Li Chonglou hadn't expected Lin Ao to react so strongly.
He was merely trying to sow discord, not possessing divine sight, how could he possibly know Lu Weishen's true intentions?
However, judging by his guess, it was highly probable that Lu Weishen wanted to cause him trouble.
But lacked an excuse.
Which was why he had Lin Ao put on this act, only unwilling to part with the real treasure, thus using a high-quality replica.
The so-called high-quality replica.
In fact, many people didn't know it was something specifically made, not circulated in the ordinary market.
Just like the sweet white glaze Lü Chenggong had bought before, even Qin Muyang, a professional who had played with antiques his whole life, had been fooled.
It was perfectly normal that Lin Ao couldn't tell.
In this world, how many people could be like him, having received the true inheritance of the Lin family and seen all the world's treasures?
Therefore, seeing Lin Ao like this, Li Chonglou found him rather pitiable.
With a casual remark: "Is that so? Why don't you go ask and find out?"
Lin Ao's face turned as pale as earth.
Trembling, he picked up the fragments, his expression twisted and struggling, unable to utter another word.
In his life, the person he trusted most was his teacher, Lu Weishen.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he revered him as a deity.
He didn't believe his teacher could be fooled. If he wasn't fooled,
Then what Li Chonglou said was undoubtedly true.
His teacher had used him to harm Li Chonglou, which was understandable.
But to drag him down with them, this...
Young people often get caught in a dead end.
Lin Ao was one of them.
Twenty years of understanding being overturned, one could imagine.
At this moment, he had no mood to cause trouble for Li Chonglou.
Clutching the fragments, he left in a daze.
Wang Jingwu and the other attendants watched, dumbfounded.
A colossal issue had been resolved by Li Chonglou's single sentence.
Was this kind of ability even human?
"Mr. Li, if you hadn't returned, I would have been finished today." Wang Jingwu's eyes were red with emotion. He stood up and bowed three times deeply to Li Chonglou.
Although he no longer dared to cause trouble for Li Chonglou on the surface, he had always harbored resentment about being humiliated at the alumni gathering.
It was only at this moment that he finally let go of his prejudice and was completely in awe.
"Be more mindful next time. Don't accept things from others with your hands," Li Chonglou advised calmly, then glanced at everyone. "You can all disperse."
With a rustle.
No one dared to disobey the big boss Li Chonglou and returned to their positions.
Only Wang Jingwu nodded his head like a pecking chicken.
"Where is Brother Wang?" Seeing his timid appearance, Li Chonglou lost interest in him and asked, looking around.
"Someone called my uncle away, and his phone is turned off," Wang Jingwu replied honestly.
"Tell him to come back and give me a call," Li Chonglou nodded.
He then went downstairs and left.
The antique theme for Desheng Hotel had been delayed for a long time.
One reason was that he didn't have much time to search for treasures and make lucky finds, and the other was that the market was completely different from decades ago, with very few genuine items.
Occasionally, a few pieces were either incomplete or extremely expensive.
To truly create a themed hotel would require an unknown amount of time, effort, and money.
Lin Ao's visit today had opened up an idea for him.
Why not go for high-quality replicas?
The antique theme was meant to allow like-minded people to discuss, essentially to steal the thunder of the Antique Association.
With everything being genuine, they might not be able to understand it all.
It would be better to produce more high-quality replicas, clearly stating the distinction between real and fake, which could actually help many people learn something.
The source of high-quality replicas was not a problem; finding the person behind the triangular eyes would not work.
He would commission a batch.
It would save time, money, and effort.
It was decided.
After leaving, Li Chonglou called Huang Yongshou and asked him to be in charge of the matter.
He himself returned to the hospital.
He discussed his cultivation experience with the sheepskin scroll mental technique with Xu Lie.
The two talked until nine o'clock at night when Wang Dehai's call finally came through.
"Brother, why didn't you say anything when you came back? I could have arranged a welcome banquet for you." Wang Dehai's voice on the phone was very polite, but Li Chonglou felt something strange about his tone.
He couldn't pinpoint what was strange.
He could only assume he was overthinking.
"There's no need for a welcome banquet. Tomorrow is my wife's birthday. The day after, I'll come find you to discuss some matters."
After a few pleasantries, he hung up.
On the other end of the phone, Wang Dehai was bruised and bloody, with several bloodstains on his body.
His eyes were extremely conflicted.
The person who had sought him out today was an old acquaintance from his days in the underworld.
He was now the owner of Qin Zhou's underground boxing ring. He thought it was just a simple reunion, but unexpectedly, he was asked to deal with Li Chonglou.
Getting by in society relied on righteousness.
For Wang Dehai, this was not just an empty saying.
Otherwise, how could he have transformed from a petty gangster into a tragic businessman on the verge of bankruptcy?
If he had been a bit more cunning, he wouldn't have ended up so miserable.
He had sternly refused.
In response, he received a brutal beating.
It wasn't until a young girl appeared that he was saved from being beaten to death on the spot.
Behind that young girl was a powerful figure he couldn't afford to offend.
Not wanting his wife and children to be harmed, he had no choice but to agree against his will.
Therefore, upon learning that Li Chonglou had returned to the hotel, his voice trembled as he made the call.
Fortunately, Li Chonglou didn't ask further.
Just thinking about what he had to do next, Wang Dasheng couldn't help but feel anxious. He wanted to rub his temples but accidentally touched his facial injuries, causing him to gasp in pain.
He angrily kicked the car door.
On Li Chonglou's end, after hanging up the phone, he put Wang Dehai's matter aside.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, after chatting with his mother for a while, he drove to the Jiang family villa without Xu Lie accompanying him.
The status of Jiang Yuxin and her father had long since changed from their previous humble position.
With the help of the Lü family, the Jiang family's company had not only been revived but had also become the coveted prize of Qin Zhou.
Many companies were vying to recruit them.
To expand the Jiang family during this birthday occasion, Old Master Jiang had specifically chosen his own villa as the venue for the birthday banquet.
This had drawn much envy and jealousy from relatives.
Even Jiang Tao had never received such treatment before.
One could imagine how much the Old Master doted on Jiang Yuxin now.
Starting from eight in the morning, luxury cars had been successively parking at the entrance of the Jiang family villa.
Business partners were presenting gifts and fawning over them.
By the time Li Chonglou's Hongqi arrived, the place was already bustling with people.
"Isn't that Jiang Yuxin's husband? The infamous son-in-law from the Jiang family."
"That's right, it's him. I even attended their wedding."
"Yuxin is such an outstanding woman, marrying this pretty boy, tsk tsk, it's truly a waste."
"Look at that dilapidated Hongqi he's driving, it's probably all bought by his wife."
Many people familiar with the Jiang family recognized Li Chonglou and started discussing him.
Most of them showed expressions of disdain.
Since ancient times, the son-in-law has been a despised figure.
In the common perception, how could a man with hands and feet and self-respect become a live-in son-in-law?
It was simply an insult to his ancestors.
These discussions were not deliberately hushed, as if intentionally meant for Li Chonglou to hear.
Li Chonglou remained unfazed; these words couldn't provoke him in the slightest.
He strode towards the main entrance.
"You are Li Chonglou?" Just then, a young man dressed in opulent attire with a defiant expression stood in front of Li Chonglou.
His face was filled with mockery, and he said in a passive-aggressive tone, "It's true that seeing is believing."
"It's your own wife's birthday, and you actually came empty-handed."
"I truly feel it's not worth it for Yuxin, keeping a good-for-nothing like you. It would be better to divorce him and be with me!"