After hanging up the phone, Zhang Zhili hurriedly prepared to leave. "I'll walk you out!" Shu Yanyan greeted, following Zhang Zhili out.
On the way back, Shu Yanyan received a text message reply from her subordinate: "That Tianyang Collection company you asked about seems a bit suspicious!"
"Oh?" Zhang Zhili asked in confusion.
Shu Yanyan quickly responded: "Tianyang Collection was registered three years ago, but the registered capital was not paid up. The address suggests it's likely a shell company, registered and deregistered within a month. Most importantly, the legal representative is a vagrant who sold his identity to become the legal representative!"
Zhang Zhili's face darkened. Indeed, something was amiss. A shell company paying several times the value to acquire his parents' belongings! If it were a legitimate collection or a special preference of the owner, why go through the trouble of buying an identity and registering a shell company?
Seeing Zhang Zhili's reaction, Shu Yanyan vaguely guessed that he had some conflict with this company. Furrowing her brows, she reminded him, "These shell companies are usually used to cover up gray businesses! The trail will be clean. After three years, it won't be easy to uncover anything!"
Zhang Zhili regained his composure and smiled faintly. "It's okay. This result confirms some of my suspicions. As for the rest, I have my ways! Chen Huanrui and Chen Yaoyang are the handlers of the estate; they can't escape."
Soon, the car stopped at the parking lot of Bogu City. Seeing that Shu Yanyan wanted to accompany him, Zhang Zhili waved his hand quickly. "I'll go by myself!"
Shu Yanyan smiled and said, "Are you afraid of your in-laws misunderstanding? Then I won't go. If you have any trouble, call me. Bogu City is the territory of the Yan family. They owe you a big favor. As long as you don't dismantle this place, everything will be easily resolved!"
"Okay!" Zhang Zhili hurried off.
Bogu City was a large-scale antique market in Nanbin City. The entrance was adorned with a castle-like building bearing the sign "Bogu City."
The entire market was vast, with antique-style shops and a super large plaza with various stalls.
Here, various cultural relics and antiques were gathered, from ceramic jade to antique ornaments, stone carvings, wood carvings, old and new calligraphy and painting, and stationery treasures. Almost everything related to cultural relics and antiques could be found here.
As for authenticity, it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time. One could strike gold or lose their pants in a single move.
Zhang Zhili entered the market and quickly found the Guobao Pavilion mentioned by Zhang Yuehong. The shop was very large, occupying at least two to three thousand square meters, with a grand entrance and antique decorations.
Upon entering, Zhang Zhili saw many customers in the hall, with rows of shelves and display cabinets filled with various antiques, from porcelain from various dynasties to jade of various types, and even a whole wall of calligraphy and paintings.
In just one shop, there were various categories of antiques, with many customers studying each category with great interest.
Zhang Zhili heard the sound of arguing in the northwest corner, where Tang Dapeng and Zhang Yuehong were surrounded by several security guards. There was also a crowd of onlookers.
A middle-aged fat man wearing a manager's uniform pointed accusingly at Tang Dapeng. "Let me tell you, if you don't compensate, you won't leave this door today!"
Tang Dapeng was so angry that he was trembling. "It wasn't even me who knocked it over! You're framing me!"
The manager's eyes showed disdain. "Don't give me excuses! With such a big shop, would I frame you?"
Zhang Yuehong was both angry and afraid. "I'm calling the police! How can you people resort to violence?"
Zhang Zhili pushed through the crowd and walked over. "Dad, what's going on?"
Before Tang Dapeng could speak, the manager gave Zhang Zhili a sideways glance. "I'm the manager of Guobao Pavilion, Shi Xu! You're his son, right?
"Your dad broke a Song Dynasty listening vase of ours. Seeing him looking like a poor old man, I suggested compensation of only eight million. But he refuses to pay and accuses us of framing him!"
It's ridiculous! How could our Guobao Pavilion, with so many priceless treasures, frame an old man like him?
As Shi Xu's words reached Zhang Zhili's ears, he couldn't help but furrow his brow. He was no stranger to such threatening tactics. He knew there must be deeper machinations at play.
Tang Dapeng was shaking with anger, pointing at Shi Xu as he vehemently retorted, "You're just making baseless accusations! I absolutely did not touch that listening-to-the-wind vase. If I did, I'd take responsibility myself!"
With a cold smirk, Shi Xu threatened, "If you dare to act tough, don't blame me for being impolite! Once this matter reaches the police station, eight million won't be a small sum anymore!" His tone was intimidating, clearly aiming to intimidate Tang Dapeng.
Stepping forward, Zhang Zhili comforted Tang Dapeng, patting his back gently as he asked, "Dad, are you sure you didn't touch it?"
Tang Dapeng nodded, understanding that his son wouldn't falsely accuse him.
Joining in, Zhang Yuehong hastily added, "I was walking behind you, and I saw it very clearly. There was quite a distance between us!" She gestured to indicate the distance as she spoke.
Zhang Zhili nodded, inwardly feeling a sense of pride. Although his father could be stubborn at times, he was definitely not a liar.
Turning to Zhang Zhili, the manager, under pressure, shifted the blame onto him, saying, "Young man, your father is being unreasonable. I advise you to be smart!"
Zhang Zhili remained silent, bending down to pick up the shards of porcelain on the ground, carefully examining them.
The listening-to-the-wind vase was actually an ancient ornament, placed on the shelf to sway gently with the breeze. To prevent it from falling, its base was hexagonal, ensuring stability under normal circumstances.
He rubbed the pieces of porcelain for a moment but felt no hint of spirituality. However, when his gaze fell on the base of the listening-to-the-wind vase, he sensed a rich spiritual aura.
With a spark of interest, Zhang Zhili began to carefully search among the shards, and soon, a piece with golden floral patterns on its surface caught his eye.
Observing impatiently, Shi Xu urged, "Kid, stop pretending! Just spill the beans! Your father was the only one who walked past here just now. If this thing fell, who else could it be?"
Several staff members nodded along, seemingly confirming that Tang Dapeng was the only passerby.
Remaining calm and composed, Zhang Zhili smiled and said, "A store this large must have surveillance, right? Retrieve the footage. If it's my father who caused it to fall, I'll compensate! If not, my father shouldn't be unfairly treated. Isn't this a reasonable request?"
Tang Dapeng nodded repeatedly, "That's right, retrieve the surveillance footage!"
Unfazed, Shi Xu replied nonchalantly, "The surveillance in this corner just happened to be broken and hasn't been replaced yet."
"Although there's no surveillance, our staff and these customers here all witnessed it," he added confidently.
Several people nearby also nodded, echoing his words. "Who knows if you're all colluding to extort my Uncle Tang! I doubt these porcelain items are even genuine!"
At that moment, a man's voice could be heard from the crowd.
Zhang Zhili turned to look and saw that it was Tao Yuzhe and Jiang Li who had arrived.