The visitor was none other than Wang Yang.
He wore a pair of wraparound sunglasses, obscuring his eyes.
“Something you need?” Hong Yunpeng asked, looking at him.
Wang Yang smiled and raised his hand, saying, “Boss, one bowl of noodle soup.”
“Coming right up!”
After ordering a bowl of noodle soup, he turned to me and said, “Xiang Fei, is that right?”
I slurped the last piece of green vegetable in my bowl into my mouth, wiped my lips, and looked at him. “En, what’s up?”
“I don’t think I’ve seen you before?”
I chuckled. “Isn’t that normal? I haven’t seen you either.”
“I didn’t expect An Ying to have someone like you under her wing,” Wang Yang remarked.
“What do you actually want with me?” I asked, putting down my chopsticks.
“Nothing much, just a reminder.”
“A reminder?”
“You don’t actually think Liu Hun will give you that Magnolia Cup just because you won the top prize, do you?”
I was a little confused. What did Wang Yang want by coming to see me?
Was he trying to sow discord?
In truth, I had considered this possibility when I left An Yuan Tang.
Would Liu Hun really be willing to give me the Magnolia Cup, with its immense value?
I thought it was unlikely.
If it were someone else, he might reluctantly part with it. But given the past issues between him and me concerning Sister Ying, there was some bad blood.
If he gave me the Magnolia Cup, I wouldn't necessarily be beholden to him.
Actually, I didn't even want the Magnolia Cup that much.
While the Magnolia Cup was valuable, it wasn't as valuable as the safe full of money Sister Ying had left me…
“He wouldn’t dare not give it!” Hong Yunpeng scoffed. “If he doesn’t follow the rules, I’ll make sure his An Yuan Tang can’t stay in business!”
Wang Yang glanced at Hong Yunpeng and laughed, “Just you?”
“What did you say?” Hong Yunpeng slammed the table with a loud *bang*, causing the bowls and chopsticks to jump.
I quickly pulled Hong Yunpeng back and then looked at Wang Yang. “What exactly do you want?”
Wang Yang calmly picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, unwrapped them, crossed them against each other, and began to slide them. “I want to be friends with you.”
Hearing this, I was somewhat surprised and looked at him with interest. “Be friends?”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “There aren’t many people in Guangling who can surpass me in antique appraisal, and you are one of them. So, I want to be friends with you.”
“And then?” I asked.
“And then?” He put down the chopsticks and looked directly at me. “And then I can help you get that Magnolia Cup.”
“What if I said I don’t want the Magnolia Cup?”
At these words, both Wang Yang and Hong Yunpeng were taken aback.
I continued, “To be honest, although the Magnolia Cup is valuable, it’s just a windfall to me. Windfalls are optional…”
Pausing here, I added, “If you sincerely want to be my friend, there’s one thing you can help me with, and I’ll definitely consider you a friend.”
Wang Yang frowned. “What is it?”
I glanced at Hong Yunpeng. “Help me beat up Liu Hun.”
I said this to make Wang Yang back down.
After hearing this, he burst into laughter. “I really can’t help you with that… I haven’t seen anyone in Guangling dare to lay hands on Liu Hun. How about you suggest something else?”
I shrugged. “It seems you’re not sincere about wanting to be my friend…”
With that, I said to Hong Yunpeng, “Brother Hong, let’s go.”
“Wait!” Wang Yang called out to me. “Are you serious? If I beat up Liu Hun, you’ll be my friend?”
I was speechless. Why was this guy so persistent about being my friend?
“I’m serious,” I replied curtly.
“Good! Then it’s a deal.”
At the time, I had just said it casually, without much thought. But to my surprise, Wang Yang actually dared to go through with it.
After Wang Yang and I returned that day, we started making arrangements for the reopening of the Hong Yuan shop.
This shop was bought by Sister Ying separately; it didn't belong to An Yuan Tang.
Now that Sister Ying was gone, no one was looking after the place, and only I had the key.
Hong Yunpeng and I both felt that since the shop was empty, and Sister Ying wasn't coming back, it would be better to reopen it. It would at least give us a way to make a living.
We discussed it for several days and finally decided to start by selling stationery and brushes, collecting old items that weren't too ancient, and setting up a display case for handicrafts.
In reality, for antique shops like ours, selling goods directly doesn't bring in much profit. The main income comes from finding undervalued treasures.
To put it plainly, we wait for people who want to sell antiques to come to us, and then we buy good items at a low price before finding ways to sell them.
Hong Yunpeng and I agreed that I would be in charge of appraising items, he would handle promotion, and sales would be left to Uncle Hong, as he knew many people.
The old Hong Yuan shop didn’t have a sign, so I went to have one made, naming it “Yi Shi Zhai.”
The meaning was: everything begins anew.
The day before we chose to open, two menacing-looking guys found me, saying Liu Hun was looking for me.
I frowned and stared at the two men in front of me. “Does Boss Liu need something?”
“You’ll find out when you get there,” one of the bald men said impolitely.
I was about to call Hong Yunpeng, but unexpectedly, these two men stepped beside me and gestured for me to follow.
It seemed that if I made any sudden moves, these two would take me down.
Seeing this, I had no choice but to get into a minivan with them.
After getting in, the burly man sitting next to me took out a black cloth bag and gestured for me to put it over my head.
“What? Can’t even stand the light?” I said.
“We hope you’ll cooperate,” the other replied.
Annoyed, I took the cloth bag and put it over my head, plunging myself into darkness.
Liu Hun looking for me was, no doubt, about the Magnolia Cup.
Now that I had no intention of pursuing the cup, I wasn't afraid of him.
The car traveled for about half an hour before finally stopping.
Although I couldn't see, I clearly heard the sounds along the way.
If I guessed correctly, we had left Guangling City. After all, I could still hear some car horns earlier, but now there was no sound around me.
“We’re here. You can get out.”
As the man’s voice sounded, I took off the hood and adjusted to the harsh light.
After getting out, I glanced around and found myself in a village. There were dirt roads all around, and no people in sight. In front of me stood a self-built house.
The large iron gate of the house was open. Two jeeps and a Crown were parked in the courtyard.
Passing through the courtyard and arriving at the ground floor hall, before even entering the house, I heard a scream from inside, which startled me!