Uninvited guests from the Metaphysics Association
The financing plan for the "Koi is Coming" APP ultimately ended with Yu Jinli winning by a narrow margin and Feng Jinxuan winning by a complete victory.
She secured the investment she had been dreaming of, at the cost of relinquishing some management rights and gaining a "super administrator" boss with the highest authority.
Yu Jinli has a good attitude towards this.
So what if her data is being monitored? Anyway, she's running a legitimate business, and she has nothing to fear.
Most importantly, if the money is right, everything is negotiable.
Having resolved the major issues in their careers, the two were finally able to deal with the "time bomb" they had dug up from the construction site—the stun nail.
Following Yu Jinli's advice, they needed to seek help from a professional organization.
This organization is the legendary [Yuncheng Metaphysics Association].
The following afternoon, a low-profile black Phaeton drove into Yuncheng's most famous antique market.
The car stopped in front of a narrow, paved road that was off-limits to vehicles.
"Boss, the association is inside, and cars can't get in," Assistant Wang said.
Feng Jinxuan and Yu Jinli got out of the car.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and the antique market was bustling with people, filled with stalls and vendors' cries, brimming with the lively atmosphere of everyday life.
Yu Jinli looked around curiously, feeling like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.
Feng Jinxuan seemed oblivious to everything around him. His well-tailored bespoke suit and aloof demeanor clashed with the bustling atmosphere, attracting considerable attention.
"Boss, have we come to the wrong place?" Yu Jinli looked at the stalls selling fake antiques with some doubt. "How could such an important association be located in such a... well, down-to-earth place?"
"The most dangerous place is the safest place," Feng Jinxuan said calmly. "Let's go."
Following the address given by Assistant Wang, the two wandered through the maze-like alleys for seven or eight turns before finally finding an inconspicuous shop in the most inconspicuous corner.
The shop has a small storefront with a faded wooden plaque bearing three characters in seal script: 【解忧斋】.
There were several stalls selling used books at the entrance, and an old man with white hair was wearing reading glasses and leisurely reading a newspaper.
By all accounts, it looks like a used bookstore that could close down at any moment.
If it weren't for the small bronze plaque hanging at the entrance that read "Designated Office of the Metaphysics Association," Yu Jinli would have definitely thought that Assistant Wang's navigation was malfunctioning.
The two pushed open the door and entered.
A unique aroma, a blend of aged ink and mugwort, wafted towards me.
The interior of the shop is surprisingly spacious and hidden.
It looks small from the outside, but the interior space is enormous. Rows of towering, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves divide the space into small sections. The bookshelves are filled with various thread-bound ancient books and books related to metaphysics.
An elderly man in a gray robe, with gray hair and a serious face, was sitting behind the counter, holding a magnifying glass and carefully examining an ancient copper coin.
He is Zhou Wenyuan, the current president of the Yuncheng Metaphysics Association.
Hearing the noise, Zhou Wenyuan looked up and adjusted his reading glasses.
When he saw Feng Jinxuan, a barely perceptible hint of rejection flashed in his slightly cloudy eyes.
"This is a restricted area of the association; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter." His voice was like an unpolished stone, dry and harsh.
“President Zhou,” Feng Jinxuan said, clearly recognizing him, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, “I am Feng Jinxuan. I am here today to ask the association for help with an important matter.”
"President of the Feng Group, our humble abode in the world of metaphysics cannot accommodate a great figure like you." Zhou Wenyuan's tone was clearly distant and unwelcoming. "We cannot interfere in business matters. President Feng, please leave."
This old man has quite a temper.
Yu Jinli secretly grumbled to herself.
Feng Jinxuan wasn't angry. He simply took a box wrapped in a special lead box from Assistant Wang and placed it on the counter.
"What if this matter is related to the 'Demon Nail'?"
The moment the words "煞钉" (sha ding) were uttered, Zhou Wenyuan's expression finally changed.
He suddenly stood up, staring intently at the lead box, his eyes filled with shock.
"What...what did you say?"
Feng Jinxuan opened the lead box.
The jet-black stone, exuding an ominous aura, lay quietly on a red velvet cushion.
Even from a distance, Yu Jinli could feel that the stone was constantly emanating a chilling malice that made her heart tremble.
Zhou Wenyuan's expression became more solemn than ever before.
He put on a pair of white gloves, carefully picked up the stone, and examined it for a long time, turning it over and over.
"Such a vicious method... This thing hasn't appeared in Yun City for at least ten years." He muttered to himself, then looked up, his gaze sharp as he looked at Feng Jinxuan, "Where did you get this thing?"
Feng Jinxuan briefly recounted what had happened at the construction site.
After listening, Zhou Wenyuan fell into a long silence.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, his brow furrowed.
Just then, a lazy, sleepy voice came from a room in the inner room that had a sign that read "Advisor's Room".
"Hey Lao Zhou, what's all the fuss about? It's just a piece of broken rock that's been spiked, why are you making such a fuss?"
Before he finished speaking, the bamboo curtain in the room was lifted.
A young man wearing a faded T-shirt and flip-flops, with hair as messy as a bird's nest, yawned as he walked out.
He looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a handsome face, but two huge dark circles under his eyes, and he exuded a kind of "I'm not awake yet, don't mess with me" kind of lazy vibe.
Yu Jinli looked at him and felt that he looked somewhat familiar.
Isn't this the perennial lurker on the forum whose profile picture is a salted fish and whose ID is "Just Want to Lie Down"?
How did he end up here?
"Chu Xiu!" Zhou Wenyuan was furious when he saw him. "What time is it? You're still sleeping! The association hired you as an advisor, not as a doorman!"
The man called Chu Xiu picked at his ear, completely ignoring the chairman's roar.
He strolled leisurely to the counter, glanced at the "inauspicious nail," and then turned his gaze to Yu Jinli.
He looked her up and down, and a strange light suddenly flashed in her previously sleepy eyes, as if she had discovered some interesting toy.
“Oh,” he said lazily, a playful smile playing on his lips, “isn’t this a… wild, still-developing little koi?”
He actually saw through her constitution at a glance!
Yu Jinli was shocked and subconsciously took a step back.
"Old Zhou, I know about this." Chu Xiu ignored the shocked Yu Jinli and waved to Zhou Wenyuan. "Leave the things here, you can leave. Come back in three days to get the results."
His tone was so casual, as if he were dismissing two door-to-door salespeople.
Zhou Wenyuan seemed to have great faith in him, nodded, and then dismissed Feng Jinxuan and Yu Jinli.
"We have accepted the items. This matter is of great importance, and the association needs time to investigate. Please return now; we will notify you when we have the results."
Feng Jinxuan wanted to say something, but Yu Jinli secretly tugged at his sleeve.
She shook her head at him.
She could sense that this seemingly unreliable "lazy bum" in front of her was actually a true master.
The faint aura emanating from him was far stronger than that of the rigid Chairman Zhou.
The two had no choice but to leave first.
Just as they were about to leave the shop, Chu Xiu, who had been leaning against the counter yawning, suddenly called out to Yu Jinli.
"Hey, you little koi fish."
Yu Jinli turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Chu Xiu strolled over unsteadily, pulled a crumpled business card from his pocket, and stuffed it into her hand.
The business card only had the name "Chu Xiu" and a phone number printed on it; there was no title.
“The aura about you… is quite interesting,” he said lazily, but his eyes gleamed. “If you ever have any trouble that even your boss can’t handle, you can come to me.”
He paused, then revealed a shrewd, businessman-like smile.
"I'll give you a 20% discount because we're in the same industry."
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