Chapter 357: Nothing Could Be More Suitable

The frost-colored light was fading, and the sunlight was like water.

The surface of the river was frozen with a thin layer of ice, and the white poplars stood with gaunt, skeletal frames, their branches piercing the sky like arrows.

A few withered leaves hung from the tips of the branches, rustling when the wind passed, like the sound of beads scattering on the ground.

"Clang," Tang Nanjin slammed the car door shut, and just as he turned around, he was startled again.

Jing Zeyang was leaning listlessly against the railing, his hair as messy as a bird's nest. His eyelids were swollen high, filled with bloodshot veins.

He was sporting two huge dark circles, looking just like a panda.

"San'er, did you get hammered?"

"Brother Jin, besides you and Tang Nanyan, who would dare hammer me?"

"Don't you try to frame me; I don't take responsibility for Tang Nanyan's debts—"

After retorting, Tang Nanjin took a careful look: "San'er, take it easy! Have you heard the old saying: when young one doesn't know the value of that thing, when old one sheds tears looking at that thing—"

Having not slept well for several days, his brain was reacting a bit slowly, and it took him a good while to figure out what Tang Nanjin's two "that things" were.

Jing Zeyang curled his lip: I'm fucking worried to death, where would I have the leisure for that?

But saying it wouldn't help Tang Nanjin, so Jing Zeyang changed the subject: "Brother Jin, why are you looking for Cousin Lin?"

"Nothing much, just inviting him to a meal."

"Just a meal?"

"Nonsense, I'm a man; besides asking him to eat and drink, what else could I do?"

You are a man, that's true, but your sister is a woman—

Jing Zeyang was half-doubting, rolling his eyes: "Brother Jin, you wouldn't harm me, would you?"

"What a coward!" Tang Nanjin slapped him casually, "Are you going to call or not?"

"I'll call," Jing Zeyang shrank his head and took out his phone.

Actually, after receiving Tang Nanjin's call, he had already contacted Lin Sicheng. For safety's sake, he had also given Ye Anning a heads-up.

But one agreed without hesitation, while the other scoffed, saying he was worrying over nothing and being overly sentimental.

Let him be sentimental; it's better than being beaten by a tigress or scammed by a little snake.

While secretly pondering, he dialed Lin Sicheng's number; it rang twice, then was hung up.

Just as he was wondering, Tang Nanjin pointed: "Over there!"

Not far away, right by the riverbank, it looked like he had just come out of Wang Sanshu's house. Looking further back, there was no tail behind him; he was all alone.

As he walked closer, Lin Sicheng was also startled, staring at Jing Zeyang and looking him up and down.

"Brother Jing, did you suffer a heartbreak?"

Tang Nanjin let out a "Heh": What heartbreak could he suffer?

He changes girlfriends every few days, and he's never brought the same one twice; he breaks up before the bed is even warm, what could he possibly be heartbroken over?

"Then why are you so worried?" Lin Sicheng was especially curious, "Did something happen?"

And didn't something happen?

Jing Zeyang sighed mournfully: "During the Double Eleventh, there was a performance accident in the troupe, and I was almost fired. My great-uncle begged everyone he could to save my job, and later the Editor-in-Chief said, death penalty can be avoided, but living sins are hard to escape, and told me to make up for my crimes—"

"What did you do!" Tang Nanjin was also very curious, "Got the lead performer pregnant?"

That's just bullshit.

In modern society, love is free; not to mention he couldn't even sleep with her, even if he really could, and did get her pregnant, what could they do to him?

Jing Zeyang shook his head: "We were on tour at Shougang during the Double Eleventh, and one of the programs was organized by our group. I've only been here a year and couldn't handle the script, so the Group Leader told me to find source material. I searched online, and the Group Leader thought it was good, so he adopted it. Only after the performance did we realize it clashed with a program from the Gansu Song and Dance Troupe—"

Lin Sicheng understood immediately: it wasn't a clash at all, this guy was just lazy and plagiarized it.

It's just that he didn't expect to be found out so quickly.

More importantly, he was still in his internship period, and firing him was just a matter of a word from the leader—

"That serious?" Lin Sicheng was shocked, "And you still dare to skip work?"

Jing Zeyang was on the verge of tears: Do I dare not come out?

Have you ever tasted what a fist the size of a sandbag feels like?

Secretly complaining in his heart, he didn't dare show it on his face. He snuck a glance at Tang Nanjin and forced a smile: "Even if you make a donkey pull a mill, you have to give it some time to catch its breath, right?"

Different professions are like different mountains, so Lin Sicheng could only offer some comfort.

