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墨書 Inktalez
As soon as Luo Yi entered the inn, Zhou Yao rushed over to lean against the outer wall, tiptoeing to peek through the window.
Inside the inn, chaos ensued with tables overturned and chairs smashed, while guests scattered in all directions. Wu Di darted through the Common Area like a monkey that had invaded a chicken coop, rushing toward the other end and climbing out of the window.
The group of burly men were not to be underestimated; they charged forward, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him down to the ground, tossing him aside like a discarded pancake.
Several of them surrounded Wu Di, punching and kicking him, while Amin tried in vain to intervene.
Luo Yi remained remarkably calm, hands in his pockets as he walked over to the Bar, leaning against the counter and striking a match to light a cigarette.
A crowd chased after Wu Di, who curled up on the ground under a flowerpot stand, desperately trying to shield himself. With a few loud crashes, the flowerpot stand collapsed under their kicks, leaving Wu Di exposed and on the verge of being dragged out—
“Have you had enough?” Luo Yi said lightly. “If you kill him, it’ll be a hassle for you.”
The group was caught up in their excitement and showed no signs of stopping. Amin cried out in despair while Wu Di howled in fear.
Luo Yi narrowed his eyes, exhaling a puff of smoke and resting his cigarette on the edge of the table. He bent down to pick up a broken chair leg from the ground, weighing it in his hand before suddenly turning cold-eyed and smashing it down onto one man's knee.
The man had just lifted his foot to kick Wu Di; his supporting leg buckled, and he fell to the ground, clutching his knee and screaming.
The others paused, staring at Luo Yi in shock.
Luo Yi brandished the makeshift club in his hand with a cold smile. “I’m talking to you; didn’t you hear?”
“Who the hell are you?!” shouted a burly man with a beard as he charged at Luo Yi with a punch.
Luo Yi maintained a stoic expression, swiftly sidestepping and gripping the man's wrist tightly before twisting it sharply. With a crack, the man screamed in pain as he struggled to throw another punch. Luo Yi seized his arm and executed an over-the-shoulder throw.
A nearly two-hundred-pound strong man crashed to the floor like a burlap sack filled with cement.
Luo Yi looked down at him and said, "It's your father."
The others present hesitated to make a move. The guests huddled in the corners, silent as mice.
Luo Yi returned to the bar, where his cigarette had burned down a bit, revealing grayish ash that curled up into the air.
He picked up the cigarette and casually glanced over, noticing Zhou Yao's head resting on the windowsill, her hair illuminated by the sun, looking fluffy, with her big eyes sparkling brightly.
Luo Yi: "..."
He wondered why she was so obedient today, not coming in when told not to.
Just as he brought the cigarette to his lips, someone behind him picked up the stick he had just thrown and swung it at the back of his head. Zhou Yao gasped in horror, but Luo Yi seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he turned around and swept his leg, kicking the attacker squarely in the head with a loud thud.
It was clean and decisive.
The man instantly fell to the ground like a toppled bowling pin.
With smoke curling from his fingertips, Luo Yi found that the ash remained intact. He tapped the cigarette against the ashtray, causing a piece of ash to break off and fall inside.
"Are you the boss here?" a burly man with braids stepped forward, pointing at Wu Di and complaining to Luo Yi. "Your buddy is scamming people with fake stones. Are you trying to cover for him? I advise you not to get involved in this mess. We can bring a few brothers here every day to cause trouble; you might not be able to handle it."
Luo Yi replied, "I'm just a businessman; I don't meddle in your grievances. But once you're in my inn, you must follow my rules. Anyone who breaks the rules will be dealt with."
He narrowed his eyes and knocked on the wall beside him.
There was a handwritten set of guest rules displayed, with two lines of red letters glaring at the bottom:
"7. No damaging public property;"
"8. Fighting is prohibited."
A few people felt guilty and glanced around at the mess of tables and chairs, with glass shards scattered everywhere. After some discussion, the leader stepped forward.
"We admit to this; we will compensate!" He was somewhat reasonable and said, "My brothers won't cause trouble here or hurt anyone anymore. Please give Boss Luo some face."
Luo Yi smiled lightly, "Thank you."
Wu Di immediately burst into tears, crawling towards Luo Yi. When he looked up and saw Luo Yi's cold gaze, as sharp as iron, he realized that Luo Yi was fully aware of the situation and was too scared to move.
"But he cheated us with fake stones; he must pay us back," the leader insisted. "Boss Luo should also be a reasonable person."
