft recitation.
He couldn't help but admire, "Truly worthy of being from the special forces. While a bit proud, her execution of tasks is impeccable."
However, he had already read the file once. His photographic memory meant he didn't need to study as diligently as Bai Jing.
He took out his phone and sent messages one by one to his wife, elder sister, Wu Hao, Ning Lang, Xiao Yun, and others.
He didn't explain the specific situation, only stating that he had joined the army and would be unable to communicate for a long time.
Then, he removed his own SIM card and replaced it with the one provided by Fan Lei.
From this moment on, he was still Li Chonglou.
But he was no longer the Li Chonglou of Qin Province, but the illegitimate son of Li Shi, a renowned master of antiques.
A famous second-generation heir in the antique world.
Of course, this fame was deliberately cultivated in the capital by Fan Lei's arrangements. In Zhonghai, he was still an unknown.
This would also make it easier for him to infiltrate the criminal organization.
The night passed uneventfully.
Li Chonglou slept soundly in his room, completely unconcerned about Bai Jing tossing and turning outside.
Normally, a special forces soldier could sleep even while sitting, but Bai Jing, for some unknown reason, found it impossible to fall asleep for a long time.
It might have been related to Li Chonglou in the room. The thought of having to pretend to be lovers with this guy for several months, or even longer, made her restless and agitated.
She finally drifted off to sleep around two in the morning.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
The next morning, just as the sky began to show the first light of dawn, Bai Jing, who had only slept for four hours, knocked on Li Chonglou's door.
She coldly urged, "Get up quickly, we need to plan today's operations."
This scene instantly reminded Li Chonglou of his childhood when he used to oversleep and his mother would urge him to wake up after preparing breakfast every morning.
He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"Today, we'll first make contact with someone under them named Tong Zhaolin. He's a seasoned broker in the Zhonghai antique market," Bai Jing began explaining her plan after Li Chonglou had finished his ablutions.
The criminal group had very strict vetting processes for its members.
If they joined rashly, it would only arouse suspicion, and they might even run into trouble.
They could only start by probing the periphery to build trust.
She had already had Tong Zhaolin's information investigated.
He was thirty-five years old, a widower whose wife had died in a car accident a few years prior, for which he received over a million yuan in compensation.
With this capital, he had become quite successful in the Treasure Pavilion Antique City.
Possessing some discernment and being quick-witted, he was then recruited into the criminal organization.
According to investigations, he was responsible for liaising with members and goods from other cities. Li Hanlong from Yong'an and Zeng Qiang from Qin Province connected with him.
Upon hearing this information, Li Chonglou's brows furrowed slightly.
He knew Zeng Qiang was involved in smuggling cultural relics but had never imagined he had such a deep connection with Li Hanlong.
It was completely different before. After Li Hanlong was eliminated, these matters surfaced one by one.
This criminal group was no ordinary one; its connections were intricate, with downstream operations in almost every city.
Its scale was astonishing.
The annual losses it inflicted upon the nation were immeasurable.
For Li Chonglou, who loved antiques, this was undoubtedly the most heinous crime.
That's why, despite his usual aversion to trouble, he had almost no resistance to this mission.
An hour later, Bai Jing, linking arms with Li Chonglou, appeared at the Treasure Pavilion.
This was Zhonghai's oldest and most historic antique market, with a "ghost market" dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It comprised four floors.
Unlike other antique markets, the stalls were set up on the fourth floor.
They were open every Saturday and Sunday.
Today was Saturday, and the place was bustling with crowds, people wearing masks as they moved about. It was different from the smaller cities like Qin Province or even Yong'an.
The metropolitan residents were quite diligent with their health and safety precautions.
The two browsed the stalls, chatting and laughing, their faces showing no signs of urgency.
After browsing for a good hour and a half, a middle-aged man with a side-parted haircut and polarized sunglasses, carrying a small leather bag, appeared before them.
He walked with a swagger, exuding a slick demeanor, and sizing them up, he asked, "Are you two Mr. Li and Miss Bai who called me earlier?"
This was indeed Tong Zhaolin, the broker they were looking for.
Before appearing, Tong Zhaolin had been observing Li Chonglou and Bai Jing from the shadows for quite some time.
Seeing them chatting and laughing, looking around at various items, and even buying a few inexpensive old pieces, he finally decided to approach them.
"Boss Tong, the stalls at Treasure Pavilion aren't much different from Panjiayuan. It's hard to find a genuine piece. We're both getting tired of browsing," Li Chonglou said with a smile. "If you hadn't come soon, we might have left."
"Boss Li, how did you get my number?" Tong Zhaolin asked with a chuckle, his expression unreadable.
Ever since joining the Xingzhi Group, he no longer gave out his number as he used to.
Li Chonglou had called him, stating that a friend had introduced him but hadn't provided details.
This was why he had been observing them so cautiously for so long.
