The stepmother couldn't wait to say to her elder sister, "Sister, I'll go and raise the money right now. Please ask brother-in-law to place bets for me."
"Okay." Chen Zhen readily agreed. "We sisters should make money together."
Xu Qingqing drove to the hotel entrance and entered the lobby. Old Master An was already waiting for her there.
Before Xu Qingqing arrived, he had been fondly holding and playing with those five jade tokens.
"Miss Xu Qingqing, you're here."
Seeing Xu Qingqing, Old Master An greeted her warmly and took out a check from his wallet.
"This check can be cashed at any bank. I'm not very relieved to hand it over to others. I'd like to give it to you directly."
After saying that, Old Master An winked with a smile, put on his top hat, and turned to leave.
Xu Qingqing put away the check and looked thoughtfully at Old Master An's back.
It seemed that nothing could escape the old man's sharp eyes. Could it be that he had noticed something wrong with the stepmother?
Before Xu Qingqing could think further, the stepmother came out of the elevator. Her eyes were fixed directly on the check in Xu Qingqing's hand.
"Give me the check."
The stepmother's tone was both unyielding and impatient. Her greed was undisguised.
"I won't." After saying that, Xu Qingqing put her hand behind her back and provocatively looked at the stepmother.
"Some people on the Internet said that Yiyi and An'an have no compassion. I'll donate this money in their names."
The stepmother was taken aback and directly used her status to intimidate Xu Qingqing.
"I'm your mother-in-law. Don't you even trust me? I'll keep a clear record of what this money is used for and where it goes."
"So just give it to me quickly."
The stepmother impatiently stretched out her hand.
Judging from her posture, if it weren't for the people coming and going in the hotel lobby, the stepmother would probably have snatched it.
"Lu Chuanbai never called you Mom, so you're not my real mother-in-law."
Xu Qingqing curled her lips deliberately to provoke the stepmother and watched as the stepmother's face darkened.
Xu Qingqing achieved her goal. In front of the stepmother, she folded the check in half and stuffed it into her bag, then turned around and left with a smile.
The stepmother stared at Xu Qingqing's back with a sinister look like a hungry wolf and cursed angrily in her heart.
Damn Xu Qingqing! She had already planned how to spend this money, but she just wouldn't give it to her.
In that case, she could only use her own money to place bets.
If the money was lost in the end, it would all be Xu Qingqing's fault!
Xu Qingqing felt relieved. She gave the money to Lu Chuanbai and asked him to contact the charity organization and ensure that every donation was properly arranged.
Lu Chuanbai's assistant was extremely efficient and got all these things done in one morning.
Xu Qingqing posted the details of the donation using Xu Yiyi's account, which severely slapped the faces of those who questioned Xu An'an and Xu Yiyi's lack of compassion.
After finishing all this, Lu Chuanbai came to Xu Qingqing with his phone in hand. His lips were tightly pursed. "Qingqing, you asked me to post the demand for buying antiques last time."
"I created a fake identity of a coal boss, browsed antiques on the dark web, and posted that I wanted an antique to show off. Sure enough, someone contacted me."
"This person's name is Lui. It should be Liu Shicheng."
"What did he say? Did he offer to sell you antiques?" Xu Qingqing leaned over to look at the chat records between the two.
Sure enough, as soon as Liu Shicheng spoke, he asked Lu Chuanbai if he needed to buy treasures from him, assuring that they were authentic and could impress others.
Lu Chuanbai asked him to send a photo.
Liu Shicheng replied that an appointment was needed. He was about to enter a new tomb, and the treasures taken out from the tomb could be selected by Lu Chuanbai first.
Seeing Liu Shicheng's such audacious words, Xu Qingqing's face turned serious.
Liu Shicheng didn't take the law seriously at all! He could enter a tomb whenever he wanted and sell things whenever he pleased!
Xu Qingqing took a photo of their chat records and immediately sent a message to Tang Li.
[Tang Li, does the White Lotus Sect have any new actions? Can you find out which tomb they are going to enter?]
There are many tombs in the country. Even if a tomb is discovered but not damaged, the archaeological team generally won't enter it actively.
After all, the best way to protect those cultural relics is to let them lie in the soil.
When Xu Qingqing was in college, she once interned with an archaeological team.
She saw with her own eyes a brightly colored pottery figurine whose color turned into the red of pottery clay within three days after being brought to the ground.
From then on, Xu Qingqing made a rule for herself that she would never excavate a well - preserved tomb.
Seeing that Xu Qingqing was sending a message to Tang Li, Lu Chuanbai frowned unhappily.
He was still investigating the forged paternity test that lied to the eldest and the second that he wasn't their real father last time.
Although he hadn't found out the specific person yet, he already knew that the force behind it was the Tang family.
Among the people with the surname Tang he knew, the only one suspected of forging was Tang Li.
Tang Li quickly replied to the message. [I was just about to call you. The White Lotus Sect has launched a new business, betting on ancient tombs.]
Seeing this strange and novel term, Xu Qingqing was stunned for a moment and asked.
[What does "betting on ancient tombs" mean? Could it be using the treasures in the tombs as bets?]
Tang Li [It's similar to what you understand, but it's about unexcavated tombs. We don't know how many treasures are inside. It's just like opening a blind box.]
Tang Li [My people got into their platform. The bets on one tomb have reached as much as 8 million.]
Seeing the number 8 million, Xu Qingqing took a deep breath. An indescribable anger welled up in her heart.
Are the people of the White Lotus Sect crazy?
What do they take the cultural relics for? They are not something for them to make money and deceive people!
Xu Qingqing [Okay, I see. Please help me keep an eye on it.]
Far away in a foreign country, Tang Li leaned back on his chair with his legs crossed. A gentle smile hung on his handsome face.
He missed Xu Qingqing and those two little guys very much. Maybe it was time to go and see them.
Tang Li [Do you want me to return to the country to help you? I'll let my people keep an eye on things abroad all the time.]
Lu Chuanbai, who had been standing beside them angrily watching their chat, saw that Tang Li actually wanted to return to the country. He snatched the phone from Xu Qingqing's hand and firmly refused.
Xu Qingqing [No need.]
After typing, Lu Chuanbai stuffed the phone into his pocket and looked expressionlessly at Xu Qingqing, whose hand was still stiff in front of her chest.
"If I hadn't refused him, would you have let him return to the country?"
Don't even think about it. That kind of green - tea guy who only plays tricks behind others' backs, he would kick one back if he saw one.
Xu Qingqing helplessly put down her hand. If Lu Chuanbai were in ancient times, he would definitely be a jealous woman who didn't want to share her husband with concubines.
She would guard her husband all day long. As soon as she saw her husband getting close to other concubines, she would bite her handkerchief and feel jealous.
Xu Qingqing was amused by her own absurd but fitting imagination.
Seeing Xu Qingqing laughing but not comforting him, Lu Chuanbai got even angrier. His eyes looking at Xu Qingqing were as resentful as if she were a philanderer.