"Oh...that's why!"
Zhou Ziwei said nonchalantly, "I know it's not safe for you here. If I'm not with you, Mr. Qiao could take you back at any time. So... if you're also planning to leave Tengchong, I can take you with me. I can take you to Baoshan, or even all the way to Kunming... Of course... if you still have things to take care of, you don't necessarily have to come with me. I can have a friend look after you. With that person protecting you, even if Mr. Qiao is very powerful, he definitely won't dare to lay a finger on you. You can rest assured about that."
"Ah...no...that's not what I meant..." Luan Yuqing hurriedly explained, "What I meant was that I wanted to...want to stay by your side forever. Otherwise...otherwise, even if you bring me to Kunming, as soon as we separate, that Qiao Mulin will still immediately bring me back. I really know he won't let me go so easily. Even if you send me abroad, the result will probably still be the same. Or...the only safe place for me is to stay by your side."
"How could this happen?"
Zhou Ziwei was slightly taken aback. Although he had long known that after he rescued Luan Yuqing, Mr. Qiao would not give up easily and would likely continue to send people to follow Luan Yuqing for a while, he did not expect things to be so serious. Even if Luan Yuqing escaped abroad, Mr. Qiao would still bring her back.
Therefore, it is clear that Luan Yuqing must have something that Mr. Qiao desperately needs. Otherwise, Mr. Qiao, who is a man of some stature, would not be so entangled with Luan Yuqing over a woman or some grudge between them.
"What exactly did you take from Mr. Qiao? Why did he arrest you and take you back?"
Although Zhou Ziwei wasn't afraid of Mr. Qiao, he wasn't the kind of person who would blindly do good. He was willing to help Luan Yuqing, but he needed to know the background and consequences first. He would only consider helping Luan Yuqing if he was certain she deserved his help.
If Luan Yuqing really stole some treasure from Mr. Qiao... then Zhou Ziwei wouldn't help a thief for no reason, even if the thief is a mature and sexy woman.
"Okay! I'll tell you."
Luan Yuqing gave a wry smile and said, "I will tell you everything, but... it seems a little inconvenient to say it here!"
“Let’s talk about it when we get back to the hotel!” Zhou Ziwei nodded, knowing that Luan Yuqing definitely didn’t want too many people to know about her situation. After all, this was Gu Dongfeng’s home, and Zhou Ziwei felt a little uncomfortable staying here. So he stood up and said, “Then you wait here for a while, I’ll go check on Xiaofei first.”
"Hmm...Go ahead!" Luan Yuqing smiled slightly and said, "She's a good girl. I can tell she cares about you very, very much."
Zhou Ziwei gave a wry smile, said nothing more, and immediately turned and went to Liu Xiaofei's room.
As Zhou Ziwei reached the door, his keen hearing allowed him to hear Liu Xiaofei still sobbing softly inside the room. This made him feel very distressed. He stood silently at the door for a moment before raising his hand and gently knocking on the door.
As soon as there was a knock, the sobbing inside stopped immediately. Then Zhou Ziwei heard Liu Xiaofei get out of bed and walk to the door, but after waiting for a while, Liu Xiaofei did not open the door. Helpless, he had to push the door open himself.
The door wasn't locked, and Zhou Ziwei opened it easily with a gentle push. Immediately afterward, he felt a soft little hand wrap around his waist and pull him forcefully into the room. Then, he heard the door close behind him.
"Brother Wei...hold me tight..."
A soft, warm body nestled into Zhou Ziwei's arms almost immediately, and then his waist and back were tightly embraced by two delicate little hands, just like a drowning person suddenly grabbing a floating log, holding on with all their might, so tightly that Zhou Ziwei even felt a little suffocated.
Zhou Ziwei opened his mouth to say something, but immediately felt two soft, fragrant lips come close and kiss him tightly. Then, Dingxiang secretly slipped into his mouth, awkwardly yet bravely intertwining her tongue with his...
The kiss lasted for about five or six minutes before the two reluctantly parted, struggling to breathe.
Liu Xiaofei remained nestled in Zhou Ziwei's arms, like a child longing for her mother's embrace. She shyly raised her head, looking at Zhou Ziwei so close to her, gently biting her lip, and whispered, "Brother Wei, I...I can...can I come to Dangyang to see you in the future?"
Zhou Ziwei sighed helplessly and said, "Okay, but... you'd better not go in the short term."
