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

Chapter 675 The True Destruction of the Wolf: Bone-crushing and Marrow-draining

Liu Zhandou sat on the leather sofa in the luxury suite of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, feeling that his back was already soaked with sweat.

He raised his hand to check his watch for the third time. Forty-seven minutes had passed since he was brought here, but the two men who called themselves "investigators" were still sitting opposite him like statues, without saying a word.

The air conditioning in the suite was blasting, making Liu Zhan Dou feel even more unbearably hot and anxious. Instead of assisting with the investigation, he was taken to a five-star hotel, which was completely out of the ordinary.

As a seasoned veteran, he knew very well that once things went beyond the norm, the situation would become even more dangerous.

"Comrades," Liu Zhan Dou licked his dry lips, a fawning smile plastered on his face, "could you tell me what I've done wrong? Waiting here like this is really making me uneasy."

The elite man on the left glanced at him, his gaze as cold as a knife. Liu Zhan Dou immediately fell silent, his neck involuntarily shrinking back. He noticed that both men were wearing suits, but their every move exuded a special discipline, as if they had been trained in some kind of strict system for a long time.

Liu Zhandou's right hand unconsciously reached for his pocket, intending to take out his phone, but was stopped by a glance from the man to his right. "Mr. Liu, please cooperate with our work." The man's voice was calm, yet brooked no argument.

"Yes, yes, I'll cooperate, I'll absolutely cooperate." Liu Zhan Dou nodded hurriedly, beads of sweat sliding down his temples. He didn't dare wipe them away, letting the sweat drip onto the expensive sofa armrests.

Time ticked by, and Liu Zhanzhuan's mind raced. He had indeed engaged in some less-than-honorable dealings over the years, but logically, it shouldn't have warranted the attention of investigators of this caliber.

Just as Liu Zhan Dou was lost in thought, the door to the inner room of the suite suddenly opened. A tall, imposing young man walked out, followed by a beautiful woman in a black suit and a pair of twin beauties in gray plaid suits.

This combination of personnel made Liu Zhan Dou even more confused and nervous. Moreover, as soon as the four of them arrived, the two comrades guarding him immediately got up and left.

“Mr. Liu Zhan Dou?” Gao Dongxu smiled and sat down opposite Liu Zhan Dou, his voice deep and magnetic. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Liu Zhanzhun instinctively stood up, but was pressed back down onto the sofa by a gesture from the other party. "No, no, you're too kind," he stammered, his eyes involuntarily scanning the person who had suddenly appeared.

Young and handsome, with an outstanding presence and strong facial features, he wore a well-tailored dark gray suit. Most striking were his eyes—as black as ink, yet gleaming with a sharp light, as if they could see right through one's heart.

"Let me introduce myself. My surname is Gao, Gao Dongxu." Gao Dongxu took out an ID card from his suit pocket, showed it to Liu Zhandou, and then put it back. "Do you know why we've asked you to come?"

Liu Zhandou's heart sank when he heard the name Gao Dongxu sound somewhat familiar. "Brother Gao, I'm just the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Association. I occasionally help people appraise things; I absolutely abide by the law."

Gao Dongxu smiled faintly, raised his hand slightly, and interrupted Liu Zhanzhuan's words, "It seems that Mr. Liu still has some illusions. You know best what you have done. Since we found you and brought you back, we have naturally investigated the matter thoroughly. There is no point in you pretending to be confused."

After saying that, Gao Dongxu didn't bother to beat around the bush and turned to extend his hand to A Ning, who was standing next to him.

Ah Ning handed a plastic bag to Gao Dongxu. The black fitted suit fit Ah Ning's body perfectly, highlighting her capable and heroic demeanor.

"Wow--"

Gao Dongxu emptied the contents of the plastic bag onto the table, then looked at Liu Zhan Dou and smiled, "Here's an ounce of gardenia, a packet of black tea, and ten acorns. Do these things look familiar?"

Liu Zhandou felt his blood freeze at first glance – this was his unique method for aging calligraphy and paintings.

"Now, do you have anything to say?" Gao Dongxu's voice remained calm, yet it sent a chill down Liu Zhan Dou's spine.

“This, this is…” Liu Zhandou’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I just aged a few paintings and calligraphic works.”

“Antique style?” Gao Dongxu suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down Liu Zhanzhu’s spine. “Mr. Liu, are you sure?”

"I..." Cold sweat kept pouring down Liu Zhan Dou's forehead, and he nervously kept wiping it with his sleeve.

"When Liu Zhan Dou was young, he was a bully who abused his power, maliciously undercut prices, deliberately intimidated others, bullied the weak and feared the strong, and was a sycophant and a mercenary.

Although he is now the vice president of the calligraphy and painting appreciation association, he appears respectable on the surface, but in reality, he is engaged in the business of reselling counterfeit goods and uses his position to produce and sell fakes.

Over the years, the accumulated amount has probably exceeded the threshold for "particularly large amount" in the crime of fraud, hasn't it?

