Li Chonglou’s heart sank.
Mo Zhigao was right, he didn’t have anything on hand at the moment.
Tian Shouch eng was probably wandering around the antique market, trying to find a buyer who would offer a higher price.
Cooperating with him was out of the question for now.
And he himself had nothing valuable to display, as everything had been converted to cash.
The only national treasure, the Shi Qiang Disk, was still with the owner of the pancake stall.
But that item was different from the bronze mirror; whether it was a surviving artifact or not, it was a national treasure and absolutely could not be traded.
Let alone the pancake stall owner being unwilling to part with it, even if he were willing to lend it, it would be useless.
“How can you be so sure? I believe that if Brother Li said he could do it, he definitely can,” Lu Yunxu said indignantly.
Lu Chenggong remained silent, watching the two sides clash.
He was on Li Chonglou’s side, just as Zhu Youzhen was on Mo Zhigao’s.
Whatever Li Chonglou said was fine as long as he could back it up, but Lu Chenggong could not speak easily. If there was any slip-up, this cooperation would be completely ruined.
Seeing Lu Yunxu’s confident defense, Li Chonglou felt a pang of bitterness.
This time, he had taken a risk, preparing for the unexpected, and now he was being forced into action. Even with his extraordinary abilities, he couldn’t go against the natural order.
If all else failed, he would have to tough it out and stall.
No matter what Mo Zhigao said, be it insults or mockery, he could only endure it.
Ring, ring.
Just as Li Chonglou was about to speak, his phone rang.
It was Huang Yongshou calling.
Taking the opportunity to answer the phone, Li Chonglou excused himself from the main hall.
“Don’t tell me this kid ran off to save face?” Mo Zhigao said smugly, deliberately provoking Lu Yunxu.
He was also a renowned antique collector and naturally understood the psychology of antique enthusiasts. His guess that Li Chonglou had no treasures on hand was spot on.
Otherwise, who wouldn’t want to show off their favorite items to everyone?
It was an indelible vanity in human nature.
Even with a highly cultivated state of mind, it was impossible to completely eradicate.
Much less for a young man like Li Chonglou.
“Are all the people from Yong’an so impatient?” Lu Yunxu wanted to get angry, but seeing her father’s gaze, she had to force herself to hold back.
After speaking, without waiting for Mo Zhigao’s reaction, she left the private room to ask the waiter to serve the dishes.
Meanwhile, feeling anxious, she looked for Li Chonglou.
Finally, outside the restroom, she saw Li Chonglou coming out, wiping his hands.
“Brother Li, you can’t let him get the upper hand today, otherwise my dad will definitely be at a disadvantage in front of Zhu Youzhen,” Lu Yunxu said urgently as she went to meet him.
This situation today was not just a competition between Li Chonglou and Mo Zhigao.
It also concerned the division of cooperation weight between the Lu family and Zhu Youzhen.
Whoever took the initiative would get the larger share.
The logic was simple.
The Lu family was essentially betting all their reputation on Li Chonglou.
“I’ll do my best,” Li Chonglou replied noncommittally.
He was well aware of Lu Yunxu’s purpose in inviting him, but he had his own objectives, and these two matters could not be conflated.
Mo Zhigao was too arrogant, and he himself was even more so. When two arrogant people met, one was bound to yield.
He had already gained the upper hand regarding the matter of the hard yellow paper.
Next, he needed to use Mo Zhigao to offload that batch of bronze mirrors, and he would deal with other matters later.
Competing solely for face was too naive.
It was not worth the effort.
Lu Yunxu’s eyes were complicated. She wanted to re-emphasize the importance of the matter, but the words stopped short of her lips.
She didn’t want to annoy Li Chonglou because of it.
At worst, she would bear all the pressure herself.
“Don’t worry, everything arranged by heaven is the best,” Li Chonglou said, turning back before entering the room. “What’s yours cannot be taken away, and what isn’t yours cannot be obtained by striving.”
With that, he pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing him return, Mo Zhigao’s smug expression intensified. “Li Chonglou, I thought you’d run off to pee.”
“Besides, it’s nothing if a nobody like you ran away.”
“After all, no one would mock you.”
“What surprises me is that you still dare to shamelessly return here. Do you have some backup?”
He then let out a sarcastic laugh.
The people at the table didn’t know whether to laugh or put on a straight face, so they could only shake their heads in unison.
“What’s the hurry? We haven’t eaten yet,” Li Chonglou said, as calm as ever, making it impossible to gauge his depth.
“Yes, yes, the two of you have traveled a long way. Please try some of Qin Province’s specialties.” Only then did Lu Chenggong stand up and greet them.
The waiters brought out dishes one by one, all looking exquisite and tempting.
Their colors, aromas, and tastes were all excellent.
“This small place has its own advantages. People live comfortably and enjoy life,” Zhu Youzhen said, picking up his chopsticks first and commenting, “Unlike Yong’an, where the pace of life is too fast, and everyone is desperately making money, fearing that if they don’t earn a penny one day, they’ll starve the next.”
“Mr. Lu, I hope our cooperation can go as smoothly as I wish.”
Hearing this, Lu Chenggong immediately raised his glass, and along with the accompanying guests, he toasted Zhu Youzhen.
Only Li Chonglou remained seated, unmoving.
“What? Little friend, you’re not drinking a toast?” Zhu Youzhen said, taking a sip, deliberately reminding him.
“I don’t drink a drop,” Li Chonglou smiled.
“What are you pretending for? What young person hasn’t had a drink? I think you’re clearly disrespecting Mr. Zhu,” Mo Zhigao immediately seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, pinning a major accusation on Li Chonglou. “Is this how people from Qin Province behave? Don’t you even know basic manners?”
“Mr. Zhu has traveled a long way, and not drinking is disrespecting him.”
This statement had reached its limit.
He was probing, testing Lu Chenggong’s bottom line.
From the moment he started mocking Li Chonglou, it was an instruction from Zhu Youzhen on the plane.
As long as things didn't get too out of hand, he could be as arrogant as he pleased, knowing he had backing.
The goal was to use Li Chonglou to put Lu Chenggong in his place.
Unfortunately, Lu Chenggong was an old fox and didn’t fall for it. Instead, his daughter seemed to care a great deal about Li Chonglou.
He had intended to force Li Chonglou to back down with the bronze mirror incident, but he hadn’t expected him to be able to stall until dinner.
If this meal ended peacefully, then he would have come for nothing.
“Face is something one earns, not something given by others,” Li Chonglou said, his expression unchanged.
Inwardly, however, he sensed something was amiss.
Mo Zhigao’s first impression was one of boundless arrogance, yet he was different from what Li Chonglou had imagined. Each time he caused trouble, he held back.
It seemed he wasn’t just picking a fight with Li Chonglou for the sake of face.
He had another motive entirely!
If his guess was correct, it was likely related to the business cooperation with Lu Chenggong.
He was being used as a tool by them.
“Mr. Lu, how can you tolerate such an ungrateful subordinate?” Mo Zhigao said with a cold snort.
“Mr. Mo, you misunderstand. Chonglou is not my subordinate. As I said, he is an honorary consultant to our Lu family, a free man.” Lu Chenggong wiped his mouth and shut Mo Zhigao up with a single sentence.
Just then, the door to the private room was rapidly knocked upon.
Immediately after, the door swung open, and Huang Yongshou rushed in, sweating profusely.
Behind him, he carried a large hiking backpack, the same one Tian Shouch eng had been carrying that morning.
Seeing this, a slight curve appeared on Li Chonglou’s lips.
The show had finally begun!