"Mr. Li has truly taught me a lesson."
Tang Guanghe, a businessman, flashed a fleeting look of阴骘 in his eyes. Though burning with anger, he maintained a calm demeanor and praised, "One truly cannot judge a book by its cover. To possess such ability at such a young age."
"Your future is undoubtedly limitless."
"Amongst three people walking, there must be one who can teach me. Seeing your great talent, Mr. Li, I can't help but want to befriend you."
His words were as easy as idle chat among friends, instantly creating a sense of goodwill.
It had to be said that Tang Guanghe was deeply cunning, testing Li Chonglou's attitude and psychology.
He had initially tried to exert pressure and condescension from a superior position. Upon discovering Li Chonglou's displeasure, he immediately switched to a more accommodating approach.
To him, a mere nobody like Li Chonglou should have been flattered by such high praise.
Unfortunately, Li Chonglou was no ordinary person.
Within his body of twenty-something years resided a soul that had weathered many storms yet remained true to itself.
How could he be so easily swayed by words?
He couldn't help but sneer, "Oh, you wish to befriend me."
"And what about President Lu? What is your purpose?"
Lu Weishen smiled, "Since young friend is so straightforward, it would be inappropriate for me to beat around the bush."
"I invited you here today also to celebrate Zhen Dong's joy; he has finally taken a disciple after so many years, someone to inherit his legacy."
"You know my master?" Li Chonglou's pupils contracted.
Very few people knew about his apprenticeship. Besides Zhang Daocheng and his senior sister, only Xu Lie and Huang Yongshou were aware.
Lu Weishen's information was surprisingly swift.
"Not just know him, I grew up with your master, Lin Zhen Dong, and we studied antiques together."
Lu Weishen's face was filled with melancholy, and he sighed, "That man, he's proud and unyielding to anyone."
"When I co-founded the Qin Zhou Antique Association with him, we parted ways due to differing ambitions."
"For so many years, he has held a grudge."
"To be frank, I invited you here to resolve this old grievance through you."
These words were beyond Li Chonglou's expectations.
In his past and present lives, he had never known that the Qin Zhou Antique Association was co-founded by his master and Lu Weishen.
No wonder, no wonder!
No one from his lineage had joined the Antique Association.
He finally understood the reason.
But why had his master and senior sister never mentioned it to him?
Was it merely due to pride?
Li Chonglou's thoughts churned. Based on his understanding of his master and senior sister, he instinctively felt there was a hidden secret involved.
Thus, suppressing his shock, he said calmly, "President Lu, you will likely be disappointed. I only became his disciple a few days ago and have only met my master once."
"I am powerless in this matter."
"No matter!"
Lu Weishen laughed heartily, "I actually want to invite you to join the Antique Association."
"Since Qin Muyang has retired, the position of Vice President is vacant."
"With your abilities, you are more than qualified."
"Firstly, it will give Zhen Dong a way to step down and rekindle the relationship between our two families."
"Secondly, you need a good platform to truly spread your wings and soar."
"What do you say?"
He had carefully considered this before hosting the banquet.
Li Chonglou was not his true target; his real aim was the secret held by Lin Zhen Dong.
Only by extracting this secret could he hope to find that ultimate treasure and fulfill his lifelong wish.
Lin Zhen Dong was too tight-lipped, and the secret could only be pried from Li Chonglou, his disciple.
But this matter could not be rushed; it had to be done slowly.
He refused to believe that the young and ambitious Li Chonglou would be indifferent to the title of Vice President!
"You want to invite me to join?"
Li Chonglou nodded indifferently, "No problem."
"But I don't want to be Vice President. I said I only want to be President."
"The first thing I'll do after becoming President is disband your Antique Association!"
"What do you say, President Lu?"
His words caused the atmosphere in the entire hall to drop to freezing point.
"You... you are truly exactly like your master."
Lu Weishen's eye twitched, and his face turned ashen.
Forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart, he gritted his teeth and said, "Do you know that rigidity easily breaks?"
"Do you insist on being an enemy of the Antique Association?"
He had initially thought Li Chonglou was merely young and impulsive, unaware of the world's complexities, and thus not a threat.
Even if Li Chonglou was arrogant, he would have to consider his future development after a personal invitation.
He had even offered the position of Vice President as a bargaining chip to Li Chonglou.
The goal was to get closer to him and extract the secret from Lin Zhen Dong.
No one was foolish enough to refuse such a readily available benefit, especially when it meant going against the local power.
Who would have thought that Li Chonglou would not only remain unmoved but also utter such audacious words?
This was entirely different from what Cao Zhi had told him.
It was utterly arrogant!
If not for fear of ruining his grand plan, he would have erupted long ago.
"Collectors of antiques have always preferred to be shattered jade rather than intact tiles."
Li Chonglou's expression remained unchanged, his demeanor calm, "Since President Lu dared to orchestrate a car accident to kill me, and sent people to deal with my mother this morning, you should have been prepared to become my enemy."
"Whatever other trump cards you have, bring them out directly."
He was bluffing.
Although he suspected Lu Weishen was behind the morning's events, he had no evidence.
Lu Weishen's sudden offer to make him Vice President was an unexpected turn of events.
Since he was here, this matter had to be clarified.
"You claim someone tried to harm your mother?"
Lu Weishen's expression clearly faltered, his eyes darting away as he coldly sneered, "And you suspect me?"
"As the President of the Qin Zhou Antique Association, how could I possibly engage in such a low-level act?"
