C10 He Had Been Scammed

Two waiters each held an oil painting, ready at a moment's notice.

Qi Jun and Qin Yao stood to the side, voicing their concerns to Wang Ke, "Brother Wang, Elder Pang isn't going to show up later, is he?"

Qi Jun had personally witnessed Elder Pang's formidable presence. If Wang Ke ended up displeased, Qi Jun knew he'd be in for trouble.

Wang Ke let out a dismissive snort, "Humph! No chance. My people are monitoring the cameras. Those old timers have already left through the VIP exit. They won't be coming this way!"

The southwest region was abuzz with so many influential figures in one place. If word got out, it would surely trigger an economic shockwave throughout the entire area.

Meanwhile, Xia Ming preferred to keep his identity under wraps for the time being, so he had Elder Pang escort Liu Tianxiong and the others out through the VIP exit.

Xia Ming and Leng Ningchu were all smiles as they made their way to the hall's entrance.

Midway through the hall, the two waiters Wang Ke had positioned rushed toward Xia Ming and Leng Ningchu, paintings in hand.

Xia Ming's brow furrowed as he sidestepped one waiter, but the other, who could have easily avoided him, intentionally fell into Xia Ming's embrace.

"Watch out!" Leng Ningchu extended her hand to pull Xia Ming aside, attempting to steer clear of the waiter.

To everyone's surprise, the waiter dropped the painting and clung to Xia Ming's waist, exclaiming, "Someone help! This man damaged our hotel's oil painting and is trying to leave... Catch him..."

Xia Ming was at a loss for words. He and Leng Ningchu exchanged a look, suppressing their frustration. Striving to remain composed, Xia Ming addressed the waiter, "Trying to scam us? Everyone just saw that you deliberately bumped into me, right?"

The waiter scoffed, "Humph! What now? You're going to deny wrecking the hotel's oil painting? Five million. This painting is worth five million. Without that sum, neither of you is leaving here!"

As he spoke, a flurry of footsteps echoed through the hall as a dozen security guards swiftly encircled Xia Ming and Leng Ningchu.

The crowd around them began to chime in with accusations!

"Listen, young man, you've got to be fair. Don't give the guy a hard time. You damaged his property, so paying up is only right!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we all saw it. You're the one who knocked over the waiter's oil painting. You'll be in a world of trouble if the police get involved!"

...

Security arrived so swiftly!

And the crowd was so unanimously vocal!

Something was definitely amiss!

A flash of malice crossed Xia Ming's eyes as he scanned the crowd and noticed Wang Ke, Qi Jun, and Qin Yao approaching with ease. He instantly realized what was happening.

It was a setup!

"Oh, isn't this the esteemed calligrapher Xia Ming? Oh dear... What's this? You've damaged the hotel's oil painting? A compensation of five million yuan? Surely, that's a mere trifle for a renowned artist like you?" Qi Jun taunted Xia Ming with a sneer, his legs shaking with smugness.

Beside him, Qin Yao wore a look of contempt. "An idiot is still an idiot, can't even walk without tripping over! I must have been blind... Jun, you're the real deal!"

Xia Ming's gaze moved from Qi Jun and Qin Yao, finally resting on Wang Ke.

Qi Jun might come from a wealthy family, but they were nothing compared to the owner of the Di Hao Hotel. This whole charade was likely Wang Ke's doing.

Wang Ke locked eyes with Xia Ming, a smug glint in his gaze. "Artist Xia, we meet again so soon! But as fate would have it, this time, Elder Pang may not be able to come to your rescue!"

Earlier, Wang Ke had thought Elder Pang was meeting Xia Ming, so he had humiliated himself in front of everyone. Now, he was directing his resentment at Xia Ming.

Xia Ming offered a slight smile. "Mr. Wang, let's be magnanimous, shall we? I let bygones be bygones, so why stir up this drama?"

Five million?

Xia Ming didn't even blink at the sum, but he certainly wasn't about to just hand it over without a fight!

Seeing Xia Ming's calm demeanor, Wang Ke grew increasingly agitated. "Enough talk, Xia Ming! You think you're so tough? Well, today, you either kneel and beg for mercy or cough up five million yuan. Otherwise, you're not going anywhere! You've destroyed our boss's favorite oil painting, and if you don't make it right, you're going to regret it!"

The owner of the Di Hao Hotel?

Xia Ming paused to think. During his meeting with the top brass at the Southwest Guard Station, he recalled the wealthiest man in River City mentioning that the Di Hao Hotel was owned by Lu Zhanfeng.

Now that Lu Zhanfeng had returned, he probably would have notified his people by now.

Xia Ming was being hassled by Wang Ke, and before he could respond, Leng Ningchu, who stood beside him, could barely contain herself. "Young Master..."

Leng Ningchu managed the intelligence network in the southwest. Though she worked behind the scenes, she was no stranger to interacting with high-level figures.

Yet, someone at Wang Ke's level wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Leng Ningchu, hence his unfamiliarity with her.

Xia Ming gestured for calm, "Sister Leng, be patient!"

"But they're really pushing us too far!" Leng Ningchu attempted to speak up, but Xia Ming cut her off and turned to Wang Ke, "Director Wang, give me your account number. Five million yuan? I'll arrange the transfer immediately!"

"Young Master?" Leng Ningchu was puzzled by Xia Ming's intentions, but he gave her a reassuring wink.

Across from them, Qi Jun, Wang Ke, and Qin Yao were all visibly confused.

Had Xia Ming really just backed down?

Something didn't add up.

Logically, Xia Ming should be livid, lashing out at Wang Ke for his underhanded tactics. But now, Xia Ming was ready to pay up, leaving them with no chance to execute their next plan.

"With your spineless act, you're offering five million? Who are you trying to fool, Xia Ming? When you were courting me, you scrimped and saved just to buy me a five-yuan bowl of noodles. Now you claim you can pull out five million?" Qin Yao said dismissively, clinging to Qi Jun's arm.

Qi Jun added smugly, "Exactly! If you're broke, stop posturing. In my opinion, you'd be better off kneeling and apologizing. That act alone would be worth five million—what a bargain!"

Wang Ke stood by silently, his skepticism evident in his eyes.

"Director Wang, what's the matter? You don't want the money? You'd rather see me kneel and beg? Just give me the account number; I don't have time to waste here with you all!" Xia Ming's tone was stern and impatient.

The Di Hao Hotel was essentially his own turf, and yet he was being bullied right on his own ground!

Wang Ke observed Xia Ming's confident demeanor and considered the close relationship between Xia Ming and Elder Pang. It was possible that Xia Ming could indeed come up with five million.

This thought made Wang Ke's facial muscles twitch involuntarily. "No, I misspoke earlier. That oil painting is worth more than five million. It's worth at least ten million!"