That evening, at the Treasure House Antique Market, Tong Zhaolin sat in his shop, brewing tea.
His face creased with surprise after hearing Li Zhonglou's words.
His voice rose an octave in astonishment, "That's impossible, are you sure it was someone from Xingzhi Group who tried to rob you?"
"Either it's a frame-up or a deliberate provocation!"
His tone was utterly certain.
Li Zhonglou secretly observed his expression and eyes; there was only surprise, no pretense or deceit.
He then breathed a sigh of relief.
He probed indirectly, "Could it be that President Kong is dissatisfied with me? Or should I just resign? I feel restricted at Xingzhi Group anyway."
"You seem much more relaxed and at ease."
Tong Zhaolin immediately waved his hand, denying it, "No way, what dissatisfaction could he possibly have with you, Li Zhonglou? You just joined the company."
"You're not a spy. Let me make a call to find out what's going on."
"If President Kong really ordered this, he owes you an explanation."
As he spoke, he took out his phone and dialed Kong Mo's number.
He got straight to the point, saying, "President Kong, Li Zhonglou was attacked. They demanded something from him, do you know about this?"
There was a silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, Kong Mo's surprised voice came through, "There's such a thing? Did they say what they wanted?"
"They did ask for something, but Li Zhonglou himself doesn't even know what it is," Tong Zhaolin continued. "However, those people claimed to be from Xingzhi Group and that you sent them. Is this true?"
"No, no, absolutely not. Am I so bored that I'd send people to rob my own company's employees?" Kong Mo feigned innocence flawlessly.
Tong Zhaolin let out an "Oh," and then emphasized, "No matter who did it, Li Zhonglou is not to blame. Besides being a bit frequent in changing women, he has no other flaws. I can vouch for him!"
"I'll have someone look into this. It definitely has nothing to do with me." On the other end of the phone, Kong Mo's face was covered in black lines, yet he insisted on appearing innocent.
After hanging up the phone, he let out a curse.
"Idiot, people are acting as moles right beside him, and he's still patting his chest saying the person is fine."
"Someone, call Ming Zi over here!"
A subordinate outside the door heard him and entered, replying with his head down, "Brother Ming left with his men at 5:30 and hasn't returned yet."
"This fool!" Upon hearing this, Kong Mo immediately understood and was furious.
The people who intercepted Li Zhonglou to demand something were most likely Ming Zi.
This brat, in his eagerness to take credit, had gone and done it himself when he was told to have Lu Dong handle it.
He had almost ruined his grand plan.
Fortunately, Ming Zi knew very little and hadn't pierced the final veil of secrecy. Otherwise, if the matter had been botched, the consequences would have been dire for him.
Kong Mo, filled with frustration, could only vent on his subordinates, "When Ming Zi gets back, tell him to get his butt over here to see me!"
In Tong Zhaolin's shop, Li Zhonglou's eyelids twitched.
What did he mean by being frequent in changing women? Bai Jing was injured by Song Yi and had to be hospitalized, and his senior sister happened to be in Zhonghai.
However, this was also good. Being misunderstood as a philanderer was better than having ulterior motives.
So he didn't explain.
Unexpectedly, Tong Zhaolin's eyes lit up, "Little brother, I'll take you somewhere nice to help heal your emotional wounds. Let's go!"
With that, he closed his shop and took Li Zhonglou to his car.
Half an hour later, they stopped in front of the Zhonghai Jiutian Zhongya Clubhouse.
Seeing that it was a business nightclub, Li Zhonglou immediately knew that Tong Zhaolin had indeed misunderstood.
Jiutian Zhongya was famous throughout Zhonghai as a place to spend lavishly, a hero's graveyard.
It ranked among the top three nightclubs.
The grandeur was imaginable, with a lineup of luxury cars at the entrance, starting with BMW 5 Series.
The greeters were all tall, leggy young women, sexy and charming.
Li Zhonglou had never been interested in such places of debauchery, finding them noisy and dirty, so he hadn't expected Tong Zhaolin to bring him here.
He wanted to leave, but it didn't fit his persona, so he could only steel himself and follow them in.
"President Tong, it's been ages, I've missed you so much." As soon as they entered, a flamboyant woman, around thirty years old, a madame, threw herself into Tong Zhaolin's arms.
Her expression was as if she had seen the God of Wealth.
"Go, get me a large private room, ten beautiful girls, and if they're not pretty, don't bother!" Tong Zhaolin slapped the madame's ample backside fiercely and ordered imperiously.
Places like this were high-consumption members-only establishments.
He was successful in business and had lost his wife, making him a regular here.
Each visit cost no less than a hundred thousand.
He was an absolute big spender.
After the madame left, swaying her hips with satisfaction, Tong Zhaolin put an arm around Li Zhonglou's shoulders, "Little brother, let's go have some fun!"
Then, he had a server lead them into a large private room that could accommodate thirty people.
It was two stories high and brilliantly decorated.
It was truly like a palace.
The minimum consumption for this single private room alone was ten thousand, and ordinary people didn't even qualify to enter.
Li Zhonglou sat on the sofa, surveying the entire private room, his expression indifferent, showing no excitement.
In his seventy-plus years of life, both past and present, he had never once visited such a place for enjoyment.
It wasn't a matter of money.
In the past, consumed by hatred, he had no time for pleasure.
Later, he devoted himself to academia. People who pursued knowledge were single-minded; when have you ever seen scientists go to such places for fun?