"Why?" Liu Xiaofei asked somewhat unwillingly. She had originally planned to return to Kunming tomorrow, resign from the branch office, say goodbye to her parents, and immediately follow Zhou Ziwei without hesitation. Even if she didn't get any official status in Dangyang, even if she could only be Zhou Ziwei's mistress, as long as she could see Zhou Ziwei often and receive his affection, she would have no regrets.
But now Zhou Ziwei is telling her not to go for the time being, so her plan has to be put on hold.
She was willing to give up everything she had for Zhou Ziwei, but she didn't want to go against his wishes.
"Because it's very dangerous in Dangyang right now... so... you'd better not go there for now."
Zhou Ziwei's simple words immediately moved Liu Xiaofei to tears.
He didn't want me to go to Dangyang immediately because it was dangerous and he was afraid I would get hurt... So, he actually still cares about me a lot.
Women in love are easily moved and impulsive. Liu Xiaofei immediately said passionately, "I'm not afraid of danger, please let me be with you! I beg you."
However, Zhou Ziwei shook his head decisively and said, "No... No, you're afraid of danger. I'm afraid that if you come with me to Dangyang now, it will be hard for me to listen to me with peace of mind... You should stay in Yunnan for a few months and wait until the crisis is over. I will come back to Yunnan again then... If you still don't want to leave me, I will let you come with me."
Hearing Zhou Ziwei's words, which were tantamount to a promise, made Liu Xiaofei so happy that she almost fainted.
Although Zhou Ziwei only said that she could come along when the time came, without promising any official status, Liu Xiaofei was already very satisfied.
The only downside is that... we have to wait a few months before that happens.
That day, Zhou Ziwei stayed at Gu Dongfeng's house with Liu Xiaofei until late afternoon before leaving. During this time, the two inevitably couldn't help but have another "deep conversation".
Liu Xiaofei was a virgin, and her body was still quite immature. The second time, Zhou Ziwei lasted a little longer, so after they finished, Liu Xiaofei could barely get out of bed.
Anyway, since Zhou Ziwei had miscalculated and would be leaving soon after packing up at the hotel, he suggested that Liu Xiaofei simply continue staying at Gu Dongfeng's house and not go back to the hotel.
This way, Zhou Ziwei won't have to see Liu Xiaofei's sad face when they part ways again.
Before leaving, Zhou Ziwei formally bid farewell to Gu Dongfeng and told him that Li Yifeng would be mainly responsible for things in Tengchong from now on, but after the jadeite rough stone exchange was opened, Gu Dongfeng would have to help with many things.
After the houses are built over there, Zhou Ziwei will transfer a large sum of money, and then the jadeite rough stone exchange can officially start operating.
After finishing their business, Zhou Ziwei took his leave with Luan Yuqing and the elderly couple, Gu Dongfeng and his wife.
Zhou Ziwei was still driving that Audi sedan. He couldn't return the car to Wu Di yet; he had to drive it to Baoshan City and then fly there directly.
Just give Wu Di a call and ask him to send someone to pick up the car from the airport parking lot.
Luan Yuqing didn't sit in the passenger seat, but sat alone in the back, looking down at her toes, as quiet as a primary school student who had done something wrong. This made Zhou Ziwei, who had originally wanted to chat with her on the way, lose interest. The two of them barely said a word the whole way, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.
Fortunately, the road wasn't far, and we arrived at the hotel parking lot in no time.
Zhou Ziwei parked the car, opened the door, and got out with Luan Yuqing. He glanced around and saw several suspicious-looking people staring at him from different corners.
Zhou Ziwei snorted coldly. He naturally didn't care about these minor characters, and as long as they didn't make any obvious moves against him, Zhou Ziwei wouldn't bother with them.
Back in his room on the top floor, Zhou Ziwei didn't unpack his things first. Instead, he opened the refrigerator, took out two cans of chilled cola, opened one and handed it to Luan Yuqing. Then he gestured for Luan Yuqing to sit down on the sofa with him before asking, "Now that it's just the two of us here, you can tell me what's going on, right?"
Luan Yuqing nodded, first picked up her cola and took a small sip, then suddenly reached out and unbuttoned her shirt.
Zhou Ziwei was slightly taken aback when he saw this, but he didn't say anything. He just silently watched Luan Yuqing unbutton her shirt little by little, then take it off and throw it aside.
