Wang Yang, seeing I was ignoring him, didn't stop talking. "Xiang Fei, let me ask you something."
I boiled a few eggs with the electric kettle and sat aside, watching him. "What is it?"
"When An Ying ran off, didn't she leave anything for you?"
Hearing this question, I froze and my heart tightened.
Could this guy know about the money Ying Jie left me?
No, how could he possibly know?
I said, "This shop is what Ying Jie left behind."
He looked around the place and said, "Don't you find it strange that An Ying was faking and selling fakes?"
"What's so strange about that?" I replied irritably.
Now that the matter was settled with solid evidence, even if Ying Jie had some hidden difficulties, it was all in vain.
"From what I understand, An Ying actually had another purpose," Wang Yang said with a smile.
"Purpose? What purpose?" I couldn't help but ask.
"She seemed to be looking for something..."
"Looking for what?"
"That I don't know. Anyway, she's not a simple person. If she wanted money, she wouldn't have needed to fake and sell fakes."
I smiled and said, "You seem to know Ying Jie very well?"
Wang Yang smiled meaningfully and didn't elaborate.
Just then, the electric kettle finished boiling, spewing steam and emitting occasional whistling sounds.
I quickly went over to turn off the kettle, poured out the hot water, and added some cold water to cool the eggs.
After I was done, I handed him the eggs to treat the injuries on his face.
A while later, Hong Yunpeng came in carrying medicine. He didn't even recognize Wang Yang at first glance.
"Who is this?"
"Wang Yang," I said.
Hong Yunpeng was taken aback. He stared at Wang Yang for a moment, then grinned. "Yo, this is quite a sight. Did you get beaten up for not paying for a sauna?"
Wang Yang gave a wry smile and said nothing.
I recounted the incident to Hong Yunpeng. After listening, he kept clucking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Impressive! Impressive! It's a good thing Xiao Fei is a man. If it were a woman, who knows what would have happened."
I didn't understand what he meant. Hong Yunpeng explained, "Think about it, to become your friend, he risked half his life. If it were a girl, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Hearing Hong Yunpeng's sarcasm, I shot him a look, signaling him to say less.
"Since it's already happened, let's think about how to complete the task Liu Hun assigned us," I said.
"Xiao Fei, are you really going to tomb robbing?" Hong Yunpeng asked, looking at me in disbelief.
"Do you think Liu Hun will let us off if we don't go?" I asked with a wry smile.
Hong Yunpeng pointed at Wang Yang and said, "If anyone goes, it should be this guy. He's the one who caused the trouble anyway."
Wang Yang was busy treating his wounds. The alcohol stung as it was applied to his injuries, making him wince. He couldn't say a word.
"What's said cannot be unsaid," I said. "We're all in this together now..."
Hong Yunpeng asked, "Are you really going?"
I shrugged. "Let's go and assess the situation first. I don't think the tomb Liu Hun wants to dig is an ancient one."
"Of course it's not an ancient tomb," Wang Yang interjected. "How could those amateurs possibly find an ancient tomb?"
"Then whose tomb is it?" Hong Yunpeng asked.
Wang Yang said, "Do you know Wu Jinyuan?"
"Wu Jinyuan?" Hong Yunpeng was slightly taken aback. "You mean the boss of Jiangyun Group?"
Wang Yang nodded. "That's right, him."
"The tomb they want to dig is his?" Hong Yunpeng was surprised.
"Yes."
I was listening, utterly confused, and couldn't help but ask who Wu Jinyuan was.
Hong Yunpeng told me that Wu Jinyuan was the boss of Jiangyun Group.
And Jiangyun Group was one of the five major enterprises in Guangling.
It was said that Wu Jinyuan was not only rich but also a great collector.
While he was alive, he was notoriously extravagant in the Guangling antique circle. Whatever piece he fancied, he would buy it regardless of the price.
He was once swindled out of a million yuan for trying to collect Zhang Daqian's "Peach Blossom Garden."
Although he was dead now, stories of his exploits still circulated in the Guangling antique circle.
After hearing all this, I finally understood.
"Liu Hun wants us to dig up Wu Jinyuan's tomb... but he didn't say what's inside," I mused, stroking my chin.
Wang Yang smiled. "No need to guess, it's definitely for the Suihou Pearl."
When I heard the words "Suihou Pearl," I was struck as if by lightning!
My father's notebook contained the most entries about the Suihou Pearl!
This pearl might be connected to the "matter" my father had been pursuing, and I hadn't made any progress since arriving in Guangling.
To think I'd stumble upon it today!
"What Suihou Pearl?" Hong Yunpeng asked, confused.
Before Wang Yang could answer, I explained the origin of the Suihou Pearl.
Wang Yang looked at me with some surprise. "I didn't expect you to know about the Suihou Pearl."
I smiled and said, "I heard it from someone else."
Hong Yunpeng asked, "Then, according to what Xiao Fei said, isn't that pearl very valuable?"
Wang Yang chuckled. "Who knows if the Suihou Pearl even exists in this world? Do you really think Wu Jinyuan obtained the Suihou Pearl?"
I looked at him in confusion. He rolled the egg over the bruise on his face. "Wu Jinyuan was indeed obsessed with the Suihou Pearl back then and spent a lot of effort looking for it. He bought any clue related to the Suihou Pearl at a high price. So, what's buried in his tomb now are just those clues."
"Then what does Liu Hun want these things for?" I asked.
Wang Yang replied, "Didn't he say it himself? He was also entrusted with the job, just taking on a task."
"Who gave him the commission?" I asked.
Wang Yang gave a wry smile. "Brother, I'm not a fortune teller, how would I know?"
I was mainly too anxious, which is why I couldn't help but ask.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself down.
It seemed this tomb had to be entered.
In the evening, Wang Yang went to my rented room, and Hong Yunpeng followed.
My place, though not large, had everything one needed.
It had all the essentials, but there were only two rooms. One was mine, and the other was empty, furnished with only a plank bed.
Seeing that neither of them intended to leave, I took out the spare bedding, made a bed for Wang Yang, and shared a bed with Hong Yunpeng.
That night, lying in bed, my mind was filled with the Suihou Pearl and my father.
I couldn't sleep at all. So, in the latter half of the night, I finally got up and took out my father's notebook to read it again.
Looking at the scattered notes, I couldn't fathom what my father had been doing during those years he was missing.
And who were the people who came looking for him?