Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

In fact, anyone who collects antiques in Beijing knows that the Crescent Hotel is the place where true experts stay and collect real, high-end items.

Compared to this place, places like Liulichang and Panjiayuan are just cheap street vendors, full of scams.

The real big-name transactions mostly took place in the theater on the third floor of the Crescent Hotel.

During the Qing Dynasty, this place was where palace eunuchs traded with foreigners. Everyone who came in and out was dressed formally, and this has become an unspoken rule over the years.

Buyers and sellers who come here to trade must wear formal attire to enter.

No matter how rich or powerful you are, if you're wearing baggy shorts, you'll definitely be barred from entering.

Early that morning, Wu Xie and Fatty, dressed in suits, arrived at the door with invitations in hand.

Although Wu Xie isn't exactly a heartthrob, his physique is within the normal range, even a bit thin, and he looks quite dashing in a suit.

But the fat man
"Which shop made this suit for you? I'm going to burn that shop down."

Wu Xie looked at the fat man's outfit and complained.

The fat man's suit was abnormally ill-fitting, clearly a size too small. To avoid exposing his potbelly, he held his breath the entire time.

His tie was haphazardly hung around his neck, tied like a fried dough stick.

He looked completely out of place, especially compared to the well-dressed men at the entrance; it was quite embarrassing.

At least, if Wu Xie had a choice, he really wouldn't want to come here with Fatty.

That's so damn embarrassing!
Wu Xie could hear the soft laughter of the young lady in the dress passing by.

My image was completely ruined by that fat guy.

"It's none of my business. I'm doing pretty well lately. This suit was bought by my mom. It was just the right size a year ago."

"It's our freedom to wear whatever size suit we want. If I wanted to wear children's clothes, with Hu Ming here, they wouldn't let us in, would they?"

The fat man grumbled, feeling uncomfortable being wrapped up.

"Fine! You're right, then you go first."

Wu Xie had no intention of wasting words with him. He had a bad feeling and increasingly felt that the reputation of the Wu family might be ruined by him today.

"Please come in, gentlemen. The Second Master has arranged seats for you."

Sheng Shengman, dressed in an elegant cheongsam, walked out of the Crescent Moon Hotel, looking at the two with an impeccable smile.

Sheng Sheng Man was professionally trained, and under normal circumstances, she would never ridicule a distinguished guest who came to her door.

Especially since this was a distinguished guest whom Hu Ming had specifically instructed him to visit.

Even if she really couldn't hold back, Sheng Shengman would still suppress her laughter.

"Where is Uncle? I want to see him."

Wu Xie raised an eyebrow, wanting to dig out some inside information from Sheng Sheng Man.

"I'm sorry, Third Master, Second Master and Miss are busy right now and have a very troublesome guest, so they probably don't have time to entertain you."

"But please rest assured, Second Master has already given instructions that you two are distinguished guests of our Crescent Moon Hotel, and all expenses will be charged under Second Master's name." Sheng Sheng Man led the two through the door, took the elevator to the third floor, and explained softly.

Wu Xie had arranged to meet someone here, but so far, there has been no sign of the mysterious buyer who wanted to acquire Yangshi Lei's structural drawings.

Helpless, they could only follow Hu Ming's arrangement and listen to Sheng Sheng Man.

This was Wu Xie's first time here, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

After taking the elevator to the third floor, all I could see was a magnificent Chinese-style interior, with antique ornaments, carved windows and screens everywhere.

Upon closer inspection, these displayed items turned out to be genuine antiques!
Most of them were porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and Wu Xie even saw some old things from the Tang Dynasty!
"...Wow, is the Yin family really that wealthy and powerful?"

All the items I've sold are genuine; not a single one is a fake that's been artificially aged!
Looking at these things, Wu Xie gasped and couldn't help but sigh.

The combined value of these items is already astronomical!
It's hard to imagine just how wealthy the Yin family, who have stood in Beijing for hundreds of years, truly are.

At the very least, Wu Xie was certain that his Wu family was definitely no match for them.

"That's why the Crescent Hotel is said to be the most high-end place for antique trading in Beijing. Even my father's Treasure Pavilion is still a bit less prestigious than this place!"

"Naive. To be honest, some of the larger transactions involving the Nine Gates are conducted here. You won't find a more upscale trading venue in the entire city of Beijing."

The fat man couldn't help but sigh.

In short, the Crescent Hotel was extremely luxurious and was the favorite place of the upper class in Beijing.

In response, Sheng Sheng Man smiled and remained silent.

In fact, strictly speaking, the Crescent Hotel has a long history, and the change of dynasties has not affected its superior status in Beijing, even the rise of the Zhenpin Pavilion in recent years.

What storms hasn't the Crescent Hotel weathered over the centuries?
Compared to the Crescent Moon Hotel, the entire Nine Gates...

If the Crescent Moon Hotel is a long-established aristocratic establishment, then the entire Nine Gates feels like a nouveau riche.

During the Republic of China era, the Nine Gates rose to prominence quickly, becoming a rising power, but their decline was even faster!
The entire Nine Gates only flourished for less than half a century. In the early days of the new society, in order to maintain a legal identity and avoid being purged for being tomb raiders, they paid a huge price.

Hu Ming really doesn't think much of the Nine Gates these days.

Although the current Zhenpin Pavilion cannot yet compare to the New Moon Hotel, it is only slightly inferior to the New Moon Hotel in Beijing! Although it was established later, it has a lot of rare treasures and, in response to various national policies, has developed very well in recent years due to its strong national backing!

As for the Nine Gates, even now, there are still some ignorant fools who cling to their family fortune, flaunting their power and hoping to expand their family business.

What kind of era is this? People still think they can make a living by tomb raiding?
If it were a lone wolf, that would be one thing, but a family-based tomb raiding operation?
Stop kidding me, it's the 21st century, honey!
Society is gradually stabilizing, and the legal system is gradually improving. As long as a powerful figure targets the Nine Gates, do you think the Nine Gates can survive?

Dream on!
Over the years, although "he" has been persecuting the Nine Gates, in a sense, "he" needs the Nine Gates, and isn't the Nine Gates also a protective umbrella for the upper echelons?
Now that "he" has been injured, does the Nine Gates still think they can make a living by tomb raiding?
Take the jujube pill.

Remember, China is a nation under heaven. In the face of the state apparatus, what are these so-called tomb-raiding families? They are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs.

Why is Wu Laogou trying to whitewash the Wu family?
Firstly, it was due to the circumstances; secondly, Wu Laogou had seen through the inevitability of social development, realizing that in the new era, there was truly no fertile ground for tomb raiders to survive.

Therefore, if the Nine Gates cling to tomb raiding and refuse to change their ways, they will eventually be completely wiped out.

The Wu, Hong, Huo, and Xie families did this very well, starting their family transformation early on, abandoning shady businesses and focusing on legitimate ventures…