The weather here is quite hot, and the women don't wear many clothes. After Luan Yuqing took off the coat she had just bought from the clothing store, she was only wearing a white bra underneath.
Zhou Ziwei then noticed that the bra Luan Yuqing was wearing looked a bit worn and didn't seem like a new purchase.
Women's Boutique is a women's clothing store that sells everything from underwear to outerwear, including bras.
But Luan Yuqing didn't buy a new bra just now. Why is that? Was it to save Zhou Ziwei money, or...?
Luan Yuqing reached out and unhooked her bra from behind, but instead of taking it off completely, she blushed slightly, bit her lip tightly, and looked up at Zhou Ziwei, hesitant to speak.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Ziwei immediately understood Luan Yuqing's meaning, and quickly turned around silently, remaining motionless with his back to Luan Yuqing.
Luan Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief, her face flushing a brilliant red. Then, while cautiously watching Zhou Ziwei's back, she quickly pulled off her bra.
Suddenly, a pair of full, snow-capped peaks appeared like two happy white rabbits leaping out, dazzling the eyes with their whiteness.
Zhou Ziwei's heart started pounding uncontrollably. Although he turned away politely on the surface, having suffered greatly at the hands of women before, he was not about to unconditionally trust a woman he barely knew and so easily entrust his back to her.
So the instant he turned around, he released an invisible and intangible soul force, locking onto Luan Yuqing behind him, watching her every move in his place.
Of course... Zhou Ziwei did this only as a precaution. If he really wanted to spy, he could see through anyone's clothes anytime, anywhere. He wouldn't need to wait for the other person to take off their clothes. With his soul power scanning, he could naturally turn anyone into a naked person, so there was no need to spy like this...
Volume 1, Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 171: The Treasure Map Appears Again
Luan Yuqing took off her bra, and her pretty face turned even more flushed, as if she were drunk. She looked up at Zhou Ziwei, who was still sitting there with his back to her, motionless, and was so nervous that she almost stopped breathing.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but she didn't know that this deep breath caused her breasts, which were even fuller than Liu Xiaofei's, to heave violently. The sensory stimulation intensified, making Zhou Ziwei, who was "peeping" in front of her, feel itchy and his body react in a shameful way.
Luan Yuqing was completely unaware that her appearance was being observed by someone. After taking a few deep breaths and calming down a bit, she immediately reached for the bra she had just taken off. Then, she used her fingernail to pry open a small gap in one of the bra cups and then moved the thin underwire sewn to the edge of the cups back and forth between her hands...
When Luan Yuqing removed the thin "underwire" from her bra, Zhou Ziwei immediately realized that it wasn't a real underwire, but rather a highly elastic composite material made of carbon fiber. Moreover, under Zhou Ziwei's X-ray scanning, he could see that many words and patterns were drawn inside the thin, wire-like thing.
Zhou Ziwei had to admire Luan Yuqing. Not only did she hide a secret item inside her bra, but she even sewed it inside to replace the original underwire. If she hadn't taken it out herself, even someone like Zhou Ziwei, who had superpowers and could see through Luan Yuqing's entire body, would not have been able to spot any flaws in a hurry.
So this must be what Mr. Qiao was looking for, right? But Zhou Ziwei was certain, no wonder he hadn't found it after holding Luan Yuqing captive for several days… well, it would be strange if he actually found it…
Zhou Ziwei understood perfectly well, but he still pretended to be a gentleman and sat there without moving.
Luan Yuqing didn't dare to linger too long, fearing that Zhou Ziwei would lose patience and suddenly turn around. Moreover, the bra was missing an underwire to hold the cups in place, which severely distorted its shape, making it feel strange to wear. So, Luan Yuqing simply threw the bra aside and put on her outer garment.
After Luan Yuqing buttoned up her coat and carefully checked it to make sure there was no risk of exposure, she blushed and coughed lightly, barely louder than a mosquito's hum, saying, "Okay...okay...Mr. Zhou, you...can turn around now..."
Zhou Ziwei gave a soft "humph," feigning a stern expression. He turned around, deliberately avoiding looking at the bra Luan Yuqing had tossed aside, or the area where her nipples were faintly visible. He simply frowned at the wire-like object Luan Yuqing was holding, then leisurely picked up a can of cola from the coffee table, took a sip, and silently waited for Luan Yuqing to explain.
