Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 416, page 193: Dealing with the Traitor

The first incense offering should definitely be contested!
Chi Mengli nodded, then began to look around. She noticed that Bada Shanren's paintings were still hanging on the wall. Although she didn't know if they were real or fake, she figured that if she had brought them here as auction items, it wouldn't be without some consolation prize.

He carried his spray gun, walked up to the ancient painting, and found that this landscape painting suited his taste, so he reached out and picked it.

The disciple in charge of recording was also an expert in ancient paintings, so he naturally knew who the person in front of him was. He coughed lightly and said softly, "Brother Sheng, I am the Dharma Master of the Study."

"This is a genuine piece, the third one from the right is quite good, it's an authentic work by Bada Shanren, and it can fetch a good price!"

After saying that, he tore off the page of the record, crumpled it up, and lit it with a lighter.

"Fa Fei, what a prestigious name. I'll remember it. Come find me for tea at Hong Sheng Que Guan sometime. I have a box of Songpin that a wealthy man gave me; I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

There are many brands of Pu'er tea. Songpin is an old brand that became a royal tea supplier during the Guangxu period. It is known as the top Pu'er tea merchant. This tea was sent by Wen Laogui and is said to be a premium product from Zhongying Street.

Chi Mengli disliked the excessive aflatoxin in the Pu'er tea, so she hadn't touched it, hoping to find an opportunity to give it away.

"You scoundrel, you have such fine tea, yet you don't even send some to your father to try? You have no filial piety whatsoever! Once you've chosen your goods, get out of here! Once the uniforms are up, you won't even have a chance to run away!"

Shenxian Jin was also a tea lover. Songpin tea was extremely difficult to obtain and could not be used as a staple tea. When he heard that Chi Mengli was willing to use Songpin tea as a return gift for a painting, he was furious.

That idiot! He has absolutely no taste!

That's insane!

Chi Mengli quickly put away the ancient painting, found a waterproof bag, put it inside, waved goodbye to Shenxian Jin, and hurried out. But when she got to the entrance of the auction house, she saw a nice diamond necklace in a small display case, so she smashed the tempered glass with the butt of her gun.

He reached inside, pulled out the seven-carat top-quality diamond, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Shenxian Jin, who was giving orders, saw that Chi Mengli, this good-for-nothing, was causing trouble. His face turned ashen. Just as he was about to curse him, he saw the good-for-nothing swagger away from the villa.

The disciples in the water room nearby shut up, lowered their heads, and continued doing their work, pretending not to have seen Handsome Sheng's unconventional behavior. They weren't Ah Bing; they had already seen that Lao Ding admired Handsome Sheng, but they were just verbally criticizing him.

However, Handsome Sheng is indeed amazing. He does everything perfectly. If I were in his shoes, I would also like such a handsome guy who takes the lead.

The two solid wood gates of the stone villa are now wide open, welcoming the victors.

Chi Mengli, a diamond necklace dangling from her wrist, a cigarette dangling from her lips, hummed a tune as she walked along the winding path.

Two hundred meters away, Teacher Li and Xiren were shivering in the sea breeze. Their winter coats had been taken by the waiter to the cloakroom, but in the chaos, they couldn't find them and had to tough it out with their bare hands.

"I told you so! This bastard survived a terrible ordeal, he's bound to have good fortune in the future, and his path will definitely become smoother and smoother."

Teacher Li was sitting on the sightseeing bus when she saw Chi Mengli carrying a sprayer and holding a bag as she walked towards them. She quickly told Xiren, boasting about the master she had hired, whose fortune-telling was very effective.

"Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years. God is also afraid of the strong and only let me out."

Chi Mengli unfolded the short spray bag on her shoulder, put it on the sightseeing car, took off her suit jacket and draped it over Xiren's shoulders, then threw the waterproof bag in her hand to Teacher Li.

"A drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water. This is a painting by Bada Shanren as my way of thanking you. By the way, I have some good news for you: the Eight-Faced Buddha has been taken away by MI6."

"The whole game was a scheme set up by MI6, and we were just pawns."

It's unpleasant to be used as a pawn, but the game is over, and everyone has received their own fate.

After finishing her conversation with Teacher Li, Chi Mengli reached into her pocket, took out the seven-carat diamond necklace, and waved it in front of Xiren: "Your tickets shouldn't have been arranged by Teacher Li."

