Reborn As Super Heiress

As soon as Huo Sining was mentioned, Liang Ruicheng got even angrier. He always thought that yesterday Master Kong the Swindler signed the contract with that kid surnamed Li. Who would have thought that the illegitimate child surnamed Huo was also involved? He was careless for a moment, and didn’t consider this angle. That woman took advantage of the loophole, causing the plan to fall apart.

Liang Ruicheng truly hated Huo Sining now. If it weren’t for this woman, the incident of Jubao Pavilion selling fake goods would probably have already spread throughout the entire Antique Street in Liulichang!

Feeling a pain in his chest, Liang Ruicheng impatiently snapped at Master Kong the Swindler, ”Get out of here quickly. Don’t just stand there being an eyesore to me, you useless thing!”

Upon hearing Liang Ruicheng’s words, Master Kong the Swindler was instantly displeased, ”Mr. Liang, what about my payment...”

Liang Ruicheng’s face immediately darkened, ”The matter wasn’t accomplished, yet you still have the nerve to ask for payment? It’s already fortunate I didn’t make you compensate for that ten thousand yuan deposit!”

Master Kong the Swindler protested, ”Mr. Liang, even though the matter didn’t succeed, it wasn’t solely my responsibility. You didn’t give clear instructions, and when the guarantee was returned, you didn’t review it yourself. How can you blame me? Besides, I’ve been running around busily. Even if I didn’t achieve merit, I still worked hard. You’re turning your back on me just like that, isn’t it too much?”

Not wanting to argue further with the swindler, Liang Ruicheng pulled out two hundred yuan from his pocket and tossed it to him, ”Take the money and get lost!”

The swindler grabbed the two hundred yuan but couldn’t help but sneer, ”Mr. Liang, you’re a reputable person. Is this measly amount all you’re offering? Let me make it clear, if any rumors start to spread because of this, you can’t blame me. Without something to seal my lips, I might not keep quiet...”

This made Liang Ruicheng’s face turn completely livid, and he glared viciously at the swindler.

But the swindler was a seasoned rogue. Being barefoot, he wasn’t afraid of those in shoes. This kind of unspoken threat from Liang Ruicheng didn’t scare him at all.

Liang Ruicheng was different. The reason he resorted to underhanded tactics was to protect his reputation. So, upon hearing the swindler’s words, he hesitated and, after a few seconds of consideration, compromised, ”How much do you want? Name your price!”

The swindler was wise enough to know that a small fry like him couldn’t risk going up against someone of Liang Ruicheng’s status. If pushed too far, Liang Ruicheng truly had the means to secretly have him eliminated. So he didn’t dare ask for too much. After a moment of hesitation, he said:

”We initially agreed on five thousand yuan. Though I didn’t accomplish the task for you, I did everything as you instructed, so you should at least give me two thousand, no, two thousand five hundred!”

Liang Ruicheng was annoyed, but he couldn’t afford to further offend the swindler at this moment. So, after a brief consideration, he took out three thousand yuan from his bag and gave it to him, ”We both share the blame for this, and it’s not easy for you either. I’ll give you three thousand. However, I’ll remind you, these three thousand can ensure you keep silent or be used in a way that you can’t speak!”

These words made the swindler slightly uneasy. He took the money, and a flattering smile immediately appeared on his face:

”As long as there’s money, it’s all good. Rest assured, Mr. Liang, I guarantee this matter will stay buried inside me, not a word will leak out. But let me remind you, Boss Huo at Jubao Pavilion may be young, but she’s formidable and not easy to deal with. Perhaps it’s best to let it go.”

With that, the swindler left without looking back.

Liang Ruicheng, seething with rage, grabbed a teacup on the table and smashed it to the ground. It took him a while to calm his anger before pulling out his phone to call his father.

”Dad, things didn’t go well.”

As soon as the call connected, Liang Ruicheng recounted the day’s events.

On the other end, Liang Pengzhi listened in silence for a long time before finally sighing, ”If it failed, it failed. If we can’t ruin the south shop, then find a way to acquire that item. I’ll reach out to some people and figure something out. We must get our hands on that Classic of Mountains and Seas and that pearl.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Ruicheng was filled with questions, ”Dad, this matter is unclear to me. If the item is indeed in Jubao Pavilion, why not just buy it? Why all these little tricks behind the scenes? And I don’t understand. What’s so important about the Classic of Mountains and Seas and that pearl? I checked it last time, and it’s just a bizarrely written book. I didn’t see anything special about it.”

Liang Pengzhi replied coldly, ”This is something you don’t need to know at the moment, but I will tell you eventually. In any case, that Classic of Mountains and Seas is crucial. It’s essential to whether or not we succeed, and we absolutely can’t do without it!”

The more mysterious Liang Pengzhi was, the more curious Liang Ruicheng became. He felt somewhat rebellious, thinking the old man had held power too long and still refused to truly trust him.

So, after hanging up the phone, Liang Ruicheng’s expression turned cold, letting out a snort, ”What’s so great about it? If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out myself. Let’s see if I can’t uncover it!”

Unaware of his son’s secret intentions, when Liang Pengzhi received his call, he appeared calm, but after hanging up, his face turned somber.

After some thought, he called Zhu Qingming.

When the call connected, Liang Pengzhi cautiously asked, ”Director Zhu, did you see that Shen Zhou painting? What do you think?”

”It’s just a copy, but still a rare piece. The paper and the red seal are genuine.”

Zhu Qingming had already left Jubao Pavilion, and when he received Liang Pengzhi’s call, his tone was calm:

”Old Liang, that Huo girl has a good character and is Zhou Shitao’s apprentice. I’m on good terms with Zhou Shitao, so I’m speaking for her this once for old time’s sake. We’re all getting on in years. Why trouble ourselves with young people? Why not live peacefully, valuing harmony?”

Zhu Qingming and Liang Pengzhi met at an auction. Though they recognized each other and interacted a few times, they weren’t truly friends.

Today, it was obvious that Liang Pengzhi had used Zhu Qingming, but Zhu Qingming understood that he was partly to blame too. Hearing about Shen Zhou’s genuine work made him restless, and he fell for the bait. He decided not to delve deeply into this matter, so he didn’t directly point it out during the call, leaving Liang Pengzhi with some face.

However, since Liang Pengzhi called, Zhu Qingming couldn’t pretend to be oblivious, so he spoke a few good words for Huo Sining, hoping both sides could turn hostility into friendship and let bygones be bygones.

Unfortunately, Zhu Qingming got one thing wrong. Even Huo Sining herself wasn’t aware that the true reason behind Liang Pengzhi’s schemes wasn’t due to his old grievances with Huang Chengxiang, but because of the Classic of Mountains and Seas she had!