Seeing that Zhou Ziwei seemed completely oblivious to her nakedness and didn't show any lecherousness, Luan Yuqing breathed a sigh of relief. She then held up the wire-like object in her hand and explained to Zhou Ziwei, "This... is my hidden secret, and the reason Qiao Mulin went to such lengths to track me down. Because hidden inside is an immense fortune, so I can tell you with certainty... this... is actually a treasure map..."
"Pfft—" Zhou Ziwei, who had been appearing calm, immediately thought of the ridiculous "treasure map" he had hastily drawn up yesterday to fool Li Yifeng when he heard the words "treasure map".
He himself found the choice of such a lame excuse somewhat laughable, but he couldn't find any other excuse to conceal his X-ray vision, so he had no choice but to resort to such an old-fashioned method.
However, he did not expect that just one night later, another person would claim to have a "treasure map" to him. This shocked Zhou Ziwei so much that he couldn't help but spit out all the cola he had just drunk.
Fortunately, he wasn't facing Luan Yuqing directly at that moment, otherwise she would have gotten completely soaked. Moreover, Luan Yuqing was only wearing a very thin shirt on her upper body, and if she got wet... that would be quite a sight.
Seeing Zhou Ziwei's strong reaction, Luan Yuqing was startled and subconsciously withdrew her hand, hiding the wire-like object behind her back. She looked at Zhou Ziwei warily, her expression somewhat flustered.
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei quickly waved his hand and said to Luan Yuqing, "I'm sorry... don't be afraid, I didn't mean any harm... this... I just suddenly remembered something really funny, sorry... please continue... please continue..."
Luan Yuqing looked at Zhou Ziwei with some confusion, unable to understand why mentioning the treasure map would make Zhou Ziwei think of something so funny. However, she knew at this point that she had no way out. Even if Zhou Ziwei really wanted to keep the treasure for himself, she had no choice but to agree. After all, she had no other options now. If she didn't rely on Zhou Ziwei, she wouldn't even be able to leave the hotel.
Since she had no other choice, Luan Yuqing had no choice but to believe Zhou Ziwei.
Luan Yuqing then gave a wry smile, picked up the wire-like object that had been behind her back, and quickly rubbed it between her palms in front of Zhou Ziwei.
As Luan Yuqing rubbed faster and faster, a faint crackling sound came from her palm. Then, Luan Yuqing took the thing out of her palm, pinched both ends with her fingers, and stretched it out with force. The thin, wire-like thing immediately unfolded and transformed into a rectangular map as thin as a cicada's wing in the blink of an eye.
After Luan Yuqing unfolded the thing, she didn't dare to delay at all. She slapped it directly onto the coffee table, and the thin paper-like thing immediately stuck to the glass surface of the coffee table without curling back up.
Zhou Ziwei knew that the map was probably made using the principle of thermal expansion and contraction. When heated, it could expand and unfold rapidly, while when cooled, it would shrink completely into a thin roll.
Furthermore, since this map is made of composite materials, it can be definitively concluded that it is not something left over from ancient times, but rather a modern product.
In this day and age, would anyone still be so bored as to create a "treasure map"?
Zhou Ziwei felt that Luan Yuqing was unlikely to lie to him, but he had serious doubts about the authenticity of the so-called "treasure map".
“This…this is what my fiancé left me…” Luan Yuqing’s eyes reddened slightly as she spoke, and she sniffed hard to hold back her tears before continuing, “My fiancé is a member of a geological exploration team. He’s usually stationed in other places year-round. We met online, and although we rarely meet, our relationship has always been very good. If everything had been normal, we would have gotten married before the end of this year. But…not long ago, he suddenly told me in an online chat that he had found a treasure map and that he was going to become rich.”
Luan Yuqing shook her head slightly, a bitter smile on her face, and said, "I thought he was joking and didn't believe him. But then he swore he wasn't lying to me and told me that he had made a rubbing of the treasure map from a stone coffin that had been buried underground for who knows how many years while he was working in the field. The stone coffin wasn't buried in a tomb; it seemed to have been washed downstream by the river and covered by silt. After who knows how many years, the river changed course, leaving the stone coffin deep underground. It wasn't until my fiancé accidentally dug it up while he was surveying and collecting samples in the field. There were several people in his survey team, but no one noticed when they dug up the stone coffin. It was almost dark, so my fiancé casually said he was hungry and suggested we rest and eat immediately. That's how he managed to get away with it and prevent anyone else from discovering the secret."
