Chapter 451: Collection

Noon.

A car slowly pulled up in front of the Huadu Conglomerate.

"Oh, Special Envoy! We've been waiting and hoping, and finally, you're here!" Before the car had even fully stopped, Zong Wen rushed over, his face beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum.

He was followed by a group of people, both men and women, likely from his private residence.

The "battle-hardened" Chen Ling exchanged a few casual pleasantries with Zong Wen and walked into the estate with him. Once the crowd left, the car started up again, looking for a place to park within the grounds.

When the auction house driver parked the car in a corner, he stepped out, yawning, as if looking for a restroom... After all, the Special Envoy would be here for at least a few hours, so he could take a little break.

Once everyone was far away, a soft sound came from the trunk, and three heads tentatively poked out...

"No one around! It's safe!"

"Iya!"

Jian Changsheng scanned the surroundings and climbed out of the trunk, followed by Heart 9. Jian Changsheng was about to reach out to pull the Jester out, but when he turned back, he found the small figure already hanging from a tree branch, curiously surveying the area.

"We snuck in this easily?" Heart 9 shrugged. "How boring..."

"Well, this method is the safest. In the entire Red Dust Main City, no one dares to search the Special Envoy's car." Jian Changsheng couldn't help but remark. "Heart 6 is really good at acting... isn't he afraid of being exposed?"

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"Find a safe place to hide and wait for his signal."

"Do we really have to hide? I'm a bit hungry... What are they making? It smells so good." Heart 9 rubbed his stomach, his nose twitching at the scent of food in the air.

"Iya iya!"

"...Is now really the time to talk about being hungry?" Jian Changsheng couldn't help but say.

"Didn't he just say we should hide?" Heart 9 replied earnestly. "I think the kitchen would be great. The patrolling bodyguards shouldn't go there, right? What do you think, Senior?"

"Iya!" The Jester gave a thumbs up.

Jian Changsheng: ...

"Newbie, relax." Heart 9 patted Jian Changsheng on the shoulder. "With us two seniors here today, even if the sky falls, we'll hold it up for you."

"Fine, the kitchen it is." Jian Changsheng prayed silently.

"I hope nothing goes wrong this time..."

……

Chen Ling followed Zong Wen and the others around the estate, his gaze falling on Liu Qingyan, who was waiting to the side.

This was Huadu Conglomerate territory, so it was normal for Liu Qingyan to be here, but Chen Ling hadn't expected to see her again so soon after refusing her request.

Liu Qingyan followed quietly behind Zong Wen, head bowed, as if she had never seen him before.

"I heard the Huadu Conglomerate has quite a collection?"

After walking around the estate, Chen Ling took the initiative to steer the conversation in that direction.

"Collection?" Zong Wen paused, then laughed. "Of course. Our Huadu Conglomerate's collection consists of rare treasures... Come, Special Envoy, this way please."

Zong Wen gestured for him to follow and headed straight upstairs.

The Huadu Conglomerate's treasury is upstairs...? Chen Ling thought to himself.

Chen Ling followed Zong Wen to the top floor of the estate, finally arriving at a private door. Zong Wen waved away the people following them and said with a chuckle.

"Please come in, Special Envoy."

Chen Ling looked at his smile and had a bad feeling, but after a moment's hesitation, he stepped inside.

As soon as he entered, a sweet scent rushed into Chen Ling's nostrils. He didn't like this cloying smell and frowned beneath his mask... But before he could speak, one naked, slender figure after another emerged from the other end of the room.

[Audience Expectation +2]

Chen Ling: ???

Among those figures were many faces Chen Ling recognized—some stars who had performed at the banquet—but most were strangers. They walked out one by one, completely naked, and stepped onto a runway-like platform in the center of the room, lining up neatly to ensure Chen Ling could see each of their faces clearly.

Zong Wen walked into the room with a smile, closed the door behind him, and said:

"Special Envoy, what do you think of these 'collectibles'?"

Even as cold as Chen Ling was, he was stunned. He had come for the scroll collection, and the moment he walked in, he was met with this sight. His expression beneath the mask was incredibly vivid.

"...Chairman Zong might have misunderstood." Chen Ling gritted his teeth. "The collection I'm talking about isn't these..."

"Oh? Then which ones does the Special Envoy mean?"

"Calligraphy and paintings."

"Hahahaha... No problem! Since you're already here, Special Envoy, why not appreciate these collectibles first before looking at the others... If that doesn't work, we can appreciate them together!" Zong Wen walked straight to the door and gave some instructions to his subordinates.

A few minutes later, many figures brought in batch after batch of calligraphy and paintings.

Just as Mu Chunsheng had said, the Huadu Conglomerate didn't have any particularly valuable treasures other than calligraphy and paintings, so there was no heavily guarded treasury. Perhaps "warehouse" was a more appropriate term... He had his men bring the paintings directly from the warehouse to this private room. A rough glance showed there were over a hundred scrolls.

Chen Ling had intended to interrupt Zong Wen and head straight to the warehouse, but after seeing these hundred-plus scrolls, he abandoned that idea... The Huadu Conglomerate had too many paintings. If they were all in the warehouse, checking the back of each one would inevitably arouse suspicion. The current situation might actually be more convenient for him.

Once all the calligraphy and paintings were delivered, the scrolls were piled into a small mountain on the table. Zong Wen waved his hand, and the many beauties on the platform stepped down and surrounded Chen Ling.

"Special Envoy, my Huadu is no less than a paradise on earth, right?" Zong Wen chuckled.

Chen Ling was carefully searching through the scrolls on the table. Before he could check more than a few, several naked girls walked up to him, blocking his view...

Chen Ling's brow furrowed tightly.

"Enough."

Chen Ling's voice, laced with anger, echoed through the room, startling the girls and Zong Wen.

Chen Ling looked at the mountain of scrolls before him, then glanced at Liu Qingyan behind him. After a moment, he spoke slowly:

"Liu Qingyan stays. Everyone else, get out."