Chapter 164: Stubborn Stone Shop (2)

"May I venture to ask, what kind of conditions are so tempting?" Luo Qi asked.

A look of hesitation appeared on Pangzi's face. "Well, heh, everyone has some weaknesses. When someone has a grip on your weaknesses and offers you some benefits, it's hard to refuse."

Luo Qi smiled. "According to what you're saying, are the bosses in the Six Great Markets all in the same situation? Or is it that this condition is so good that it made your uncle give up the goods in six shops?"

"Our family runs a small business, we only have this one shop; those five shops have nothing to do with us," Pangzi said, but his expression became a bit guarded, his small eyes cautiously eyeing Luo Qi. "It's just that when it comes to matters on the street, everyone knows a thing or two about each other."

Luo Qi nodded to show understanding, then turned to ask, "What kind of woman was that big customer who bought the goods?"

"Cold as ice, short hair, looks a bit badass," Pangzi said. "I even saw her today."

"Today?" Luo Qi paused, unconsciously repeating the date. "A cold, somewhat badass woman with short hair—your ability to summarize and describe is really poor. When you saw her today, what kind of clothes was she wearing?"

Pangzi thought hard, then reluctantly said, "I remember it looked like a black trench coat, but also like a black skirt, it seemed to be leather... but it didn't look like leather either, I really can't say for sure."

Luo Qi looked up at the ceiling and muttered, "That's because that garment is half trench coat and half skirt, half leather and half not leather. Do you remember her bracelet?"

"Oh, right, right," Pangzi suddenly remembered upon hearing this. "I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. She wore a bracelet that looked like handcuffs; it was so damn ugly."

Du Zhengyi turned his head to look at Luo Qi, and Luo Qi saw a trace of surprise in his eyes as well; they had just seen this woman, accompanied by the pretty-boy-like Dai Wei. He reached out and squeezed Luo Qi's shoulder. "I'm going to go look for her; don't move from here."

Luo Qi nodded and turned back to keep looking at Pangzi, while Du Zhengyi turned around and quickly disappeared at the doorway.

Pangzi looked curiously out the door. "Hey! Such initiative. What does that guy do?"

Luo Qi did not answer his question; he kept staring at Pangzi, until finally, it made Pangzi feel uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Pangzi smiled and said, "Want some water?"

Luo Qi's fingers tapped mechanically on the counter, looking at Pangzi with annoyance. "For such a big customer, logically speaking, she should be like a dragon that only shows its head and not its tail to fit her status. How could she be so frivolous and always show her face in the Zhouqiao Grass Market?"

"Because she isn't a buyer at all. She's a broker who always haunts this area, specializing in handling things for those big shots who find it inconvenient to show their faces, and occasionally acting as a middleman to help with buying and selling," Pangzi said with a smile.

Luo Qi watched him quietly, then suddenly smiled too. "Then why didn't you make that clear just now?"

Pangzi chuckled, looking at Luo Qi cunningly. "Why would I make it clear? That guy left so hurriedly, he didn't ask me!"

Luo Qi nodded. "Indeed. Besides, it's not a big deal; if we really find her and ask, it'll be clear."

"Reasonable, you really know how to talk," Pangzi laughed.

"Brother Pang," Luo Qi said, still calling him brother. "I see you're a smart person, and I don't want to be too unpleasant. If we talk well, it's not impossible to become friends and keep in touch in the future. Friends are really important; I rely entirely on friends for help right now. In this day and age, who can complain about having too many friends? More friends mean more paths, right?"

Pangzi, however, seized on the words in his speech. "But beauty, otherwise how else would you want to be unpleasant? Or maybe try to seduce your brother?"

"Hmm~" Luo Qi narrowed his eyes. "I've discovered that looking at the world from a different angle is really different. Standing from a woman's perspective, I find that sexual harassment is really annoying, especially when the idiot doesn't even realize they are harassing someone."

Pangzi's small eyes stared at him for a while, then he snorted and said, "I've always felt that you aren't a woman. Otherwise, why have I, your Brother Pang, felt absolutely nothing for you since you walked into this room?"

Luo Qi was greatly surprised. "Are my breasts not big enough?"

"It's just lacking a certain feeling," Pangzi said in a low voice, watching Luo Qi with a complex expression.

Luo Qi stopped smiling. "Very interesting, it really is interesting here. You are truly an interesting person."

"Everyone praises my eyes for being a bit sharp," Pangzi said with a forced smile. "Otherwise, how could my uncle let me watch the shop?"

Luo Qi looked at him. "Since you aren't an idiot, then talking to you is the same; there's no need to go find the boss."

"Heh, talk about what?" Pangzi said with a brazen attitude.

Luo Qi looked at him and said nothing.

"What else could you talk about?" Pangzi said mockingly, winking at Luo Qi.

Luo Qi just kept staring at him. Suddenly, Pangzi's expression turned to surprise, and then, terror stained his fat face. He lowered his head and stared at his own two hands in horror; his hands had lifted themselves up, as if a ghost were pulling them. He struggled hard, but the struggle simply didn't happen, as if he had forgotten how he controlled his limbs every day. Those fat hands pressed against his own neck; he touched his own skin, and the fat on his neck was greasy with sweat under his hands.

He finally raised his eyes, looking at Luo Qi in desperate terror; there was no expression on Luo Qi's face. His hands exerted force on his own neck.

Pangzi let out a miserable, pig-like scream.

Luo Qi suddenly laughed out loud, completely breaking his composure. "Are you actually useless, Brother Pang? Your hands haven't even used any force yet!"

"Mo—Mommy, mommy, mommy—I beg you, I beg you, I beg you, I beg you, let my hands go, Boss, you are my boss, you'll be my boss from now on, this is too scary..." Pangzi let out a series of shrill screams, tears streaming down.

Luo Qi shrugged. "See, I said I didn't want to be too unpleasant; how can we have a good chat like this?"

Pangzi panted, his two hands hanging at his sides; in fact, both his hands had regained self-control, but he was too scared to lift them. "I damn well didn't expect that one day I'd even be afraid of my own hands. Don't, just talk to me properly, what do you want to talk about?"

Luo Qi sighed. "How stupid do you think I am? How stupid would I have to be to believe that you can't even take out a decent crystal? And how stupid would you have to be to sell all the goods without leaving a single one, not even one to keep at the bottom of the box? Did you rely on being stupid and naive to keep your signboard standing for six hundred years? Brother Pang, I'm new here, but don't play this game with me. Besides, my brother has a bad temper; he's not as reasonable as I am. If I can't reach an agreement with you, he'll definitely beat you to death when he gets back. Don't wait for him to beat you; if we fall out, we won't be able to get along in the future. Let's talk nicely and reasonably—harmony brings wealth, right?"

"You have a good temper?" Pangzi said, and after saying it, he wished he could slap himself. "Boss, Boss, you are the boss, whatever you say is right. You say what we should do? Whatever you say, we'll do!"

"That's it then, the calculation crystals your family is hiding, let us have one, okay?" Luo Qi said happily.