"Taking cash is too vulgar. This diamond necklace is an appetizer. I will give you a big gift when we return to Hong Kong."

"All right!"

"I still have a lot of things to do in Hong Kong. Tomorrow morning I will offer the first incense and go with my boss to pay respects at the temple gate."

The feeling of having a lot of things weighing on his head was really uncomfortable. He waved to the water room disciple who was standing guard to the side, made a lighter gesture, and asked the other party to lend him a light.

"Brother Sheng, the boat is ready. The brothers on board will take you back to the island."

The gangster from the waterhouse, holding a spray gun, immediately stepped forward, took out a lighter from his pocket, lit Chi Mengli's cigarette, and informed Chi Mengli that the boat was ready.

Chi Mengli nodded, waved her hand in thanks, and then drove the sightseeing bus around, heading towards the pier where the green light was on.

Xi Ren was overjoyed to receive the large diamond necklace. The diamond had very few impurities and was very clear, making it a top-grade diamond. Small diamonds are not worth much, even if they have a company backing them up.

Large diamonds aren't very valuable either. After all, large diamonds in diamond mines aren't a scarce resource. Most of the ones with more impurities end up being used as drill bits, since diamonds are extremely hard.

The truly valuable top-quality diamonds are those with a large carat weight and few internal impurities.

However, once synthetic diamonds were invented, the price of small diamonds plummeted.

The temperature difference was significant late at night, and the sea breeze was howling. Even Chi Mengli, who was wearing a vest, felt the cold.

"Hey handsome, I've got a business opportunity for you."

Teacher Li crossed his legs and casually tossed Bada Shanren's painting onto his seat, letting it bounce up and down on the uneven floor, preparing to do a small business deal with the victorious Chi Mengli.

"Professor A's wife is someone I can talk to, but there's nothing else to talk about."

"The old woman at the auction has disappeared! I heard this scoundrel is Song Sheng's representative. If we manage to get him, we're guaranteed to gain the upper hand!"

Chi Mengli knew what this pretentious teacher Li was going to say, so he directly drew a line, telling Teacher Li not to covet Professor A and Professor K, as these two were a treasure trove from which more inside information could be unearthed.

After extracting the oil from the two soybeans, he handed the man over to Guo Guohao, instructing him to continue fishing and uncover the mole within the police station.

"Song Dynasty poetry is also acceptable!"

'Name your price, and I absolutely won't haggle!'

Something is better than nothing, so Teacher Li immediately agreed. Song Sheng's daughter was much more valuable than Professor A. Maybe by using Song Ci, this flop, we could lure Song Sheng out.

"This has nothing to do with me! I never expected Professor A's wife to have such an elegant name. What a pity! Such a beautiful woman, why did she have to become a bandit!"

"Don't rush, although I know you're in a hurry!"

"Now, Song lyrics belong to Xiren. Whatever Xiren says goes. You two are old friends, so communication should be smooth."

Chi Mengli focused intently on turning the steering wheel. The headlights on this sightseeing bus were pitifully small, barely illuminating the road five meters away. He needed to concentrate all his attention on the steering wheel.

Teacher Li sensed something was seriously wrong. He was too familiar with Xi Ren, and this wicked woman knew his limits. But whether he stuck his neck out or not, he was going to get stabbed anyway. As long as he could get his hands on Song Ci, he could accept anything.

After driving for more than ten minutes, they arrived at the pier safely. The watermen guarding the pier quickly raised their guns and aimed them at Chi Mengli and his two companions who had driven there.

"Which deity is enshrined in the hall? How many incense sticks are burned in front of the hall? How many pounds of incense sticks are there? And where does the smoke go?"

In the pitch black, the spies guarding the pier couldn't see who it was, so they simply called out "Chun Dian".

"The shrine in the main hall is dedicated to Wan Yunlong, and three incense burners are burning in front of the hall, each incense stick weighing eight catties, their fragrance filling the air!"

The founder of the Triads is Fang Dahong, but the founder of the Heaven and Earth Society, the Triads, and the Small Knife Society is Wan Yunlong.

