Liu Jin paused for a moment, then said, "Wait." With that, Liu Jin turned and walked upstairs.
Another young shop assistant looked at the three people standing in the shop with a somewhat fearful expression. He knew some of what had happened and was worried that these three might be here to seek revenge on the boss. Probably not. Aren't they afraid of the police?
Xu Zhengyang strolled around the shop counter with ease, looking at the items. He seemed like a customer intending to buy two antiques.
Chen Chaojiang stared coldly at the shop assistant, making the assistant even more apprehensive.
Yao Chushun looked somewhat nervous. He was wondering what was written on the piece of paper Xu Zhengyang had handed to Liu Jin. If he really saw Zou Mingyuan, should he listen to Xu Zhengyang and slap Zou Mingyuan across the face? It wasn't that he was afraid Zou Mingyuan would retaliate and he would suffer a loss, after all, Xu Zhengyang was there, and there was also Chen Chaojiang, whose skills were comparable to legendary martial arts masters. Yao Chushun was worried about what would happen if Zou Mingyuan called the police. Breaking into Tianbaozhai and assaulting someone would at least warrant some detention, right? What would happen to Guxiangxuan's business?
A moment later, Liu Jin hurried down the stairs, his eyes full of doubt, and said, "The boss wants you to go to his office."
"I knew it..." Xu Zhengyang chuckled, turned and walked towards the stairs, calling out as he turned back, "Don't just stand there, come on up."
Chen Chaojiang patted Yao Chushun on the shoulder, and then the two of them went upstairs together.
In Zou Mingyuan's office on the second floor.
Zou Mingyuan watched Xu Zhengyang and the other two walk in with a gloomy expression, then waved his hand and said, "Sit down."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and walked to the sofa, then gestured for Yao Chushun and Chen Chaojiang to sit down as well. After Chen Chaojiang pushed Yao Chushun to sit down with one hand, he did not sit down himself, but stood next to Xu Zhengyang, coldly staring at Zou Mingyuan, as if afraid that Zou Mingyuan would suddenly pull out a gun to threaten Xu Zhengyang.
"Tell me your conditions," Zou Mingyuan said with a stern face and a tone that was both serious and hateful. However, behind his gold-rimmed glasses, there was a hint of unease in his eyes that was not easily detected.
Xu Zhengyang smiled, tilted his chin up at Yao Chushun, and said, "Is it too much for Master Gu to want to beat you up to vent his anger?"
Zou Mingyuan was stunned. This was the condition? It was too...simple, wasn't it? It was too...insulting.
Seeing Zou Mingyuan looking lost in thought, Xu Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry for him to agree. He smiled, lit a cigarette, and slowly smoked it while watching Zou Mingyuan, waiting for his reply.
"Xu Zhengyang, there's no deep-seated hatred between us, is there?" Zou Mingyuan suddenly said fiercely.
“It wasn’t like that before… but it started the day before yesterday.” Xu Zhengyang was still smiling, showing no signs of him talking about life-or-death matters; it was more like a casual conversation. “You know what’s going on, right?”
Zou Mingyuan sighed and said, "That matter really has nothing to do with me."
"Well, let's say that's how it is." Xu Zhengyang nodded and said, "But the grudge between you and Master Gu needs to be resolved, right?"
"What grudge do I have against him? He's just making things up." Zou Mingyuan glared at Yao Chushun, adjusted his glasses, and said, barely suppressing his anger, "Ever since his misfortune, let him tell me for himself how I've treated him. Over the years, I've always helped him and taken care of him... In the antique business, who doesn't know that? But he heard some rumors from somewhere and started repaying kindness with enmity, making things difficult for me and opposing me at every turn..."
Xu Zhengyang waved to stop Zou Mingyuan from continuing. The smile on his face had disappeared, and he said calmly, "Saying all this is useless. Right now, I just want to beat you up to vent my anger. What? My request isn't too much, is it? You're getting a good deal."
