A sense of inexplicable emptiness surged into Old Zhang's heart. He thought of many possibilities, even the possibility that Liu Qing might have found a new love, fallen for another superior man.
Alas...
Feelings are always so complicated, leading to all sorts of wild thoughts.
At this moment, the Little Landlady sat next to Old Zhang, patting his shoulder, and consoled him, "Old Zhang, no need to wait for Liu Qing anymore, she's been arrested."
"Zhang, you don't understand adult matters..." Old Zhang replied dejectedly, but before he could finish, he suddenly furrowed his brows tightly, looking at the Little Landlady, "What did you just say!?"
The Little Landlady solemnly said, "Old Zhang, you heard me right, Liu Qing has been arrested!"
"Arrested, why has she been arrested?"
Old Zhang immediately sat up straight, his face full of astonishment and concern.
"Old Zhang, don't get agitated yet," the Little Landlady said, pulling on the lapel of his suit, urging him to sit down.
Old Zhang immediately countered, "If Lin Chuan were arrested, could you stay calm?"
Lin Chuan, who was right next to him, was taken aback.
Old Zhang, make your metaphors, but leave me out of it.
I'm all good, why would I get arrested?
The Little Landlady glanced at Lin Chuan and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Old Zhang, Lin Chuan won't get arrested."
Old Zhang also glanced at Lin Chuan and muttered under his breath, "As if he's never been arrested before."
Cough!
Seeing the father and daughter veering off topic, Lin Chuan coughed lightly, "Old Zhang, Xinxin, let's stop for now, we're supposed to be talking about Liu Qing's arrest!"
At the mention of 'Liu Qing,' Old Zhang immediately turned back to the subject, "Why was she arrested?"
"She's suspected of money laundering for a factory district in the Myanmar area," the Little Landlady stated straightforwardly.
"Money laundering, but she's a proper businesswoman, how could she be laundering money for a factory district?" Old Zhang furrowed his brows in contradiction.
"She also set up an Antique Scam to commit fraud!" the Little Landlady continued.
"Fraud? Who did she defraud?"
"You!"
The Little Landlady stretched out her hand, pointing, and looked intently at Old Zhang.
Old Zhang: "???"
At the entrance of the small supermarket, illuminated by the light above, Old Zhang's face appeared astonished and stupefied.
Dumbfounded, Old Zhang asked, "Why would Liu Qing deceive me?"
The Little Landlady patted Old Zhang's shoulder again, consoling him, "Oh Old Zhang, just stick to collecting rent with that IQ of yours, leave the entrepreneurship to me."
"Then tell me, where did Liu Qing deceive me?" Old Zhang mumbled.
With a smile curling the corners of her mouth, the Little Landlady said, "Liu Qing, known as Sister Liu, a key figure in the money-laundering link for the Old Street Factory District in the Myanmar area, deals in antiques but is also involved in fraud. The main tactic is using the lure of romance to deceive the emotional trust of some middle-aged and elderly gentlemen.
Once these old guys make an investment, it's like falling into an abyss. And you, Old Zhang, are her current mark."
"That's impossible!" Old Zhang was shocked, "How could I possibly be an old middle-aged guy?"
"How are you not? It's only because Lin Chuan and I discovered this in time that we prevented a tragedy from happening. Otherwise, you'd probably be at the police station giving a victim's statement right now!" the Little Landlady said with a raised eyebrow and a laugh.
"You and Lin Chuan discovered it in time?"
Old Zhang looked at the Little Landlady with suspicion, then glanced at Lin Chuan.
"Yep."
A hint of pride appeared on the Little Landlady's face.
"You mean to say, you reported Liu Qing?" Old Zhang asked.
The Little Landlady nodded, "Yes, we called the police around four in the afternoon, and she was caught by seven in the evening and confessed to everything."
A flash of melancholy crossed Old Zhang's eyes as he sighed deeply to himself.
The Little Landlady went into the supermarket and then came out with a bottle of Erguotou liquor and a bag of peanuts, handing them to Old Zhang, "Old Zhang, have a drink to soothe the heartbreak."
Old Zhang listlessly took the Erguotou and turned to Lin Chuan, "Lin Chuan, join me for a drink."
The Little Landlady swiftly grabbed Lin Chuan's arm and then seriously told Old Zhang, "I'm just saying, Old Zhang, you guys can drink, but if you get drunk and decide to become sworn brothers, I don't want to end up with an extra uncle!"
"Sworn brothers, that's a good idea!"
Old Zhang smiled and deliberately teased the Little Landlady.
"Old Zhang, why don't you just stay here by yourself," the Little Landlady said, making a motion to take back the Erguotou.
"No, no, no..."
