Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

The phone rang on the bedside table, and Wu Wei opened his eyes groggily.

I picked up my phone and glanced at the caller ID, which made me a little more alert.

"Hey bro?"

"Hmm," Zhang Qiling's voice came through the receiver.

"I've taken on a job; I'll be leaving this afternoon."

"Why the rush?" Wu Wei sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

Zhang Qiling paused for a moment: "The blind man just received it."

The voice of Black Bear could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone, but it was too far away to hear clearly.

Zhang Qiling handed over the phone, and Hei Xiazi's voice immediately became clear:

"This time the employer is in a hurry, so the price has doubled."

"Alright. Be careful, everyone." Wu Wei's voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels.

"Understood," Zhang Qiling replied.

"Don't worry, I've seen it all with a mute." Black Glasses' tone sounded no different from usual.

Wu Wei sat on the edge of the bed for a while, holding his phone, before getting up to wash up.

I squeezed some toothpaste onto my expressionless face in the mirror.

He thought to himself that these two people had accompanied him to listen to crosstalk yesterday, but today they were going out to work, leaving him, the one recuperating from his injury, to be exceptionally idle.

At the dining table, Wu Xie and Wu Erbai were already eating.

Wu Wei sat down opposite Wu Xie, and a servant brought him breakfast.

Wu Xie looked up and called out "Brother," then lowered his head again to focus on the fried eggs on the plate.

Recently, whenever he saw Wu Wei, he felt his heart was beating strangely, but he didn't dare to think about it too much, so he simply plunged into Wang Pangzi's Panjiayuan shop, going out early and returning late every day.

After finishing his meal, Wu Erbai took a sip of tea and, in an uncompromising tone, informed the two:

"One of you must come with me to the Chamber of Commerce today. You'll have to handle the accounts of the trading companies and the social interactions between different parties sooner or later."

Wu Wei and Wu Xie spoke almost simultaneously.

"My brother is going."

"Little Evil, go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two brothers looked at each other.

Wu Erbai said slowly and deliberately, "If you can't decide, then go together."

Wu Wei immediately turned around, putting on a sincere expression: "Xiao Xie, am I good to you?"

Wu Xie had become immune to this opening line; he had heard it once before while in a hospital bed, and the price he paid was being arrested on the spot by his second uncle.

His mind raced, and he found a solution.

"Okay." Wu Xie also put on a sincere expression.

"Can you be nice to me one more time, bro?"

Wu Wei was speechless.

He opened his mouth, looking at Wu Xie's innocent face, wondering if the kid had become smarter or just more cunning.

Wu Erbai put down his teacup and made the final decision: "Xiao Wei, come with me. Xiao Xie, stay here and watch the house."

Wu Wei sighed resignedly.

Wu Wei had been running around the gambling dens with Wu Erbai all day long, and hadn't stopped moving since nine in the morning.

First, I went to Dongcheng to check on a batch of goods that had just been picked up from customs, and then I went to Chaoyang to check the accounts of several shops.

Lunch was eaten in the car. Erjing handed over two packed boxes, and Wu Erbai ate while looking at the account book.

Wu Wei sat beside him, sipping pork rib soup from his thermos, feeling like a dog that had been walked all day.

"Tired already?" Wu Erbai lifted his eyelids from the ledger and glanced at him. "How did you write those doctoral dissertations?"

"Water," Wu said matter-of-factly.

Wu Erbai closed the ledger, not responding to his question, but suddenly asked, "Does your right hand still hurt?"

Wu Wei paused for a moment, then moved his right hand, which had just had its cast removed: "It doesn't hurt anymore. Dad, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Then you'll finish reading these ledgers today." Wu Erbai put the ledgers aside, his tone indifferent.

Wu Wei rolled his eyes and covered his right arm, "I belatedly realized it hurts a little."

"Don't pretend!" Wu Erbai wasn't buying it.

As evening fell, Wu Erbai led Wu Wei into a long-established restaurant.