The three incense burners in front of Gaoxi Temple represent the Fifth Patriarch bowing his head to the ground and becoming sworn brothers. The incense sticks weigh eight catties each. This is the secret code of the water house. Hong Kong belongs to the south, and the south belongs to fire!
After hearing the Spring Festival ceremony, the gangsters at the dock immediately put down their spray cannons and let Chi Mengli and his two companions pass. Only after Chi Mengli got closer did the gangsters see his face clearly and quickly greeted him.

"Brother Sheng...Brother Sheng"

These were all unfamiliar faces; Chi Mengli nodded, as if to greet everyone present.

These scoundrels aren't from the gang; they're probably from the money laundering operations, operating through various avenues of wealth.

Just like the fruit vendors that Xinji keeps in the fruit market, they are only activated when something big happens. They are a kind of hidden force in the gang, the core of their strength.

Without power, no matter how many leaders and bosses there are in Hong Kong, they can't control the gangsters below them. Things are different now. Red poles and rank-80s will switch sides if they're not happy or having fun in their gangs.

Chi Mengli took everything that was happening before her eyes into her heart and said, "The waves are high and the wind is strong. Brothers, you've all worked hard. Old Ding said that when we get back this time, everyone will get a big bonus!"

"I'll be going now, brothers. I'll leave you all here!"

Having said his piece, Chi Mengli clasped his hands together, with his two thumbs sticking out from his middle fingers, and circled them in front of the gangsters in the waterhouse before boarding the double-decker fishing boat that had been prepared in advance.

When the waves rise in the middle of the night, even a powerful speedboat with four engines can easily be capsized. A double-decker fishing boat is a good alternative, as it has a cabin that can provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Chi Mengli picked up Xiren, who was barefoot, and boarded the double-decker fishing boat, preparing to return to Xiangjiang Island.

Seeing the couple ahead, a perfect couple, sweetly showing their affection, Teacher Li, carrying the ancient painting, got out of the car with difficulty. Older people simply can't stay up all night; he felt a bit lightheaded and needed to find a place to sleep as soon as possible.

Seeing Chi Mengli and his two companions board the boat, the gangsters from the water house who were guarding the dock quickly loosened the mooring ropes and let the double-decker fishing boat leave.

When the boatman saw people boarding, he sounded the horn. Da Fu Xing and Shui Fang were old partners, so sending a few boats to help out their old relationship was no big deal. The boatman turned the steering wheel and headed towards Kowloon Island.

He also asked his wife to prepare ginger soup and food in advance so that the guests on the boat could warm themselves up.

After a day and a night of tossing and turning without sleep, Xiren lay down on the small bed after boarding the ship, covered with a quilt, wanting to sleep. However, after being exposed to the sea breeze all night, she knew she would definitely get a fever the next day if she didn't drink a bowl of ginger soup.

Chi Mengli forced Xiren to drink a bowl of ginger soup before letting her lie down on the bed and fall fast asleep.

The food and drinks were laid out on the small table. It was very plentiful, with grouper, fresh prawns, two dishes of stir-fried bok choy, half a roast goose, and steaming fish ball soup. A large bowl of rice was placed on a small chair, with steam rising up.

After getting ashore, Chi Mengli, who still had important business to attend to, quickly sat down in a chair. Although this was the operation of the boatmen's crew, and they would pay for it afterward, it was not good to eat the boatmen's feast for free.

Her wallet had long been taken, and even the gold Rolex on her wrist was nowhere to be found. However, in order to make herself look more valuable, Ruan Wen put a Vacheron Constantin on her wrist, though she didn't know if it was real or fake.

Chi Mengli took off the Vacheron Constantin from her wrist and called to her sister who was about to leave, "Sister-in-law, this is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't find it offensive." After saying that, she put the Vacheron Constantin into the boatwoman's hand.

The boatwoman quickly nodded her thanks and left, letting the passengers eat at their leisure.

Chi Mengli picked up a bowl, filled it with rice, and, following Chinese tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, placed the white rice in front of Teacher Li before serving herself rice.

Only fishermen know how to eat seafood!

Teacher Li saw that the tiger grouper had no sauce on it, just a white fish, and there wasn't even any hot oil poured on it. There was only a bowl of prepared soy sauce next to it.

Chi Mengli didn't know where Teacher Li's spontaneous remarks came from, but he knew that this pretentious person would definitely lecture him, so he remained silent, picked up a shrimp, peeled off the shell, dipped it in some sauce, and put it in his mouth.

