Chapter 10: Grand Opening

Liang Jinguo’s first reaction was that there was an insider in his team. Before he could even go through everyone in his mind, Qin Qing spoke, “Don’t bother, I didn’t get this information from your channels.”

“If not from my channels, then where else could you have gotten information about me? Aren’t you contradicting yourself?” Liang Jinguo chuckled.

Qin Qing tilted her head, her gaze falling on her stall’s signboard, gesturing towards it.

Liang Jinguo pointed at the paper, “Just this?”

“Just this!” Qin Qing said, looking unperturbed.

Liang Jinguo gradually stopped smiling. The other party had directly stated the bid price, and he saw this as a provocation. Although she claimed to be helping him lower the price, who knew what her true intentions were? He didn’t believe a single word.

If there truly was such a thing as Mystic Arts in this world, he could barely believe it if it could predict good or bad fortune. But to calculate the exact bid price out of thin air… that’s just trying to fool ghosts!

He showed no emotion on his face, but his mind was racing.

If this was a setup, it must be a series of interconnected schemes. That piece of land in the south was important, but not to that extent. Was it worth such a huge investment to first bring up a twenty-year-old incident to lure him here, and then say something so ambiguous?

If he were the one setting up the scheme, knowing such a big secret about the other party, he would definitely use it to the extreme as a trump card. Stirring up father-son discord would be a minor thing. He wouldn’t just use it on a casual land bid.

From the outcome, the father-son relationship had improved. The rift that had formed due to Liang Jian’s lingering resentment had vanished without a trace.

If Liang Jinguo had to choose between the land and his son, he would undoubtedly choose his son.

So, it came back to the same point.

If it was a setup, why would the other party create a scheme that was obviously full of loopholes – no, completely full of loopholes? Did he, Liang Jinguo, look like an idiot?

The other party knew his bid price. Wouldn’t it be better to keep it hidden and then outbid him by one yuan at the auction to win? Instead, she came to tell him, and even used a twenty-year-old incident to lure him here. Was she trying to get him to bid a lower price to reduce the overall cost? Not to mention, with so many competitors at the auction, how could the other party control the prices of others? And would he really believe and follow the advice of this young girl who claimed to help him lower the price?

If the other party truly had the ability to infiltrate his inner circle and uncover so many secrets, what couldn’t they do? Why would they only do these trivial, possibly thankless things?

Perhaps it wasn’t that complicated. Maybe this young girl telling him the bid price was simply because she had fallen out with the person behind her, and wanted to make some money from him?

No, that didn’t make sense either.

Or were all these just a smokescreen, and the real move was elsewhere?

Bullshit! He was already suspicious and on guard now, so how could the other party make a move?

It doesn’t make sense!

He couldn’t figure it out. He wasn’t afraid of intricate, well-thought-out schemes, but he was wary of something so confusing… no, something with too many clues.

This must be a conspiracy, but this conspiracy was like a tattered rag.

Qin Qing had no idea that her single sentence had plunged Liang Jinguo into a brainstorming session, one that was intense enough to make his brain explode.

Only the gradually deforming mineral water bottle in his hand revealed a hint of his inner anxiety.

Mumu stared at the bottle, his gaze following its movement.

It was as if he wanted to pick a moment to bite, to snatch it back when he wasn’t paying attention.

Qin Qing: “…”

She had no choice but to hold onto the dog’s collar.

This made Liang Jinguo glance at Mumu from time to time even while he was thinking.

Qin Qing decided to say something to distract him, “Mr. Liang, your hesitation is understandable. However, you might still consider my suggestion; such opportunities are rare.”

“Yes, a formidable ability. Regardless of how it was ‘calculated,’ Miss, you are indeed a rare commodity and could be a distinguished guest for many,” Liang Jinguo said.

This was a test.

Qin Qing replied, “Mr. Liang, you are mistaken. Regardless of how I calculated it, my ability to calculate it is one thing, but whether I can reveal it is another. I am telling you this time because you, Mr. Liang, were going to win anyway. My intervention merely helps you win more elegantly; it doesn’t affect the outcome, nor does it disrupt the market. In other circumstances, I would not speak.”

No, the reason she spoke was that she didn’t want to play tai chi with him, explaining how she knew about his family’s past. She couldn’t explain it clearly, and he wouldn’t believe it anyway. That’s why she went straight for the big reveal.

And just like that, she instantly turned him into a confused mess.

Knowing he wouldn’t get more answers here, Liang Jinguo stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and scrutinized Qin Qing with a discerning gaze.

As he stood up, the small stool he had just vacated was immediately occupied by a figure, causing him to stumble sideways. This instantly broke his train of thought.

The newcomer raised a short, chubby hand and waved at him, “Excuse me, brother… Oh, Mr. Liang, I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you also here to…”

The newcomer stopped speaking, merely widening his eyes, looking at him, then at Qin Qing behind the stall, his gaze growing increasingly reverent.

Liang Jinguo almost laughed out loud. You see me, but why are you so reverent towards that young girl? What’s the connection?

Liang Jinguo actually knew this impolite, rash fellow. He had met him a few times at business events. His name seemed to be Chen something-Guang. They weren’t close, just exchanged nods and pleasantries.

He wondered what this guy was doing here; he seemed to be here for the stall owner as well.

Little did he know, the “something-Guang” he referred to was Chen Daguang. Although both were businessmen, Chen Daguang and Liang Jinguo were not in the same league at all. One could say that Chen Daguang could never hope to reach Liang Jinguo’s level in his lifetime.

