"Brother, this isn't the military, why would we need so many people? Just assign me someone suitable first, and we'll see how things go later..."
Even the five fingers on a hand are of varying lengths, and the people who come from the military are of mixed quality. After all, the people left in the house must be people that you can trust. So you want to get one person over first, and if you get to know them well, you can ask Ouyang Lei for another person.
"Okay, I'll call him and have him process the discharge procedures ahead of time. He should be here in three to five days. You can take the test yourself then..."
Ouyang Lei had great faith in his soldiers, and the soldier was only given a contract after winning a prize in a major competition. He had also been borrowed by a special forces unit on the border for a year and had blood on his hands. Using him as a security guard for Zhuang Rui would be a huge waste of his talent. Of course, he wouldn't tell Zhuang Rui any of this.
After chatting for a while, Ouyang Wan and the others returned from their walk with the old man and woman. After seeing the two old men to rest, the big star, Jiang Ying, and Ouyang Wan also came to the courtyard.
Zhuang Rui seized an opportunity to pull his mother aside and whispered, "Mom, I have some errands to run the day after tomorrow morning. I wonder when my uncle and the others will be able to come?"
What are you busy with for the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Ouyang Wan looked at her son with displeasure, but then said, "Your eldest uncle is quite busy and won't arrive until tonight, but your second uncle will be here this afternoon. You must come back then."
Zhuang Rui knew that during holidays, leaders would visit and extend greetings. His eldest uncle was now in a high position and was about to take another step forward, so he couldn't leave any bad marks on him. His second uncle, on the other hand, was the vice governor of a province in the south, so he could arrive earlier.
"I understand, I promise I'll be back this afternoon."
Zhuang Rui smiled and agreed.
The next morning, Zhuang Rui drove his mother and Zhuang Min and her husband to the police station where Miao Feifei worked to retrieve the information on the stolen bronze artifacts. Then, he took everyone to his courtyard house. Ouyang Lei and his wife, who had nothing else to do, also went along. They were full of praise for Zhuang Rui's large house, and their little girl and the white lion were running around wildly in the yard, filling the spacious house with life.
After Ouyang Wan finished looking at the yard, she helped Zhuang Rui tidy up. She picked out the bedding that had been delivered yesterday and made it up in several rooms. Since her aunt was already doing the work, Ouyang Lei and his wife didn't dare to be idle. In the end, a whole group of people came to tidy up Zhuang Rui's room.
"You're really capable, little brother. You've built up such a business at such a young age. That's impressive."
After finishing their work, everyone sat in the garden pavilion. Jiang Ying praised her husband's younger cousin highly. Coming from a business family, she knew the value of the house and that Zhuang Rui had not relied on his in-laws' family but had built it entirely on his own.
"My son is great in every way..."
When talking about her son, Ouyang Wan was very proud, but what she said next made Zhuang Rui wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into: "He's just too honest and hasn't found a girlfriend yet. Xiaoying, do you know any suitable girls? You can introduce them to our Zhuang Rui."
"Mom, I was just telling you. Is your girlfriend in England?"
Zhuang Rui blushed deeply after his mother's words, and his ears even felt hot.
"What kind of girlfriend is she if she's not around? That girl may be a nice person, but she's always out. Is she really a good match for you?"
Ouyang Wan said dismissively that she had met Qin Xuanbing once, but at that time Qin Xuanbing was not very fond of Zhuang Rui, so she was not very enthusiastic, and Ouyang Wan did not have a deep impression of her.
"Aunt, don't worry. With my brother's character and abilities, he can find any kind of girl. I'll introduce him to someone later."
Women have always been very enthusiastic about matchmaking. After hearing Ouyang Wan's words, Jiang Ying couldn't wait to take out her phone and call all her relatives to see if there were any suitable girls.
"Hey Zhuang Rui, I heard from Xiao Jun that you're getting quite close to that girl from the Miao family. Was she the one who grabbed the girl outside the police station just now? What's going on between you two?"
