I said, "You've only been doing this for a year, what good will it do you?"
Qin Hui said, "The time is a bit short, which is why I need to hurry. I've heard that with enough money, you can even go to the moon. I want to give it a try."
Old Hao glanced at his watch and said, "Xiao Qiang, do this one last job for me. Time is running out. Can you get everything together within two hours?"
"That's impossible. Don't you know that it takes a year to paint just one 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll?"
Qin Hui snorted and said, "Don't think I don't know. When these people first arrived, they copied all their most prized works. Zhang Zeduan even made a modern version of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival,' but we have no interest in that."
I hardened my heart and said aloud, "Fine, give me a call, and I'll have them deliver the stuff."
Qin Hui said, "Wait a minute. Hehe, as far as I know, Yucai School is full of talented people. Not to mention anything else, Yue Fei's group of soldiers alone are enough to give people a headache. I don't want to be caught in the act. The person who comes to deliver the goods must be unaware of the situation and must not know martial arts."
I said helplessly, "Then you tell me, who should we send?"
Qin Hui said to Lao Hao, "Don't let him make the call yet, let me think." He suddenly said, "You have a vice principal named Yan Jingsheng, right? It's him!"
A chill ran through me. This was supposed to be my last chance to tip them off. If I asked the heroes for these things, Wu Yong and the others would definitely agree, and they might even be able to rescue me. But if I asked Yan Jingsheng to do these things, that bookworm would probably just quietly deliver them.
I shrugged and said, "He didn't know, but how can I tell him?"
Qin Hui laughed and said, "You always have a way."
Old Hao took the paper and waved it in front of me, saying, "You've memorized it all, haven't you?" Then he lit a fire and burned the paper to ashes.
At this moment, Qin Hui blinked and suddenly said, "I've thought of a way for you. Just say you want to hold an art exhibition at Yucai, and use that as an excuse to get him to collect all the items and send them over. Remember, you can only contact him through one channel. He's an outsider, and when your clients see him coming to ask for these things, they'll definitely think you're up to something, so they won't suspect anything else."
I stared at him, my teeth itching with hatred.
Old Hao clapped his hands and shouted, "Xiao Gu, the phone!"
Goodbai walked in with a cell phone. Old Hao handed the phone to me and said, "As Brother Qin said, no tricks allowed. You have two hours."
I picked up the phone. To be honest, calling this number would have alerted anyone—the hero, the Four Heavenly Kings, Xiuxiu… But the old traitor pressed his ear against my ear, so I had no choice but to dial Yan Jingsheng's number. As always, Yan Jingsheng answered the phone amidst his busy schedule: “Hello.”
I said, "I am Xiao Qiang." At this moment, not only the old traitor, but also Lao Hao and Gu Debai poked their heads over.
Yan Jingsheng asked, "Principal Xiao, is there anything I can help you with?"
I tried my best to convey the nuances of my voice to him: "I have a list here now, listen carefully, collect all the items listed on it and send them over later, I'll let you know the location later..."
After I finished recounting everything Qin Hui had brought out, Yan Jingsheng said responsibly, "I remember those weapons you mentioned; they've been stored in the warehouse all along. But what's the meaning of asking Teacher Zhang and the others for 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' and 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion'?"
I pretended to be very impatient and said, "Just go and ask for it, don't ask any more questions."
I had hoped that this tone would pique his curiosity, but to my surprise, this bookworm remained polite and said, "Okay, I'll get on it."
After I hung up the phone, Lao Hao, who hadn't noticed anything amiss, finally breathed a sigh of relief and said to Gu Debai, "Keep an eye on him, let him make another call in a bit, then deliver the stuff to the destination as planned, and I'll go take care of our departure tonight."
After Lao Hao left, Gu Debai sat at the table and said to me with a smile, "You'd better get all those things together within an hour, or I'll kill one of your friends for every half hour of delay. Even if I don't order my brother Jamie, he'll do it anyway. Although he's my own brother, I have to say, he's inhuman."
I remained silent, my face grim. The initiative was entirely in their hands, and we were cut off from the outside world. All I could hope for was that they took the goods and left; everything else could wait, after all, human life was the most important thing. But I knew they were a ruthless bunch, and it seemed they were preparing to flee to another place. Whether they would try to wipe us out after taking the goods was anyone's guess.
