"Reichou, pick any house you like, I'll gift you one!" Once Ji Shan and the others were gone, Lü Chenggong made a grand gesture.
For a businessman as focused on profit as him, saying such a thing was truly difficult.
It was enough to show how much value Li Chonglou held for him.
In human interactions, strip away the facade of emotion, and all that remained was value.
Value could be spiritual or material.
Li Chonglou had helped his Lü family twice, and indirectly facilitated his cooperation with Yong'an.
A villa was only in the tens of millions.
Worth it!
"I can't accept your kindness, I'll buy one myself," Li Chonglou accepted it calmly.
He naturally understood Lü Chenggong's good intentions had a reason.
Since he was worth this price, why refuse?
Regardless, his relationship with the Lü family was already close, an undeniable fact.
He still planned to cooperate with Lü Yunxu to promote the live streaming platform.
Hearing this, several sharp-witted beauty sales elites immediately rushed forward, swarming Wu Hao.
Chattering endlessly, their voices sweet and their appearances charming, they fawned over him.
Ji Shan had been blind to offend such a significant client as Li Chonglou.
These women didn't want to miss this opportunity. But who was Li Chonglou? How could someone so highly regarded by the richest chairman be entangled by them?
However, anyone with discerning eyes could see that Wu Hao had an extraordinary relationship with Li Chonglou. If they could win him over, wouldn't the benefits be considerable?
"Haozi, go ahead and pick out your office villa," Li Chonglou said with a smile, seeing Wu Hao's awkward expression.
As soon as he spoke, Wu Hao was dragged away by the beauties.
Li Chonglou didn't want to cause trouble, so he let Lü Chenggong choose a 800-square-meter detached villa, Number 6, right next to his own, Number 8.
Firstly, it was for convenience in the future. Secondly, this particular layout wasn't the best, nor the worst.
It was the most suitable choice as a gift for Li Chonglou.
After handing the matter over to the sales staff, the two entered the reception room for tea.
Half an hour later, Wu Hao, beaming with excitement, had chosen their office villa, opting for the least desirable one priced at fifteen million.
It wasn't that he didn't want a better layout, but rather to save money for Li Chonglou.
The platform's development would require significant investment, with hundreds of millions not considered a lot. Any savings were welcome.
In any case, for office and accommodation, such a large villa was more than sufficient in the initial stages.
This villa was purchased under the company's name, as part of the company's assets.
Li Chonglou's villa was registered under both his and Jiang Yuxin's names.
After completing these procedures, the two left the sales office.
Meanwhile.
Xu Tianhou, holding a newly excavated cloisonné enamel rouleau vase, invited Lin Ao once more.
"Mr. Xu, this isn't right," Lin Ao asked, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the vase's body. "Where did you get this?"
"You said the last one you saw was fine, how is this one not right?" Xu Tianhou couldn't possibly tell him it was dug from a tomb, so he dodged the question.
However, seeing Lin Ao's reaction, his heart sank.
"The last piece was indeed genuine, and this one also appears to be of the highest quality. But something still feels off," Lin Ao's brows furrowed even tighter. "One might be a coincidence."
"These two pieces are clearly made by the same hand."
"Cloisonné enamel pieces that have survived are extremely rare. Is it truly such a coincidence that you've acquired two of them simultaneously?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhou breathed a long sigh of relief.
He chuckled and said, "Ah, indeed, life is full of coincidences."
"Impossible. I've seen a similar rouleau vase in the National Museum, and it couldn't be this similar, it's practically identical!" Lin Ao kept shaking his head.
He was an expert, having studied under masters like Lu Weishen.
While his eyesight might not be top-tier, his knowledge was certainly profound.
Cloisonné enamel was hand-painted, not machine-printed. How could the intricate details be exactly the same?
Could it be a high-quality replica?
So well-made that even he was fooled!
It wasn't impossible.
He had seen the video Lü Yunxu posted of the Lü family's white-glazed porcelain.
If it hadn't been for the mention of "detachable body" later, even he would have been deceived.
As for what Xu Tianhou said, he didn't believe a word of it now.
Countless players claimed fake items were heirlooms or antique objects.
To uncover the truth, he asked again with utmost seriousness, "Mr. Xu, tell me honestly, where did this item come from?"
"Who did you get it from?"
"Master Lin, do you need to be this serious?" Xu Tianhou chuckled, trying to brush it off.
But Lin Ao was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Tell the truth!"
This was no longer a matter of fake versus real, nor just about Xu Tianhou's personal gain or loss.
It concerned his discernment and the truth.
Without clarification, he would surely lose sleep and be restless.
"Alright, alright, Master Lin, don't be angry. Since you're one of us, I won't hide anything from you." Seeing this, Xu Tianhou dared not play coy any longer and confessed everything. "This item came from a Qing Dynasty ancient tomb in Dongshan."
"It's estimated there were more than ten pieces."
"How could there be anything wrong with this? I inquired, and it was a genuine ancient tomb."
Lin Ao's eyelids twitched wildly. "Did you excavate this tomb yourself?"
