Li Tian placed his phone on the table, two of his fingers crippled.
His other shoulder was also injured. He endured the pain and managed to play a short video.
His gaze was filled with pleading. "Listen to the video, this is the evidence. I secretly recorded these videos before, Zhou Chenghai had no idea."
"I was afraid he would extort money from me after the deed was done, so I kept this evidence. If you see the evidence, spare me."
As he spoke, he clicked the button.
The video on the phone began to play.
The volume was turned up high, and everyone's attention was drawn to it. The scene fell completely silent.
Everyone could clearly hear the words spoken within.
"Old Li, this matter is entrusted to you, and it's absolutely reliable. As long as you can get the money from over there, all the proceeds are yours. And there's only one genuine piece among them. Remember to keep this genuine piece safe for me."
"As long as they dare to accept these blue and white porcelains, I believe with your skills, you can extort a large sum of money. You just need to bring the genuine piece back."
"Once you've handled this matter well, I have many follow-up plans waiting for them. You won't have to take any more risks. Don't worry, no matter how much you extort, I won't charge you a single cent."
"In the future, I will also provide you with a large number of replicas. These things are indistinguishable from the real ones. Even Tang Jingde would be fooled."
"Our shop has sold many such replicas over the years, and no one has ever come looking for trouble. I am also known as a good old man in the antique world. They would never suspect me, no matter who they suspect. Our plan is flawless."
As the words continued to fall, everyone present widened their eyes in disbelief, their hearts churning like stormy seas.
"Truly, you never know a person's heart."
"I never imagined that Old Zhou would be such a person. He's too good at pretending!"
"If I hadn't seen his true colors today, I would have doubted myself, thinking I was being misled. But looking at that ugly face in the video, I realized how naive I was."
The people around chattered incessantly.
Some among them had very grim expressions, their eyes burning with anger.
"You bastard, Zhou Chenghai!"
"All the antiques you sold me before were fakes! If I don't smash your shop today, I'll take your surname!"
"Damn it, let's go find him right now!"
Those people had all bought antiques from Zhou Chenghai, and they had always treasured them as valuable heirlooms.
They often boasted about them to their friends.
Now that they learned they were just exquisitely crafted fakes, how could they accept it?
They had spent a lot of money, only to be swindled. They could already imagine the ridicule from their friends.
Lin Xiaotian's lips curved into a slight arc. He watched as the onlookers all surged out, then turned his gaze to Li Tian.
"Last time at the antique fair, you wanted to cause trouble for me. I gave you a chance then and told you to get lost."
"Do you think my mercy has become your entitlement to push your luck?"
"I gave you a chance, and you still want to cause trouble a second time. Tell me, how should I deal with you now?"
"Should I just kill you to prevent you from bothering me in the future?"
When Li Tian heard this, his head shook like a rattle drum. He was already completely subdued.
He was especially terrified when he saw the hammer in Lin Xiaotian's hand, feeling his whole body ache intensely, doubling with each passing moment.
His eyes were filled with pleading as he kowtowed repeatedly.
"Please, spare me this time. I promise I'll never do it again."
"Just give me one chance. I'll get as far away as possible and never return to this city, nor will I cause you any trouble."
"I swear to heaven, if I ever have any wicked thoughts again, may I die a terrible death, may I be hit by a car the moment I step outside."
He uttered continuous, venomous oaths.
At this moment, his eyes were filled with boundless fear.
Lin Xiaotian said with a half-smile, "You said the same thing last time, didn't you? And what happened?"
"You still came here to cause trouble this time, and you even collaborated with someone else. It seems you have a deep-seated hatred for me. I don't believe a single word you say. Should I teach you a little lesson?"
Hearing the words "a little lesson," Li Tian couldn't help but shudder.
What a joke! Just a warning had already cost him two broken fingers and a crippled arm.
If he were to truly teach him a lesson, wouldn't he be sent to the King of Hell?
"Please, spare me this time. I truly know I was wrong. I'll kowtow to you. From now on, you are my father!"
"Father, I am your own son! Give me a chance!"
To save his life, he had completely abandoned all dignity.
Lin Xiaotian's lips curved into a cold arc. "You want to call me father? Are you worthy?"
"If you want me to spare you, you can. To make you learn your lesson, you might still make the same mistake next time."
"I'm not a heartless person, so I can't just drive you away and make you leave your homeland. Therefore, this little lesson is for you to bleed."
"If you don't understand what I mean, I can explain it to you."
"There are two ways for you to 'bleed profusely.' You can consider them."
When Li Tian heard this, how could he not understand the meaning behind Lin Xiaotian's words? It was clearly an ultimatum to spend money.
Either he would pay to avert disaster, or he would be beaten to death.
He didn't even need to think; he had already made his choice.
This person in front of him was like a madman, and he wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless. He might just beat him to death.
He gritted his teeth, his decision made.
"I don't have anything precious, but I have a piece of information. And this information, only I know it right now."
"And you only need to spend a very small amount of money to acquire an extremely valuable antique."
"I definitely won't lie to you. I'm thinking of ways to get the money to acquire that antique, and then send it to an auction house. It can at least fetch hundreds of times the profit. I can guarantee that antique is genuine."
"This is absolutely not a lie. This is the greatest price I can offer."