211: Chapter 211 The Secret of Maitreya Buddha

He noticed that on the belly of the maitreya buddha statue, at the position of the navel, there was actually a small protrusion; he hadn't really paid close attention to it before. Driven by curiosity, he picked up a magnifying glass and aimed it at the protrusion, looking at it carefully over and over. This look was extraordinary; he discovered that the protrusion seemed to be a movable mechanism!

Zhang Wei's heart couldn't help but speed up a bit. He carefully used tweezers to gently move the protrusion. Suddenly, the maitreya buddha statue emitted a faint click, as if some mechanism had been triggered. His heart tightened, and his eyes stayed glued to the maitreya buddha statue, for fear of missing any detail.

He saw a small hidden compartment slowly open at the base of the maitreya buddha statue! Zhang Wei held his breath and used the tweezers to gently extract the item from the compartment. It was a piece of paper with an address written on it in scribbled handwriting.

Looking at this address, Zhang Wei's heart was filled with doubt and curiosity.

Just then, Zhang Wei's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw a text message from an unknown number: "Mr. Zhang, we just want to see that jade piece; we have no ill intent. If you are willing, we can talk."

Zhang Wei glanced at the message, a cold sneer curling his lips, and tossed the phone aside. He didn't believe these honeyed words; the other party clearly wanted to obtain that maitreya buddha statue.

Not long after, the other party sent another message: "Mr. Zhang, we are representatives of Mr. Zuo Ming. Mr. Zuo is very interested in that jade piece and is willing to pay an even higher price to purchase it. We can guarantee your safety."

Zhang Wei looked at the message, the cold sneer in his heart deepening. He knew these were just lies fabricated by the other party to get the jade piece. He decided to ignore it.

At midnight, Zhang Wei's Intelligence System updated. He quickly opened it, and the first piece of intelligence was about that maitreya buddha statue jade piece.

That maitreya buddha statue looked like ordinary porcelain on the surface, but in reality, the things hidden inside were massive. It turned out that the chairman of Shenzhou Group, Qiao Shanzhou, had used some crooked schemes to get the company listed, conspiring with the company's Chief Financial Officer, Meng Changshu, to falsify the financial accounts. Meng Changshu was ultimately uneasy, so he secretly hid important original accounting documents and other materials, and the place he hid them was inside this maitreya buddha statue!

Once Shenzhou Group went public, Chairman Qiao Shanzhou made a fortune and was overjoyed. However, in his heart, there was always a thorn, and that was the insider, Meng Changshu. Qiao Shanzhou's mind was deep; he decided he couldn't let Meng Changshu become a threat to him. Thus, he meticulously planned a conspiracy, using a honey trap to ensnare Meng Changshu tightly. He arranged for several beauties to confuse Meng Changshu with sweet words and a "gentle village," making him lose his head and eventually reveal information about the ledger without realizing it.

However, Qiao Shanzhou was heavily paranoid; even after getting information about the ledger, he still wasn't at ease. He thought it over repeatedly and decided that Meng Changshu could not be left alive; he had to find an opportunity to eliminate him to prevent future troubles. Coincidentally, Meng Changshu planned to go abroad to visit his daughter who was studying there, and Qiao Shanzhou felt this was a perfect opportunity.

He secretly hired a group of people to wait for Meng Changshu abroad. On the surface, it was a "robbery" drama, but in reality, it was a meticulously planned murder. Qiao Shanzhou hoped that by doing this, Meng Changshu's death would look like an accident, thereby avoiding unnecessary suspicion.

For his wife, Chen Hui, the news of Meng Changshu's death was a signal of liberation. Meng Changshu and his wife Chen Hui had long been estranged; although they shared a bed, they both had their own little calculations. When Meng Changshu died, Chen Hui was clapping her hands in joy, as if she had been set free. She quickly disposed of all of Meng Changshu's relics, for fear of leaving any trouble behind. She prepared to take the money and flee abroad to find her daughter.

Upon receiving news of Meng Changshu's death, Chairman Qiao Shanzhou quickly appointed his confidant Huang Da as the new Chief Financial Officer, while also sending people to several locations. Sure enough, they found the original financial materials of Shenzhou Group that Meng Changshu had hidden. He thought he could rest easy now, but to his surprise, the new Chief Financial Officer, Huang Da, told him that the materials for the past two years were not among them.

This discovery gave Qiao Shanzhou a shock; he realized that Meng Changshu might have had another trick up his sleeve.

"We must find those missing materials as soon as possible." Qiao Shanzhou immediately sent his assistant, Zuo Ming, to visit Meng Changshu's wife, Chen Hui, under the guise of offering condolences, to see if he could find any clues.

When Zuo Ming arrived at Chen Hui's house, he found her busy packing things.

"Ms. Chen, I am Chairman Qiao's assistant, Zuo Ming. Chairman Qiao asked me to come and see you and see if there is anything you need help with." Zuo Ming's voice was warm and concerned.

Chen Hui looked up at Zuo Ming, a flash of vigilance in her eyes. But she quickly regained her composure, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you for Chairman Qiao's concern. I'm doing fine now."

Zuo Ming nodded, looked around, and said, "Have Mr. Meng's belongings been taken care of?"

Chen Hui smiled slightly and said, "Most of them have been handled; some that are difficult to deal with are still at home. I also plan to sell this house and then go abroad to find my daughter."

Chen Hui also told him that the empty spaces on the bookshelf were originally where some antique small pieces that Meng Changshu liked to collect were placed. He usually loved to take out that maitreya buddha statue from the bookshelf; once, when drunk, he even said it was his 'Future Buddha.' Now that Meng Changshu was dead, she had entrusted those small antique pieces to Yunxuan Auction House to be auctioned off.

When Zuo Ming heard this, his eyes lit up. He quickly contacted Yunxuan Auction House through Chen Hui and learned that two of Meng Changshu's small antique pieces had been sold, while the other six had failed to sell.

He thanked Chen Hui for the information and then hurriedly left her home, heading straight for Yunxuan Auction House.

Yunxuan Auction House was located in a high-end office building in the center of Shenghai City, with luxurious decor and an elegant atmosphere. Zuo Ming walked into the auction house and found the person in charge directly.

"Hello, I am Zuo Ming from Shenzhou Group. I would like to learn about the auction status of Mr. Meng Changshu's antiques," Zuo Ming said.

The person in charge looked at Zuo Ming's business card, smiled slightly, and said, "Of course. We have successfully auctioned two of Mr. Meng's small antique pieces; the rest are still here."

Zuo Ming bought the six unsold antiques from Yunxuan Auction House, but he was still thinking about the two that had been sold. He specifically asked the person in charge of the auction house, hoping to find out information about the buyers. The person in charge hesitated for a moment but eventually revealed the buyers' names and contact information.

After finding out who the buyers were, Zuo Ming rushed over without stopping, intending to buy back those antiques at a high price. He first contacted the seller of one of the seals; as soon as the seller heard Zuo Ming's offer of 200,000, they immediately and readily agreed. However, when it came to Zhang Wei, he hit a wall. Zhang Wei refused to budge on selling that maitreya buddha statue. Zuo Ming had no choice but to leave for the time being.

Zuo Ming hurried back to the company with the seven antiques he had bought back. Qiao Shanzhou was waiting for him in the office. When Qiao Shanzhou saw the antiques Zuo Ming brought back, his expression immediately darkened.