A three-day auction at the Empty House celebrity circle only happened once every half month, during which time Shun Ge, Li Dazhi, and I formulated our plan. Li Dazhi had lost an eye and three fingers. He was a man of the jianghu, and we felt he was the most suitable person for negotiations. Shun Ge and I would go to the site to buy stones. If Empty House refused to pay hush money, we would then destroy the purchased stones and expose Empty House's scam.
…
Regarding the promised hush money, I actually had no intention of taking it. I knew in my heart that Qin Sisi would not surrender passively; she would definitely retaliate. At that time, I would counter her moves and infiltrate Empty House.
Up to this point, the tip of the iceberg of Lao Gui's plan had not yet been revealed. I had to remain entangled with Empty House for me to play a crucial role in Lao Gui's scheme.
…
The auction date arrived quietly.
The three of us, following our plan, arrived at the factory. It was not much different from our first visit. We entered early again, this time receiving badge number 3. In my capacity as an assistant, I accompanied Shun Ge, drinking and observing the potential buyers who came and went.
Empty House followed its usual routine. Of the over fifty buyers, a quarter were "ghosts." Li Dazhi had not entered; he had been to Empty House more often and knew where to find Qin Sisi.
The entry was calm. The buyers drank, occasionally conversing, with the "ghosts" perfectly blending in. At this time, I even comforted Shun Ge, who was sweating on his forehead. Shun Ge nodded reluctantly.
Thus, it came time for appraisal. Looking at the rough, unpolished stones, I became even more confident. All the information Xiao Luo had given me allowed me to identify more fake stones than before, giving me more room to maneuver.
Just then, Shun Ge received a call and was overjoyed. He told me Li Dazhi had called, and we should go to the office area as the price had been settled.
Twenty million was no small sum, yet Qin Sisi had agreed so readily. In my understanding, Qin Sisi was by no means an easy person to deal with, and I felt a bit suspicious. However, Shun Ge's expression seemed genuine. Regardless, we decided to go out and see.
…
Shun Ge and I were led by a masked girl through a back door and along a small path to the office area. As soon as we entered, two burly men in strong physiques pinned us down.
"Brother, run! We've been tricked."
Having learned combat, I broke free from the strong man and engaged him in a struggle. Shun Ge also managed to escape, but was struck down unconscious by the other man with a heavy club.
Then, the man with the club walked towards me, capturing my attention. At that moment, something heavy struck the back of my head. I turned back with difficulty and saw Li Dazhi, holding a wooden stool, and his sinister smile.
…
I don't know how long had passed when, splash, a basin of cold water doused me, waking me up. I saw a fair, delicate calf. With my hands and feet bound, I could only force myself to roll over and look up... I saw Qin Sisi applying makeup, with Xiao Luo assisting her.
"You're awake."
"Where's Shun Ge?"
"Show him."
Someone untied the ropes binding my legs and pulled me to sit on a stool, placing me in a position to see the surveillance footage. They rewound the playback. It showed the scene after I was knocked down. The black and white image was not very clear, but the events were vivid. After I was subdued by Li Dazhi, Shun Ge woke up and discovered Li Dazhi's betrayal, lunging at him madly. However, Li Dazhi showed no mercy, pulling out a dagger and stabbing Shun Ge three or four times. Shun Ge's body slowly softened, and he slumped down before Li Dazhi's eyes.
Shun Ge was dead!
"Weren't you after money? Why did you kill him?"
I turned my head and roared at Qin Sisi. Qin Sisi motioned for Xiao Luo to stop her makeup application, then spoke to me with an extremely gentle expression, "My plan was not like this. From beginning to end, my focus was solely on you. Shun Ge, to me, was merely a worthless packer. Li Dazhi killed him because he told me he was a ruthless jianghu man, likely to prove this point, he killed his own brother to demonstrate his worth."
Hearing this, I was filled with rage and shouted, "Li Dazhi was here to negotiate, and you tricked him with your sweet talk!"
Qin Sisi smiled faintly, "Tang Nan, you truly know nothing. Li Dazhi has always been my man."
"Always your man? Since when?"
"From the moment you met him."
"What?"
"Haha, still don't understand? Then let me ask you, do you know Yu Xiao Luo?"
Qin Sisi asked me with a mocking smile. I looked at Yu Xiao Luo, whose expression was a half-smile, a hint of mockery on her lips.
"Yu Xiao Luo is also your person?"
Yu Xiao Luo snorted, "Thinking you're smart, but you're just a puppet being manipulated. Sister Sisi, I told you before, someone as dull as him could never be the partner of that legendary figure, 'Gluttonous Ghost'."
"But he is looking for someone named Lao Gui, who is also gluttonous."
"Didn't you test him? Could Lao Gui's people not even distinguish their own?"
…
"What in the world is going on?"
I roared at them.
"The louder you shout, the more incompetent you are. Let me tell you."
Yu Xiao Luo came over to me, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
…
Because Empty House had been targeted by the police a few days ago, many of their rough stones were confiscated. Empty House had insufficient stock and decided to target local packers. They began to scout for packers they could control.
It was at this time that I entered their sight. While searching for Lao Gui, I had been inquiring everywhere. Qin Sisi happened to know of such a legendary figure in the jianghu.
Thus, Qin Sisi set her sights on me and began to scheme.
