With Fan Lei's words, Li Chonglou's heart was finally put at ease.
In China, if even the Eagles couldn't find this person's whereabouts, then no one else could.
After sending the portrait to Fan Lei via mobile phone, Xu Lie planned to escort Li Chonglou home.
Li Chonglou refused, saying, "Brother Xu, you should take the car back to accompany Qianqian. I'll walk around and clear my head. In a small place like Qinzhou, nothing will happen."
The appearance of the mysterious magnate had instantly disturbed his peace of mind.
Lu Yunxu's life or death was unknown, and he could do nothing but wait for news.
A sense of powerlessness he had never felt before washed over him.
His father hadn't been found, the magnate from before had just calmed down, and now a tomb-raiding magnate appeared, directly targeting him.
Could it be that the mastermind behind Xingzhi Group knew his true identity?
Once Fan Lei found out what was going on, he would know. But until then, his heart remained unsettled.
After all, his friends weren't just Lu Yunxu alone. He didn't want to see anyone else get hurt because of him.
Li Chonglou walked onto the bridge, hands in his pockets, his mind in turmoil, blowing in the cold wind.
*Screech!*
Just as Li Chonglou had been standing on the cross-river bridge for more than ten minutes, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class braked sharply behind him.
Then, a surprised voice called out, "Little Uncle-Master? When did you get back?"
Li Chonglou knew it was that kid Zhou Yacheng without even turning around.
Turning back to look at him, he saw that Zhou Yacheng was dressed in a bright pink outfit, the typical attire of a playboy, wearing polarized sunglasses and grinning.
By seniority, this guy should call him grand-uncle-master, but Li Chonglou didn't mind, letting him take advantage of his father Zhou Sanping.
"What are you doing here? I can recognize you even with my back turned!" Li Chonglou was in a bad mood, so his words were naturally not polite.
"Even if you turned to ash, I'd recognize you..." Zhou Yacheng said with a cheeky grin, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they were inappropriate and forced himself to stop. "Get in the car, get in the car. I'm just going to check out an antique. You're the expert, help me out."
"Where are we going?" Li Chonglou's mind was already a mess, and hearing about antiques, he got into the car.
For others, antiques might be a hobby, but for Li Chonglou, they were an undeniable spiritual anchor.
When he was troubled, powerless, or emotional, looking at any treasure could calm his heart.
"Don't you know about our Qinzhou? The old guys in the Antique Association hold a 'find hidden gems' giveaway every year at their year-end party," Zhou Yacheng chuckled. "I happen to need some antiques, so I thought I'd pick up a few."
"Are you giving them to girls?" Li Chonglou directly saw through his pretense.
Zhou Yacheng showed no embarrassment. "You know me, little uncle-master. You have to be unconventional to chase girls nowadays."
"Mediocre girls can be won over with gold and diamonds, but recently I've fallen for a very nice and sensitive girl, and she also happens to like researching antiques."
"Isn't this exactly what's needed?"
"What about the last one? The one you gave the hairpin to," Li Chonglou asked with a frown.
"Thanks to little uncle-master, I've already got her!" Zhou Yacheng's eyes showed unconcealed pride.
Li Chonglou's forehead turned black. He had thought this kid had taken the hairpin to give to his true love.
He never expected it to be just one of his "girlfriends."
As expected of a playboy.
He subconsciously moved his butt away from Zhou Yacheng.
"Little uncle-master, what are you doing... You have such a disgusted look on your face. Everyone plays like this nowadays, don't make a fuss. You're not much older than me, why do you look like an antique?" Zhou Yacheng keenly noticed Li Chonglou's subtle movement and couldn't help but complain.
"I'm afraid you'll pass on the virus to me!" Li Chonglou struck back unceremoniously.
This kid really didn't know the severity of the situation. Having lived two lives, he had seen too many people who thought they wouldn't get into trouble by fooling around outside.
But without exception, they all eventually met their retribution.
Either they contracted a sexually transmitted disease and passed it to their family, leading to ruin.
Or they contracted HIV and lived on medication for life.
This society was quite chaotic, and it was impossible to tell if women outside were human or ghosts, especially those who liked to play. They looked fine on the surface, but then suddenly told you they had HIV. Weren't you scared?
His friend from his previous life had died like this.
Zhou Yacheng clearly didn't understand the importance, and of course, he wouldn't bother to persuade him.
No one could manage such matters.
"How could that be? I'm very pure," Zhou Yacheng grinned.
Li Chonglou was amused by this lively character. This kid was always frivolous, except for the time he walked the red carpet as a shareholder of Yueyu with the executives.
Thinking of Tian Lingli, Li Chonglou changed the subject and asked, "How is my classmate doing at your company?"
"You mean Tian Lingli? She's quite diligent, but her foundation isn't strong. Three million followers is her limit," Zhou Yacheng said. "However, earning several million a year is not a problem. It's enough if she's not greedy."
Hearing this, Li Chonglou nodded and was also quite startled.
As expected, he was very unfamiliar with the current online market. An internet celebrity with three million followers could earn millions purely in a year.
This profit was even higher than that of many listed companies.
This era was clearly undergoing reform. The ways of interacting with people, with things, and even with the entire Earth were undergoing earth-shattering changes.