Ouyang Lei also joined in the fun.
"Well, it's already noon. You guys sit here for a while, I'll go out and find a restaurant to order some food and drinks..."
Well, seeing that even Ouyang Lei had gotten involved, Zhuang Rui had no choice but to make an excuse and run away. He figured if he couldn't afford to offend them, he could at least avoid them. ...
Zhuang Rui, who had been verbally attacked by his mother and Ouyang Lei and others all day yesterday, stayed at his own house that day to avoid being bombarded by the women when he went back.
However, Zhuang Rui was still a little unaccustomed to his new place and couldn't sleep soundly. He simply lay on the bed and looked at the information he had obtained from Miao Feifei until he finally drifted off to sleep around three or four in the morning.
"Hello, who is this?"
Zhuang Rui felt like he had just fallen asleep when the phone rang. He looked up at the window, which didn't have curtains yet, and saw that it was still dark outside. His mood worsened.
"It's me. Why aren't you up yet? What if the black market people call? Let's discuss what to do then, shall we?"
Miao Feifei's voice came through the phone. She hadn't slept well all night either, but unlike Zhuang Rui, this violent woman had been holding back for too long. She was so excited about participating in an operation that she couldn't sleep. On a whim, she wanted to discuss the details of the operation with Zhuang Rui.
"What are you going to discuss? I just went to Taobao. Don't tell me about your cases. Are you ever going to stop? What time is it? If you can't sleep, go run around Beijing. Don't disturb my sleep."
Zhuang Rui is really angry. Even a good-tempered person can't stand this kind of harassment.
"You! Hmm, you can go back to sleep."
Miss Miao was about to get angry when she glanced at the alarm clock by the bed and saw it was only five o'clock. She stuck out her tongue and quickly hung up the phone.
"I made a bad choice in making friends!"
Zhuang Rui was on the verge of tears. This young lady was really too much trouble. He would definitely stay away from her in the future.
"Hello, is this Teacher Zhuang? This is Squid. Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up."
Zhuang Rui tossed and turned in bed until the starting point was reached, when he finally received a call from Mr. Squid.
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and gave an address near the minister's building. There were many ministers living there, so Squid probably wouldn't guess that there were also people from the Ministry of Public Security living there.
After getting up and washing up, Zhuang Rui drove to pick up Miao Feifei. The girl was waiting at the entrance of the community after receiving Zhuang Rui's call. Fortunately, she had eaten something at the entrance and hadn't prepared a portion for Zhuang Rui yet.
"Hello, Teacher Zhuang, I'm Squid. Please get in my car..."
The squid arrived quickly; Zhuang Rui hadn't even finished a basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) when a Nissan Bluebird pulled up beside him. The driver, a young man wearing a baseball cap, rolled down the window and greeted Zhuang Rui.
As a qualified salesperson, Squid had seen Zhuang Rui on TV before, so he recognized him at a glance. However, the couple in front of him both had dark circles under their eyes, so they must have had a lot of fun yesterday. Hmm, that girl has a pretty good figure and face.
If Miao Feifei knew about Cuttlefish's filthy thoughts, she would definitely not even handle this case anymore, and would absolutely beat Cuttlefish so badly that he couldn't take care of himself.
“Mr. Wu, I don’t think there’s such a rule. I have my own car; I can just follow behind…”
Zhuang Rui was taken aback by what the squid said. He got into the car, wondering what would happen if he was taken to the wilderness to be murdered for money. Although the black market had a good reputation, he still had to be careful. Besides, he was allowed to drive himself when he participated in the grassland black market last time.
"Teacher Zhuang, this is our rule here. You know, in this line of work, it's better to be safe than sorry. By the way, Teacher Jin, who participated in the folk treasure appraisal program with you last time, is here today too. If you're worried, you can give him a call..."