"Playing the lute to a cow!"

"But I just like you, you good-for-nothing, so I'll reluctantly tell you!"

"Pouring hot oil over tiger grouper is a way of eating it on the island, but after pouring hot oil, the aroma is there, but the freshness is lost by more than half. If the sauce is not poured evenly, the fish will be half salty and half tasteless."

"Dipping it in sauce makes all the difference. The sauce contains sesame oil, so it has both umami and aroma!"

Teacher Li gave a long and detailed speech, then picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth to savor it.

Chi Mengli also picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and took a bite, imitating Teacher Li's way of eating. She found that it did have a unique flavor, but she didn't say anything good about it. She seriously complained, "Teacher Li, even if you were eating dog poop, you could still say eight hundred good things about it."

"Besides, you don't like me because you like me, but because you think I'm useful. I've seen far too many scoundrels like you who use people and then discard them."

"If you want to mess with Song Sheng, I'll mess with Song Sheng too. Help me get revenge on the big boss. You saved my life today, and I'll save yours another day. We'll settle things evenly."

After finishing what she had to say, Chi Mengli picked up her bowl, took a few sprigs of water spinach, and ate them heartily.

Food without wine is boring, and if you add a block of wood across from you, it's boring on top of boring, utterly boring.

Teacher Li could only savor the tiger grouper, keeping her mouth shut and slowly enjoying this late-night snack.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Chi Mengli quickly lay down on another bed, closed his eyes to rest, and drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he felt the bed shake and quickly opened his eyes. He ran to the boat window and found that they had already docked. The boat captain was throwing mooring ropes onto the shore.

At this time, Chi Mengli was penniless and could only ask Teacher Li for help. Teacher Li did indeed have a thick stack of gold coins on him, and he directly gave half of it to Chi Mengli.

Chi Mengli counted out a few bills and handed the money to the dazed Xiren, telling her to take a taxi back to report the news. She also exchanged a fish-smelling coat from the boat captain.

"Take this, for self-defense!"

Chi Mengli handed over all the spoils she got from Anna Cligis to Xiren. Anything could happen in this dark dock.

The beautiful woman wore a coat that reeked of fish, which looked very out of place on her. Chi Mengli could only endure it by himself. After the double-decker fishing boat lowered its sampan, he got off and disappeared into the vast night.

Xi Ren didn't know what Chi Mengli was up to, but Teacher Li realized that this rascal must have a backup plan, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a hurry.

It was very difficult to hail a taxi late at night. After walking 500 meters, Chi Mengli finally found a taxi that was about to go home. The driver had already put up his sign and refused to operate, but he used a big golden bull card that was shining brightly to persuade the driver to work overtime willingly.

Money makes the world go round! Such a simple truth will never be outdated.

Forty minutes later, the taxi stopped downstairs at the Pink Floyd Detective Agency.

Chi Mengli handed the driver the golden bull she had been longing for, opened the car door and got out. Fearing that Chi Mengli might change her mind, the taxi driver stepped on the gas and drove away quickly.

Chi Mengli, who had just put a cigarette in her mouth, looked at the taxi speeding away and felt very helpless. She had waved to the taxi not to ask for money, but because she was craving a cigarette and wanted to borrow a light.

He threw the Camel cigarette in his mouth onto the ground and stomped on it. Seeing a convenience store on the street corner, he went inside and bought three packs of the Double Happiness cigarettes he had been longing for, as well as two disposable lighters.

With ample supplies, Chi Mengli entered the building. The South Asian security guards tried to stop him, but he dismissed them with a red spruce. He took the elevator to the Pink Floyd Detective Agency floor.

The receptionist at Pink Detective Agency is on duty 24 hours a day. The receptionist recognized Chi Mengli and quickly led the way, guiding the client to Xiao Shandong's office.

And so, smelling of fish, Chi Mengli stepped into Xiao Shandong's luxurious office for the first time.

"Dear boss, your arrival makes my office feel much more distinguished."

"I think I've found the mole you've been thinking about!"

When Xiao Shandong saw Chi Mengli, who had disappeared for a day and a night, reappear, he quickly stood up and greeted her warmly.

(End of this chapter)