41: Chapter 41 Zhang Wei Sets Up a Scheme

Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhang Wei didn't disturb the two brothers catching up. Before leaving the restaurant, he even paid the bill for their private room. After all, Fan Haiyang had arranged for an expert to fly in from Beijing to help with the appraisal, so it was only right to return the favor.

"Finished with your business?" Arriving at the parking lot, An Xiaoxi and the others already knew Zhang Wei had come out through the camera feed.

Zhang Wei placed the imperial seal in the trunk. "Not a wasted trip. At least it's confirmed to be an antique. As for which dynasty it's from, we'll have to wait for the expert's further appraisal tomorrow. Let's not talk about that now. I didn't eat a bite inside, just drank tea. Hurry up, let's find a place for a late-night snack."

Half an hour later

An Xiaoxi and Liu Haorui watched Zhang Wei sitting across from them, eating lamb skewers from a red willow branch with great relish.

"If I'd known earlier, I would have saved some room when we had takeout. Now, smelling the aroma but not being able to eat is torture," An Xiaoxi said plaintively, patting her round little belly.

Zhang Wei ignored her and said to Liu Haorui, "Old Liu, you're going to be busy starting tomorrow. While you're learning to drive at the driving school, remember to check on the progress at the Instrument Branch Factory every day. You'll also need to oversee the purchase of farm tools and seeds. I've been busy with the imperial seal lately and won't have time to manage you, so you'll have to take taxis back and forth on your own."

Liu Haorui scratched his head. "That'll be two or three hundred in taxi fares alone per day. Can I get reimbursed? That Fengxian place is far from the City Name center."

Zhang Wei laughed and scolded, "Can you be any stingier! Alright, you pay for the taxis yourself. Once you get your driver's license, your sworn father will gift you a car directly."

Liu Haorui's eyes lit up. "It's a deal then. You can't go back on your word later."

Zhang Wei had already thought it through. The greenhouse area often needed tasks like loading/unloading farm tools and transporting crops, and not having a vehicle would indeed be inconvenient. He planned to buy a minivan for Liu Haorui to drive. After all, he said he'd gift a car, not that it wouldn't be a minivan.

He could treat it as a company vehicle. Besides, giving a new driver a luxury car right off the bat—if it got scratched, Liu Haorui, being so stingy, would probably die of heartache.

Everyone went home. Zhang Wei lay in bed, waiting for the system intelligence update. The system had added new features, and he couldn't wait to find out what changes had been made.

Midnight, twelve o'clock

Ding: daily intelligence has been updated. Please check, Host.

[daily intelligence 01]

The wanted murderer Tian Lirong has now settled in an urban-rural fringe area of Jinshan District. He is carrying a handgun and several controlled knives. The reward for his capture is 3 million yuan.

A related video has been sent to the Host's phone. Please check.

[daily intelligence 02]

Qian Lei, a reporter from Daily Headlines, yesterday released a video of Interview Brother assaulting a reporter on the street. As Interview Brother was covered in mud and his features were indistinguishable, netizens concluded it was a staged act for clout. It did not gain widespread attention. The editorial leadership reprimanded Qian Lei for being overly ambitious and fabricating facts.

[daily intelligence 03]

Zheng Baochang, an expert from the Capital Museum, watched the video of the imperial seal of china. After research, he identified it as a Song Dynasty replica of the imperial seal of china and reported the situation to Wu Zhiguo, the Deputy Director of the Capital Museum. Upon learning of it over the phone, the other party decided to induce the Host to donate it for free to the Capital Museum.

A related video has been sent to the Host's phone. Please check.

Zhang Wei opened his phone. Two new videos had appeared in the storage. It seemed not every piece of intelligence came with a video. He casually clicked on the first one.

The screen showed a room. Judging by the old decor and furniture, the house had seen better days. The entire camera angle looked like a surveillance feed from a corner of the ceiling. Then, a man entered through the door—about 170 cm tall, with a noticeably distorted and stiff left side of his face. It was precisely the wanted criminal Tian Lirong.

He first gently closed the door, then checked the mark he had left on the doorknob. Finding it undisturbed, he pressed against the door to peer outside through the peephole. He watched for over ten minutes, confirming no one had entered his room, before finally relaxing.

Zhang Wei dragged the progress bar forward. Soon, he saw Tian Lirong pull a handgun from under the sofa cushion, expertly disassemble, inspect, and maintain it, then put it back.

It seemed this person was very cautious and extremely dangerous. However, having just settled in, he was likely at his most vigilant. If Zhang Wei rashly reported him now, startling him into fleeing Shenghai City, he would lose track of the target. Zhang Wei thought for a moment and decided to wait and see for now.

He clicked on the second video. The screen showed a middle-aged man with a bloated figure, layers of fat on his belly, and a corpulent appearance. He was sitting in a study, making a phone call. Zhang Wei turned up the volume and heard the man in the video say:

"Alright, I understand. This imperial seal is a treasure. Tomorrow, Old Zheng, you're responsible for taking me there. Don't worry about anything else. A young kid will be easy to handle. A mix of coaxing and intimidation will settle it."

An elderly man's voice came from the other end of the line. "In that case, that young man would suffer a huge loss. Could it affect our Museum's reputation? Director Wu, perhaps it would be better to use the Museum's funds to purchase it. I will definitely argue strenuously to drive the price down to the minimum. What do you think?"

"That's not your concern," Wu Zhiguo interrupted roughly. "The Museum's funds didn't come from thin air either. This matter is settled! We'll fly to Shenghai together tomorrow. Keep your mouth shut about things you shouldn't say."

In the video, Wu Zhiguo hung up the phone, sat in the study, sneered, and muttered to himself, "This old fool is really pedantic. Wanting to pay for a treasure delivered for free? Later, I'll just file a report saying it was purchased with funds, and the money will come to me?"

The second video ended abruptly there. Zhang Wei frowned deeply. The expert Fan Haiyang found seemed decent enough, but what kind of deputy director was this? He was practically the epitome of scum, trying to get something for nothing from him.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wei's eyes shifted. A plan came to mind. Since they wanted to play games, he couldn't be blamed for seeking another path.

He opened WeChat, found the video of the imperial seal of china he had recorded during the day, and sent it to Yu Hongtao, the Director of the Shenghai Museum, along with the message: "Fan Haiyang saw it yesterday and said it was good."

On the other side of Shenghai City at that moment, Yu Hongtao had just swallowed his sleeping pills. Although there were no casualties in the previous artillery shelling incident, the subsequent reports and self-criticisms had kept him up for several nights. Fortunately, the cannon ultimately remained in the Museum, giving him some consolation.

Having taken his medicine, Yu Hongtao was just about to settle down for a good night's sleep when he heard his WeChat notification.

Ten minutes later, Zhang Wei's phone rang. He answered casually, "Director Yu, I thought you'd already gone to sleep."

An angry roar came from the other end of the line. "Couldn't you have called during the day, kid? Did you have to disturb an old man's sweet dreams in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Wei spread his hands innocently. "I thought of you the moment I got something good. Besides, you're not old at all. If you went out and said you were born after 2000, people would believe you."

Yu Hongtao was left speechless by this character. He was just venting and wasn't actually angry.

"Stop the sweet talk, kid. Where is the item? I'll bring an expert over right now. Since I can't sleep, nobody else should either."

Zhang Wei asked in surprise, "So urgent? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

Yu Hongtao said angrily, "Tomorrow? If this isn't settled tonight, how could I possibly sleep lying at home?"