The more he argued, the more suspicious he became.
That's how people are; they don't mind adding fuel to the fire, and they especially love to watch scandals unfold.
As the saying goes, good deeds go no further than the gate, but bad news travels a thousand miles. Everyone has a nosy nature; who can resist it?
"Chen Yulin, you are truly despicable. Do you think everyone is a gold digger? How could Bai Jing like a scumbag like you?" Li Chonglou, understanding the situation, helped to frame him.
After speaking, he glanced deeply at Bai Jing, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
This woman was incredibly sharp and quick-witted. At this critical juncture, she had effortlessly shifted the focus onto Chen Yulin with a few understated words.
Now, the target of public condemnation was no longer himself.
At this very moment.
On the third floor of Libao Zhai, in the surveillance room, Tong Zhaolin squinted his eyes, watching everything that was happening on the screen.
His expression shifted, and he sneered, "This is truly entertaining."
A staff member beside him immediately pledged loyalty, "Mr. Tong, shall I go and bring them up?"
Tong Zhaolin waved his hand, "No need. If there's a show, why rush?"
Upon hearing this, the staff member looked astonished.
Tong Zhaolin had just said that the man and woman were his distinguished guests, yet now he had changed his stance.
The speed of this change caught him off guard.
After speaking, a hint of malice flashed in Tong Zhaolin's eyes.
He had indeed considered Li Chonglou a distinguished guest and was waiting to verify his own judgment today to completely allay his concerns.
However, Chen Yulin's words just now had sown seeds of doubt.
Li Chonglou was actually married and was a live-in son-in-law?
And the woman beside him, Bai Jing, was just a mistress?
This was completely different from what Li Chonglou himself had said.
Did this kid still have something to hide from him?
Incomplete and inaccurate information, a gesture that was far from sincere business dealings. Who exactly was he, and what did he want?
Just as Tong Zhaolin's suspicions began to run wild.
On Li Chonglou's side, he had successfully provoked Chen Yulin.
He was a man who cared deeply about his reputation, and everything he did was to gain the respect of others. This concept was deeply ingrained in his bones.
Yet, he had been trampled underfoot and wantonly humiliated in front of so many people by Li Chonglou and Bai Jing.
The anger in his heart was unimaginable.
When a person is angry, they easily lose their reason and might even forget the consequences of resorting to violence.
He strode forward several steps and grabbed Li Chonglou by the collar, snarling through gritted teeth, "You little bastard, you're making things up. I won't be polite to you!"
"Everyone, quickly look, this scumbag can't help himself and is about to resort to violence," Bai Jing exclaimed.
Li Chonglou, whose fist had already been clenched, relaxed it gently.
He allowed Chen Yulin to grab his collar.
Being already lean, he appeared incredibly weak when Chen Yulin pulled him.
Anyone who saw this scene would think Li Chonglou was a weakling, being bullied.
"You, your character is so poor, and you still want to hit someone?"
"Libao Zhai is a civilized place. You can't resort to violence here; I've already called the police!"
"Such barbaric behavior! This kind of person is not fit to associate with us."
...
In an instant, Chen Yulin became the target of the crowd's attack.
They all showed looks of disdain.
Hearing these words, Chen Yulin felt as if his heart were being clawed by a cat, further losing his reason. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he wished he could bite Li Chonglou to death.
In his agitation, he was about to throw Li Chonglou to the ground to exact his revenge.
"Chen Yulin, you want to resort to violence in Libao Zhai?" At this moment, a furious roar came from the stairs.
Tong Zhaolin slowly descended, his face stern.
Chen Yulin, whose mind was blank, heard his name called and felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. He looked up.
Seeing that it was Tong Zhaolin, his anger subsided considerably.
He had come to Libao Zhai because Tong Zhaolin had introduced him. This influential figure, who controlled numerous high-society resources, was someone he needed to rely on to make a comeback.
"Director Tong, you've misunderstood. This kid provoked me first," Chen Yulin suppressed his anger, released Li Chonglou's collar, and explained with a fawning smile.
He also knew that Tong Zhaolin held shares in Libao Zhai and was a shareholder here.
Causing trouble on his territory, he couldn't afford the consequences.
This was precisely why he had spoken so sharply to Li Chonglou but hadn't allowed his subordinates to act.
However, he was no match for Bai Jing and ended up being provoked himself.
If he fought here, he might vent his anger, but his hope of making a comeback would be dashed. It would be a loss far outweighing any gain.
"He is not just any kid; he is my distinguished guest!" Tong Zhaolin said with a fake smile, walking up to Chen Yulin and glaring at him. "You blind fool, I entrusted you with Libao Zhai's online promotion out of trust."
"But you've made my distinguished guest lose face in front of so many people."
"You blind idiot!"
With a stern reprimand, Chen Yulin's face turned from purplish-red to pale. He trembled all over, his legs feeling weak, and he almost lost his footing and fell down the stairs.
Fortunately, he was supported by his subordinate, preventing him from making a fool of himself.
"This... Director Tong... I didn't know he was related to you. If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to trouble him even if you gave me a hundred times the courage..." Chen Yulin panicked.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his expression was guilty.
