You're in a dilemma. Remember, you hired me, Wen Zichuan...
Wen Duo lives in a remote farmyard in the southern suburbs of Dengyuan.
The address provided by Leng Sui could not even be found using the navigation. Fortunately, Cheng Sizhou could speak the local dialect, so he was able to find the location from the nearby residents.
Wen Zichuan's face was full of contempt. His scumbag father was like a rat from beginning to end, hiding and lurking. He assigned Cheng Sizhou to do all the most dangerous and difficult tasks. It was simply hateful.
Cheng Sizhou was carrying a lot of bags and had to look up to find the house number.
He could see Wen Zichuan's reluctance, and he almost dragged him a few steps toward the gate.
The winter air was cold, and there was only one wintersweet tree in full bloom in the yard, growing out from over the wall, its yellow petals translucent and its fragrance lingering.
"Zichuan, look, the plum blossoms are blooming so beautifully!" Cheng Sizhou had to find a way to coax him. Since he was already here, he had to get things done first.
"Isn't plum blossom a flower of noble character? Planting it in his yard is such a irony!" Wen Zichuan hated the flowers and plants here so much that he couldn't like them either.
Cheng Sizhou knocked on the door, and Wen Duo was very enthusiastic. He said "rare guest, rare guest" while personally boiling water and making tea.
For fear of angering the young master, Cheng Sizhou did not dare to be too polite and told Wen Duo all the clues he had found recently in a concise manner.
"Thank you for your help." Wen Duo held the pot and waited for Cheng Sizhou to finish his drink before refilling his glass. "Since you have already found out that 'Tian Xiang' is the mastermind, then I don't need to hide my identity anymore."
"Why?" Wen Zichuan asked, "Could it be that you...?"
"I'm 'Tianliang'." Wen Duo's eyes were calm. "I'm the second person to join Nandou."
"Nandou" is not a gang or organization, but a chat group formed by a group of antique lovers after the rise of the Internet.
Wen Duo said that the original intention of establishing Nandou was to appraise antiques. The type, quality and completeness of each item will affect the price.
If the bid is too low, the seller will suffer a loss; if the bid is too high, the property cannot be sold.
After all, not everyone is as lucky as "Two Sheep in Pujiao" who met a big money sponsor who must buy it and was willing to spend 500 million to get it.
"The big brother who founded Nandou is also the group leader 'Tianfu'. We first met in a forum and admired each other. He said that some good stuff was not convenient to make public, so he wanted to find a few knowledgeable people to discuss it together." Wen Duo was eager to gain Destin's trust and secure the position of the leader, so he joined Nandou without thinking too much.
"Do you know all the six people in Nandou?" Cheng Sizhou asked.
"Although the antique market has always been relatively active, in China, the boundaries between antiques and cultural relics, especially unearthed cultural relics, are relatively vague. Selling cultural relics in China is also illegal. Therefore, Nandou tacitly does not reveal its identity and only regards it as a medium for sharing and communication."
Previously, Cheng Sizhou had two guesses about Nan Dou, but Wen Duo's statement has ruled out the "joint crime by multiple people" possibility. The mysterious Nan Dou turned out to be just an exchange group for enthusiasts.
"Since the six of you can join the same group, you must have something in common, right?" Wen Zichuan asked, "Are there any conditions for joining the group?"
"Yes, they are either of Chinese descent or Chinese people," Wen Duo explained. "At first, the group used English to communicate, but many technical terms were too difficult to translate. The eldest brother was too bothersome and suddenly said something in Chinese. Unexpectedly, everyone knew it, so later on, Chinese was the default language for chatting."
"Anyone who can speak Chinese and is interested in antiques can join the group. How could Nan Dou only have six people? There must be at least 6,000 people, right?"
"There should be one more condition, but I'm not sure if I'm right."
"What conditions?"
"You have to have money."