That very night, my fiancé went there alone under cover of darkness and continued digging, unearthing all the stone coffins buried underground. He initially thought it might be an ancient tomb where he could make a small fortune, but when he dug out the coffins, they were completely empty, containing only silt and not even a skeleton. My fiancé was very disappointed, thinking that he had wasted his time. However, just when he had given up hope, he unexpectedly discovered that the inner wall of the stone coffin seemed to be carved with many strange patterns. At first, my fiancé thought that the inner wall of the stone coffin was carved with something like a mural, and he immediately perked up. If the mural could prove its age or have some artistic value, then the stone coffin itself could be sold as an antique.
"So my fiancé immediately and excitedly cleaned out all the silt from inside the stone coffin. When the patterns carved inside the coffin were revealed, he was surprised to find that they were not murals at all, but likely a structural diagram of a large ancient tomb. This discovery made my fiancé ecstatic; it was far more exciting than finding a worthless antique. So he found some tools and made rubbings of all the patterns carved on the stone coffin, and then destroyed the patterns inside the coffin. From then on, there was only one treasure map in the world in my fiancé's hands."
"Afterwards, my fiancé consulted a large number of classical documents and ancient maps with that map, and found that the ancient tomb on the map was very likely located on the border between China and Myanmar. Moreover, the owner of this ancient tomb was probably not Han Chinese, but likely a king from a prosperous period of Myanmar, and it should not have been excavated by anyone before. This made my fiancé even more excited. He knew that if it were the tomb of a king of another small country, there might not be much valuable stuff inside, but it was different for the king of Myanmar. Myanmar has been rich in jade since ancient times. In ancient times, many sacrificial items in the Myanmar court were carved from the purest jade. So once the tomb of a Myanmar emperor was excavated, even if there were not many gold and silver burial objects, there would definitely be a lot of jade. And now the price of jade is rising year by year. In ancient times, a piece of jade the size of a watermelon was not worth much money, but now, even if it is just a piece of jade of average quality, it is definitely enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime."
"However, after researching, my fiancé learned that the ancient tomb was built at the foot of a large mountain, with no ready-made exit to enter or exit. Moreover, there were many ancient mechanisms and traps inside the tomb, so my fiancé alone would definitely not be able to go in and excavate it. Therefore, he decided to cooperate with a very powerful distant relative to excavate the ancient tomb together."
Luan Yuqing sighed deeply at this point, saying, "I advised him beforehand, saying that people's hearts are unfathomable, and wealth can corrupt people's hearts. Faced with such potentially astonishing wealth, no relative or friend can be truly trusted. However, my fiancé completely disregarded my words, insisting that his distant relative was very loyal and would never cheat him, so... he came here. Although my fiancé listened to my advice and didn't give up the idea of cooperating with his distant relative, he still kept a backup plan. He cut out a small piece of the most important part of the treasure map, memorized it, and then sent that small piece of the treasure map to me. Then... he went to find his distant relative, and then... he disappeared without a trace..."
Luan Yuqing finally couldn't help but start sobbing softly. After a moment, she choked out, "I waited for a long time but didn't receive his call. By then, I already knew how things would turn out. Not long after, I received a call from his distant relative, who said that my fiancé had fallen into a valley and died while on a trip to the countryside. His body had been swept into a stream. He sent people to search for three days, but they only managed to pull two bodies from the stream, both with tattered clothes and unrecognizable faces. Because he wasn't very familiar with my fiancé, he couldn't tell which one was his body, so he called me specifically to ask me to come and help identify it."
"Of course I know this is a call trying to trick me into coming here. My fiancé was killed by his distant relative. That person only realized my fiancé must have taken precautions after discovering that the treasure map he was carrying was incomplete. Perhaps my fiancé wasn't discreet enough, or perhaps his distant relative had a lot of influence, managing to find my address and location through the mailed information, which is how he found me."
I knew that person had their eye on me. He suspected that my fiancé had left me with the key part of the treasure map, so even if I refused to see him, he would definitely send someone to capture me. Moreover, although my fiancé's distant relative was just a businessman, his family was very powerful, and his wife even had an uncle who had risen to the rank of vice minister.