Manager Hu and Fatty Chen left, their arrival solemn and their departure casual.
He was an exceedingly proud man. Had Fatty Chen been the primary contributor to this matter, he would have praised him grandly.
However, as things went contrary to his wishes, he was naturally displeased.
Patting Ye Fan's shoulder, Old Li chuckled, "It's fine. Manager Hu is just like that. Don't take it to heart."
Although there were no outsiders here, Old Li and Ye Fan still maintained an amiable demeanor.
They had planned to escape tonight. Old Wang was unaware, not because Ye Fan didn't want to bring her along.
It was because Old Wang's personality made Ye Fan uncertain. Not to mention him, even Old Li, despite working with her for many years, still couldn't fathom Old Wang's true nature.
In fact, he had never even learned about Old Wang's identity.
This old man always maintained a calm, almost terrifying composure.
Therefore, it was better to have fewer complications. Ye Fan would not easily take risks.
Everything would be decided after he escaped. If Old Wang's background was truly unproblematic, he would naturally recruit her.
Ye Fan nodded with a smile and lowered his head to continue examining the calligraphy and painting in his hand.
...
As night fell, perhaps because high-quality items had finally been developed here, Manager Hu was in high spirits. He drank with Fatty Chen until late into the night, and both fell asleep drunk.
With no one to supervise, the guards naturally became lax. The night was deep, and they had found places to doze off.
Ye Fan, Old Li, and Dongzi were all traveling light, carrying only simple belongings in small bags.
"Go to the warehouse and set a fire. Those items that were fired cannot be allowed to enter the market. It's best to destroy them all."
Ye Fan instructed in a deep voice. The antique market in Jiangnan City was in chaos. If these items entered the market, they would likely stir up a huge storm.
Dongzi nodded and quickly left to carry out the task.
After these days of interaction, Dongzi had already come to regard Ye Fan as his master.
Both his appraisal skills and his meticulous mind had earned Dongzi's admiration.
Therefore, whatever Ye Fan ordered, Dongzi would execute without hesitation.
Ye Fan and Old Li crept to a low wall, waiting for Dongzi there.
About ten minutes later, a raging fire erupted from the warehouse.
The flames soared into the sky, instantly alarming everyone there.
Screams, shouts, and curses filled the air.
Manager Hu and Fatty Chen, sleeping in their respective rooms, were awakened by the clamor outside.
"What happened?"
Fatty Chen roared. A subordinate rushed in, panting.
"Boss, something's gone wrong, the warehouse is on fire."
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he panted, his face etched with fear, as if afraid Fatty Chen would vent his anger on him.
"What did you say?"
Fatty Chen sprang up, grabbed the subordinate's collar, his eyes blazing with anger, as if he wanted to devour him alive.
The subordinate trembled, his body shaking.
"B-Boss, it's true, the warehouse is on fire. Our men are already fighting the fire. You should hurry and wake Manager Hu. If anything happens to him, we'll be held responsible."
The subordinate still had his wits about him, his first thought being of Manager Hu.
Although the warehouse fire might cause irreparable losses, compared to Manager Hu's safety, these losses were trivial.
Hearing the subordinate's words, Fatty Chen suddenly came to his senses. He immediately let go of the subordinate, not even bothering to put on his shoes, and rushed directly to Manager Hu's residence.
Meanwhile, Dongzi, like a ghost in the darkness, quickly rejoined Ye Fan and the others after his successful mission.
"The guards here have all gone to fight the fire. Let's take this opportunity to escape."
Ye Fan lowered his voice. Old Li and Dongzi both nodded, and the three quickly headed towards the low wall.
...
"Investigate this thoroughly. I want to know exactly who did this."
Manager Hu's face was grim, but it was hard to tell due to the soot.
His residence was adjacent to the warehouse. Because this was a vital warehouse, the most core area of the factory, Manager Hu had chosen to live here.
He never expected that the warehouse would catch fire.
And he had been drunk. Had Fatty Chen not carried him out, he would likely have been burned to death in his room.
Watching the raging flames, Manager Hu's anger burned as fiercely as the fire itself, unquenchable.
"I'll go and investigate immediately."
Fatty Chen said in a panic.
With such a major incident, he, as the manager, was undeniably responsible.
If he couldn't provide Manager Hu with a satisfactory explanation, his tenure as manager might be over.
"Wait."
Seeing Fatty Chen about to leave, Manager Hu suddenly spoke to stop him.
"How is it that with such a major incident, no one from the appraisal platform has come? Go and check there."
Manager Hu was not a fool. The warehouse fire concerned the interests of the entire factory and everyone's safety. Almost everyone had come out to fight the fire, yet no one from the appraisal platform had appeared. What did this mean? Were they all drunk out of their minds?
Fatty Chen stopped and suddenly realized. That's right, why hadn't anyone from the appraisal platform come? This was rather odd.
Without further thought, he quickly led a few subordinates towards the appraisal platform.
In their living quarters, Fatty Chen kicked open a door and saw Old Wang sleeping soundly in bed. The commotion outside had not stirred him at all.
Seeing Old Wang asleep, Fatty Chen's expression darkened, but he didn't immediately lose his temper. He turned and went to Old Li's room.
However, when the door was opened, Fatty Chen froze. Old Li's room was as usual, but the person in the bed was gone.
"Find them. Even if you have to turn the place upside down, find them."
Fatty Chen ordered angrily.
Then, he opened Ye Fan's room. He was also nowhere to be found.
Fatty Chen's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding spread through his entire body.
The fact that they were both gone at the same time, was it a coincidence? Or did these two have a scheme?
He didn't entirely trust either Old Li or Ye Fan, especially Ye Fan. Despite his young age, he possessed such great ability. If he claimed to be an ordinary person, Fatty Chen would never believe it.
His subordinates searched everywhere but found neither of them. Fatty Chen's uneasy heart completely sank.
What he feared had come to pass. Those two scoundrels had indeed escaped.
He quickly hurried back to report to Manager Hu.
Seeing Fatty Chen panting and sweating profusely, Manager Hu's brow furrowed deeply.
Without Fatty Chen speaking, she had already guessed.
"Immediately send people out to search. They can't have gone far. You must catch them, dead or alive. If they escape and reveal the situation here, all of us will be doomed."
Manager Hu gritted her teeth, wishing she could cut Ye Fan and Old Li into a thousand pieces at that moment.