Gao Jianfei nodded in satisfaction. In the parking space below the Liangmuyuan Cafe, he spotted a striking red BMW. It was quite unique. In a city like Guangzhou, such a BMW seemed exceptionally prestigious! And the BMW's license plate was from the capital. A thought subconsciously surfaced in Gao Jianfei's mind… "Could the female referee sent by the Song family be driving this BMW?"
The young couple stepped into Liangmuyuan Cafe.
It was afternoon, and there weren't many guests. Gao Jianfei's gaze swept over the sparsely seated guests in the hall.
Suddenly, Gao Jianfei's eyes lit up!
A woman in a pink suit sat by the window. She was young and beautiful. Gao Jianfei only caught a glimpse of her profile.
A delicate profile. Tender, fair skin. She sat there, and Gao Jianfei estimated her height to be around 1.68 meters, not as tall as Chen Xian, but not by much. Her figure wasn't the slender type like Chen Xian's. Relatively speaking, she was more voluptuous, or to put it simply, more "fleshy." But she wasn't fat; rather, she was truly full-figured. For example, her breasts were incredibly alluring. And those legs encased in black fishnet stockings were truly… a wild, alluring temptation that blurred the lines between sexiness and intellect!
Her overall demeanor was somewhat languid and relaxed, ethereal and free-flowing, like a white cloud.
The customers in the coffee shop, both men and women, were all staring at her with wide eyes. The owner and staff were also watching her intently.
Some people had already started gossiping privately... "No way? Are you sure you're not mistaken? How could it be Song Ying? She's a famous TV presenter, a beautiful presenter, how could she come to a small city like ours?"
"But it really does look alike!"
"Huh? Could it be that the person sent by the Song family is her?" Gao Jianfei wondered to himself.
Just then, the woman gracefully picked up the pink phone from the coffee table and made a call. Soon after, Gao Jianfei's phone rang.
"It really is her!" Gao Jianfei didn't answer the phone and walked straight towards the woman. Chen Xian started to feel a little nervous and followed closely behind, holding Gao Jianfei's hand.
As she walked up to the coffee table, the woman instinctively turned around, giving Gao Jianfei a direct view...
Beauty!
A stunning beauty!
There's no need to elaborate on her facial features; what's truly captivating is her eyes, which sparkle with wisdom.
"Hello, I'm Xiao Gao, Gao Jianfei." Gao Jianfei greeted her politely.
The woman slowly stood up and extended her right hand to Gao Jianfei. "Hello, Song Ying." As she extended her hand, there was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes, her gaze deeply fixed on Gao Jianfei's pupils.
Gao Jianfei heard the woman's voice... just like on the phone, slightly hoarse, full of captivating magnetism. Very beautiful, very beautiful.
At this moment, Chen Xian covered her mouth and said, "Ah? You...you're Song Ying? Song Ying, the beautiful host of the treasure appraisal program on Beijing TV?"
Gao Jianfei was shaking hands with Song Ying, finding her hand quite pleasant, soft and boneless. Suddenly, he heard Chen Xian's exclamation, and Gao Jianfei instinctively froze... "Xiao Xian, you...you know Miss Song?"
"Jianfei, you don't recognize her?" Chen Xian continued in surprise. "The moment I saw her, she looked very familiar, and then, listening to her voice, I... I really suspect that she is the beautiful host Song Ying." At this point, Chen Xian turned her gaze to Song Ying, with a questioning tone in her eyes.
"Oh, hello, I'm Song Ying. The Song Ying who hosts the treasure appraisal show." Song Ying smiled slightly at Chen Xian, then subtly withdrew her hand from Gao Jianfei's and shook hands with Chen Xian. "You are...you're Mr. Gao's girlfriend?"
After saying this, a strange emotion flickered in Song Ying's peripheral vision as she looked at Chen Xian with a peculiar gaze.
Chapter 194 I'm definitely rooting for Xiao Gao!
Chapter 194 I'm definitely rooting for Xiao Gao!