Wen Duo was not aware of this at first, but he had observed the speeches of several other members and was able to infer their approximate identities from their speaking style and attention preferences.
For example, "Tianji" is very concerned about whether the shape of the object is smooth and beautiful, and his judgment on the value of antiques is more inclined to aesthetics. Wen Duo guessed that he might be engaged in an industry related to art.
For example, "Tiantong" is very concerned about whether the kit is incomplete. He doesn't talk much and is very rigorous. He will only say a few words when it comes to "heavyweight" matters. Wen Duo guessed that he may have an official background.
Anyone who is accomplished in both fine arts and antique appreciation must be either rich or noble; not to mention those with official backgrounds, as power and money are inherently a two-in-one relationship.
"Mr. Wen, how long has Nandou been established? When did you join the group?" Cheng Sizhou asked from a different angle.
"About seven or eight years ago. I remember that at that time, the forum was not doing well, and many fans were moving on. After I joined Nandou, the others should have joined one after another."
"Where is Tianxiang? When did Tianxiang join?" Wen Zichuan was so anxious when he heard him speak slowly.
"Hmm... I don't remember clearly, it seems to be two years ago. Qi Sha was around that time." When mentioning Qi Sha, Wen Duo suddenly smiled, "Besides Tian Xiang, I think you should also be interested in Qi Sha."
"Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us what you know!" Wen Zichuan had no patience at all for his father.
"It was only after I returned that I found out that the last of the Seven Killers to join Nan Dou was actually your boss, Wei Jing."
"Mr. Wei?" Wen Zichuan was a little surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, it made sense. "Mr. Wei does fit the bill: he can speak Chinese, is interested in antiques, and is wealthy."
"Mr. Wei was so enthusiastic. After just a few casual chats in the group, he showed great interest in me and asked me to meet him in person to appreciate antiques. At the time, I was planning to return to China, but I was unfamiliar with the place, so I thought it would be more convenient to have Mr. Wei's help."
Cheng Sizhou asked, "If you and President Wei can switch to private communication, is it possible that other people in the group have also communicated privately?"
Wen Duo shook his head: "I don't know about this, but Nan Dou's principle is to try not to reveal your identity."
Wen Zichuan and Cheng Sizhou sorted out their thoughts and decided that what they needed to do now was to identify the true identity of "Tianxiang". Once they had solid evidence, they would notify the police to arrest him.
But Nandou is just a communication group for enthusiasts, with people from all over the world. As cautious as Zhang Hongliang is, it is impossible for him to take the initiative to establish private relationships with other members under the premise of not revealing his identity. That would be too dangerous.
"Can we join the group?" Wen Zichuan asked, "We can join the group first, and then find Tian Xiang to chat with him. Is that okay?"
"Will he even pay attention if you talk to him?" Wen Duo's haughty attitude resurfaced. "Rather than going through all that trouble, why not let President Wei give it a try? Everyone has seen his enthusiasm, and Tian Xiang won't be suspicious."
"Aren't you and President Wei good friends?" Wen Zichuan glanced at him, "Why don't you go find him?"
"He's your boss, so of course you two are closer." Wen Duo had no idea what to do with his son and immediately looked at Cheng Sizhou. "Besides, I've waited long enough. It doesn't matter if it's a day earlier or later. Don't you agree, Mr. Cheng?"
As the father and son were chatting, they seemed to be arguing again. Cheng Sizhou was caught in the middle and couldn't persuade either side.
But he knew that Zichuan had his own difficulties.
First, as an employee, it is not right to order the boss around; second, President Wei had "persuaded" Zichuan to separate in person last time, and although he agreed, he must have felt uncomfortable.
"How about this, after the New Year, I will visit Mr. Wei in person and ask him for help. Mr. Wei is a businessman, if he is unwilling, I will negotiate the conditions with him, and an exchange of interests is always possible." Cheng Sizhou thought about it and decided that this was the best way.
