Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 459 Forceful Acquisition - Absolute Initiative
"Sigh..." Jin Wantang knew he couldn't avoid it any longer, so he couldn't help but sigh softly, and then said with a look of reminiscence.

"Back then, in the world of miscellaneous knowledge in Beijing, I was known for my sharp eyes and versatility. From Hademen cigarette boxes to women's undergarments, there was nothing I wasn't an expert on."

At this point, Jin Wantang's face revealed a smug expression, "I know all the techniques for appraising calligraphy, paintings, jade, bronze, patina, wood, and porcelain—the eight major categories of antiques. I can be considered exceptionally gifted, having reached a state of perfect harmony with antiques..."

"Pfft-"

Hearing Big Gold Tooth bragging, Ru Xin and Ru Qing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Big Gold Tooth, his rhythm interrupted, gave an awkward smile, while Gao Dongxu looked at him with a smile and said, "Continue—"

"Cough cough, sir, could you pour me a glass of water? I haven't had a drop of water for seven or eight hours, and my throat is parched," Jin Wantang pleaded with a fawning expression.

Gao Dongxu smiled and waved his hand. Ru Xin immediately walked to the water dispenser, found a disposable cup, filled it with cold water, and handed it to Da Jin Ya.

"Thank you, beautiful lady." Big Gold Tooth hurriedly took the water glass, his face beaming with gratitude. He then drank the water in one gulp, licked his lips, and continued his monotone speech.

"...However, though the clouds weave their magic and the stars carry their sorrow, of all the shops in Liulichang, the fairy maiden chose to walk into mine..."

"Huo Xiangu," Gao Dongxu said calmly, looking at Big Gold Tooth.

Upon hearing Gao Dongxu call out Huo Xiangu's name, Big Gold Tooth abandoned all hope, realizing he couldn't fool this man at all.

She continued earnestly, "She told me it was a project to do archaeology in the mountains, and they just happened to need an appraisal expert..." Gao Dongxu raised an eyebrow slightly and interrupted, "Was Huo Xiangu the one who spearheaded that operation?"

"To be specific, there are nine people," Big Gold Tooth said.

“Nine Gates,” Gao Dongxu said calmly.

"That's right, the scale and complexity of that operation far exceeded most people's imagination. Our team marched into Mount Siguniang in a grand procession..."

Based on my observation, the entire team consisted of over two hundred people. If you include those who collected information and those who purchased equipment, the number would be over a thousand. In particular, the equipment was all transported from the Soviet Union, and the relationships behind it were extremely complex. After setting up camp, their operation began, but I don't know exactly what they were doing.

My task was simple: stay in the camp and analyze what they brought back. All I received were documents and ancient books, but the contents were incredibly rich—letters, classic texts, silk scrolls—in large quantities. I deduced there was a massive ruin in the mountains.

I was the only one in the entire team who did classification and identification; I reckon what they were looking for was in these ancient books... Wounded soldiers were frequently being sent back to camp, and the team's numbers were constantly decreasing; it seemed extremely dangerous, with quite a few accidents occurring...

And so, I stayed there for three years. When the Dragon Boat Festival of the third year arrived, suddenly no more ancient books were delivered. I found this strange, so I secretly went out to take a look... I saw that the cliff face was covered with caves, and they had set up many ropes and cable systems. The ancient books must have been transported out of the caves. Some of the equipment had already been dismantled, and I guessed the operation might be coming to an end.

Little did I know that a major event would occur after the Dragon Boat Festival. On the third day after the festival, more than a dozen stretchers were carried out of the mountains, the people on them covered in blood. Then, a large scroll of silk soaked in blood was delivered to my tent. I recognized it at a glance as Lu Huang Silk. I don't know how many people died for these scrolls. The fairy was present throughout my deciphering of the scroll, taking it very seriously. It seems that this is what they are looking for.

There are many types of deer antler silk, but one type is extremely rare and very difficult to decipher; this is the one that was sent this time... Deer antler silk is priceless; even a rubbing, if clearly reproduced, would be worth a considerable sum... I became greedy... I thought everything would be foolproof, but trouble struck the very next day...

I was taken to a tent with about a dozen people inside. The leader was someone I'd never seen before; he looked very imposing. After some questioning, the most terrifying moment of my life arrived. He simply pressed two fingers lightly against my head, and it felt like my entire head was about to split open.

"They just let you go like that?" Gao Dongxu asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew that the man was Zhang Dafoye.

"I was doomed, but Aunt Huo saved me, so they let me go," Big Gold Tooth said with a frustrated and regretful expression.

"How much of that Lu Huangbo silk did you memorize?" Gao Dongxu asked sharply, looking at Da Jinya, whose eyes flickered with panic.

"Well, nothing can be hidden from you. I did remember a lot, and using my memory, I made quite a few copies. After forging them, I sold a lot of rubbings." Big Gold Tooth didn't hide anything. He felt that he had no secrets from Gao Dongxu.

"Prepare a copy of all the rubbings of Lu Huangbo that you've restored, is that alright?" Gao Dongxu said casually.

"No problem, no problem," Big Gold Tooth hurriedly replied with a smile.

Gao Dongxu looked at Jin Wantang and fell into deep thought. Although this big gold tooth was a bit greedy, he was indeed a talented person and the most key figure in driving the plot. However, unfortunately, he was killed by the Wang family in the end.

"I'm planning to open a shop in Liulichang. Are you interested in being my manager? I'll give you 30% of the shares." Gao Dongxu decided to recruit this perennial master of the beginning, so that he could grasp the direction of the plot from the very beginning.

Big Gold Tooth was caught in a dilemma, but seeing Gao Dongxu's ambiguous smile, he knew he had no choice but to pretend to be very happy and grateful, saying, "That's great, from now on, you're my boss."