At the hotel, Yu Xiao Luo unlocked the door and placed some small rough stones in the hotel, along with instructions on how to cut them. Following the clues Yu Xiao Luo left, I found Shun Ge's shop. Using the trick of "swapping a cat for a prince," I bought raw stones, cut them, and drew Shun Ge's attention.
At that point, the scheme had begun to unfold systematically.
Li Dazhi bought the fake raw stone for 500,000 and deliberately mentioned the celebrity circle there. He also gave Shun Ge two million, so that Shun Ge, having already been fleeced, would bring me into the scheme.
There was never a person named Lao Gui. It was Yu Xiao Luo who had been guiding me all along, leading me down the path they had planned.
Before I was exposed to the celebrity circle auction, Yu Xiao Luo expertly placed the glasses capable of identifying invisible ink in my hotel room, along with information about auction items number three and seventeen.
They believed I would definitely buy an item that day. Therefore, they had been tracking us. The thief saw Shun Ge place the fake red jade in the safe and remembered the password.
Yu Xiao Luo, still acting as Lao Gui's pawn, met me at the nightclub and gave me information about the fake jade rough stones at this auction, continuing their plan. After I discovered Empty House was faking and deceiving, Li Dazhi, along with Shun Ge and me, attended Qin Sisi's banquet. At that banquet, the thief stole Shun Ge's fake red jade. Simultaneously, Qin Sisi gave me a choice: to help Shun Ge buy two worthless stones.
Hearing them reach this point, I was left with only one question. I looked into Qin Sisi's eyes and asked seriously, "If I helped you buy two worthless stones, what would have happened?"
"Based on your performance, you are not the partner of that legendary figure. Therefore, I reasonably suspect you are a police officer. However, after Li Dazhi provided you with concrete evidence, your choice to demand twenty million in hush money indicated that you are not even a police officer."
"What do you plan to do with me?"
"What do you think?"
"I saw you kill Shun Ge. I assume you won't let me live."
Qin Sisi smiled with some helplessness, "Tang Nan, you are truly not very intelligent. I have reason to believe now that you have met Greedy Ghost, but with your talent, you are not qualified to be a schemer."
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"Firstly, I did not kill anyone, and I have evidence proving Li Dazhi was the killer. Secondly, if I wanted to kill you, I would not need to tell you all this."
"What do you want me to do?"
"I need someone to buy a large quantity of rough stones from the packers at a low price. I had originally planned to use Chen Ashun for this, but he clearly lacked the ability. Now, Chen Ashun is dead. The unexplained disappearance of a person, with no body found, will inevitably attract widespread attention. Especially Chen Ashun, who knows many people in the packing business. Therefore, you will use the guise of being investigated to get to know these packers and buy cheap rough stones from them in large quantities."
"Why won't Shun Ge be found?"
"Don't be like a child. Life doesn't have 100,000 whys. Not knowing and asking isn't a trait of an adult. All I can tell you is that this is Li Dazhi's guarantee. If you want to know the details of Shun Ge's body disposal, you can ask Li Dazhi."
"What if I refuse to be your tool?"
"You can try, but I advise you not to. Life is only lived once; cherish it while you live. Offend a schemer, and you will gradually feel that death might be a release. Tang Nan, I will see you at the auction. For today, I will trouble you to be a ghost."
After that, Qin Sisi did not say another word to me. She meticulously checked her makeup and then, swaying her hips, walked towards the auction.
…
After Qin Sisi left, Yu Xiao Luo came over, patted my dazed face, and said with a smile, "If I were you, I would run."
"Why should I run?"
"Your brain is like sesame paste. Still asking questions at this time, how stupid."
"I am indeed stupid. I never imagined you would kill someone. To this day, my greatest regret is involving Shun Ge in this affair. All the mistakes are due to my insufficient understanding of you scammers. Since you can deceive people into ruin, treating human lives as insignificant is only natural."
"Does saying these harsh words benefit you?"
Today, I was completely enraged. Being drawn into the scheme did not surprise me at all; Qin Sisi was a higher-level schemer than Boss Xie. What enraged me was Shun Ge's death and Li Dazhi's betrayal. Shun Ge had once saved Li Dazhi. Was this precious brotherhood worth so little in the face of profit? For this reason, I changed my plan, abandoning my previous gentle, go-with-the-flow approach. I would declare war on Qin Sisi.
"Go tell Qin Sisi that because of Shun Ge, you have provoked me. Tonight, I will let you know what a 'ghost' truly is. You manipulators of petty spirits will only tremble before the legendary ghost."
Yu Xiao Luo sneered disdainfully, "Has he gone mad?"
"Aren't you always one step ahead? Aren't you always in control? Aren't you orchestrating everything? I tell you clearly, even under your complete control, I can still brazenly buy a fake stone from your hands. The evidence of your deception is still in my possession. You will ultimately pay the price for provoking me."
Having said this, I broke free from the ropes and stood up. Seeing me struggle free, the bodyguard rushed at me with a dagger. I disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. Hearing the commotion, three more people rushed in. Holding the dagger, I stared intently at the three of them and then asked Yu Xiao Luo, "Are you planning to resolve this with force? Aren't you afraid of ruining today's auction?"
"Let him go," Yu Xiao Luo shouted.
The three burly men exchanged glances and obeyed Yu Xiao Luo, clearing a path for me.
As I left, I looked at Yu Xiao Luo's thoughtful face and said loudly, "Relay my words to Qin Sisi, word for word."