"Why?!" Wen Zichuan's anger flared up upon hearing this. "Don't think I don't know. You came back this time for the same reason as when I was seven years old. You also want to know the truth. But you didn't do anything and just sat there waiting for us to find clues for you? Don't you know how dangerous Dragon Ridge Mountain is?! You let him go alone. Are you a fucking human being?! Do you have any humanity?!"
"Zichuan! Don't talk to your father like that!" Cheng Sizhou was afraid that he couldn't control himself, so he quickly held his hand.
"And you!" Wen Zichuan pushed him away. "Why do you have to take all the blame on yourself? Are you stupid or foolish? You're like this, and you're going to negotiate with President Wei. Last time he asked you to break up with me, what about next time? If he asks you to get out of here and never show up in front of me again, will you agree?!"
"No, Zichuan, how could I possibly trade something like this?"
"I don't believe you anymore, Cheng Sizhou! You always consider this and that, but you don't care what I think!"
Wen Zichuan ran out after yelling. The cup of tea in front of him had already gone cold, but he hadn't even taken a sip.
After returning home that day, Wen Zichuan locked himself in the room. No matter how Cheng Sizhou coaxed or persuaded him, he just refused to come out.
"Zichuan, I was wrong," Cheng Sizhou said anxiously, wishing he could find a piece of durian peel to kneel on. "I was too arbitrary. I should have discussed it with you first, listened to your ideas, and then went to see President Wei..."
There was no movement in the bedroom, and his tone became increasingly weak: "Come out and eat something, okay? Once you're full and have energy, you can scold me or hit me..."
The sky gradually darkened, and Cheng Sizhou had finished all his words of apology and begging for mercy.
He wanted to find something to do to wait for Zichuan to calm down and come back later, but it seemed as if all the strength in his body had been drained away and he couldn't move at all.
He sat on the ground close to the door, thinking of the many times he was left behind. The airtight loss was like a dense high-voltage power grid, causing every inch of his skin to feel a prickly pain.
He didn't know when this torture would end. He only knew that as long as Zichuan was willing to forgive him, he would be fine immediately.
I was in a daze for two or three hours, and suddenly, the cell phone rang.
Wen Zichuan sent him a message: "Will you sleep together tonight?"
Cheng Sizhou's hands were shaking as he typed: "Yes! We want to sleep together."
"I can't get in. Do you know how to get in?"
"You bought the new door and lock. I don't dare to pry them open."
"You try it."
Although the master never taught me how to pick locks, every craftsman knows some unconventional tricks, right?
Cheng Sizhou pulled out a piece of wire from somewhere, inserted it into the keyhole, and tried it while turning the handle. As soon as he turned the handle, the door opened.
Wen Zichuan was furious and looked at him like a fool. Only then did Cheng Sizhou realize that the door was closed but not locked at all.
"You, you left the door open for me?"
"You've endured a lot of hardships, and you don't need me."
"Zichuan, you are so nice...!"
"Don't give me that! I'm just asking you, when will you learn to take the initiative?"
"It's not that I'm not taking the initiative, I'm just afraid, afraid of you..."
Wen Zichuan thought about it seriously and realized that Cheng Sizhou was not the "cowardly, timid and useless" person that others said he was. He was very meticulous and thoughtful in every aspect of life, and he could handle things even when faced with difficulties.
The only thing he has been blamed and suppressed too much is his feelings, so I can only help him untie his knot step by step, and let him stop waiting and do whatever he thinks.
"I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"
"Zichuan, I..."
Cheng Sizhou saw him raise his hand to unbutton his shirt, and his mind buzzed, and all his thoughts were cut off.
He carried the man onto the bed and overlapped him. The weight of the two people made the mattress sag deeply.
"Whatever tricks you have, use them all."
"Remember, you were the one who recruited me, Wen Zichuan!"
The kiss and overwhelming pleasure fell together. Even if the sky fell and the earth collapsed at this moment, they would not give up.
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