Faced with Wu Tingxiu's question, I knew it was impossible to hide anything.
I just wasn't sure if telling her that Liu Hui was the mastermind would complicate matters further.
Seeing my silence, she continued, "From what I can see, you've run into some trouble, haven't you?"
I looked up at her.
"You can tell me. In Guangling, if nothing else, I still have some influence," Wu Tingxiu said.
I took a deep breath and said, "Liu Hui..."
I recounted the events in broad strokes. After listening, she actually started to laugh.
Wu Tingxiu seemed not surprised at all and said, "It was indeed him..."
"You knew from the start that Liu Hui was the one who sent us to dig up graves?" I asked.
Wu Tingxiu replied, "In Guangling, there are no more than three people who would dare do something like this, and Liu Hui is one of them. However, we've always kept to ourselves, so he must have been instructed to do this."
"By whom?" I asked instinctively.
Wu Tingxiu raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "Why do you need to know so much?"
"I'm just curious..."
"Curious?" she smiled faintly. "There's no harm in telling you. The person who instructed Liu Hui to do this can only be my second uncle."
Hearing this, I finally understood.
No wonder she suspected from the beginning that we were sent by her second uncle.
It seemed the relationship between this woman and her second uncle was quite complicated.
But why would her second uncle have someone dig up his own father's grave?
This was not something an ordinary person would do.
As I was pondering, Wu Tingxiu suddenly asked me, "Have you thought about it?"
"About what?"
"Come work for me," Wu Tingxiu said.
I hesitated and replied, "I'm sorry, Ms. Wu. I have a shop in Hongyuan, so..."
"You think your shop has a brighter future than following me?" Wu Tingxiu's tone was tinged with mockery.
I said, "Everyone has their own aspirations. To swallow the clouds and mist is eight or nine parts… I am very grateful for your kind offer, Ms. Wu, but I am accustomed to a leisurely life, and I hope you can understand."
"Since you say so, then it can only be this way," Wu Tingxiu said with a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "But have you thought about how you're going to explain this to Liu Hui?"
I shook my head.
"I can help you resolve this matter, but you have to do one more thing for me," Wu Tingxiu said.
"What is it?"
"After Liu Hui's matter is handled, I will tell you then."
I had to admit, this businesswoman was quite shrewd.
She was always asking me to do things for her, and she said it so vaguely.
At this point, I had no choice but to agree.
So I said, "Alright, thank you, Ms. Wu."
"No need for thanks. We have a long way to go in dealing with each other," Wu Tingxiu smiled. "Consider it making a friend. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me."
I thought to myself, it's easy for you to say. I'm afraid that when I come to you, you'll just ask me to do something for you again.
After leaving the conference room, I went to find Wang Yang and Hong Yunpeng.
These two were quite good at enjoying themselves. They were lying in a hotel massage room with two beautiful women giving them massages.
Seeing me, Hong Yunpeng waved and said, "Xiao Fei, you want to try too?"
I said exasperatedly, "When are you guys finishing?"
"Soon, almost done..."
After leaving the hotel, Hong Yunpeng said contentedly, "The service at this star-rated hotel is indeed different. The masseuses are not only beautiful but also professional. Being massaged like this makes one feel much more comfortable."
I asked, "I went to see Wu Tingxiu just now, and you guys were getting massages the whole time?"
Hong Yunpeng nodded, "It was arranged by the hotel manager, and it's all free."
Wang Yang said irritably, "You were the one who went to find them. You said you were a friend of Chairman Wu, and sitting in the lounge was too boring, so you asked if there were any activities, and that's how they took us for a massage."
"What you're saying is, if I hadn't said that, would you have followed behind me and enjoyed yourself?" Hong Yunpeng shot him a glare.
I shook my head helplessly and got into the passenger seat.
After getting into the car, Hong Yunpeng remembered the purpose of our visit. "By the way, what did Wu Tingxiu ask you to do?"
"Appraise two geological specimens."
I recounted the entire process, including Wu Tingxiu's promise to help me deal with Liu Hui.
"You mean Wu Tingxiu is willing to step in and help us resolve this matter?" Hong Yunpeng asked.
I nodded, "That's what she said."
Hong Yunpeng rejoiced, "If you say so, then we've turned misfortune into a blessing this time!"
"What blessing?" I asked.
Hong Yunpeng said, "Who is Wu Tingxiu? She's a famous wealthy person in Guangling. If we get to know her, many things will be easier in the future."
"I don't think so. That woman is very cunning," I said.
"No matter how cunning she is, she's still a woman..." Hong Yunpeng raised his eyebrows and winked at me. "I think she seems to admire you quite a bit... Xiao Fei, why don't you win her over? I heard she's still single."
I was speechless and amused, "Brother Hong, do you think she would be interested in me?"
"Why not? Look at you, young and promising, and your appraisal skills are amazing..."
I quickly interrupted him, "Let's talk about business... What do you think Wu Tingxiu will ask us to do to resolve Liu Hui's issue?"
Wang Yang rolled down the car window, casually took the Hongtashan cigarette from Hong Yunpeng's hand, lit it, and took a puff. "How else can it be resolved? It's nothing more than negotiating with Liu Hui. Anyway, they're all birds of a feather."
"Birds of a feather?" I was confused.
"Didn't I tell you before? Wu Tingxiu is also involved in dealing antiques. How could she not come into contact with people like Liu Hui?" Wang Yang said.
I was a bit puzzled. "Her family is so wealthy, why is she still dealing in antiques?"
"Who knows? Perhaps it's a personal hobby," Wang Yang said.
I didn't think so. Wu Tingxiu didn't seem like someone who enjoyed collecting.
Her involvement in dealing antiques must have another purpose.
I didn't voice my inner doubts, but I was somewhat curious about what Wu Tingxiu would ask me to do next.
Hong Yunpeng dropped me and Wang Yang off at my place and then left.
He said he was going back to check on his dad and would come find us again tomorrow.
I hadn't visited Uncle Hong since he was discharged from the hospital. After thinking about it, I said to Hong Yunpeng, "Brother Hong, how about I come over to your place tomorrow to see Uncle Hong and have a meal together?"
Hong Yunpeng said, "That's fine. Should I pick you guys up tomorrow?"
"No need to trouble yourself. We can take a taxi."
"Alright, I'll be going now."
"En."
Watching Hong Yunpeng drive away, Wang Yang looked at me and asked, "Do you have any alcohol at home?"
"You want to drink?"
"En."
For some reason, I had noticed Wang Yang seemed preoccupied since the afternoon, and I didn't know why.
Now that he was suggesting drinking again, I could only accompany him for a few drinks.