Luo Yi replied straightforwardly, "If you settle the damages for the tables, chairs, and cups, we will have no grudges. — Zaxi, calculate the costs."
Zaxi quickly took out paper, a pen, and a calculator.
"Alright!" The leader was straightforward and instructed his brothers, "Pay up!"
While they were calculating the compensation, the leader unwrapped a bundle that contained the stone from Wu's Jade Shop. He raised it and smashed it onto the ground; it shattered with a loud crash.
He pointed at Wu Di, "Eighty thousand. Your brother said he gave you the money. Boss Luo is here to witness; pay up today, and this matter will be settled. I won't pursue the forgery issue."
Wu Di trembled and cried, "I... I don't have any money left."
The leader shouted angrily, "Are you trying to default on your debt? Do you believe I won't drag you out and break your legs?"
Amin hurriedly pushed Wu Di, "You were in the wrong; you need to pay them back!"
"He really has no money." Luo Yi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with force. "He took leave last week; I suspect he went gambling on stones."
Amin was stunned and then began to cry loudly, hitting him repeatedly: "You said you were coming down to celebrate your dad's birthday but ran off to Yunnan? — If you don't want to make things right, just break up!"
Luo Yi took out another pack of cigarettes, lowering his head to tear off the seal and plastic wrap from the box.
The man clenched his fists tightly: "Boss Luo, you can't let him go this time. He must be taken away!"
"My face isn't worth eighty thousand," Luo Yi said, tossing the cigarette box onto the table and playing with a cigarette in his hand. "It's only right to pay back debts."
Wu Di panicked and cried, "Yi Ge—"
"Thanks, Boss Luo," said one of the group as they moved to grab Wu Di.
Amin clung to Wu Di, crying and wailing. Wu Di was terrified, shouting desperately, "Yi Ge! Please help me! I was wrong; I won't gamble again. Yi Ge! Please help me!"
Amin also cried loudly, "Boss, please save him. We will definitely work to pay you back."
Luo Yi leaned against the counter, playing with the cigarette in his hand, expressionless, lost in thought.
Inside, there were cries and chaos as a group dragged someone past him. Finally, he spoke up:
"I'll cover this debt for now."
Outside, Zhou Yao's mouth dropped open in shock.
With Luo Yi's words, the group quickly left.
The other workers gathered around Wu Di: "You’re lucky to have met our Boss. If it were another place, who would care about you? I suggest you keep a low profile from now on and work hard to repay your debt."
Wu Di crawled over to Luo Yi, tears streaming down his face, wanting to bow down. Luo Yi said, "Don't rush to kneel yet." He glanced at everyone and ordered, "Everyone get out."
...
In the common area, only Luo Yi and Wu Di remained, with all the windows closed.
Wu Di I squatted by the wall and wiped my tears. I was shocked and scared. I almost lost my soul just now. Luo Yi stood aside smoking. He knew that Wu's Jade Shop had often sold fake and defective products, but he could not find the owner who supplied Wu's Jade Shop. He gradually suspected that the counterfeiter was Wu's Jade Shop, but unfortunately there was no conclusive evidence. Wu Ming is tactful and rarely has flaws in his work, but Wu Di has a gut that leads to the end. Luo Yi squatted in front of Wu Di and patted his face twice: "Have I ever told you to stop gambling?" Wu Di didn't dare to look at him , choked and nodded. "Mud can't hold up the wall." Luo Yi said with a cold face, "Don't drag Amin down, I told her to break up with you." After saying that, he was about to stand up, Wu Di hurriedly grabbed him: "Brother Yi I was wrong. She listens to you the most. You can't tell her. If she breaks up with me, I will die." Luo Yi grabbed the back of his head and shook it: "How many times have you been wrong? ? Huh? I told you that you didn’t work hard enough, and you used the money you worked hard for to fool others!” “No! I’ve made many good purchases, and I didn’t lose much just this time. That's bad luck." "You said no! You didn't buy that one just now." "It's true, I didn't get that stone, it was a fake one!" Wu Di blurted out in a panic. . Luo Yi looked at him: "Did you do it?" He suddenly slapped him on the face and said in a cold voice: "You bastard! It's your brother who has caused harm to others. Is it easy for him to open a store? You kept it secret Are you selling fake products to him to destroy his reputation?" Wu Di was so anxious that he cried: "I didn't hide it from him, I learned it from my brother." Luo Yi looked at him, confused. The smell of oppression comes from top to bottom. Wu Di hurriedly said: "My brother quit Jinpen a long time ago. This time I am short of money, and he really couldn't resist me, so he agreed to sell it for me for the last time." "Jinpen quits." Luo Yi He sneered, "You don't have to worry about who I will tell. Judging from your skills, your brother is probably just a small fool, and he didn't get a lot of money from me."