Gao Dongxu sneered and mocked, "Three to ten years. Even if you actively return the stolen goods, it will still take three years. As a member of the Five Families, you've been involved in counterfeiting and selling fakes. Tsk tsk, you can imagine what your fate will be. Even if you don't value the Five Families, everything you have now—your identity, your status..."

"Stop talking, stop talking! I'll do whatever you want, just let me go. I can hand over all the money I've earned over the years... Yes, and my collection too, I can give it all to you. I just beg you to have mercy on me, I promise I'll never forge again, please..."

Liu Zhan Dou was indeed a cunning and opportunistic man. When Gao Dongxu's words broke his defenses, he slid off the sofa, knelt before Gao Dongxu, and unhesitatingly gave up his money to save his life. This life wasn't just his physical life, but his social and professional life.

Liu Zhan Dou was very clear that without the background and status of the Five Families and the Vice President, he was essentially socially dead.

Instead of taking him to the Six Doors, Gao Dongxu and his group arranged for him to stay in a hotel suite, which made Liu Zhandou immediately understand their true purpose.

This is the wisdom of experienced people in the world; they can always find flaws in seemingly illogical situations and use them as a breakthrough to solve problems.

Gao Dongxu looked at Liu Zhanzhu kneeling in front of him with a smile. This was not much different from the result he had expected.

Don't think that just because Liu Zhan Dou is a villain, you should dislike or look down on him. On the contrary, the more cunning and pragmatic a villain is, the more shrewd he is. As long as you don't push the other party to the brink, he is willing to pay any price to 'live'.

This is why Huang Kewu, that old fox, has been holding onto this weakness, remaining patient and even preparing to support Liu Zhandou to become the leader of the Five Sects.

If Liu Zhanzhuan becomes the leader of the Five Sects as Huang Kewu envisions, it is conceivable that Huang Kewu will become the supreme leader of the Five Sects, completely controlling and manipulating Liu Zhanzhuan.

Therefore, you'll never know how many trump cards they have up their sleeves or how many schemes and plots they harbor.

"You're from the old Chaofeng area, aren't you?" Gao Dongxu took out a cigarette, lit it, leaned back on the sofa, and asked leisurely.

"No, absolutely not. A long time ago, Old Chaofeng's men did approach me, trying to bribe and turn me against my own side. But I knew that compared to the Five Families, Old Chaofeng was the real ruthless devil who would devour people without spitting out the bones. If I became one of Old Chaofeng's men, I would be doomed sooner or later. So, I refused without hesitation..."

Of course, I didn't want to offend the old swindler, so I took a few fakes and had them help me sell them... I've always felt that it's better for everyone to cooperate in business and make money together, why have to fight to the death...

Listening to Liu Zhan Dou's explanation, Ru Xin and Ru Qing, who used to be Lao Chao Feng's subordinates, couldn't help but roll their eyes. This guy in front of them was really a 'talent'. No wonder he was able to rise from a shop assistant to his current position.

"Tell me, how much did you get from the antique shop back then?" Gao Dongxu looked at the large gift package in front of him and asked the question he was most concerned about.

"Huh?" Liu Zhandou seemed surprised that Gao Dongxu would ask this question, so he didn't react for a moment.

"What, you don't want to talk about it?" Gao Dongxu said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no..." Liu Zhan Dou hurriedly explained, "I just didn't realize it. I really didn't expect you to ask about the antique shop."

Back then, I acquired fewer than four hundred items from the warehouse of an antique shop, and over the past twenty years, most of them have been sold.

We started as a group of partners; after all, no one can try to do something like this alone.

Whether Liu Zhan Dou was genuinely honest or just pretending, he knelt there and talked incessantly about how he had emptied the antique shop back then.

It has to be said that back then, these parasites really took advantage of a huge loophole and became incredibly bloated with their ill-gotten gains.

"Since you're willing to risk your wealth to save your life, I won't do anything ruthless. Let's see what we have to offer and whether it's enough to keep you alive," Gao Dongxu said directly, without beating around the bush.

"call--"

Upon hearing Gao Dongxu's words, Liu Zhanzhu, who had been feeling uneasy and anxious, immediately changed from kneeling to sitting up, revealing a relieved expression and letting out a long sigh.

He quickly put on a fawning smile and said, "Thank you for being so lenient and letting me off the hook. To be honest, all the money I've earned and all my collections over the years are now stored at No. 16 Xinle Road, in a century-old villa."

Originally, I planned to build a private, top-tier club, and I'm willing to give it to you completely, including the 188 antiques I've carefully selected and collected over the years...

"Hehe, you certainly have a grand gesture." Gao Dongxu said calmly, looking at Liu Zhan Dou with a faint smile.

"They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so how could someone like you put all your eggs in one basket? Don't you think I'm right?"

Liu Zhan Dou's smile froze, his heart sank, and he hurriedly put on an apologetic smile, but his heart was bleeding with pain. He knew that today he had encountered a wolf that devoured people without spitting out the bones, and he would have to vomit blood.

(End of this chapter)