Deadly Game: Almighty Boss’s Guide to Making Money

Chapter 1351. Yunjin Tailoring Workshop (8)

Lin Xi frowned, took the half of the cheongsam and examined it carefully. It didn't seem to be accidentally damaged, but rather as if it had been deliberately taken apart.

"Isn't this how you hide it?" She looked at Chun Tao, her tone serious. "Besides you and Lao Chen, who else would know that the cheongsam was hidden here?"

Chuntao shook her head repeatedly.

"There's no one else! Old Chen and I were so afraid of being discovered that we didn't even tell my mother!"

Old Chen also recovered from his initial panic and said with a serious expression.

"Wait a minute... When I came back to get something last night, I think I saw a dark figure flash by outside the courtyard wall, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. Could it be that someone is watching me?"

He suddenly remembered something, rushed into the house and started searching. Not long after, he came out with a crumpled piece of paper.

"I just found this under the box, we didn't put it there!"

Lin Xi took the note, which was written in charcoal: "Half a cheongsam in exchange for Ah Zhen's brother's medicine. If you want the whole thing, come find me at the abandoned kiln in the western suburbs at midnight."

The edges of the writing are somewhat blurred, as if it was written in a hurry.

"Is this aimed at Ah Zhen?" Lu Ze leaned over to take a look and said in a deep voice. "Someone deliberately took half of it and wants to use it to blackmail Ah Zhen."

Old Qiu looked at Chun Tao.

"Are you sure that only the two of you knew about the hidden cheongsam? Did you mention it to anyone in the Shen family, even unintentionally?"

Chun Tao lowered her head and thought for a long time, then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"I remember now! The day Miss Shen tried on the sample dress, I accidentally let slip half of where the cheongsam was stored. At that time, there seemed to be a man in a gray cloth dress walking by! I thought he was a servant from the manor, so I didn't pay any attention!"

"Is it that man in the gray clothes again?"

Previously, Ah Zhen was followed by the man in gray cloth, and Chun Tao was joined by Lao Chen. Now, another mysterious man in gray cloth has appeared, which is clearly not the same person.

—Why is there another man in gray cloth?
—This is a gang!
—It was definitely intentional!
—Someone wants to use the cheongsam to cause trouble; it's not just about stealing.

Lin Xi made a decisive decision.

"Old Qiu, take Chun Tao and Old Chen to the charity hospital first, settle Chun Tao's mother's illness, and while you're at it, find out if there have been any suspicious gray-cloth men around the hospital recently."

Lu Ze, Youyou, and I went back to Jinxiu Tailor Shop to tell Han Xinyi and the others what had happened, and to see if Azhen had any new leads. We had to get to the abandoned kiln in the western suburbs before midnight.”

It was already late at night when the three of them rushed back to Jinxiu Tailor Shop with half a cheongsam in their hands.

The lights in the tailor shop were still on.

Everyone was working, except for Bai Yueming.

He wasn't doing nothing; he was watching over Ah-Zhen's sleeping brother.

Upon seeing the three return, he immediately went to greet them.

"The cheongsam has been found?"

"We've only found half of it; there's more trouble ahead."

Lin Xi handed over the note and half of a cheongsam, and explained the whole story.

When Ah Zhen heard that her brother's medicine was being used as leverage, her eyes instantly turned red with anger.

"No! I can't let anything happen to my brother!"

Just then, Ah Zhen's younger brother suddenly coughed. Hearing the sound, he spoke, but his voice was weak.

“Sister…that day…the person who was following you…was holding a plaque…with plum blossoms on it…”

Ah Zhen was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

“Yes! I was too flustered to notice, but that man in the gray cloth did have a wooden plaque engraved with plum blossoms hanging from his waist! It looked a bit like the Shen family crest, but it wasn't the same!” “Looked like the Shen family crest but not the same?” Lin Bei frowned. “Could he be from a branch of the Shen family? Or someone with a grudge against the Shen family?”

The boss also came over, looking serious.

“I just remembered something. Master Shen used to have a business partner surnamed Mei. The two had a falling out over a batch of Yun brocade, and then Mr. Mei disappeared. Mr. Mei’s family crest was a plum blossom with an added arc, which looks a lot like what Ah Zhen described!”

—Unlock new characters.

—Boss Mei? This is commercial retaliation!

So, Lao Chen and Chun Tao were just being used?
—Is Mr. Mei behind the scenes?

Lin Xi glanced at the sky outside the window. The night was deep, and there were still about two hours until ion time.

“The situation is clear now. Someone deliberately took advantage of Ah Zhen and Chun Tao’s predicament to steal the cheongsam and disrupt the Shen family wedding. They are most likely after the Shen family.” She quickly gave instructions. “The rest of you stay here. Vegetables, you, Lao Qiu, Lu Ze, and I will go to the abandoned kiln in the western suburbs.”

Xu Youyou can help with the chores here.

If there is any danger, Lin Bei and his group should be able to handle it.

"Alright, this is a good opportunity to stretch my muscles. It's better than being bored here," Bai Yueming said with a grin.

Before leaving, Ah Zhen stuffed a small brocade sachet into Lin Xi's hand.

“This is what I made. It contains insect-repelling herbs. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the abandoned kilns in the western suburbs. You can take it and use it.”

The western suburbs were far from Jinxiu Tailor Shop, so the group decided to drive there.

Lin Xi and Lin Bei had too much stuff in their car, so Lin Xi summoned the secondhand car she had stored in the dungeon.

The other one is too big and not suitable for the current roads.

As night deepened, fewer and fewer pedestrians appeared on the road, with only the occasional bark of a dog breaking the silence.

After the car entered the western suburbs, the surrounding scenery became desolate. The roadside weeds were half a person tall, and the wind made a "rustling" sound, which made people feel uneasy.

Finally, just before midnight, the group arrived at the abandoned kiln in the western suburbs.

The gate to the abandoned kiln was dilapidated and ajar; it was pitch black inside, and no sound could be heard.

Everyone got out of the car, and Bai Yueming summoned a flashlight.

Lin Xi gestured for everyone to slow down, and gently pushed open the kiln door. The beam of the flashlight shone inside, revealing only rubble and thick dust covering the ground.

"Is anyone there?" Bai Yueming called out.

The sound echoed in the cave, but there was no response.

Just then, Lin Xi accidentally kicked something, making a "clang" sound.

She bent down and picked it up. By the light of the lantern, she saw that it was a wooden plaque with plum blossom patterns carved on it.

Next to the wooden sign was a small pinch of yellow powder, which looked like some kind of spice.

"He must have left not long ago; there are footprints in the dust," Lu Ze said, pointing to the ground.

Lin Xi squatted down to examine the footprints and found that they were larger than Old Chen's, and the pattern on the soles of the shoes was very special, unlike the cloth shoes worn by ordinary people.

“These aren’t Old Chen’s footprints; they should be those of that mysterious man in the gray cloth.” She stood up and looked into the depths of the cave. “There’s another passage inside; let’s go in and take a look.”

The group walked along the narrow passage, which was only wide enough for one person to pass at a time.

After walking several dozen steps, the passage suddenly opened up, turning into a spacious stone chamber.

Several faded brocade patterns hung on the walls of the stone chamber, and a few wooden boxes, which looked quite old, were piled up in the corner.

(End of this chapter)