Squid had done this job more than once or twice, and knowing the concerns of these wealthy people, he quickly reassured Zhuang Rui. He had also seen Zhuang Rui and Fatty Jin become acquainted on TV.
"Is Teacher Jin going too?"
Zhuang Rui, still somewhat skeptical, pulled out Fatty Jin's phone number and dialed it. It turned out to be true; Fatty Jin had participated in countless black market transactions like this. He patted his chest on the phone and assured Zhuang Rui that he could get in the car without worry, which dispelled Zhuang Rui's doubts.
"Let's go, we have to finish before noon, we're busy today..."
Zhuang Rui took a briefcase from his car and then got into Squid's car with Miao Feifei.
Chapter 350 Protecting and Safeguarding
Inside the briefcase in Zhuang Rui's hand was 600,000 RMB, which he had withdrawn from the bank yesterday. He went to the black market hoping to find some things that others wouldn't notice; it shouldn't cost much. The black market certainly had some genuine antiques for sale, but if he wanted to buy those kinds of things, he might as well go to a legitimate auction house.
Squid, who had started the car, glanced at Zhuang Rui in the rearview mirror and said, "Mr. Zhuang, you're an expert in this field, you should know the rules. It's best to turn off your phone beforehand, or at least keep it on your own person..."
"Yes, I know..."
Zhuang Rui nodded, took out his phone, and pressed the power button. This black market in Beijing was indeed different from the one he'd participated in on the grasslands. On the vast grasslands, the organizers could use equipment to interfere with localized mobile communications, but in this densely populated area, if he couldn't get through, the customer service lines for China Mobile and China Unicom would probably be overwhelmed with calls.
Actually, there are also some jammers with a very small range of influence, but the black market organizers don't use them. Firstly, they rely on their own backing, and secondly, the guests participating in the auction are carefully selected, so there are generally no problems.
"Hey, ma'am, could you please turn off your phone too?"
Squid glanced at Miao Feifei again in the rearview mirror, swallowing hard. This girl was really fair and tender. After finishing this business today, he definitely had to find a girl to relieve his pent-up desire. He couldn't afford to go to Heaven on Earth, but there were plenty of girls hanging out in the bars over Houhai. Squid had already planned his nightlife for the evening.
"Am I old? Call me 'Big Sister'? If you want to call me... never mind, call me whatever you want..."
Miao Feifei was very unhappy with what the squid said, but these days calling someone "Miss" is even more offensive. Miao Feifei thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable word, so she turned her head to the side and sulked.
"She's just a prostitute, yet she acts like she's a virgin..."
Squid curled its lip in disdain. Even a fool could guess that Miao Feifei wanted him to call her "Miss." However, in Squid's heart, he was filled with envy for Zhuang Rui. There were different levels of "Miss" too. If that girl in the back went to work at a nightclub, she would definitely be the top courtesan.
If Zhuang Rui knew what the squid was thinking, he'd laugh his head off. Sending a policeman to work as a prostitute—how could this guy even come up with that idea?
While chatting idly with Squid, the car skillfully navigated the streets of Beijing. Squid took mostly side streets with little traffic. Zhuang Rui, unfamiliar with Beijing, didn't bother to look at the road and closed his eyes to rest.
To be honest, being woken up at five in the morning is a very immoral thing to do, but Zhuang Rui couldn't argue with Officer Miao. This woman is sometimes unreasonable, and with the dual identity of woman and police officer, she is even more unreasonable.
"Hey, why are you going in circles? Are you taking advantage of the fact that I'm not from Beijing?"
Zhuang Rui was just about to drift off to sleep when he was woken up by Miao Feifei's clear voice. He opened his eyes and glared at Miao Feifei. If you're going to be a mistress, you should act like one. What kind of arrogant mistress is this?
"Hey, ma'am, it's still early. I guarantee you two will be there by eight o'clock sharp."