"My brother has a reputation in the underworld," Wu Di said eagerly, "Anything jade that passes through his hands doubles in price. Many collectors can't even tell the difference. The most impressive time was when even the appraiser was fooled."
"An appraiser? Who are you trying to impress?" Luo Yi lost interest, feeling as if he was listening to a tall tale, and stood up.
"Really, he's quite remarkable. That person ended up disgraced. It was a Qing Dynasty Jade Buddha Pagoda—"
Luo Yi took a drag from his cigarette, his eyes as still as the sky after sunset.
It seemed he hadn't heard Wu Di's words. After a moment, he looked down and said, "Seriously, don't gamble anymore."
Wu Di lowered his head in shame, wiping his eyes. "Yi Ge, I know you must have guessed why I took leave this time, and you're probably very disappointed in me, so you don't even want to advise me."
Luo Yi didn't respond; he bent down and patted Wu Di's shoulder. As he turned to leave, he pulled at the corners of his mouth without any hint of a smile.
...
Jade Buddha Pagoda.
Luo Yi sat in a rosewood chair with his feet on the table, smoking while glancing at the photo of the Jade Buddha Tower on the computer.
Both the real Jade Buddha Tower and the fake one had passed through his hands. Now, the real one was in Dan Shan's possession.
And disgraced?
He seemed to have almost forgotten what that felt like.
It's actually quite simple; it was just money, fame, luxury cars, women... everything he once had was gone, just like that.
He toyed with the cigarette in his hand, smiling lightly when suddenly he heard a knock at the door behind him.
Luo Yi tilted his head. "Who is it?"
"Luo Boss?" Zhou Yao's bright voice came through the door.
Luo Yi pulled his legs off the table, resting the cigarette next to the ashtray. He walked over to open the door just a crack, looking down at her blandly. "What do you want?"
Zhou Yao's eyes were strikingly clear. "Luo Boss, I want to drink milk."
Luo Yi sucked in his cheeks. "..."
Had he become this little girl's milkman?
He frowned, suppressing his irritation. "There's someone at the bar." He started to close the door.
Zhou Yao squeezed her small frame further inside. "No, theirs doesn't taste as good as yours."
"Then don't drink it." Luo Yi grabbed the back of her collar and tried to pull her outside.
"If I don't drink it, I won't be able to sleep tonight." She twisted her body, sticking to the wall.
"If you can't sleep, then don't sleep," he scolded. "Who do you think you are?"
"If I don't sleep, then let's chat," she replied, taking his words.
"..." Luo Yi looked down at her. "What should we chat about?"
Zhou Yao leaned against the wall with a smile. "There are many topics we can discuss, like our life experiences."
Surprisingly, Luo Yi didn't object and even seemed to smile slightly. "Alright. Let's talk about you first."
"Me? My mom runs a business and my dad teaches. My life experience has been all about studying—graduated from high school, went to America for school, and now I'm back studying again. That's it." Zhou Yao looked at him with sparkling eyes. "Now it's your turn."
Before she finished speaking, he took a step toward her.
Zhou Yao felt a sudden catch in her breath.
The space in the hallway was narrow, and as he stepped forward, he blocked the light from inside the room, enveloping her in the shadow of his body. Zhou Yao's smile quietly faded as the scent of his bathing soap mixed with tobacco wafted over, causing her thoughts to waver slightly.
The collar of his robe was slightly open, revealing strong collarbones and firm skin.
Her gaze slowly moved upward, catching sight of his Adam's apple.
Zhou Yao unconsciously swallowed hard and slowly raised her eyes to look at him. His expression was calm as he took another step toward her, causing her heart to tremble; it was too close! Her body wanted to retreat, but her feet wouldn’t move.
He raised his hand, extending his index finger to press against her forehead.
Zhou Yao stared at him in a daze, not understanding what was happening. A second later, she felt his finger pressing firmly on her forehead, forcing her to step back—one step, two steps.
She retreated from the hallway into the corridor, her gaze still fixed ahead.
Only then did he release his finger and take a step back to close the door.
Zhou Yao stared at the closed door, slowly blinking twice as her face turned red.
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