"Xu Zhengyang, don't go too far!" Zou Mingyuan slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily.
So you mean there's no room for negotiation?
Zou Mingyuan gritted his teeth and said nothing more, glaring fiercely at Xu Zhengyang. After a long while, he finally spat out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Keep your word."
"Of course." Xu Zhengyang smiled again, turned to look at Yao Chushun, and laughed, "Master Gu, go ahead and give him a good slap."
"Huh?" Yao Chushun hadn't recovered from his confusion yet.
“Go ahead, Boss Zou has already agreed. Go, beat him up.” Xu Zhengyang gestured to Zou Mingyuan, “Beat him as many times as you want, just don’t kill him.”
Yao Chushun was still stunned, finding it hard to believe. How could this be? Zou Mingyuan just agreed to let someone slap him across the face?
"Useless." Chen Chaojiang said coldly.
Yao Chushun gritted his teeth, straightened his hunched posture from the sofa, stood up, and walked towards Zou Mingyuan's desk.
Zou Mingyuan glared at Yao Chushun with malice, as if to warn him with his eyes that he would pay the price for what he was about to do.
Looking at Zou Mingyuan's fair face and his vicious, threatening eyes, Yao Chushun cast aside his initial fear and doubt, replaced by a deep-seated hatred for Zou Mingyuan. He still remembered how he had valued Zou Mingyuan's diligence and intelligence, and liked his quick wit, understanding, and obedient nature. He had sincerely taught Zou Mingyuan how to identify and appraise antiques, constantly raising his salary and giving him bonuses... enabling a poor boy who hadn't even graduated high school and was otherwise useless to learn the knowledge and experience that so many people in the antique industry longed for. Yet, this very person whom he trusted implicitly, who even treated him like family, and who had never hidden anything from him, had stabbed him in the back, ruining his entire family and his entire life!
"Smack!"
Yao Chushun raised his hand and slapped Zou Mingyuan hard across the face, leaving a clear red handprint.
"Smack!"
Another slap.
Then, Yao Chushun suddenly went berserk, raising both hands and slapping Zou Mingyuan's face repeatedly.
Zou Mingyuan's gold-rimmed glasses were knocked off, but Zou Mingyuan didn't even try to dodge. He just raised his head, staring fiercely at Yao Chushun, letting Yao Chushun slap his face repeatedly.
Seemingly, beating him still wasn't enough to vent his anger. Yao Chushun quickly moved from in front of the desk to behind it, standing beside Zou Mingyuan and slapping him repeatedly. His triangular eyes were bloodshot, gleaming with a chilling red light, as if he were about to bend down and bite Zou Mingyuan's face, neck, and ears at any moment.
finally……
Yao Chushun was exhausted from the fight. His once bright red, triangular eyes regained their composure, revealing a deep weariness.
He stopped what he was doing, turned around, lowered his head, hunched over, making his thin figure appear even shorter. He ignored Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang and walked out the door alone.
"Yao Chushun..." Zou Mingyuan shouted viciously.
Yao Chushun stopped, turned his head, and looked calmly at Zou Mingyuan.
Xu Zhengyang had already stood up, ready to leave.
"Xu Zhengyang." Zou Mingyuan's mouth was stained with blood, and his swollen cheeks pushed his eyes, making them appear much smaller.
Xu Zhengyang looked at him calmly, waiting for him to say what he would say next.
"Fortune's wheel turns, and mountains and rivers may meet again..." Zou Mingyuan squeezed out this word through his teeth.
Xu Zhengyang smiled mockingly and said, "Zou Mingyuan, have you been beaten senseless? Why are you saying such unnecessary things?"
After saying that, Xu Zhengyang turned and walked out, and casually put his arm around Yao Chushun, pulling him out as well.
Chen Chaojiang followed behind, his left hand twirling the gleaming dagger, his expression grim as he backed out the door and gently closed it behind him.
