Chapter 1

Quanzhou, anciently known as Wenling, is also called Licheng. Due to the abundance of flamboyant trees in the city, it is also known as Cittongcheng.

As the world's largest port during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou boasts a rich cultural history and numerous scenic spots, earning it the美誉 of "Maritime Zoulu" and "City of Light."

Developing to this day, Quanzhou has become a well-known international garden city both at home and abroad. It was once rated as the first East Asian Capital of Culture by the Ministry of Culture and is an important commercial and port city in the southeastern coastal region, with a highly developed economy.

However, it is well known that in this magical land of China, the standard for measuring whether a city's economy is developed often cannot be separated from real estate.

Undoubtedly, high-rise buildings stand densely in Quanzhou, especially in areas near the bay. Due to the elegant environment and the direct view of the sea, as well as the beautiful sounds of the tides, the prices are naturally sky-high.

"…Since that's the case, we'll be on our way."

"Please don't be so formal. Customer satisfaction is our greatest pursuit!"

At this moment, in a luxurious residential complex near the sea, two young men slowly walked out.

"Phew…"

It was early February, and the weather was still chilly. A sea breeze blew, lifting the leaves of the greenery in the complex, creating a pleasant and rhythmic sound, like a melodious string.

"Phew, it's really cold."

Among the two young men, the taller and slightly plump one couldn't help but pull up his collar, then looked around at the luxurious buildings with a look of longing: "If I could buy a house here, my life would be worth it. Yuanfang, what do you think?"

"Sir, I think you should give up this unrealistic dream and consider what to eat for dinner instead."

At the same time, the other young man shook his head slightly, with a hint of helplessness on his face: "Also, I've told you hundreds of times, my name is Fangyuan, not Yuanfang. Besides, you're Bao Longtu, not Detective Di."

"More or less, more or less."

The slightly plump young man chuckled, then countered: "What do you mean by an unrealistic dream? This is my ambition. I'll put it on the line: give me ten years, and if I can't establish myself here, I'll stop and go back home to lay bricks."

"Hmm?"

Fangyuan was taken aback: "Are you serious?"

"Of course, when I speak, I mean it. When have I ever broken my word?"

It turned out that the slightly plump young man's name was Bao Longtu. From this, it was clear that his parents were definitely fans of the TV series about Bao Qingtian, otherwise they wouldn't have given their son such a grand and majestic name.

"Or do you not believe in my ability?"

As he spoke, Bao Longtu huffed: "Are you not giving your brother enough face?"

"Believe, of course I believe."

Fangyuan smiled, but his clear and elegant gaze showed a hint of seriousness: "Who would dare to doubt Bao Daren? Maybe it won't even take ten years; perhaps in three to five years, you'll achieve your goal."

"That's right."

Bao Longtu laughed heartily, then suddenly put his arm around Fangyuan's shoulder, looking a bit humble: "But that's for the future. Now, let's discuss dinner. It's been a long time since we had a big meal. Since we completed a business deal today, shouldn't we find a place to celebrate?"

"Celebrate? How do you want to celebrate?"

For a moment, Fangyuan was at a loss, reminding him: "Don't forget, we had a seafood feast in the middle of the month. Are we doing it again? This month's food expenses will definitely exceed the budget."

"Exceed the budget again?"

Bao Longtu's face turned uncertain, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he made up his mind: "No problem, no worries. If it comes to it, we'll eat instant noodles at the end of the month."

Fangyuan was speechless. Sometimes he really couldn't understand Bao Longtu's thinking. If he was a foodie, he could eat instant noodles for a whole week. If he wasn't a foodie, he would spend all his savings on big meals, justifying it as a reward for his frugality...

"Let's go, let's go, for a big meal."

At this moment, Bao Longtu, ignoring Fangyuan's disdain, seemed to be thinking of some delicious food and immediately dragged Fangyuan out.

"Bang!"

At this very moment, something suddenly fell from the sky, accompanied by a whistling sound, and instantly hit the hard concrete floor.

"Ah!"

With a loud bang, the object shattered into pieces, and coincidentally, it fell right next to the two of them.

If someone had been there to observe from a third-person perspective, they would have seen clearly that the object fell directly from above their heads. If Bao Longtu hadn't been in a hurry to walk faster and dragged Fangyuan, the object might have hit one of their heads.