After saying a few words, he shook hands with Tang Nanjin again: "Brother Tang, Department Head Tang has already called; I'm free anytime, there was no need to make a special trip!"

"My uncle is my uncle, and I am me; I can't just let you walk on your own two legs because I invited you to eat!" Tang Nanjin pointed at the car, "I was originally going to come with Nan Yan, but she went to Liulichang, saying that to show her gratitude, she wanted to pick out a top-notch item for you—"

Tang Nanyan picking out an item, and a top-notch one at that?

Jing Zeyang looked strange: "Brother Jin, how much money did she bring?"

"Quite a bit, a few tens of thousands should be there!"

That is indeed quite a bit, after all, it was a life-saving favor. But the problem is, does she have the eye for it?

Tang Nanjin emphasized deliberately: "I heard Yan Wenjing went too!"

Then it's over.

If Brother Yan doesn't go, she'd be scammed out of ten thousand at most. If Brother Yan goes, they'll be scammed out of however much they have on them.

Jing Zeyang sighed: Just as I thought, Tang Nanyan is definitely involved. There's no one who invites people to dinner in the evening and comes to pick them up early in the morning.

He looked at Lin Sicheng: "Cousin Lin, let's go!"

Lin Sicheng nodded.

Most people in that area know Yan Wenjing, so they definitely wouldn't dare to fool them easily; even if it's not top-notch, at least it should be passable.

But the problem is, not everyone who deals in antiques has a top-tier eye. It can be said: the better the item, the easier it is to be fooled.

And it is the experts who get fooled, the bosses being no exception.

Those so-called "wide-open-door" High Imitations and Fine Imitations are all leaked out this way—

In a flash, the three of them got into the car, with Tang Nanjin as the driver.

As the car drove into the street, he said as if unintentionally: "Lin Sicheng, I heard from Second Uncle that the case is solved?"

"Just about! Only the finishing touches are left!"

"I heard you put in quite a lot of effort?"

"Couldn't call it effort!" Lin Sicheng said ambiguously, "Just beat the drums and soy-sauced a bit!"

Tang Nanjin sighed inwardly: Good fellow, his mouth is so tight?

Jing Zeyang had been drowsy, but upon hearing "the case is solved," he perked up: "Was the leader of that gang caught?"

"Caught!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "It was that woman!"

Jing Zeyang tried hard to recall, but Wang Chun's face was truly too ordinary, and he couldn't remember it no matter how hard he tried.

However, Jing Zeyang at least knew that the woman Lin Sicheng was talking about must be the one who hit Tang Nanyan.

"Impressive, couldn't tell?"

Lin Sicheng felt the same: "Mm, she was indeed hidden quite deep!"

Tang Nanjin didn't speak, only glancing at Lin Sicheng through the rearview mirror.

More than just deep?

One only had to look at the case files to know: at the very beginning, everyone, including the Police, thought that within the entire criminal syndicate, Wang was merely a dispensable third-rate character.

But when the investigation reached the end, they realized this woman was the true mastermind behind the scenes; even opponents like Ma Shan, and trusted confidants like Yu Qisong and Ren Danhua, were all kept in the dark.

Even the two so-called bosses, they themselves thought they were the real bosses. But who could have imagined:

Wang Chun let them be bosses, so they were bosses.

At best, they were just two marionettes; the key was that from beginning to end, neither of them noticed anything wrong.

One can imagine how formidable this woman is?

To be able to fight back and forth with such a figure, hold the upper hand the entire time, and finish the job in one fell swoop—if it were Jing Zeyang, wouldn't he be bragging for eight days and eight nights?

But looking at Lin Sicheng: not a ripple, not a change in expression, as if he really had just "soy-sauced."

While pondering, remembering his father's assessment of him, Tang Nanjin sighed inwardly: No wonder Tang Nanyan's thousand-year-old iron tree blossomed?

It's a pity—

Chatting casually, they drove for about half an hour. Finding a parking space, the three of them entered the Culture Street.

The sun was high, the winter sun clear and bright, and the scent unique to old paper floated in the air.

In the massive storefront, scroll paintings hung like a forest, and the lattice doors were half-open, revealing layers upon layers of Landscape Pattern. Old books were visible everywhere, and the smell of mold mixed with the scent of pine resin rushed to meet them.

Jing Zeyang finally understood why Tang Nanyan and Yan Wenjing came here: on the day the incident happened, Lin Sicheng had come to Panjiayuan to hunt for ancient books, but instead of finding any, he ended up taking a few stabs.

As the saying goes, money can't buy what the heart desires; since they were giving a gift, they had to choose the right thing and send it to the right place.

For Lin Sicheng, there was nothing more suitable than this—

>

Little brat