"I'm Jianfei's girlfriend, Chen Xian." Chen Xian introduced herself to Song Ying very proactively. She also looked at Song Ying with amusement, repeatedly pondering in her mind... "This woman, it really is Song Ying! The beautiful host of the treasure appraisal program on Beijing TV! She's practically a celebrity. What is she doing in this small city all the way from the capital looking for Jianfei?"
Gao Jianfei was also a little suspicious... "What beautiful female host? The Capital Television Station?" To be honest, he didn't watch TV much, especially not treasure appraisal programs; he didn't like them and had no interest in them. Therefore, he had never actually seen this so-called beautiful female host!
Song Ying pondered repeatedly in her mind… “Heh, interesting. This Xiao Gao doesn’t seem to know me? How interesting! And he already has a beautiful girlfriend. But this ‘Chen Xian’ looks like nothing more than an ordinary urban white-collar girl. How could she possibly be worthy of Xiao Gao, the gambling king ranked 51st in the world? Perhaps Xiao Gao is just playing around! Just toying with this silly girl ‘Chen Xian’. Besides, Grandpa asked me to collude with two gambling masters, ‘Xiao Gao’ and ‘Shen Hong,’ to choose one of them… Heh, the women of the Song family are truly commodities for power and money! Humph!”
The three of them, each with their own thoughts, then sat down.
Gao Jianfei was the first to speak, "Well then, Miss Song, today is my girlfriend, so let's not talk about work, let's just chat about my hometown, ZG City. This is your first time here, you must be very curious and excited about this city. I can tell you every detail of this city, every fun place, every delicious food." Gao Jianfei winked at Song Ying.
He didn't want to bring up gambling in front of Chen Xian. Chen Xian's father had been a gambler, treating her harshly from a young age and accumulating a mountain of gambling debts that Chen Xian, her innocent daughter, had to repay. Deep down, Chen Xian loathed gambling. Gao Jianfei didn't want her to live that kind of life of constant fear anymore.
"Heh," Song Ying chuckled lightly, exuding charm. But in her heart, she thought... "It seems this 'Little Gao' really doesn't recognize this beauty!"
It's important to understand that Song Ying's repeated thoughts weren't due to narcissism or a belief that the whole world should know her. Rather, it was because... she was indeed very famous.
As the saying goes, prosperous times call for collecting. China has made great progress and its economy is booming. Several years ago, collecting was already incredibly popular! Numerous antique markets have sprung up across the country, and appraisal programs generally enjoy high viewership. Song Ying, who studies ancient Chinese literature and history, is definitely not just a pretty face as the host of the capital's appraisal program. Her extensive knowledge, unique insights, and incisive commentary make her the undisputed queen of appraisal program hosts nationwide! Her voice, comparable to a radio announcer, and her looks and figure, rivaling those of a major star, contribute to the appraisal program's viewership being more than ten percentage points higher than similar programs! It's said that her fee has reached over one million RMB per episode!
A celebrity, an absolute celebrity!
Even Chen Xian would occasionally look at Song Ying with surprise and admiration.
Gao Jianfei, however, remained oblivious. "By the way, Miss Song, let me tell you, our ZG City Dinosaur Museum is the largest in all of Asia. It has all kinds of dinosaur fossils that can immerse you in the ancient wilderness and allow you to fully experience the desolate atmosphere of the Jurassic period..." Gao Jianfei began to boast.
Song Ying simply smiled faintly. She was calm and seemed uninterested in the 'dinosaur museum'.
That's true. Someone like her, who has traveled the world and visited many of China's famous tourist attractions, isn't particularly interested in museums in small cities like China.
“Heh, Mr. Gao, they’re really just some fossils. Although they have important archaeological significance, I…” Song Ying shrugged, “Excuse me, Mr. Gao, I’m being blunt. I don’t mean to look down on your hometown. On the contrary, I’m very interested in it now.” As she spoke, a hint of fervor shone in Song Ying’s eyes.