Inside the room, Zou Mingyuan sat behind his desk, his eyes, narrowed by the pressure, filled with boundless hatred. His once neatly combed hair was now disheveled, making him look rather unkempt.
Suddenly, Zou Mingyuan's eyes widened, and the hatred that had filled his mind vanished instantly. He remembered what he had just said, Xu Zhengyang's mocking smile as he left, and Xu Zhengyang's words, "Are you out of your mind? Why did you say that unnecessary thing?"
In an instant, Zou Mingyuan felt dizzy, as if the house, no, the entire building, Tianbaozhai, was about to collapse.
Zou Mingyuan abruptly stood up, pulled out his keys, and rushed to the safe. His teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding, and his eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a murderous and resolute gaze. Trembling, he opened the safe and pulled a gleaming black pistol from the bottom compartment. Zou Mingyuan jumped to his feet, turned, and strode out after him.
The safe was open, and inside was a dark, golden seal, square in shape, about the size of a palm, with a menacing golden dragon crouching on it, about eight or nine centimeters thick.
As he walked downstairs, Xu Zhengyang turned to look at Chen Chaojiang.
Chen Chaojiang nodded with a stern expression.
The three stepped out of Tianbaozhai. Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was exceptionally clear and high, as clear and bright as an overturned jade bowl.
Yao Chushun followed beside Xu Zhengyang, looking somewhat dejected and puzzled, and asked, "Zhengyang, what did you write on that piece of paper?"
Xu Zhengyang smiled, took out his phone, dialed a number, and held it to his ear. While waiting for the other end to answer, he calmly smiled and said, "It's very simple. There are only three words written on it—'Qin King's Seal'."
Yao Chushun froze, a look of shock flashing in his triangular eyes.
The Qin King's Seal, a national first-class cultural relic, has recently appeared in countless television news programs and newspapers and magazines of all sizes. The reason for the sensation is that this relic was stolen at gunpoint less than 24 hours after its excavation, while being transported to a museum, shocking the entire nation.
According to some rumors, this priceless treasure has been smuggled overseas.
"Stop! You all stop right there!"
Amidst their angry shouts, Yao Chushun and Xu Zhengyang turned to look into Tianbaozhai.
Zou Mingyuan, his face swollen like a pig's head, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, his eyes bloodshot, and his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, charged down the stairs wielding a gleaming black pistol.
Chen Chaojiang stood like a pine tree on the side outside the glass door, the sharp dagger in his left hand no longer spinning.
The glass door was smashed open, and Zou Mingyuan rushed out, raising his pistol and shouting angrily, "I'll kill you all!"
A cold glint flashed through the air like a shooting star, and a dagger instantly appeared on the back of Zou Mingyuan's right hand, which was gripping the pistol. However, the sharp blade of the dagger was stuck in the back of his hand.
Amidst screams and cries of pain, the pistol fell to the ground, without even a chance to fire the first shot.
Chen Chaojiang's slender figure flashed and then crashed heavily into Zou Mingyuan. As Zou Mingyuan was thrown into the air by the force, Chen Chaojiang reached out and grabbed his arm. With a pull and a twist, he turned his body and slammed Zou Mingyuan four or five meters away with a bang.
Immediately, Chen Chaojiang followed up and stepped on Zou Mingyuan.
Xu Zhengyang ignored Zou Mingyuan, who was screaming and cursing like a madman, and said into his phone, "Zhijun, send a few of you to Tianbaozhai. The Qin King's Seal is in the safe in Zou Mingyuan's office."
"What?"
"The Qin King's Seal," Xu Zhengyang repeated before hanging up.
Liu Jin and the young shop assistant ran out of Tianbaozhai. The young shop assistant's eyes were full of fear, and he stood at the door without daring to move, while Liu Jin angrily bent down to pick up the pistol that had fallen to the ground.
Unfortunately, before his hand could even touch the pistol, Xu Zhengyang, who had already walked up to him, kicked him in the chin.