"I love talent, I recognize talent, and I'm willing to use talent. I can tolerate some shortcomings and faults of my subordinates, but what I can't accept the most is betrayal and treason. So remember, never betray me, or I will make you wish you were dead, for example, by sending you to Africa to mine until you die." Gao Dongxu spoke calmly, with a smile on his lips, as if he were joking.

However, Big Gold Tooth felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at Gao Dongxu's indifferent eyes, he knew that the other party was not joking with him, but stating the truth.

"Don't worry, although I'm a bit greedy, since I promised to follow you, I would never betray you. If I do, may I die a horrible death," Big Gold Tooth hurriedly pledged his loyalty, eager to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Remember your words,” Gao Dongxu said, looking at him sharply.

"Click——"

"Did you get the answer?" Just then, Brother Qi pushed open the door and walked in, glanced at Big Gold Tooth, and then looked at Gao Dongxu and asked.

"I've finished asking," Gao Dongxu said with a smile. "Well, so should we keep him locked up, or..." Brother Qi glanced at Big Gold Tooth and asked casually.

Big Gold Tooth felt a chill run down his spine from Qi Dage's indifferent glance. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his heart raced as he hurriedly looked at Gao Dongxu with a pleading expression.

The seasoned veteran, Big Gold Tooth, could keenly sense Brother Qi's authority and indifference.

“He’s now the manager of my new antique shop,” Gao Dongxu said with a smile, then said to Big Gold Tooth, “This is my older brother, Qi Tingzhang.”

"Ah?! Qi, Qi Ting... Hello, I was blind to your greatness..." Big Gold Tooth's heart was churning with emotions, as if he had been pricked by a needle. He jumped up, his face beaming, and bowed nervously in greeting.

Brother Qi merely glanced at Big Gold Tooth without even humming in response, then looked at Gao Dongxu and smiled, "Now that you've finished dealing with it, let's go eat. After we eat, I'll take you to see a good show."

"Oh, what's the show?" Gao Dongxu was slightly taken aback and asked with a curious smile.

"Hehe, you'll see when the time comes. Let's go." Brother Qi kept everyone in suspense, smiling as he put his arm around Gao Dongxu's shoulder and walked out.

"I'll let you out in a bit. Find a place to stay first, and wait for my call tomorrow—" Gao Dongxu turned around and said to Big Gold Tooth, who was hunched over and had a big smile on his face.

"Alright, alright, boss, take care." Big Gold Tooth really had no other ulterior motives this time; he knew he had finally found a powerful patron.

Ru Xin took out a business card from her pocket and handed it to Da Jin Ya, then the two sisters quickly followed Gao Dong Xu.

"Phew—" After he was left alone in the conference room, Big Gold Tooth's legs went weak and he sat down in a chair, sweating profusely and feeling both amused and exasperated.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Gao Dongxu noticed that although Brother Qi was chatting and laughing as usual, his eyes kept glancing at his watch, as if he was waiting for something.

"Brother Qi, are you in a hurry?" Gao Dongxu put down his wine glass and asked directly.

Brother Qi smiled mysteriously and said, "Didn't I say I'd take you to see a good show?" He glanced at his watch. "It's about time, let's go."

After paying the bill, Brother Qi asked his secretary to drive. He sat in the passenger seat, while Gao Dongxu and the two sisters squeezed into the back.

As the car sped through the night, Gao Dongxu watched the Hangzhou cityscape rush past through the car window.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped on the side of a commercial street. The antique buildings here looked particularly charming under the lights, and pedestrians came and went, making it a lively scene.

"Where is this?" Gao Dongxu asked in confusion.

Brother Qi smiled and said, "Don't rush, wait a few more minutes."

Gao Dongxu chuckled, asked no more questions, and waited patiently.

"here we go."

As if receiving some kind of signal, Gao Dongxu saw through the car window that two teams of plainclothes police officers suddenly rushed out from both sides of the street and swiftly surrounded a shop. They skillfully blocked the front and back doors, and several armed special police officers rushed in first.

"Police! Don't move!"

"Hands behind your head! Crouch down!"

A commotion erupted inside the store, filled with shouts and the sound of items collapsing. Pedestrians on the street were stunned by the sudden turn of events; some began taking out their phones to film, but were quickly dissuaded from doing so by police officers on the perimeter.

Gao Dongxu frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed, watching thoughtfully as this scene, like something out of a movie, unfolded before his eyes. Through the shop's glass window, he could see figures moving inside, accompanied by shouts and sounds of collisions.

"This is..." Gao Dongxu looked at Brother Qi, who had a confident smile on his face.

"Be patient, the best is yet to come." Brother Qi's gaze never left the shop.

About ten minutes later, police officers escorted a group of dejected people out of the shop. The group included people of all ages, some well-dressed, others dressed as laborers. They were crammed one by one into police cars waiting by the roadside.

After the last suspect was taken away, the officer in charge of the scene nodded towards their car. Brother Qi then smiled with satisfaction, "Let's go, let's go down and check the spoils."

Filled with questions, Gao Dongxu led the two sisters out of the car and followed them. Upon entering the shop and seeing the "Wu Shan Ju" sign, everything became clear.

"Heh, Wu Sansheng's betting odds?"

"Hehe, that's right. Tonight is the time for the new goods to arrive. Although I don't know why you're interested in Wu Laosan, now that we've got his weakness, he'll have to obey you no matter what you do." Brother Qi patted Gao Dongxu's shoulder with a smile and said with concern.

Looking at Brother Qi's bright smile, Gao Dongxu really didn't know what to say.

(End of this chapter)