Gao Jianfei asked, puzzled, "Miss Song, this... I find this very strange. The only decent tourist attraction in my hometown is the dinosaur museum. You even seem to look down on that? Then, may I ask, what else in my hometown are you interested in? I think you're just being polite!"
Song Ying chuckled, "No, no, Mr. Gao, my personality has the straightforwardness and frankness typical of men from northern China; I don't beat around the bush. My interest in your hometown is because... well, there's someone there." She paused, her tone becoming somewhat hurried, "You must know, as the host of an appraisal program, I personally love cultural relics, calligraphy, paintings, and all sorts of antiques. Your hometown produced a painter, a great painter, who can create incredibly realistic forgeries of the works of the Ming Dynasty master Qiu Ying. Master Gao Jianfei! I've personally admired his painting of the Red Cliff; it's absolutely 99% similar to the original! I greatly admire Master Gao Jianfei, and he's from your city. Ah, Mr. Gao, if you know this great painter, could you please introduce me?"
"Huh?" Gao Jianfei was taken aback. "Well... when I introduced myself earlier, didn't I tell you that my name is Gao Jianfei?"
Suddenly, Song Ying's beautiful eyes widened in shock... "You...you're trying to tell me that you are...the painter Gao Jianfei?"
From the beginning, when Gao Jianfei introduced himself to Song Ying, Song Ying hadn't paid much attention. Subconsciously, she thought of Gao Jianfei as "Little Gao," a gambler. She only remembered the code name Gao Jianfei had given her in the World Gambling Association, ignoring his real name. Now, Gao Jianfei was emphasizing his name again and subtly hinting that he was the great painter Gao Jianfei, which completely shocked Song Ying!
“Yes, that’s me.” Gao Jianfei smiled. “It seems Miss Song has been giving me the runaround. Even when I first introduced myself, she wasn’t very interested. Heh.”
That look of astonishment lingered on Song Ying's face for several seconds. Being quite shrewd, she quickly recovered from the shock and clicked her tongue, "Truly...truly...I never expected this! It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Gao Jianfei!"
At this point, Song Ying's gaze towards Gao Jianfei held a different kind of emotion, more or less. Of course, this didn't mean she had fallen in love with Gao Jianfei out of admiration or anything like that. She simply felt admiration, surprise, and awe.
At this moment, Gao Jianfei thought that with Chen Xian next to him, it was really not appropriate to bring up the betting on the match with Song Ying. So, he smiled and said, "Miss Song, I'll treat you to dinner tonight and let you taste the unique local delicacies of ZG City."
"To be honest, I'd really like to have a meal with Master Gao Jianfei right now, to discuss his works and artistic sensibilities, but... I have plans for dinner with someone else. Master Gao Jianfei, let's talk another day." Song Ying glanced at Chen Xian out of the corner of her eye, a hint of helplessness on her face.
Gao Jianfei readily agreed and stood up. "Alright then. Miss Song, you go ahead with your work, I'll head home now. If anything comes up, we can keep in touch by phone or text."
Chen Xian also stood up and said goodbye to Song Ying.
Song Ying didn't try to stop them, and said goodbye to Gao Jianfei and Chen Xian with a smile.
After Gao Jianfei and his wife left, Song Ying gazed thoughtfully at Gao Jianfei's retreating figure and murmured, "This...this really is a genius. Not only does he have extraordinary achievements and talent in gambling, but he can also be the best in the world in traditional Chinese painting...It seems that he is even better than Shen Hong."
In fact, Song Ying had dinner with Gao Jianfei's rival, Shen Hong.
Her task was to thoroughly assess Gao Jianfei and Shen Hong. As a bargaining chip for her family's bet, Song Ying understood that she had to choose one of them—Gao Jianfei or Shen Hong—to invest emotionally. This emotional investment couldn't wait until after their match, because that would appear as currying favor with the winner.
She needs to make the right investments beforehand. At the very least, she needs to build friendships with the people she approves of.