Squid glanced at his watch. It was only 7:40. He figured that after another round of driving, it would be almost time. But he was also a little puzzled. This "Miss" had a rather bad temper. He secretly looked up at Miao Feifei, and Squid's heart started to burn again. "Damn it, she looks so devastating. If it were me, I would accept her bad temper."
"Well, Mr. Wu, I don't care what time you arrive, I have to leave by noon. I have guests at home in the afternoon."
Zhuang Rui opened his eyes and glanced at the squid, then closed them again and pretended to sleep. Although he had spiritual energy that could heal fatigue and pain, he couldn't cure sleep deprivation.
"Teacher Zhuang, don't worry, it definitely won't delay your business..."
Despite the squid's assurances, the car continued to circle around Beijing. Miao Feifei, sitting next to Zhuang Rui, also became bored, yawned, and closed her eyes. This made the squid even more convinced that the two adulterers had done something wrong yesterday.
"Teacher Zhuang, ma'am... ma'am, we've arrived. Please get out of the car..."
After hearing the squid's sound, Zhuang Rui opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by complete darkness. There were some small light bulbs in the distance, but the light was dim. Upon closer inspection, he realized he was in an underground parking lot.
"Okay, let's go. Hey, wake up! Now you know you're sleepy? How come you were so energetic yesterday?"
Zhuang Rui shoved Miao Feifei beside him in annoyance. "How can someone like this be a criminal police officer? She has no vigilance at all. If she encounters human traffickers, she might be kidnapped and sold to some remote mountain village to be the wife of a mentally challenged person."
Actually, Zhuang Rui was wrong about Miao Feifei. She knew that this mission was not dangerous, and with Zhuang Rui by her side, she naturally felt relaxed. If they really fought, even someone as big as Zhuang Rui might not be able to beat her. The reputation of the "savage policewoman" was not for nothing.
"Ah, we've arrived?"
Miao Feifei rubbed her eyes and got out of the car.
"Damn it, don't flirt here..."
Squid was quite annoyed by the two of them. Zhuang Rui's words made him think about what a woman would look like when she was in high spirits. Squid's eyes darted around and took in Officer Miao's curvaceous figure.
To be honest, Miao Feifei really dressed up today. She wore a round-neck, fitted long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. Her round, high hips and slender waist, combined with her face, which had the typical features of a mistress from Jiangnan, made Zhuang Rui's heart burn with desire when he first saw her.
"Gentlemen, please. Our antique academic exchange meeting will start promptly at 8:10. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to enter."
When Cuttlefish saw Miao Feifei get out of the car, she actually had the leisure to comb her hair in the rearview mirror, so Cuttlefish quickly urged her to hurry up.
"This...this is a hotel?"
Led by the squid, the three entered the elevator in the parking garage. Zhuang Rui then noticed that the signboard on the elevator prominently displayed: "XXX Hotel Welcomes You." What surprised Zhuang Rui the most was that he knew this hotel; not only did he know it, but he had also drunk a pot of Pu'er tea there and paid for someone else's meal.
Miao Feifei was also shocked, her mouth agape. She hadn't expected that the people who organized this black market would be so audacious as to set up the venue right across from their police station. The hotel was only separated from the station's gate by a road, less than thirty meters away.
"Mr. Wu, there's a police station right across from your hotel!"
Zhuang Rui tentatively said that he had only been to this hotel once before and was afraid that he might have misremembered.
"Hey, Professor Zhuang, you know this hotel too? Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Our academic conference needs the police to protect us..."
Squid chuckled, saying what he thought was very humorous, but he didn't see that Miao Feifei behind him was already gritting her teeth in anger. Wasn't this blatantly insulting the police in front of everyone, implying that they were incompetent?
Zhuang Rui finally understood. These people were trying to hide in the dark. The closer they were to the police station, the less likely the police would suspect them. However, this required a lot of courage. If anything went wrong, they would all be arrested.