"One shouldn't casually fasten such a hat!"
Indeed, both of these matters had nothing to do with him.
He hadn't even known about the morning's incident.
However, he was aware that Cao Zhi had taken revenge without authorization, which had also exposed Zhang Daocheng, his hidden agent within Lin Zhen Dong's circle.
Zhang Daocheng was now detained and under investigation.
Li Chonglou had attributed both incidents to him.
"The truth will eventually come to light."
A cold glint flashed in Li Chonglou's eyes as he looked at Tang Guanghe, "And you, Mr. Tang?"
Despite all his attempts at concealment, Li Chonglou had taken in Lu Weishen's complex expression.
His evasive gaze and determined effort to hide something were evident.
It was clear that even if he wasn't directly involved in the assassination attempts, he was at least aware of them.
As for the reason, Li Chonglou couldn't fathom it.
The two of them had never even met in this life, so why would they send people to kill him?
If one were to speak of motives, Tang Guanghe had more reason.
After all, Tang Xiuzhu had been publicly humiliated by him, and the seal box had changed hands. Such hatred was enough to make him lose his mind.
"Mr. Li, I don't know what basis you have for your speculation, but you shouldn't suspect me, Tang."
Tang Guanghe was also taken aback, but he quickly recovered and explained, "I am, after all, an entrepreneur with billions in assets. If you were me, would you do such a thing?"
"Merchants prioritize profit. At my level, everything must be weighed."
"A single misstep could lead to a complete loss. Such illegal activities bring me nothing but harm."
"Moreover, I wish to befriend Mr. Li."
"And I came here today with sincerity."
Tang Guanghe's demeanor was more natural than Lu Weishen's.
Perhaps it was because businessmen were better at concealing their true intentions, but Li Chonglou's suspicion of him did not abate.
However, he could at least confirm that Lu Weishen was an enemy, not a friend.
The purpose of attending the banquet today was to ascertain whether Lu Weishen was the mastermind behind the two assassination attempts.
His objective had now been achieved.
Lu Weishen and Tang Guanghe both wore complex expressions.
They were renowned figures in Qin Zhou, influential magnates.
This banquet was originally intended to win over Li Chonglou, and they both believed that with their own methods, dealing with a young and impetuous Li Chonglou would be effortless.
Who would have thought that before even tasting a bite of food, they would be interrogated by Li Chonglou?
At this moment, they felt an involuntary urge to bow their heads before Li Chonglou.
What was the background of this young man?
To possess such presence!
Lu Weishen's eyes turned cold. He finally understood why someone as self-important as Lin Zhen Dong would accept Li Chonglou as his disciple after meeting him only once.
It wasn't just his uncanny appraisal skills, but also his composure and arrogance, which even Lu Weishen couldn't fully comprehend.
He was practically a replica of Lin Zhen Dong.
Dealing with Li Chonglou would likely be no less difficult than facing Lin Zhen Dong himself.
His heart sank to the bottom.
"Mr. Li, since things have come to this, it would be unwise for me to continue to conceal anything."
Tang Guanghe broke the awkward silence and was the first to state his position, "Please forgive my presumption, but before coming here, I also investigated your background."
"You are currently a son-in-law to the Jiang family, aren't you?"
"From what I understand, the Jiang family is at its last leg and will soon be declared bankrupt."
"Of course, I know your relationship with Lü Yunxu is quite close."
"However, Lü Chenggong holds a very dim view of you, considering you an ignorant madman and opposing his daughter's association with you."
At this point, Tang Guanghe paused deliberately, observing Li Chonglou's expression.
To his disappointment, Li Chonglou remained unfazed, seemingly indifferent to his words.
He said calmly, "Continue."
"I will offer ten million!"
Tang Guanghe made up his mind, "As long as you retract your statement about the online appraisal of the sweet white glaze video being a mistake, and declare the sweet white glaze to be genuine."
"Not only will you keep the money, but my Tang family will henceforth be your strongest ally."
"There are plenty of good women in this world. Those like Jiang Yuxin and Lü Yunxu will throw themselves at you if you have money and power."
"You won't have to endure humiliation from the Jiang family, nor will you have to look at Lü Chenggong's face."
"How about it?"
A bombshell!
With these words coming from Tang Guanghe, all of Li Chonglou's thoughts became instantly clear.
At this point, how could he not realize that the sweet white glaze was a trap set by Tang Guanghe?
The intention was for Lü Chenggong to destroy his own foundation and then replace him.
Without incurring trouble, smoothly taking over the Lü Group was indeed the style of the Tang father and son.
And his own appearance had disrupted this plan. First, he had forced Qin Muyang to retreat at this hotel, but Lü Chenggong had brought it upon himself, still trying to pass off a fake as genuine.
Then came the online appraisal, which had made it impossible to suppress further. The entire Qin Zhou antique circle was abuzz.
This was equivalent to completely ruining Tang Guanghe's scheme.
No wonder he had made such a grand promise right from the start.
Ten million!
How many people could earn this much in their lifetime?
And he, Li Chonglou, only had to nod to receive it.
All he needed to do was betray Lü Yunxu, who had nothing to do with him.
Money makes the world go 'round, and clearly, in Tang Guanghe's eyes, he was just a little ghost.
Li Chonglou smiled, "You want the charity auction to proceed as you wish."
"To pass off a fake as genuine and silence me."
"A clever calculation, but you've miscalculated one thing."
"You cannot afford me!"