Master Zheng stood in the living room, stealing glances at Yuan Tingchuan, who was sitting on the sofa drinking tea. He had just been brought here by bodyguards, and Mr. Yuan hadn't said a word. He couldn't help but say anxiously, "Mr. Yuan, I was forced to do this. The Qu family found me and forced me to cooperate with them. If I don't cooperate, my whole family will be in trouble. I can't really do anything about it."
"Is this the first time this has happened? Or the last time?" Yuan Tingchuan saw Master Zheng about to speak. His eyes flickered and he said slowly, "You'd better think it over before you speak."
Master Zheng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and said carefully, "A while ago, they got a Yuan Dynasty imperial blue glaze plum vase with cloud dragon pattern. It was said to be from an antique shop. They asked me to do an appraisal to prove it was from the Qing Dynasty. They had already arranged a buyer and the starting price was very low. Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened and the plum vase was bought by Mr. Du.
There's nothing else to say. I haven't worked with them for long, not even a month in total. Mr. Yuan, I'm telling the truth. You must save me, right?
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Tingchuan couldn't help laughing. He was the one who got such a good deal. What a clever little guy.
He looked at Master Zheng with a restrained smile: "The only one who can save you is you, not me."
Master Zheng understood that Yuan Tingchuan was telling him that what he had revealed was not enough and did not give others enough benefits to make a move.
Master Zheng weighed it over for a long time. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I tell you everything else, I'll really be dead. Mr. Yuan must first promise me that he will send my whole family abroad and ensure our safety. I also need some money. It doesn't have to be a huge amount, just enough for us to get by."
"That depends on whether the price you offer is high enough. No one wants to do a business that loses money, right?"
Master Zheng took a deep breath and said, "I learned my craft from my master. There are three of us brothers in the same school. I am not very good at it, so I came out to work as an appraiser to make a living.
My two senior brothers are skilled in craftsmanship and are both working for the Qu family. As far as I know, the Qu family made a batch of ancient pottery earlier, but later found that the sales were not very good. I don’t know where they found a master and started making bronzes. However, the bronze craftsmanship was complicated and the shipment speed was very slow. So they took a two-pronged approach, contracted a ceramic factory, and began to research pastel revolving bottles.
This matter has been going on for seven or eight years, but it has only started to show results in the past year. The business is very large, and several families have invested in it. They are said to be very powerful and have a considerable background.
Mr. Yuan, it's not that I, Zheng, am immoral, it's just that the waters here are too deep and I'm powerless to struggle."
Yuan Tingchuan sipped his tea from a covered bowl, his face calm, but his heart was stirring. Several families? That meant it wasn't just the Qu and Chen families involved; there was another, more hidden, big fish. Seven or eight years? This was a fully formed industrial chain, affecting the interests of more than just one person, or even just one family. This was a tricky matter.
Du Ruo stood at the door of the small flower hall next to her, and her heart was also in turmoil. She had never been involved so deeply in her previous life. She mainly ran a jade carving art studio. Although she also collected antiques, she could only be considered a half-insider and an amateur player.
She suddenly thought of An Ze. Once, when An Ze was drunk, he held her in his arms with trembling hands for the first time and kissed her cheek gently. As they kissed, a line of hot tears ran down An Ze's eyes. She could feel the sadness that permeated An Ze's body, so heavy and so sorrowful.
Du Ruo's heart began to beat violently. The Li family...
No, that's impossible. Anze is the type of person who would never do such a thing.
A voice in her heart whispered, "What about Li Anrui? He's an ambitious man. Faced with such huge benefits, wouldn't he be tempted?"
Was Ling Yun's death in his previous life related to them? Did the Li family...
Du Ruo felt cold all over. She walked numbly to the sofa and curled up in a ball. The air was so cold that she shivered.
Her previous life was not complicated. She came to H City with the pain of losing her son and did some simple carvings for people. She spent several years calmly honing her craft and finally became famous.
He used the money he earned to rent a house and opened a small studio. With his increasingly sophisticated carving skills, he made a name for himself and lived a free and carefree life.
She herself vaguely knew that the reason she lived such a carefree life was probably because of An Ze's protection. This man did a lot for her silently without saying anything.
What happened next?
An Ze's whisper of "I'm sorry" rang in my ears again.
Sorry for what???
After her rebirth, Du Ruo did not leave Linshan City, nor did she return to the place where she had struggled in her previous life to start a business. In fact, she felt a little uneasy, especially lacking a sense of trust and security, and she urgently wanted to become stronger and stronger.
A pair of strong arms held her in their embrace, and Du Ruo murmured, "An Ze."
This was a name that once made Du Ruo feel at ease, but now it is shrouded in mystery.
The man's strong palm with thin calluses forcefully turned her cheek, gnashing his teeth as he met her confused gaze: "Look carefully, who am I?"
Du Ruo's eyes welled up with tears as he pinched her, but she gradually regained consciousness. In her hazy vision, she saw a handsome face with a hint of determination. There was a hint of anger in her narrow eyes. Yuan Tingchuan...
Seeing her bright eyes gradually clear up, Yuan Tingchuan kissed her lips fiercely...
Surrounded by Yuan Tingchuan's surging and hot breath, Du Ruo let go of everything and let herself float and sink.
Du Ruo woke up in the early morning after an unexpectedly good night's sleep. A man's strong arm was around her waist. Du Ruo unconsciously touched her collar.
Yuan Tingchuan's vague voice came from my ears: "Do you think I'm a villain who takes advantage of others? Don't worry, you are innocent."
Du Ruo was speechless, looking at the man's naked upper body exposed outside the quilt, and then glanced at the clothes and pants thrown on the ground. Could she be blamed for this?
Any woman waking up in the morning and finding a naked man next to her would be wary, right? She didn't scream. She was already giving Mr. Yuan face.
Yuan Tingchuan buried his head in the pillow again and reached out to push Du Ruo away.
"Go to my room and get me some clothes. Call me when you come back. I want to sleep a little longer."
"Can't you just change into yesterday's clothes?"
"I've been wearing it all day, and I can't bring myself to do it."
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