Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four: Disruption

Yang Bo was taken aback by Luo Yaohua's actions, but he quickly came to his senses. At a time like this, it was even more important to act as he usually did, to avoid arousing suspicion!

The other security guard at the door was stunned, his voice tinged with a sob, "Young Master Luo, you know, we are just at the bottom, we really have no choice!"

Luo Yaohua snorted coldly, "Move aside!"

Seeing the man step aside, Luo Yaohua walked in with a cold expression.

Yang Bo didn't say anything and followed him in. He had more insights in his heart. Everyone had their own philosophy of survival. Because he came from humble beginnings, he preferred to keep a low profile. Luo Yaohua, on the other hand, clearly thrived in being bold and arrogant!

The courtyard was the same, but this one was much larger, with several people hurrying past inside.

Luo Yaohua ignored them and walked straight into the hall. The hall was dimly lit, and Old Man Mei San was standing in the center, a table in front of him, giving an introduction.

The hall was a bit larger than before, with about a dozen groups of people, totaling over twenty. The chairs had been replaced with benches, and despite the poor conditions, no one showed any impatience. Everyone was focused on the front.

Old Man Mei San was fully engaged, and perhaps he hadn't noticed, but it took a while for him to react to Yang Bo and Luo Yaohua entering the hall.

Yang Bo scanned the room and spotted a familiar face. Uncle Yu was there, and Jia Huairen and Deputy Director Qu were sitting together, whispering to each other, not noticing the newcomers.

After the item in front of him was auctioned, Luo Yaohua called out, "Old Man Mei, you opened a new place without even telling me! I should have sent a flower basket to celebrate!"

Old Man Mei San's expression changed slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, he forced a smile, "Who would have thought it was Young Master Luo! Welcome, welcome!"

Luo Yaohua didn't let him off easily, "Old Man Mei, don't change the subject. Not telling me about the new place is really not giving me any face!"

Old Man Mei San's face darkened, but he didn't lose his temper, "Young Master Luo, I'm really sorry. A new batch of goods is coming soon, and I planned to clear out the remaining stock from the old place. I was thinking of inviting you once the new goods arrived!"

Luo Yaohua smiled, "That's better!"

After a few more questions, Luo Yaohua didn't press further, which made Old Man Mei San breathe a sigh of relief. The news of Old Man Mei Er's arrest had shocked him. While others might not know, he was well aware that Old Man Mei Er had been operating in Lishui for many years without any major issues. Whether it was the authorities or the underworld, almost everyone gave him some respect. Yet, his power was wiped out in one night, and Old Man Mei San himself had suffered significant losses.

This made Old Man Mei San extremely cautious. His cooperation with Old Man Mei Er was very close, and at least half of his goods came from Old Man Mei Er. With Old Man Mei Er's supply cut off, it was likely that this incident would implicate him!

After Old Man Mei Er's arrest, he felt as if an invisible net was spreading over him. He didn't know who his enemy was or who was targeting him, or what their purpose was.

He became fearful. On the second night after Old Man Mei Er's arrest, he started to clear out the remaining stock from his old place. The value of these items varied, but he was in a hurry to get rid of them. He fabricated a story about a new batch of goods arriving and moved to a new location, only informing a small group of regular customers. Luo Yaohua was clearly not on that list!

Old Man Mei San knew that he and Luo Yaohua were not the same kind of people. As a representative of the authorities, if Luo Yaohua were to arrest him, he wouldn't protect him and might even use him to boost his father's political achievements. However, he hadn't expected Luo Yaohua to be so well-informed. It was only the second day, and Luo Yaohua had already found the new location, showing his considerable strength!

Of course, at this moment, he only wanted to get rid of the goods as quickly as possible. He didn't want to delay any longer, "Please give Young Master Luo a seat!"

Old Man Mei San called out, and then continued his introduction of the items.

Coincidentally, the hall was full, and the only empty spot was next to Jia Huairen and Deputy Director Qu. Yang Bo sat down, nodding at the two, "Mr. Jia, Deputy Director Qu, I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

Jia Huairen glanced at Yang Bo, his expression unchanged, "I didn't expect you to be able to get in here!"

Deputy Director Qu, who was more aloof, ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on the front.

Luo Yaohua, sitting nearby, glanced at the two and knew that Yang Bo had some grudges with them. He whispered, "It looks like we're not too late; the auction just started! Ignore those two; the more they buy, the more severe their sentences will be!"

Yang Bo felt a chill, remembering the last underground auction he had participated in.

Luo Yaohua seemed to understand Yang Bo's thoughts and explained in a low voice, "Don't worry, we're fine. I've already registered with the city bureau; we're undercover!"

Yang Bo nodded, feeling a surge of joy. He clearly remembered that during the last auction, Deputy Director Qu had maliciously bid up the price of the Han Dynasty jade dancer, making him pay more than twice the original price. He couldn't let this opportunity pass today!

Everyone in the hall had different thoughts, but the continuous stream of items and the constantly low prices made everyone go wild.

"A Ming Dynasty Wanli year waterfowl mirror, starting bid at 20,000 yuan!"

"A Qing Dynasty Qianlong pavilion and figure brooch, starting bid at 15,000 yuan!"

...

The prices of the items in the hall were half of the market price, and buying one meant making a profit of half its value. The dozen or so groups took turns bidding, and there were rarely any frenzied bidding wars. Old Man Mei San seemed to avoid too much intense competition, and each item was quickly sold after it was presented.

A jade belt buckle with a pink tourmaline was brought up, with a starting bid of 12,000 yuan. Deputy Director Qu was the first to bid, "12,000 yuan!"

Yang Bo smiled inwardly, knowing the opportunity had come. Their role was to delay the auction and gather evidence. If they could also give Deputy Director Qu a taste of his own medicine, that would be even better!

"13,000 yuan!" Yang Bo said.

Deputy Director Qu was taken aback and glanced at Yang Bo. The pink tourmaline jade belt buckle was worth between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan, and buying it for less than 20,000 yuan was a good deal. He hadn't expected Yang Bo to disrupt the auction at this moment, but he didn't realize that just a few days ago, he had been the one to bid up Yang Bo's price!