Philosophers might, perhaps, due to their study of human nature.
Moreover, Li Zhonglou himself preferred quiet over noise, and these women were merely phantoms in his eyes, so he was never interested.
On the other hand, Tong Zhaolin was full of excitement, beckoning the ten beautiful girls who entered in a procession.
They were of all shapes and sizes, each with a voluptuous figure and a charming aura.
None of them wore heavy makeup; their natural beauty shone through the cosmetics, indicating they were all of superior looks.
The difference between high-end and low-end establishments was like the difference between heaven and earth. The former were like the brothels of ancient times, requiring not only high personal quality but also the ability to entertain guests.
The latter only required willingness to put on a face and abandon dignity.
"Come, come, all of you, sit closer and entertain my little brother to his heart's content!" Tong Zhaolin said with a laugh, holding a girl in each arm without reservation.
Immediately, the other girls crowded around Li Zhonglou and sat down, surrounding him.
One of them, a petite girl with a quiet temperament and short hair, sat the furthest away.
The two women closest to him, one on each side, reached out to hold Li Zhonglou's arm, but he glanced at them, and their movements froze instantly.
His gaze was cold and emotionless, as if warning them to behave, making them afraid to offend him easily.
Tong Zhaolin saw this and quickly asked, "Little brother, what's wrong? You don't like these few?"
"I'll have the madame get you new ones!"
"No need."
Li Zhonglou stopped her, pretending, "Although I like women, I prefer emotional connection. This is just meaningless."
The few beautiful girls collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
If a guest rejected them, they would be fined.
Furthermore, such wealthy patrons who requested multiple girls were a rare occurrence, and simply drinking and singing with them would earn a considerable tip.
It was far better than being groped in other private rooms.
"As expected of a cultured person, you like to play the long game. Very good, very good..." Tong Zhaolin roared with laughter.
"Oh, the boss likes to play with sentiment. Then you've come to the right place," one of the girls closest to Li Zhonglou said with a charming smile, pointing at the petite, short-haired girl sitting furthest away, and whispered, "Boss, that girl just arrived today. I heard she's still a virgin."
"If you can charm her, it'll be fun."
"After you've had your fun, don't forget to come and support me, Feifei."
In places like nightclubs, there was no emotion, only the exchange of interests.
An experienced person could instantly sell a newcomer for money.
These methods, filled with the darkness of human nature, could shatter the worldview of many who were new to society, the impact would be immense.
However, Li Zhonglou had long seen through the darkest aspects of human nature and was not surprised at all.
Following Feifei's words, his gaze fell upon the short-haired girl.
That girl was clearly different from the others; she was visibly trembling with nervousness.
Her bright, watery eyes hid a trace of fear.
Unlike the other women's forwardness, she was very shy, not even daring to make eye contact, only looking at the floor.
Li Zhonglou's gaze fell on her hands, which were neatly placed on her knees.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
On her slender, delicate fingers, there were quite a few calluses from holding a brush.
This indicated she often held a brush, and specifically a calligraphy brush. In this day and age, a girl this young who frequently used a calligraphy brush, unless she had been learning calligraphy or traditional Chinese painting since childhood.
But why would someone who learned these things come to work in a place like this?
"Have her sit next to me. You all go and serve President Tong. He's the one paying, he's generous." With a few words, Li Zhonglou sent the women who were clinging to him over to Tong Zhaolin.
Only the shy, delicate girl remained.
"H-hello boss... I'll pour you a drink..." Seeing that her companions had all left and she was alone, the girl mustered up her courage to pour the wine.
However, her hands trembled, and she spilled the wine all over the table.
This immediately drew Tong Zhaolin's anger, "Can't you pour wine? What the hell are you doing!"
"Call the madame over. I'll have a good talk with her about who she sent."
The other girls also showed schadenfreude at this scene.
The short-haired girl, already nervous, turned pale at the scolding.
"Never mind, you enjoy yourself, don't mind me." Seeing this, Li Zhonglou shielded the girl.
Tong Zhaolin, being very astute, immediately knew that Li Zhonglou had found his target.
He deliberately scolded the girl a few more times, then began to interact boisterously with the group of beauties.
"Thank you." The girl looked at Li Zhonglou gratefully.
It was her first day working here, and if she were complained about by a customer, her job would surely be lost.
Without this job, her father's prison sentence would be extended.
Li Zhonglou's action transformed her fear into admiration.
"Are you studying traditional Chinese painting? Why did you come to work here?" Li Zhonglou asked with a smile.
Hearing this, the girl's body stiffened, and she showed a look of shock.
Li Zhonglou, without even knowing her name, had stated her profession.
She had been learning traditional Chinese painting since childhood, and after graduating from university, she had never given up on her dream.
Unfortunately, reality was too cruel; her paintings were ignored and couldn't be sold for a good price.
However, it was enough to cover her basic expenses.
But when the news of her father's embezzlement arrived, it was like the last straw, breaking her already frail spine.
If the embezzled funds couldn't be repaid on time, her father would spend fifteen years in prison.
How many fifteen-year periods are there in a lifetime?
Her mother had died early, and her father had raised her with great difficulty, supporting her attendance at an art academy to study traditional Chinese painting.
The embezzlement was also for the sake of providing her with the best living environment.
Now that something had happened, how could she not take responsibility?
When Li Zhonglou heard the girl recount her situation, his heart trembled, and a mix of emotions washed over him.