The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

213: Chapter 213 The Screen for Picking Up BargainsAt this moment, in the chairman’s office of Shenzhou Group, Qiao Shanzhou sat upright in his spacious office chair, a faint, hard-to-detect smile on his face. His long fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk, and his deep eyes revealed an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

The telephone suddenly rang, interrupting Qiao Shanzhou’s thoughts. He picked up the phone, and Zuo Ming’s slightly hurried voice came from the other end: ”Chairman Qiao, I am currently on my way to Zhang Wei’s place to negotiate matters concerning the purchase of the maitreya buddha statue.”

Hearing this, Qiao Shanzhou responded calmly and confidently, ”Good, you go ahead. Make sure you handle the matter properly, and then report back to me in detail when you return.”

After hanging up, Qiao Shanzhou’s thoughts drifted back to the original financial documents hidden by Meng Changshu. He mused to himself that as long as he could destroy those documents, he could truly rest easy without any future worries. Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his smile became more pronounced.

Time ticked by, and it was soon nearing the end of the workday. However, Zuo Ming had still not returned. Qiao Shanzhou began to feel somewhat restless, and his fingers stopped tapping the desk, instead clenching tightly into fists. A strange sense of unease welled up in his heart—could Zuo Ming have run into some accident?

Just then, there was a soft knock on the office door. Qiao Shanzhou looked up toward the entrance, and a flash of ominous premonition crossed his mind. He tried his best to remain calm and called out in a slightly hoarse voice, ”Come in.”

The door slowly opened, revealing Zuo Hemei entering with several police officers. The expressions on their faces were unusually serious.

Zuo Hemei’s voice was firm and powerful as she stated, ”Qiao Shanzhou, you are hereby arrested based on the laws of the Hua Country for the crime of concealing and intentionally destroying accounting vouchers, accounting books, and financial accounting reports.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shanzhou’s face instantly turned pale. He tried to argue in a trembling voice, ”This... this must be a misunderstanding! You have the wrong person! I want to see my lawyer!”

However, Zuo Hemei mercilessly cut him off: ”We have sufficient evidence. Please cooperate with our work.”

Qiao Shanzhou’s legs began to feel weak. He slowly stood up from his chair but was struck by a wave of intense dizziness. He muttered to himself, ”No... impossible... how could this be possible...” But his voice was already drowned out by the actions of the police officers.

With the crisp ’clack’ of handcuffs, Qiao Shanzhou was led away by the police officers.

Zhang Wei, having just finished dealing with the secret of the maitreya buddha statue, felt a slight fatigue. He stood on the street outside Jiangnan Garden waiting for Liu Haorui, the cold wind slicing across his cheeks like a knife.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, rapidly sorting through the intelligence provided by the Intelligence System when he was in City J in his mind. Several days had passed; he hoped the information hadn’t been picked up by someone else.

”Old Zhang, you’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?” Liu Haorui’s voice carried a trace of undisguised excitement. He hurried forward and stood side-by-side with Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei nodded lightly, a joking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: ”You could have been a little later, or I wouldn’t stop until I beat you crippled.” Although it was a joke, the deep friendship between the two was obvious.

Their trip was rushed; they had just escaped the bustling Shenghai City and immediately taken a taxi straight to City J. Outside the car window, the cold snap had arrived as expected, the biting cold wind howling past like a sharp blade in the night, kicking up gusts of dead leaves and dust.

When night completely enveloped the land, they finally arrived in City J. They had no time to admire the city’s night view and went directly to the antique shop.

The antique shop was located in a quiet alley. A dim, yellow lantern hung at the entrance, swaying gracefully in the cold wind, adding a touch of rustic antiquity and mystery to the silent night. Zhang Wei pushed open the door, and a musty, slightly moldy odor rushed toward him, as if he had traveled through time back to the distant past. The light inside was dim, and various antiques were placed in disarray; each piece carried an untold history and story.

”Welcome.” A hoarse and low voice came from the depths of the shop. They followed the sound and saw a thin old man sitting behind the counter, diligently polishing a piece of porcelain.

”Hello, we are here to inquire about a screen,” Zhang Wei stepped forward and politely asked the old man.

The old man looked up, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, as if he had already seen through their purpose: ”Oh? You are here treasure hunting? That screen is no ordinary item; it is priceless.”

A flicker of excitement shone in Liu Haorui’s eyes. He asked impatiently, ”We are very interested in it. May we take a look?”

The old man smiled faintly, stood up, and slowly walked toward a corner of the shop. Under the dim yellow light, various old furniture and porcelain were piled up haphazardly. The old man stopped and pointed to an item leaning against the wall: ”The screen is here.”

Zhang Wei quickly turned on his phone’s strong flashlight, illuminating the wooden panels. Under the bright light, they finally saw the true appearance of the screen. Each panel was carved with auspicious cloud and five blessings (bats) holding longevity patterns, while the overall frame was carved with plum blossom patterns, bat patterns, and the Buddhist Eight Treasures pattern. The craftsmanship was exquisite and ingenious.

”This is truly a treasure!” Zhang Wei exclaimed inwardly, unable to stop his admiration. He stared at the screen and said, ”Hey, this thing is really nice, it’s just a bit dirty and needs a good cleaning.” His words carried a hint of regret and a touch of wistfulness.

The old man nodded upon hearing this and sighed, ”This screen, I picked it up not long ago from an old residence in Xiangyang City. It’s a bit broken, but many people are interested in seeing the elegance of this antique.”

Zhang Wei squinted, carefully examining the screen. He suddenly noticed that the frames of several panels were somewhat worn. He quickly took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, shone it on the panel, and pointed, saying, ”Elder, look here, and here, the frames are almost completely worn down.”

The old man chuckled, his wrinkles bunching up on his face: ”I noticed that a long time ago. I originally didn’t plan to sell it. But since I’ve met two connoisseurs like you, I feel more at ease. How about this, I won’t ask for a high price—1.88 million, for good luck.”

When Liu Haorui heard this, his brow furrowed like a twisted rope: ”Old man, your price is a bit too outrageous, isn’t it? It’s just a few pieces of wood, how can it be worth that much?”

The old man remained unmoved, still smiling: ”Young man, this isn’t ordinary wood; this is Zitan wood! 1.88 million is very cheap. Not a single penny less, and I won’t sell it.”

Zhang Wei pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, ”Fine, it’s a deal!”

The old man laughed happily when he heard this: ”Haha, this young man is straightforward!”