In Chen Daguang’s eyes, since Liang Jinguo was patronizing Qin Qing’s business, it naturally elevated Qin Qing’s ability and status even further.

Liang Jinguo was not in a hurry to leave; he wanted to see what trick they were up to.

He saw that Chen something-Guang looked at the young stall owner with tears in his eyes, “Master, benefactor! You are the benefactor of our entire family.”

Qin Qing felt a bit out of place hearing this. Mainly, Chen Daguang started off with such intense emotion, the kind that made her feel like he wanted to kowtow to her, which made her a little overwhelmed.

“Stop! Get to the point. I don’t have tissues here.”

Chen Daguang: “Oh.”

He suppressed his tears and sat firmly on the small stool, behaving like a well-behaved kindergarten child.

The stool, compared to his plump figure, looked like it was embedded in his backside.

Perhaps it was psychological, but Qin Qing kept feeling like there was a screw loosening on the small stool.

“If it weren’t for your divine foresight, Master, I would have been in deep trouble this time. My family might have been ruined. You not only saved me, but you saved my whole family. Who knew that heartless person was hiding so deeply? I treated him like a brother, and he treated me like a pig to be slaughtered. It’s my fault, Chen Daguang, for being so ignorant. Last time, I actually thought you were a swindler with ulterior motives. I’m uneducated, Master, please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against me.”

As he spoke, he took out his phone to scan the QR code on the stall, saying while scanning, “I haven’t paid you for last time yet, I’ll make it up, I’ll make it up.”

His face, still streaked with tears, was creased with a fawning smile. The sight was so cringeworthy that even Liang Jinguo beside him couldn’t bear to look directly.

Qin Qing also looked on with a complicated expression.

She had received a feedback notification from the System Panel this morning, already knowing that the fraud group had been apprehended and Chen Daguang had escaped unscathed.

However, this time, the Experience Points given by the System Panel were only 4, which was insignificant compared to the 60 contributed by Liang Jian.

She wondered how this System Panel calculated experience.

[WeChat received 100,000 yuan]

Qin Qing had her payment notification on, which was also a flamboyant way of doing business, everyone did it.

So, among the row of “immortal” stalls outside Baiyun Temple, everyone nearby knew roughly which ones were doing well and which were not.

Qin Qing, sticking to her starting price of 100 yuan without reduction, always had worse business than others.

However, no matter how bad it was, she couldn’t resist receiving 100,000 yuan at once.

Almost instantly, everyone in the area—whether “immortal” stall owners, customers, or tourists resting in the shade—all turned their heads in this direction like cats seeing a cat toy, wanting to see where this big spender came from.

The more reserved ones merely pricked up their ears, wanting to hear what was happening here. The more direct ones simply rushed over to watch the fun.

Watching a spectacle, as long as two or three people gather, a circle of onlookers will quickly form around them. They gathered to watch the big spender.

The big spender Chen Daguang was completely unaware of being seen as a big spender: “Master, you’ve worked hard. Thank you, Master, for saving me.”

Liang Jinguo had people standing on both sides, feeling a bit squeezed… Being squeezed in with a crowd to watch a spectacle was something that had never happened in Mr. Liang’s life.

Too many people. He wanted to leave, but then again, he was a little curious.

While hesitating, he found that even behind him, there was a layer of people. Oh, his escape route was blocked, he couldn’t leave.

His clothes were wrinkled from the squeeze, and with so many people, there was the smell of sweat. Mr. Liang crossed his left arm over his chest, trying to keep a distance from the people around him, and covered his nose with his right hand in disgust…

The extra onlookers didn’t affect Qin Qing. She said to Chen Daguang, “Did you enter the wrong number of zeros when you paid?” And he had entered two extra.

Chen Daguang looked embarrassed, “I don’t know your fee standard, Master, so I just paid what I donate to the God of Wealth every year.” Then, looking nervous and seeking guidance, he asked, “Master, should I add another zero?”

As he spoke, he even held up a finger to his face, “I’ll make it up right away.”

He didn’t feel there was any problem with the price. It was money for his life. Compared to the 80 million that almost went down the drain, what could one million do?

He unlocked his phone, ready to scan again, and there was a chorus of boos from the crowd.

“Cough, cough…” Qin Qing stopped him, “That’s enough, that’s enough. My fees aren’t that expensive.”

Chen Daguang: “Master is truly humble.”

Then he gestured to the young man beside him to present the box in his hands to Qin Qing. Chen Daguang tugged at his collar, bowed formally, and in a completely non-standard, affected operatic voice, said, “Master, I am deeply grateful for your kindness. This humble gift is merely a small token of my sincerity. I hope you will accept it and not reject it for being insignificant.” He then introduced, “Master, this is my son, Chen Shuhan. Xiao Han, quickly come and pay your respects to the Master, bow and greet her.”

Sweat! She could hear some of the onlookers unable to hold back their laughter.

Looking at Liang Jinguo in the crowd, his contemptuous gaze seemed to want to flay the pretentious Chen Daguang alive.

Clearing her throat with a couple of coughs, Qin Qing, for the sake of the high payment she had just received, managed to control her facial expression. Since he called her Master, she had to maintain the Master’s aura.

She sat steadily, appearing to handle the situation with ease.

Then she raised her hand to stop Chen Shuhan, who had already stepped forward, “No need to bow.”