But ordinary people were unaware.
When a certain point was reached, everyone would be greatly surprised.
And that point was not far off.
"Hey, little uncle-master, do you like that girl..." Zhou Yacheng was a mischievous monkey, restless throughout the journey. They chatted and laughed all the way to the second-floor corner building of the Antique Association.
The entire park was in the Huizhou style, with white bricks, black tiles, and an antique charm.
At this time, many local merchants and antique enthusiasts from Qinzhou had already arrived in front of the building.
Li Chonglou couldn't help but smile.
His master had a bad relationship with Lu Weishen of the Antique Association, so none of their faction had joined the Antique Association, remaining outside of it.
He hadn't expected to accompany Zhou Yacheng to this place.
However, since he was here, he would go with the flow.
It was a good opportunity to see if the people in Qinzhou's antique circle had improved during this time.
He followed Zhou Yacheng out of the car and walked inside.
At this very moment, Lin Ao, standing on the second floor, saw this scene, his pupils involuntarily contracted, and he immediately turned back to shout, "Master, I think I saw that kid Li Chonglou."
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Lu Weishen asked, putting down his teacup, his expression somewhat surprised.
The Lin family and himself were on very bad terms. He had met Li Chonglou multiple times and received cold shoulders.
Moreover, Li Chonglou had gone to Chang'an, and he had returned so quickly?
And he had actively come to his territory?
"No mistake, the person with him is Zhou Yacheng, the son of Zhou Sanping from Wenmiao. I know him." Lin Ao's eyes narrowed into slits, filled with hatred. "He's probably here to participate in our private auction."
"Lin Ao, your feud with him is not important. Don't ruin my great plan out of momentary anger," Lu Weishen, knowing his disciple's temper, warned sternly. "Go and invite him up. I want to have a good talk with him."
"Put your personal grudges aside first, do you hear me?"
Lin Ao had been called a genius since childhood. Having been by his side for so many years, he was naturally arrogant.
However, he had repeatedly lost to Li Chonglou, and the frustration in his heart was imaginable.
But this was insignificant compared to that matter.
The reason he had tried to cooperate with Li Chonglou multiple times before was for that very item.
"Yes, Master." Lin Ao replied unyieldingly.
He didn't understand why his master, the president of the Qinzhou Antique Association and a nationally renowned appraisal master, couldn't do anything about this kid Li Chonglou.
What could be more important than dignity and face?
But his master's words were like heaven to him, and he dared not disobey.
So, he had to leave the office and go downstairs to invite the person.
At this moment, in the first-floor lobby, many people had already gathered.
Seeing Zhou Yacheng and Li Chonglou enter, many people who were whispering to each other immediately showed shock on their faces as they noticed Li Chonglou.
"That... isn't that Master Li? What a rare visitor. He's actually come to the Antique Association..."
"I heard that he's sworn enemies with the Antique Association. Last time at the Lu family's auction, he had a falling out with Master Lu. I don't know if it's true."
"Rumors can't be taken seriously, but it's true that he hasn't joined the association yet."
"Young and arrogant, still doesn't understand reverence. How can a young brat like him compare to Master Lu's insight and demeanor? He's truly ungrateful."
...
Many people, having heard of or seen Li Chonglou, began to discuss him.
Ever since the Tang family's private auction, when council member Cao Zhi was humiliated by Li Chonglou, he had become famous in Qinzhou. Later, at the Lu family's charity auction, his fame grew even more.
However, after that, Li Chonglou disappeared, seemingly with no intention of entering the antique circle.
People are forgetful. As time passed, their attention naturally shifted.
But Li Chonglou's appearance today surprised many.
"Little uncle-master, you're really famous. I feel a lot of pressure standing next to you," Zhou Yacheng said, feeling the eager gazes from all directions. He unconsciously waved his hand as if reviewing troops and whispered.
"Then stand behind me." Li Chonglou's gaze was fixed forward, and a sharp glint shot out from his eyes.
On the wide staircase directly opposite, leading to the second floor, a familiar figure appeared.
Lin Ao, Lu Weishen's disciple.
Speaking of which, this guy shared the same surname as his master and senior sister, but his character was truly not good.
Being young and arrogant was one thing, but he also didn't know his own limits and provoked him repeatedly.
"Li Chonglou, my master has invited you!" As their eyes met, Lin Ao shouted loudly.
"Your master? If he wants to see me, he can come down himself. He has little ability but a lot of airs," Li Chonglou replied with a slight smile and a loud voice.
This remark immediately shocked everyone present.
Although many knew that Li Chonglou had a bad relationship with the Antique Association, to dare to come to the association's territory and openly challenge them, his boldness was simply too great.
Could it be that he was here to smash the place?
Many troublemakers immediately became excited.
They didn't mind adding to the chaos.
"Don't push your luck. If it weren't for my master asking me to invite you, I would have had someone kick you out long ago!" Lin Ao's eyelids twitched violently, his nostrils flared, and veins bulged on his forehead in anger.
"So what if I don't give you face? Do you have the ability to kick me out?" Li Chonglou stood with his hands behind his back, a look of disdain and a cold smile on his face.
In an instant, Lin Ao's face turned ashen, his eyes blazed with fire, and he gritted his teeth.