Old Zhang quickly guarded the liquor.
Humming and hawing, the Little Landlady walked into the little supermarket, dragging out a small foldable table and then fetched a stool for Lin Chuan. She sat next to Lin Chuan, peeling the peanuts for him.
Old Zhang downed a shot of Erguotou, tears were brought to his eyes from the spice, and afterward, he sighed and said, "How did you discover Liu Qing was committing fraud?"
"Ever since that first meeting, Lin Chuan noticed something fishy," the Little Landlady laughed.
Old Zhang squinted his eyes and looked towards Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan explained every detail, "That time, Liu Qing gave Xinxin a century-old red agate bracelet, but later, I found out it was a fake. Yet President Li, as an old player in the antiques circle, bought the bracelet for a high price, which made me suspect there was something wrong..."
After hearing this, Old Zhang downed another shot of Erguotou: "I was really foolish!"
The Little Landlady fed Lin Chuan a peanut and then complained, "Liu Qing is a bad woman, you couldn't handle her, the waters of the antique world are too deep for you, just give up and focus on collecting rent, that's your real job."
Regarding Liu Qing, Old Zhang avoided the topic: "I can't just collect rent forever, can I?"
"What else do you want to do besides collecting rent?" the Little Landlady countered.
"Your uncle started an eSports internet café, it's doing really well, and you've started your own Network Security Company, even collaborating with the police force. I want to make something of myself too!" Old Zhang said with conviction.
The Little Landlady and Lin Chuan glanced at each other.
Starting some kind of business wasn't a bad idea.
Keeping Old Zhang busy would help him forget about Liu Qing, that awful woman, and the embarrassing experience of being duped by a romantic scam.
"What about the Anti-Gambling Association you had before?" Lin Chuan chimed in.
Old Zhang shook his head: "Gamblers don't listen to advice, and those who do listen have lost everything, they don't need advice."
Lin Chuan could not help but laugh silently, it made sense.
"So, what do you want to do?"
The Little Landlady asked, frowning.
Old Zhang sat up straight, looking at them earnestly: "Actually, I've found that I quite like those antiques."
"But you don't know how to appraise them," the Little Landlady said with a pout.
"But studying those antiques feels very meaningful to me," Old Zhang laughed, "For instance, you can discover the story behind them, the historical charm hidden within the antiques. How wonderful is that."
"Old Zhang, you suddenly becoming so refined, I'm not used to it."
The Little Landlady said in shock.
Old Zhang seemed to have forgotten his heartache, proudly declaring, "Zhang, back when I was studying, I had a strong interest in history, and I was even the representative for the history course."
"Weren't you the Physics Course Representative? How come you're suddenly interested in history and were the History Course Representative?" the Little Landlady teased mercilessly.
"I wasn't studying for just one year!" Old Zhang grunted.
"Interest alone isn't enough, it can lead to immense resentment," the Little Landlady said.
Old Zhang countered, "When you started your Network Security Company, did you have the technical skills?"
The Little Landlady was taken aback, then hugged Lin Chuan's arm tightly, leaning her head towards him with pride, "I may not have the technical skills, but I have my Chairman!"
Old Zhang suddenly laughed: "Xinxin, lend me Lin Chuan for a bit!"
"I haven't used him yet!"
The Little Landlady immediately retorted.
Lin Chuan: "???"
What kind of outrageous statement was that?
"What haven't you used?" Old Zhang couldn't keep up and asked in confusion.
The Little Landlady suddenly realized that she misspoke, her face turned red, and with a sheepish smile, she said, "Old Zhang, what I meant was, at 720 Network Security Company, Lin Chuan is in charge of technical matters, I'm not really useful."
"That makes sense."
Old Zhang nodded, then added, "I really do want to open an Antique Shop, a small investment. You'll support me, right?"
At this point, the Little Landlady looked to Lin Chuan, pursing her lips, her eyes full of questioning.
The Little Landlady had seen Lin Chuan fake a 'Fengtian One Tael' and fool two masters from the Anling antiques circle, she knew Lin Chuan's level of expertise in antiquities appraisal was very high, as high as several floors, at least.
So.
Whether Old Zhang, an utter novice when it came to antiques, could successfully open a shop hinged on whether Lin Chuan would provide technical support.
Lin Chuan looked at the Little Landlady, then rubbed her hair and smiled, "Remember to cook breakfast for me tomorrow."
"Okay!"
The Little Landlady grinned, her eyes brimming with radiant joy, like the bright stars in the night sky.
Old Zhang, having drunk a few glasses, was slightly tipsy and dazed: "What do you mean?"
"Open your shop, and don't ask about anything else." The Little Landlady chuckled.

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