Liu Jin cried out in pain and fell backward to the ground, his head slamming heavily against the thick glass door.
Xu Zhengyang calmly picked up the pistol, turned around, smiled at the people watching around him, and said, "Everyone saw it, the gun belongs to Zou Mingyuan."
The surroundings were silent, and everyone's eyes were filled with fear, unease, and shock.
Xu Zhengyang, pistol in hand, walked over to Zou Mingyuan, who was being trampled on the ground by Chen Chaojiang and screaming and cursing wildly. He said in a low voice, "You've committed too many sins..."
In fact, Xu Zhengyang only learned that the Qin King's Seal was in Zou Mingyuan's hands in the early hours of the day before yesterday. His previous confidence that he could make Zou Mingyuan completely willing to be humiliated and then completely ruined was just because he thought that after he became a judge, he would have a way to deal with him.
But I never expected this to happen. It truly proves the saying: "Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot."
So who can we blame?
Volume 3, Judge Chapter 107: A Young Boss with Quite a Demeanor
As the saying goes: every path has its own rules, and every profession has its own regulations.
Although the antique trade is rife with hidden dealings, there's a line that cannot be crossed. Clearly, Zou Mingyuan crossed that line, so even if Xu Zhengyang hadn't intervened this time, Zou Mingyuan's fate was already sealed; it was only a matter of time. That same day, Zou Mingyuan and Liu Jin were arrested, Tianbaozhai was shut down, and all the antiques in the shop were confiscated…
Subsequently, a major cultural relic smuggling case worth as much as 50 million yuan came to light, and the case of the theft of the Qin King's Seal in Anxi Province was also quickly solved.
A province-wide crackdown on cultural relic smuggling was subsequently launched.
The antique market was subjected to rigorous investigations, and three antique shops were shut down...
Of course, these are all things that happened later in the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The day after Zou Mingyuan's arrest, with the Mid-Autumn Festival just two days away, Xu Zhengyang received a call from his younger sister early in the morning. She said she was coming home for the festival the next day, and that Ouyang Ying and Diao Yishi would be joining her. This puzzled Xu Zhengyang. His sister coming home for the festival and reuniting with family was certainly a good thing, but what were Ouyang Ying and Diao Yishi doing there? It wasn't that he wasn't welcome, but it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Instead of spending the festival with their own family, they were going to travel thousands of miles to someone else's house – that seemed a bit ridiculous.
Of course, despite any doubts in one's heart, one should still express welcome verbally and logically.
On the practical front, things need to get moving. Time is tight and the task is heavy, and we have to consider our sister's feelings. The new house is built and has a roof, but the walls and floors are damp, so it's not time for renovations yet. The old house is dilapidated; while not unbearable, it's not presentable either. But there's no other way. Since she's coming, she can only stay at our house for a few days; we can't exactly have her stay in a hotel, can we?
So after Xu Zhengyang called home to let them know, he prepared to launch a large-scale procurement campaign in Fuhe City.
Furniture is a must, but I can't buy anything too fashionable to decorate the house; it would clash with the old house and look pretentious. So Xu Zhengyang considered buying some classically elegant furniture in light colors, to decorate the house so that, although it was old, it exuded the simple and elegant charm of the countryside.
Xu Zhengyang's mother, Yuan Suqin, shared the same mindset.
I'd heard that my daughter had a very wealthy girlfriend in Beijing who treated her exceptionally well. Since she was coming to visit for the Mid-Autumn Festival, shouldn't we give her a proper welcome? Of course, the main consideration was also my daughter's reputation. If it were before, when our family was poor, we wouldn't have been able to afford it, but now that we're wealthy, we naturally want to make a good preparation. I suppose it's because our family is financially comfortable now that Xu Rouyue agreed to invite her classmate over?
So Xu and his wife started a thorough cleaning of their home, throwing away anything they could...