"How could I have that skill? I bought it from someone, and it used my entire fortune!" Xu Tianhou said proudly.
Once the items came out and were sold through Lin Ao, they would at least double in value.
But to Lin Ao, these words made everything clear.
As expected, there was a problem, a big problem!
"You've been deceived, Mr. Xu. You, a smart person, fell for such a foolish trick!" Lin Ao put down the rouleau vase, a cold smile on his face. "That tomb is fake. It was indeed an ancient tomb, but it was plundered decades ago. Someone has created a false shell to trick you!"
"No wonder I felt these two cloisonné enamel pieces had the exact same aura, as if made by the same person."
"How could the items from the pit be in such condition?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhou's pupils contracted sharply, and he felt as if struck by lightning. He stood up abruptly.
Swallowing hard, he exclaimed, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! It's something even you said was fine!"
"Why are you changing your tune now?"
Fifty million was not a small sum; it was his entire fortune.
If he had been scammed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He would be ruined.
"Mr. Xu, don't panic, sit down." A glint of coldness flashed in Lin Ao's eyes. "My inability to see a problem doesn't mean the item truly has none."
"Come with me now, and I'll take you to my master. His eyesight is even better than mine."
"He'll be able to see through its authenticity or falsity at a glance."
Seeing his state, Lin Ao could only nervously say this, not daring to be completely certain.
Ever since being put in his place by Li Chonglou last time, he had been plagued by self-doubt. Once overly confident, he had become extreme, now extremely unconfident.
Xu Tianhou nodded repeatedly, picked up the rouleau vase and jar, and got into Lin Ao's car.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the Qin Province Antique Association, in Lu Weishen's office.
"Master, this is my friend Xu Tianhou. He has two items he'd like you to examine," Lin Ao said to Lu Weishen with extreme humility.
Before he finished speaking, Xu Tianhou had already taken out the rouleau vase.
Before it was even placed on the table, Lu Weishen gasped, "Fake."
*Clang!*
The next second, Xu Tianhou's eyes widened, his entire body trembled, and he fumbled the vase, dropping it to the floor.
The enamel paste body shattered into countless glass fragments.
This type of painted enamel paste body was made from blown glass.
Its craftsmanship was identical to modern glass, with even the air bubbles being extremely fine, lacking any characteristics of Qing Dynasty paste bodies.
This undoubtedly validated Lu Weishen's words.
Even Lin Ao was now completely convinced.
Only Xu Tianhou's face turned pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead, making him unsteady on his feet.
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..."
He mumbled to himself, slumped to the ground in despair.
"What's impossible about it? Look at this video!" Lu Weishen said coldly, tossing his phone to Lin Ao.
Lin Ao tapped on the video, and Li Chonglou's online appraisal appeared.
It specifically addressed the authenticity of the enamelware, with this very vase being one of the items.
Lin Ao's face also turned deathly pale. "It's him again, this bastard! This whole thing was orchestrated by him!"
"Mr. Xu, do you have any grievances with this person named Li Chonglou?"
"Yes, yes!" Upon hearing Li Chonglou's name, Xu Tianhou's eyes were filled with intense hatred.
He recounted his dealings with Li Chonglou to the two of them, omitting any self-incriminating details.
After listening, the master and disciple exchanged glances, their eyes filled with deep apprehension.
Li Chonglou had controlled this matter from beginning to end, completely cutting off Xu Tianhou's escape route.
Without this video, even if he had bought a fake, Lu Weishen's influence could have helped him find an outlet, a buyer.
But now, all escape routes were severed.
Xu Tianhou's only fate was bankruptcy.
There was no other possibility.
"I'll kill him, I'll kill this bastard, I'll make him wish he were dead!" After hearing their words, Xu Tianhou's eyes turned bloodshot, his face like a vengeful spirit as he roared.
Fifty million, his entire fortune, scraped together.
He was going mad!
His only goal was to gamble and turn his fortunes around, only to find himself ensnared in Li Chonglou's meticulously laid trap.
Suddenly, he remembered the last phone call from Tong Chuan before his disappearance.
"Li Chonglou said he'll make you bankrupt within a month."
At the time, he hadn't taken the words seriously, thinking Li Chonglou was just boasting, not worth mentioning.
Now, those words had come to pass completely.
After roaring, Xu Tianhou rushed out of the office under the watchful eyes of Lu Weishen and his disciple.
"Master, why didn't you stop him?" Lin Ao started to go after him but stopped and asked.
"Stop him? How?" Malice flickered in Lu Weishen's eyes. "He's ignorant and didn't tell you the truth, serves him right."
"However, this might not be a bad thing for us."
"He's already gone mad. It's normal for a madman to kill someone."
"Perhaps..."
Lin Ao's eyes lit up. "Master, you intend to use him to get rid of that bastard Li Chonglou, to resolve it once and for all?"
"How brilliant!"
"It's not my brilliance, it's that Li Chonglou's death is imminent!" Lu Weishen wore a sinister grin.