The day Da Guang and Xiao Guang left, I gave each of them a red envelope containing ten thousand yuan.
This money was my gratitude, primarily for their exceptional handling of the matter.
After Liu Hui bought the doucai vase, he, as expected, contacted Da Guang and his associates immediately, intending to offload the vase.
When Da Guang arrived, he brought two appraisers, both top-tier porcelain experts from Guangling.
Following my instructions, the two experts quickly authenticated the vase. Da Guang told me that Liu Hui's expression at the time was priceless, and he nearly struck the experts.
Later, Liu Hui invited Bai Zhu Jing. After Bai Zhu Jing's appraisal confirmed the doucai vase was fake, Liu Hui was filled with regret.
Thus, the scheme I set up was a perfect success.
Initially, I had Wang Yang find Da Guang and Xiao Guang, spreading rumors that someone was looking to buy doucai vases at a high price. Next, I artificially aged the vase and then had Bai Hanyan lure Liu Hui into the trap.
In this series of events, I was entirely on the defensive; I didn't approach Liu Hui directly.
It was precisely because of this that he took the bait!
Actually, there were two points in the entire plan that I was quite worried about. The first was the acting skills of Da Guang and Xiao Guang.
The second was my fear that Liu Hui would become suspicious: why did I suddenly have the doucai vase right after someone expressed interest in buying one?
My first concern was quickly dispelled after meeting Da Guang and Xiao Guang.
As for the second concern, I was finally relieved when Liu Hui declared the doucai vase fake in front of Bai Hanyan.
Liu Hui was far more greedy than I had imagined; even in front of Bai Hanyan, he was capable of being utterly ruthless.
After all, Bai Hanyan was the daughter of a major shareholder of An Yuan Tang, yet Liu Hui, for the sake of money, unscrupulously betrayed her.
Just imagine, if Bai Hanyan were to genuinely take a liking to a valuable item one day and asked Liu Hui to help appraise it, it would truly be like a dog eating a steamed bun—gone forever!
Hong Yunpeng was overjoyed after hearing the entire story, almost wishing he could immediately visit An Yuan Tang to witness Liu Hui's embarrassment.
However, I dissuaded him, saying, "It's not the right time. If you go there, he will surely suspect us."
Wang Yang lit a cigarette and said slowly, "Do you really think Liu Hui won't suspect you?"
I replied, "At least not for a while. Even if he suspects me, he'll need evidence. And even if he finds evidence, what of it? I explicitly stated at the time that I couldn't guarantee the doucai vase was real."
Wang Yang said, "However, from today onwards, you've completely offended Liu Hui. From now on, when you do business in Guangling, you'll have to be constantly cautious of him."
He was right. In fact, I had prepared for this from the beginning.
"If it comes to it, we can just close Yi Shi Zhai," I said. "Besides, the money we've earned is enough for a while. We can always switch to something else."
Actually, there was something I didn't say: with the money I currently had, I wasn't very inclined to continue running the shop.
After all, I had more important matters to attend to: finding the group of people who approached my father back then, discovering the whereabouts of the Sui Hou Zhu, and figuring out what my father was actually busy with in those years.
These matters were difficult to discuss with outsiders. I completely trusted Hong Yunpeng, but he couldn't keep secrets, and I feared he might let something slip.
As for Wang Yang, this fellow was keeping many things from me, and until he revealed everything, I wouldn't say much more to him.
After all this time together, I didn't even know his true identity.
What he did for a living, and his purpose in coming to Guangling, were all mysteries.
For the next few days, neither of us went to Yi Shi Zhai. Hong Yunpeng accompanied his uncle back to their hometown, while Wang Yang and I spent most of our time at home idly.
I didn't pressure him to tell me about Sister Ying, but waited for him to volunteer the information.
After about a week, Wang Yang mentioned he had to go out. He returned that evening.
I don't know where he got a motorcycle from, but as soon as he returned, he asked me to get on, saying he wanted to take me somewhere.
His demeanor was different from usual. When I got on the motorcycle, I already felt a faint sense of anticipation.
I knew he intended to finally reveal everything to me today.
The motorcycle weaved through the city, all the way to the train station. After stopping in a small alley, Wang Yang led me to a five-story self-built house.
Each floor of the house had two to three rooms, most of which were rented out.
There were many such self-built houses in the train station area, and the people who rented rooms here were mostly migrant workers.
This area was a mix of all sorts of people, a melting pot of society.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, we encountered a security door. Wang Yang opened it with a key, and we went up to the rooftop.
The rooftop was covered with withered plants. To the side, there was a room of about thirty square meters.
The windows of this room were welded shut with steel bars, and the door was a security door, seemingly replaced intentionally.
Wang Yang stood at the doorway, looking at me, hesitant to speak.
I joked, "Is this where you used to live? It looks like a research institute. Aren't there any female zombies hidden inside?"
Normally, Wang Yang would have retorted immediately, but today he just gave a wry smile and said, "Xiao Fei, think carefully."
"Think carefully about what?" I asked.
He sighed and said, "Before you go in, you still have a chance to regret it. Once you enter..."
He let out a deep sigh. I said, "What? Is this place perhaps the eighteenth level of hell?"
"Do you really want to know everything about An Ying?" he asked me again.
I nodded.
"Alright. Then let me make this clear beforehand: what you see inside, and everything I'm about to say, I hope you'll remain calm after seeing and hearing it."
As he spoke in an increasingly mysterious tone, my curiosity grew even stronger.
"Stop being so cryptic. Is Sister Ying inside?" I asked.
Wang Yang didn't say anything further and opened the iron door with his key.
After entering the room, he casually turned on the light.
It was evident that no one had lived in this room for a long time; there was a musty smell, and the air felt somewhat heavy, clearly due to dampness.
The furnishings in the room were simple: only a bed, a desk, and a chair.
There were many cardboard boxes on the floor. I glanced at them; the boxes contained various paper documents and notebooks.
On the wall at the innermost part of the room, many photos and bulletins were pinned. I curiously moved closer and discovered that many of the photos on the wall were of Sister Ying, some in black and white, others in color.
Besides the photos, the other bulletins and some materials were utterly confusing to me.