Just then, I heard an angry woman's voice from next door shout, "I told you long ago, forcing me won't work!"
I looked at Goodbai and asked, puzzled, "Your Mafia even forces women into prostitution?"
Goodbai chuckled, "Oh right, I almost forgot, the neighbor next door is also an old friend of yours. You can go see her. If it's convenient, please try to persuade her for us." Goodbai winked at the big guy, and the third-degree black belt then escorted me next door.
There were also two foreign guards here; it seemed Old Hao had brought everyone over today. In the center of the room, a woman paced back and forth excitedly, her face full of anger. She was voluptuous and dressed in an expensive business suit; it was Chen Kejiao.
She turned her head, and our eyes met. We both exclaimed in surprise, "It's you?" Then, almost simultaneously, we asked, "What are you doing here?"
I was the first to realize what was happening and said with a wry smile, "Looks like we're in similar situations. You were also captured?"
Goodbai said slowly, "Neither of you expected to meet in such a setting, did you?"
I turned around sharply and said, "Why are you arresting her! Her family used to own antiques, but they were all sold off later." I don't know why, but I just can't stand seeing women suffer. Baozi was kidnapped twice with me, but she's my wife. As for Chen Kejiao, I can say I didn't owe her anything before, but this time it's different. She was exposed because of my contact with Lao Hao. Although she seemed to be plotting against me at the time, and although I didn't know who Lao Hao was, I still felt a sense of guilt.
Goodbai said, “We know about her family selling off antiques, but to be honest, we’re not interested in those ordinary, aged bottles and jars. We’re not middlemen, otherwise we would have just bought them directly. As far as we know, the Chen family has an ancestral jade Guanyin, which was a lucky charm worn by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of your Ming Dynasty. While Zhu Yuanzhang was alive, this Guanyin never left his side, and after his death, it was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple until the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Later, we don’t know how it ended up in the Chen family. This Guanyin can be said to be the most precious treasure in the entire Ming Dynasty, and that’s what we want. Moreover, we don’t intend to take it by force, but unfortunately, Miss Chen won’t even name a price.”
It seems Chen Kejiao's misfortune wasn't because of me; the Mafia had their eyes on her all along. Hearing this made me feel a little better, and I said to Chen Kejiao, "Just sell them that broken Guanyin statue. What time is it? Your family's short of money, aren't they? Why don't you ask for a billion or two hundred million? If you really like Zhu Yuanzhang's stuff, just take something and I'll have him keep it for a couple of days before giving it to you, okay?"
Goodbai clapped his hands and said, "See, this is what it means to have a clearer perspective from the sidelines. If Mr. Xiao had this awareness in his own affairs, things would be much easier for us."
Chen Kejiao glared at me and said resolutely, "No, even if the Jade Guanyin were in my father's hands, I would not sell it. Unless our Chen family is wiped out, this treasure will never fall into other hands."
I whispered, "Stubborn." I always thought Chen Kejiao was a bit opportunistic, but I never expected her to be so stubborn.
Goodbai said coldly, "In that case, your Chen family will soon be wiped out." I shuddered.
Goodbai told Chen Kejiao, "You still have time before Mr. Xiao's things arrive."
I innocently replied, "What does this have to do with me?" Damn it, look at my fate with Chen Kejiao. Today I'm destined to make up for all the bad things she did to me before.
Chen Kejiao ignored Gu Debai and stared at me coldly, asking, "What exactly is your relationship with them?"
"Watch this—" I said, pretending to leap towards the door. Everyone inside pulled out guns and pointed them at my head. I walked back and said, "See?
Even though it was a critical moment, Chen Kejiao still burst out laughing at my joke.
Goodbai snorted and said, "Mr. Xiao, your time is running out."
I waved my hand and said, "Then let us be alone for a while. Even death row inmates get a good meal before they die."
Goodbai glanced at his watch and instructed the big guy, "Bring him back in five minutes." Then he walked out.
I asked Chen Kejiao to sit down, and then I sat down next to her and asked, "How's business lately?"