At that moment, the two were startled by the loud noise behind them and instinctively turned to look. At that moment, the object shattered into pieces, and the fragments flew up due to the impact.

"Phew!"

As Fangyuan turned, before he could figure out what was happening, a fragment flew directly toward his forehead. Caught off guard, he couldn't dodge in time and was hit as expected.

"Ouch..."

Only after the impact did Fangyuan realize the danger. He felt a sharp pain on his forehead, as if someone had hit him with a heavy finger, and he couldn't help but cry out, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Fangyuan, what happened? Are you okay?"

Realizing what had happened, Bao Longtu quickly pulled Fangyuan a few steps away and hurriedly checked his condition.

Fortunately, the fragment that hit him didn't strike his eyes but grazed his forehead. Although it caused some redness and swelling, it wasn't a serious injury.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness."

After a careful examination, Bao Longtu breathed a sigh of relief and then immediately turned and shouted angrily: "Who did this? How can you be so lacking in public morals? Do you want to commit murder? This is murder, do you know that...?"

The building was extremely tall, at least over a hundred meters. From the shattered fragments on the ground, it was clear that the falling object was made of metal. A heavy metal object falling from such a height would have caused severe injury if the two hadn't been lucky enough to dodge it.

Thinking of the potential consequences, Bao Longtu was shaken with fear and became even more angry.

"What happened, what happened?"

Hearing Bao Longtu's shouts, the Chinese people's love for watching commotion was fully displayed. In no time, a crowd gathered from all directions.

"How despicable..."

The situation was very clear. Seeing Fangyuan's forehead wound and the metal fragments on the ground, the crowd understood the root of the problem without much explanation.

Even if it was just the two of them, as residents of the complex, the others were even more worried and angry. Throwing objects from a high place was a very malicious act. If it could injure Fangyuan today, it could happen to anyone tomorrow.

Understanding this, the crowd stood firmly on the side of the two, urging the security guards to investigate and catch the culprit to eliminate the safety hazard...

"He must come out and apologize." Bao Longtu looked furious, his fists clenched, indicating that he wanted more than just an apology.

Amidst the commotion, no one noticed that the wound on Fangyuan's forehead, under the sunlight, suddenly emitted a strange glow. This glow, with a hint of golden color, seemed to have a life of its own, flowing and gradually disappearing into the wound.

A moment later, the golden glow completely vanished, and a thin scab formed on Fangyuan's forehead.

At the same time, a group of people suddenly emerged from the direction of the building. These people had a grand entourage, with a dozen burly, uniformly dressed bodyguards surrounding two middle-aged men in the center.

Such a grand entourage suggested either a high-ranking official inspecting the area or a wealthy tycoon visiting. Seeing these people, the onlookers were surprised and gradually quieted down.

"Oh, it's him..."

"Who?"

"Gu Chang, the Land King!"

"Gu Chang? The big boss of Land King Group, what is he doing here?"

"Stupid, this complex is his property, it's normal for him to come for an inspection!"

In the whispers, Gu Chang and his entourage stopped. He gently waved, and a security guard, visibly excited, ran to report the situation to the boss.

After a short while, the security guard ran back with an excited look and shouted: "The boss asks everyone not to worry. Our complex has been operating for three years, and nothing like this has ever happened. This incident was purely coincidental, and there's no need to doubt our safety measures..."

"I apologize for the scare."

At the same time, Gu Chang dismissed his bodyguards and walked over, looking approachable and kind: "Ultimately, it's our fault for not being thorough enough. I will have them conduct a strict inspection of all the buildings to ensure that such an incident never happens again..."

"...This month's water and electricity bills will be waived as compensation."

This practical statement brought smiles to many faces, and with Gu Chang's assurance, the crowd's concerns were completely alleviated, and they stopped complaining.

With a few words, Gu Chang dispersed the crowd and then walked over to Fangyuan and Bao Longtu, his eyes flashing and his face full of kindness: "Young friends, are you okay?"

"...He's injured."

Even though they knew Gu Chang was a big boss and one of the wealthiest people in Quanzhou, the two didn't grovel. Bao Longtu, in particular, still had some resentment and spoke in a hard tone: "Whether it was a coincidence or not, the person did something wrong and needs to give us an explanation."