"Sister Shui, are you planning to have me over?" Li Yang joked.
After a moment's pause, Sister Shui realized and playfully chided, "You rogue, Li Gongzi, how dare you tease me. Let's cancel tonight's dinner."
"Don't do that! I misspoke, and I absolutely won't dare to speak carelessly again. Regardless, this meal absolutely cannot be skipped, or I'll surely starve to death on the streets." Li Yang quickly held her fragrant shoulders to appease her.
Sister Shui chuckled, her beautiful eyes sweeping over him charmingly, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Of course."
"Alright, I'll contact you later tonight. I have some things to attend to, so I'll head to the office first," Sister Shui said with a smile. "Make yourself at home."
"Okay, I'll be in touch later." Li Yang nodded with a smile, watched her leave, then went to the gambling stone market to browse. He picked a stone, cracked it open in public, and stirred up some excitement before leaving the market.
He hadn't forgotten the hundred-billion bet he'd made with Tang Hucheng yesterday.
Relying solely on the gambling stone market, it would be impossible to earn that much money within a month. He would also have to earn from the antique market.
Just as he was about to get into his car, several burly men in black, wearing baseball caps and masks, surrounded him.
"Your name is Li Yang, right?"
"That's me." Li Yang glanced at them and said, "Judging by your attire, you don't look like good people. You look more like you're here to cause trouble."
"Hmph, you're right, kid. I'm here to cripple you!" A burly man with unusually long arms sneered, pulled a crowbar from his jacket, and swung it towards Li Yang's head.
The others chuckled coldly, showing no intention of intervening, as if Li Yang was destined to be crippled even without their help, and they might as well stand by and watch the show.
However, in the next moment, their expressions changed.
Li Yang kicked out, followed by the sound of a crushing blow.
"Ah!"
The burly man who attacked first immediately let out a pained groan, clamping his legs together as he knelt on the ground, his entire face green.
Everyone's faces changed drastically, "You brat!"
Don't hit the face when fighting, and don't kick the groin!
Not a shred of chivalry!
"Let's not waste everyone's time. Come at me together," Li Yang said, looking at them.
"You damn punk, you're still so arrogant when death is at your doorstep! Let's go together!"
The burly men in black roared and surged towards Li Yang.
Several iron bars came crashing down. Li Yang didn't dodge or evade; he simply raised his hands to meet them head-on.
With a few clangs, the iron bars actually bent!
The burly men felt their hands go numb from the impact. They looked down and cried out in shock, "Damn, my crowbar!"
"How, how did this kid do that?"
"Monster, he's a monster!"
Someone immediately tried to flee.
Li Yang grabbed a man by his collar and said, "We just met, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"I, I..."
"Don't worry, as long as you honestly tell me who sent you, I'll spare you," Li Yang said.
The subordinate immediately replied, "I'll tell you, Boss Zhao sent us."
"Zhao De, the owner of Yuhuang Gambling Stone Market?" Li Yang asked.
"Yes, yes, yes, it was his idea. He gave us three hundred thousand to break your hands and legs and teach you a lesson."
"I'm only worth three hundred thousand?" Li Yang's lips curved into a smile. "It seems Boss Zhao doesn't value me very highly."
"Brother, I've told you everything I know. Please let me go?" the subordinate pleaded.
Li Yang kicked him in the backside, "What else could you do but be this kind of trash? Get lost. If I see you again, I'll beat you up every time."
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm leaving right now." The subordinate fled in a panic.
Li Yang clapped his hands, got into his car, and headed towards the antique market. As for Zhao De, he didn't take him seriously.
But if Zhao De dared to cause trouble again, he wouldn't mind making Zhao De taste some bitterness.
Han Bao Zhai.
Li Yang wandered around and was just passing by this antique shop when he suddenly heard the owner, Xu Zhongding, shouting coldly, "Don't bring such trash in here. It's a typical waste of my time."
"Hurry up and take this trash out, don't affect my business here."
"No, it's not like that, Boss Xu. This is truly an heirloom, it's definitely valuable. Please, just take a look again." The seller pleaded earnestly, "I'm really desperate for money, otherwise I would never sell my ancestral belongings for money."
"Go, go, go. Almost everyone who comes to sell to me claims their items are heirlooms, but eight out of ten are liars. You look like a liar to me." Xu Zhongding waved his hand, his demeanor already very impatient. "I warn you, if you continue to make a scene, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Boss Xu..." The seller tried to say something more, but seeing the staff and employees at Han Bao approaching with unfriendly expressions, seemingly ready to resort to violence, his face immediately turned pale. He said bitterly, "Yes, yes, yes, I apologize for disturbing you. I'll take my things and leave now."
"Hmph, be quick about it," Xu Zhongding said impatiently.
The seller sighed dejectedly and pulled his cart out of the shop.
Seeing his dejected state, Xu Zhongding's eyes were filled with disdain. He was about to head to the VIP room to await important guests when he heard a somewhat familiar voice.
"Excuse me, Uncle, please wait." Li Yang glanced at the items on the cart, his eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly called out to the seller.
The seller looked up, his face full of sorrow, making his face, which was only in his early forties, look like that of a seventy or eighty-year-old. Seeing Li Yang's expensive attire, he couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Sir, are you talking to me?"
"I'm not a sir, my surname is Li." Li Yang smiled and extended a hand.
The seller quickly wiped his palm before shaking Li Yang's hand, asking curiously, "Mr. Li, we haven't met before, have we? Are you calling me for some advice?"
"Advice is too much to ask, I'm just a little interested in the items on your cart," Li Yang said with a smile. "How much are you asking for? If it's reasonable, I might buy it."
"You want to buy my things?" The seller was taken aback. He turned to look at the items on his cart. It was a huge stone screen.
The stone screen was carved with a poem by Li Bai, which included a famous line that almost everyone had heard: "Heaven gave me talent, it must be useful; though a thousand pieces of gold are spent, they will return again."
The calligraphy was in standard script, but there was no signature, nor did it seem to be the work of any famous artist; it was somewhat ordinary.
Li Yang smiled, "That's right, please name your price, Uncle."
"Really? Then Mr. Li, you can give me eighty, no, fifty thousand is fine." The seller quickly said. "What do you think?"