In the evening, the car was parked in front of a private club.

The Chamber of Commerce is located here, and prominent figures from Beijing all come here.

When Wu Wei got out of the car with Wu Erbai, there were already quite a few cars parked at the entrance.

Several familiar betting operators came up to greet Wu Erbai and exchange pleasantries. Wu Wei consciously took a half step back and stood behind his father.

Upon entering the club, one sees everyone dressed in suits and ties, holding wine glasses and exchanging pleasantries with the crowd.

Wu Wei followed behind Wu Erbai, changed into a well-fitting suit, and straightened his back somewhat awkwardly.

Holding a glass of champagne, with a polite smile on his face.

Wu Erbai introduced him to a group of people, and Wu Wei would call out "Uncle" every few steps he took, and would raise his glass to drink every few words he said, his face almost stiff from smiling.

Then Wu Erbai was pulled aside by several acquaintances to talk, and before leaving, he patted Wu Wei on the shoulder:

"Take a walk around by yourself, but don't go too far."

Wu Wei smiled and nodded, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon. He put down his wine glass, replaced it with a glass of juice, and stood in the corner.

I had just taken a sip when someone came up to me.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Wu's wife?"

Wu Wei raised an eyebrow and turned around.

The speaker was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly overweight, with his hair slicked back with hair oil and several conspicuous gold rings on his fingers.

Behind him were two companions of similar age. The three of them stood together, exuding the air of nouveau riche stock market speculators.

Wu Wei recognized him; his surname was Qian, and he had made a fortune a few years ago by supplying goods to Qiu Dekao.

Such people are not uncommon in business associations. They have unstable foundations and shady backgrounds, yet they love to make their presence felt in such settings.

"Boss Qian." Wu Wei nodded politely, his attitude neither warm nor cold.

Boss Qian took two steps closer, holding his wine glass, and looked Wu Wei up and down with a rather unfriendly smile.

"I just heard someone introduce you as the son of Master Wu? How come I've never seen you before?"

"I don't usually attend these kinds of events," Wu Wei said.

"That's true." Boss Qian smiled, his tentative tone turning into an undisguised provocation.

"After all, you're not their biological child. Master Wu's family is very wealthy and powerful; it's your good fortune that he was able to adopt you."

Then, changing the subject, he continued, "But ultimately, you're still a step below the Wu family in terms of bloodline. You're only here because you're lucky; if things change in the future, that might not be the case."

He said this as if he were thinking of Wu Wei's best interests.

Some people nearby looked on with amusement, while others frowned, thinking that the words had gone too far.

Wu Wei leaned against the windowsill, his expression unchanged.

He's seen far too many people like that over the years.

If one's brain capacity is insufficient, one becomes arrogant and conceited once in power, unable to discern the situation or read the room.

Wu Wei took a sip of juice to wash away the taste of alcohol in his mouth, and was about to say something sarcastic when a clear and gentle voice rang out beside him.

"Boss Qian."

Xie Yuchen stepped out from the crowd.

He was wearing a dark gray suit today, and his tie was perfectly tied.

Despite his young age, he exudes the air of a distinguished family when he stands there.

"I heard that Boss Qian is looking to acquire a new shop in the southern part of the city?"

Xie Yuchen walked to Wu Wei's side and naturally stood next to him.

Boss Qian's expression changed; he clearly hadn't expected the young head of the Xie family to suddenly step forward.

"Manager Jie," Boss Qian said with a forced smile, "these are all small businesses, nothing to your liking."

Even a small business is still a business.

Xie Yuchen picked up his wine glass, raised it to Boss Qian, and wore a polite smile.

"It's just that instead of wasting time gossiping in these kinds of situations, Mr. Qian should spend more time worrying about his business. After all—"

Xie Yuchen's tone was gentle, yet every word was cutting: "Jude Kao is dead. You can't exactly lean on that big tree anymore, can you?"