After Gao Jianfei and Chen Xian returned home, although Chen Xian had many questions she wanted to ask Gao Jianfei, she ultimately didn't. Deep down, Chen Xian trusted Gao Jianfei. Moreover, when Gao Jianfei was talking to Song Ying earlier, he didn't act like a lecherous lecher; on the contrary, Song Ying was intimidated by Gao Jianfei's identity as a painter.
After dinner, Gao Jianfei received a text message from Song Ying… “Heh, Master Gao Jianfei, it wasn’t convenient to talk this afternoon. You seemed to not want your girlfriend to know about your gambling king identity. I understand. Also, to be honest, I really admire your achievements in painting. I think you are truly a genius! I’ve never been one to beat around the bush, and indeed, I admire you. As for your gambling skills ranking match with Shen Hong, the World Gambling Association has decided that it will be held tomorrow night at 8 pm at Sister Hong’s casino. Good luck, Master Gao Jianfei, I’m rooting for you! After officiating the match, I hope Master Gao Jianfei can be my tour guide and show me some of the famous tourist attractions in your ZG city. Alright, I won’t disturb Master Gao Jianfei’s rest any longer… Your fan, Song Ying.”
Looking at this text message, Gao Jianfei had to admit that Song Ying was indeed quite tactful in her dealings with people.
Gao Jianfei was unaware that Song Ying had sent this text message to Gao Jianfei after having dinner with Shen Hong and weighing the options between Shen Hong and Gao Jianfei.
During dinner, Song Ying and Shen Hong had a conversation and Song Ying roughly figured out Shen Hong's personality.
Narrow-minded, extremely ambitious, conceited, proud, and arrogant!
Moreover, Shen Hong became somewhat neurotic before the big battle.
He was nowhere near as composed as Gao Jianfei!
Although Song Ying is young, she has a keen eye for people. In her heart, she has already decided to dump Shen Hong!
Such a person is incapable of achieving great things!
In particular, after dinner, Shen Hong arrogantly said to Song Ying, "Miss Song, I know very well why you invited me to dinner. In fact, the Song family has been cultivating talented gambling experts and investing in them. Miss Song, please forgive my bluntness, but you are merely a bargaining chip used by the Song family to win over a genius like me! And I also know very well that only by relying on the Song family can I obtain a good platform for development; it's a win-win situation. The first time I met Miss Song, your temperament, appearance, speech, and refinement deeply attracted me. Miss Song, after I deal with Xiao Gao, I hope we can have a wonderful beginning."
Hearing these extremely narcissistic words, Song Ying almost vomited. She simply said calmly to Shen Hong, "Excuse me, Mr. Shen, I think you're overthinking things. As the referee for this match, it's necessary for me to meet with you and Mr. Gao beforehand to get to know each other. As for the 'weight' you mentioned... I'm sorry, I'm not it!"
After saying that, Song Ying turned gracefully around and left indifferently.
"Hmph! Bitch!" Shen Hong said viciously, looking at Song Ying's beautiful back. "You want to be a bitch and also want to be a virtuous woman! What are you pretending for in front of me? You're nothing more than a gift delivered to my door by the Song family. Tomorrow night, after I defeat Xiao Gao, I'm afraid you'll willingly lie down in my bed and spread your legs for me! Bitch!"
After returning to her hotel, Song Ying sent a text message to her grandfather, Song Qian… “I’m definitely rooting for Xiao Gao!”
night.
Qingyan Cave Temple.
Eleven ice coffins were placed in front of the side room.
The first three ice coffins contained the corpses of three monks: Huiyuan, Huicong, and Huikang. Arrows that had pierced the throats of Huiyuan and Huikang remained lodged in their throats, and their hands were already rotting. Huicong's body was completely decayed and oozing pus; not a single piece of healthy flesh remained.
The eight ice coffins behind contained the frozen corpses of eight young monks, each with steel darts or iron spikes inserted into their throats.
