"Second Uncle, listen to my explanation." Hu Haibo's forehead was covered in sweat, his hands and feet feeling weak from nervousness.
Before he could finish speaking, Fan Meng's clear voice rang out, "I saw a jade *cong*. I intended to take some photos of the corrosion pits on its surface for educational material."
"But when he handed it to me, he deliberately let go and it broke."
"And demanded thirty thousand yuan for compensation."
"Fortunately, this gentleman passed by and helped me speak up."
As she spoke, Fan Meng picked up the largest shard and handed it over.
Having grown up in a wealthy family, her eyesight and thinking were far beyond ordinary people.
Seeing Zhao Zheng's protective stance towards Li Chonglou, she knew the trouble of the day was resolved.
Glancing at the broken jade, Zhao Zheng snorted, "Something obviously fake, and you tried to extort money with it!"
"This is just what I encountered; how much have you done that I don't know about?"
"Hu Haibo, you have truly disappointed me to the core."
"From this day forward, your business will have absolutely nothing to do with me anymore!"
Upon hearing this, Hu Haibo's legs buckled, and he fell to the ground with a thud, his face turning pale. He pleaded, "Second Uncle, for my mother's sake, can you spare me this once?"
"From now on, I will abide by the law and will never cheat or harm anyone again."
"Second Uncle, please don't abandon me."
This line of business relied on reputation. Without Zhao Zheng, he couldn't have succeeded at all.
Now that Zhao Zheng was publicly severing ties with him, who would buy from him if this got out?
If he smashed his own rice bowl, how would he earn a living?
Thinking of the consequences, a chill ran down his spine, and he no longer cared about his dignity.
Zhao Zheng's wife, seeing this, showed a look of pity and gently tugged her husband's arm, trying to persuade him not to be so heartless.
But Zhao Zheng ignored her, looking at Li Chonglou, "Brother Chonglou, and this beautiful lady, Hu Haibo is responsible for this matter. I apologize to you on his behalf."
"This place is no longer related to me. Please, the two of you, let's move. I will provide compensation for this."
Saying that, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he took his wife and left Hu Haibo's shop with Li Chonglou and Fan Meng.
Hu Haibo, who had collapsed on the ground, watched their retreating figures, his eyes filled with venomous malice.
His hatred was boundless.
"Zhao Zheng, you wimp, helping strangers instead of your own nephew!"
"And you, Chonglou, you just wait. If you don't let me live, I won't let you leave Yuchen either!"
After walking a few steps out of the shop, Fan Meng let out a light sigh of relief and called out to the three of them, "Thank you for today. There's no need for compensation."
Then, she turned to Li Chonglou and asked, "I only know your name is Chonglou. May I ask your surname?"
"If you hadn't been here today, I might have had to swallow my anger."
She didn't care about thirty thousand or fifty thousand, but she cared about being humiliated.
Li Chonglou's appearance at the critical moment stirred feelings in her heart.
Fortunately, the matter was peacefully resolved; otherwise, if any accident had occurred, she would have felt bad.
She had a purpose in coming to Yuchen and didn't want to have too much contact with anyone. However, Li Chonglou gave her a feeling of being extraordinary.
"My surname is Li, and my full name is Li Chonglou." Seeing her expression, memories flooded Li Chonglou's mind.
In his previous life, he left Qin Prefecture and wandered around, meeting Fan Meng. They fell in love at first sight and were together for nearly three years.
In the end, they parted amicably due to interference from her family.
They never met again in that lifetime.
Meeting again across the divide, their statuses were vastly different.
He was now a married man, while Fan Meng was a pure and innocent woman. They were no longer from the same world.
A sentence arose in his heart.
Reconciliation is easy; returning to how it was is difficult.
Even without Jiang Yuxin, he would not have had any extraordinary thoughts about Fan Meng.
The conclusion that the wise do not fall in love is reached only after experiencing heart-wrenching pain multiple times.
"I am Fan Meng. I'm here in Yuchen for tourism. Would you do me the honor of having a meal?" Fan Meng smiled charmingly, her allure no less than Jiang Yuxin or Lü Yunxu.
Yet her demeanor was distinctly different.
Soft and clinging like cotton, charming but not vulgar, making one want to embrace and cherish her.
Even though Li Chonglou's state of mind was extremely strong, a ripple still stirred within him.
However, this ripple vanished in an instant.
Controlling his emotions, he politely declined, "No, thank you. We still have some matters to attend to. Take care, and may we meet again if fate allows."
"Then, can I have your phone number?" A trace of disappointment suddenly appeared in Fan Meng's eyes; she was unwilling to give up.
Never before had anyone refused her request.
Li Chonglou was the only one who had proactively refused, and this refusal stirred her inner unwillingness.
It was like a pampered princess suddenly realizing that the entire world did not revolve around her.
This was not the first time she had felt this way since leaving her hometown for Yuchen.
Seeing the seriousness in her beautiful eyes, Li Chonglou thought for a moment and did not refuse again. He took out his phone and they exchanged numbers.
Then, he returned to the hotel with Zhao Zheng and his wife.
"Chonglou, that girl doesn't seem like an ordinary person. I thought you knew each other," Zhao Zheng remarked casually on the way.
Li Chonglou's personality, while not cold, was certainly not the type to meddle.
Yet it was such a coincidence that he intervened at his nephew's shop.
It made him feel a bit awkward.
So, he paid more attention to Fan Meng.
"I know her, but she doesn't know me," Li Chonglou said. He knew Zhao Zheng wanted to probe him, and there was nothing to hide.
Fan Meng was indeed not ordinary. Her family was comparable to the Xiao family.
Moreover, the internal family relationships were complex, and she found herself in a difficult position, so her trip to Yuchen was likely not just for tourism.
Li Chonglou did not wish to have any further contact with her, not only because their feelings had faded but also due to the Fan family's influence.
He had already experienced the power struggles within the Fan family in his previous life, and with his different status this time, he truly did not want to go through it again.
"If I had known, I would have waited for you to teach that brat a good lesson before you stepped in," Zhao Zheng said without asking further questions, sighing. "I've seen Lin Ying's skills, and as her junior disciple, you can't be much worse."
"If I'm not mistaken, let alone those few thugs, even if there were more, they wouldn't be able to move you an inch."
Li Chonglou smiled faintly and did not reply.
Zhao Zheng overestimated him. He considered himself still a significant distance from his senior disciple.
Dealing with a few petty troublemakers was one thing, but if there were too many, he would indeed be outnumbered.
He hadn't thought much before intervening, but if Zhao Zheng hadn't appeared, the police would have likely arrived by now.
Regardless of whether he gained or lost, it would have taken some effort.
Upon returning to the hotel, the banquet was soon served. Apart from Professor Song, the others also reunited from their respective rooms.
Zhao Zheng, seemingly feeling a bit guilty, mentioned the earlier incident to Lin Ying.
"Chonglou, you can injure others, but no one is allowed to injure you," Lin Ying stated directly, leaving Zhao Zheng and his wife feeling fortunate.
They hadn't realized Lin Ying's protective nature before. Fortunately, things hadn't escalated today.
Otherwise, their relationship might have been damaged.
"Hmph, causing trouble as soon as you arrive in Yuchen. You truly bring glory to the team," Cheng Gong's usual cold sneer and disdain made the entire atmosphere incredibly awkward.