"It was a friend of mine in the capital, Xu Zilai," Li Chonglou replied, having prepared his response.
As Tong Zhaolin led them down the stairs, he continued, "Listening to your accent, Boss Li, you don't sound like you're from the capital."
"You sound a bit like you're from Qin Province. May I ask where you made your fortune?"
"You have a good eye. I grew up in Qin Province from a young age. Later, when my father fell seriously ill, he had me found. Now I'm considered half a Beijinger," Li Chonglou responded smoothly, without any trace of nervousness.
This earned him a new level of respect from Bai Jing.
Before coming, she had been worried whether Li Chonglou's psychological fortitude would be up to par, and if he might betray himself with a single misstep.
After all, superior combat skills didn't necessarily equate to a strong psyche.
However, she was surprised by how seasoned he was, with no flaws in his speech.
He had even managed to smooth over the issue of his accent, which she had been most concerned about.
"I know a few people in Qin Province. I wonder if Boss Li knows them, one named Lu Weishen, and another named Zeng Qiang," Tong Zhaolin said as they walked, attempting to probe Li Chonglou's background further.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou's heart skipped a beat.
This was a difficult question to answer.
If he said he knew them, Tong Zhaolin would likely call Zeng Qiang and Lu Weishen immediately.
But claiming ignorance would be too far-fetched. As someone in the same trade, it was possible he might not know Zeng Qiang, but how could he not know Lu Weishen?
This fellow was too wary.
He wouldn't be easy to deal with.
But if he admitted to knowing them, Tong Zhaolin would certainly seek verification.
He had publicly presented evidence of Zeng Qiang's smuggling of cultural relics. Once this information reached Tong Zhaolin, he would never trust Li Chonglou again.
It was even uncertain whether he would be silenced.
Bai Jing obviously understood the gravity of the situation, and a hint of anxiety appeared in her beautiful eyes, wondering how Li Chonglou would respond.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, Li Chonglou knew he couldn't evade the question at this moment. After a moment's thought, he scoffed, "Heh, I've met Lu Weishen a few times. He's considered a master, at least."
"But that Zeng Qiang is just a dumpster diver. He's not even worthy of my attention."
"He even tried to snatch a Shiqiang disc from me once. Such overestimation of himself!"
"You're not his friend, are you?"
These words conveyed an arrogant and nouveau riche demeanor.
Furthermore, he used the opportunity to question Tong Zhaolin, expressing considerable displeasure.
Indeed, Tong Zhaolin immediately waved his hands and replied with a fawning smile, "No, no, how could I be friends with someone like that? I just heard others mention him. Boss Li, please don't misunderstand."
Afterward, he led them to an antique shop called "Wangyue Lou" on the third floor.
He told them to browse freely while he excused himself to use the restroom.
Then, he made a call to Zeng Qiang.
"Hello, I have a boss here named Li Chonglou, who claims to have had a conflict with you. What's going on?" Tong Zhaolin asked in a cold tone.
At the same time, as Li Chonglou was looking at items, he felt Bai Jing gently pinch his arm.
He turned to look at her and saw her lips moving, but no sound was emitted.
Li Chonglou immediately understood. The shop was equipped with surveillance cameras, so they couldn't speak openly.
They had to communicate using lip-reading, away from the cameras.
Although he hadn't studied lip-reading, Bai Jing spoke very clearly and slowly. By watching and guessing, he could understand some of it.
"Will there be any problems?" Bai Jing asked with concern.
"Wait and see. When soldiers come, we'll block them. When water comes, we'll cover it with earth," Li Chonglou replied silently.
He never worried about things that hadn't happened. He wasn't sure if Tong Zhaolin would call Zeng Qiang for verification.
He could only leave it to fate.
After all, before coming, he had no idea what would happen. Everything was beyond their control.
Li Chonglou's composure made Bai Jing feel somewhat inadequate.
She, the proud squad leader of the Eagle communication team, was actually less composed than a new recruit when facing real trouble.
This Li Chonglou, with his rigid frame but lacking much flesh, was becoming increasingly intriguing to her.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at him blankly.
This scene was observed by Tong Zhaolin in the surveillance room. Of course, he couldn't see their silent conversation.
While on the phone, he chuckled and said, "They're still in the honeymoon phase. As soon as they're alone, they start exchanging affectionate glances."
"Alright, I understand. Since they are indeed from Qin Province and the illegitimate son of Li Shi, it will be easier."
"When you come to Zhonghai, I'll treat you well!"
After hanging up, his doubts were completely dispelled.
On the other end of the phone, Zeng Qiang was sweating profusely, wearing handcuffs, surrounded by several special police officers.
Only after the phone in front of him hung up did he let out a long sigh of relief.
With a dejected expression, he pleaded, "Officers, I've done as you instructed. Can I get a reduced sentence? Can I contribute to the case and redeem myself?"
"Give me a chance. I'm truly a good person. I want to turn over a new leaf. I'll tell you everything I know..."