Sister Hong, Zeng Jian, and a dozen armed bodyguards stood blankly in front of the coffins.
In addition, there were three oddly dressed individuals carefully observing the area around the coffin.
Of the three men, one was a monk with a large head. He wore a greasy, gray robe, looked to be around 50 years old, and was quite slovenly. He was also gnawing on a chicken leg in his right hand.
One was a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing an apricot-yellow robe, with a handsome face and a peach wood sword tucked into his back, the yellow tassel of which swayed in the night wind.
The next one was a woman, dressed in a black evening gown, adorned with jewels. She was actually quite beautiful, an elegant middle-aged lady, but on her left cheek was a striking red birthmark.
It can be said that these three people are all incongruous and exude an indescribable aura.
As a result, Sister Hong and the others dared not utter a single unnecessary word in front of them.
“Oh Amitabha, it seems we are a step too late… Alas, alas, my old friend Huiyuan, you really are… Alas, alas, what a tragedy, what a tragedy…” The big monk, who was gnawing on a chicken leg, shook his head repeatedly.
The middle-aged Taoist priest frowned and said to Sister Hong, "Please open all the ice coffins."
Sister Hong quickly waved to her subordinates.
Immediately, all 11 ice coffins were opened.
"Bring out the corpses," the woman with a red birthmark on her face sighed. "My old friend Huiyuan, last year you were still talking to me about love and romance. I never imagined that today, the living and the dead would be separated. Alas, it's truly tragic, pitiful, and hateful!"
Hong Jie's bodyguards, wearing rubber gloves, carefully lifted the 11 corpses to the ground and placed them down.
So the monk, the Taoist priest, and the woman with the birthmark squatted down and carefully examined the corpse.
"Everyone...everyone...Masters Huiyuan, Huicong, and Huikang were assassinated by a young man surnamed Gao. Before he died, Master Huicong insisted that I tell you all that you must take revenge! You must have your enemy executed by slow slicing and have all the women in his family raped!" Sister Hong reminded him.
The middle-aged Taoist priest said, "We have always been on good terms with Qingyan Cave Temple. You need not worry about this, female benefactor. We will definitely kill our enemies and appease the spirits of the monks of Qingyan Cave!"
"Qingquanzi, look at this. The opponent's skill with hidden weapons is truly impressive. And the arrow that pierced Huiyuan and Huikang's throats was incredibly powerful. It seems the opponent is indeed formidable!" The big monk clicked his tongue as he took a bite of a chicken leg.
"Don't worry." The middle-aged Taoist priest stared at Huicong's festering flesh. "Hidden weapons and arrows are nothing to worry about. After all, they're just external skills. No matter how well they're practiced, they can't hurt us. The key issue is that our opponent uses poison! Look, the bodies of our three old friends are already visibly decomposed. This shows that the poison our opponent concocted is extremely insidious. Now we must find out one thing... whether the poison our opponent used was personally concocted by him."
"Oh? Qingquanzi, is this poison something you concocted yourself? Is there some trick to it?" the woman with the birthmark asked, frowning.
"There's a lot to it!" Qingquanzi smiled slightly. "Madam Gou, you must understand that someone capable of concocting a poison that kills a master of internal martial arts is certainly not an ordinary mortal! To be honest, some poisons in the mortal world, such as rodenticides, dichlorvos, and strong pesticides, cannot harm a master of internal martial arts at all. With my friend Huiyuan's cultivation level, how could he possibly fear such a mere poison? Now, they have clearly died from poison, which means that the poison used by the other party came from some ancient sects or powerful families that specialize in the research of poisons. If the opponent obtained this poison by chance, or bought it at a high price, then it is not a concern; but if he concocted it himself, then things are a bit troublesome." After a pause, Qingquanzi said, "Master Jiese, Madam Gou, you must understand that ancient martial arts families capable of concocting medicines, whether they are skilled in concocting poisons or other tonics, are families that cannot be offended!"
Chapter 195 Jianfei, it's your turn to perform!