He never expected that his enemy would have a connection with Tong Zhaolin.
He had finally found an opportunity for revenge, but he had almost ruined his future.
Now he was in a predicament, unsure of what to do.
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to him!" Tong Zhaolin pointed at Li Chonglou.
"Ah..." Chen Yulin was dumbfounded.
His revenge was thwarted, and now he had to apologize to his enemy in front of so many influential people.
This was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the bait.
"You refuse? Then get out of Libao Zhai, and our cooperation is void from now on!" Tong Zhaolin's face was icy, with no room for negotiation. "Also, you might as well forget about making a living in Zhonghai."
While watching the surveillance video in the control room, he suddenly received a phone call.
It was from the Vice President of Shangxing Group.
He asked if he was discussing cooperation with Li Chonglou. At that moment, Tong Zhaolin's heart skipped a beat.
The Vice President usually stayed abroad, so how could his ears be so well-informed? He didn't dare to lie and reported the entire situation.
However, he didn't expect the Vice President to tell him to overcome all difficulties and directly cooperate with Li Chonglou.
As for the reason, he didn't need to know.
He was to follow his instructions in all matters.
Tong Zhaolin wouldn't dare to object. Everyone in the group knew that the Vice President was incredibly capable and elusive.
Over the years, Xingzhi Group had grown rapidly, and the Vice President was responsible for more than half of its success in dominating the national artifact smuggling channels.
He immediately left the control room and headed downstairs.
"I..." Chen Yulin's eyes widened. He never expected that Tong Zhaolin, with whom he had a good relationship, would be so heartless.
Fear flickered in his eyes. Others might not know Tong Zhaolin's background, but he knew a little.
On the surface, he was a broker and a shareholder of Libao Zhai, but in reality, he had an immensely powerful backing.
If he angered him, not only would he be unable to survive in Zhonghai, but if he wished, Chen Yulin would have no place to stay even throughout the entire country.
On one side were his pride and hatred, and on the other, his future and survival.
Chen Yulin's expression and gaze were filled with struggle.
Finally, before Tong Zhaolin could lose his temper, Chen Yulin's expression turned resolute.
He turned around abruptly and bowed deeply to Li Chonglou, "I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have bothered you."
"I was blind. Li Chonglou, you are a distinguished figure. Please don't hold it against me."
"Let me off the hook!"
Although he was apologizing, his tone was not entirely sincere, and resentment could still be heard.
However, Li Chonglou was not one to dwell on such matters.
His attention was now entirely on Tong Zhaolin, wondering why he had suddenly appeared and acted so protectively.
It didn't seem right.
Based on his previous attitude, even if he was willing to believe that Li Chonglou had no ulterior motives, he wouldn't have been so protective.
After all, their cooperation hadn't even begun yet.
When anything is abnormal, it is suspicious.
This situation did not reassure Li Chonglou; instead, it made him feel a sense of unease.
He had no interest in dealing with someone like Chen Yulin, and he simply said, "Scram!"
Chen Yulin felt as if he had received a great pardon. He turned to Tong Zhaolin, cupped his fists, and bowed several times. He didn't dare to say another word and slunk away with his men, fleeing in disarray.
The onlookers were now even more convinced of Bai Jing's words and looked at Chen Yulin with utter contempt.
Bai Jing re-linked her arm with Li Chonglou, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of worry.
She shared Li Chonglou's concerns, and indeed, she thought about them even more.
"Mr. Li, Miss Bai, I apologize for startling you." After Chen Yulin left, Tong Zhaolin put on a hypocritical smile and escorted them to the VIP room on the third floor.
He personally brewed tea and served it, his attitude extremely polite.
The auction had not yet begun, and he wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Li Chonglou.
Someone who could make the Vice President call him directly to cooperate with them couldn't be ordinary.
If he had known this earlier, he shouldn't have shown Li Chonglou any disrespect.
As for other matters, they were all set aside.
There was no need to doubt their identities, as the Vice President would not harm their company.
"Boss Tong, what is this?" Li Chonglou asked, feigning ignorance, suppressing his inner questions.
"Oh, I was negligent towards you two earlier," Tong Zhaolin said with a smile. "Who knew you had such strong backing? Why didn't you mention earlier that you were friends with our Vice President?"
"It's truly a case of a family not recognizing its own members, like a dragon king's temple being flooded by a great river."
"To be honest, Mr. Li, there's no need to attend this auction. We should connect and communicate more in the future."
He couldn't rely on the Vice President, as he was always abroad and had never shown himself, only communicating with them by phone.
It was rumored that no one knew what he looked like.
There were even rumors that even the Chairman of Xingzhi Group had to obey him.
Of course, these were just rumors, and he hadn't seen it himself.
But this also indicated the man's immense capability and great power.
If Li Chonglou could gain the Vice President's favor, and if he could build a good relationship with him, he might be able to cling to the Vice President's leg and ascend to heaven in one step.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou and Bai Jing exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
What Vice President?
The two were utterly bewildered.
Could it be arranged by Fan Da?
Impossible. There were no allies within the artifact smuggling group, otherwise, they wouldn't have been sent on this infiltration mission.
What exactly was going on?
Why did he have a nagging feeling of something being amiss!