Chapter 9

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Zhu Youxiang was taken aback. In her mind, a country's military and armaments were definitely the most confidential of secrets, and there was no way outsiders would know about them. She had only asked Xu Yan out of curiosity, but she never expected the young man in front of her to be able to speak so knowledgeably and in such detail. She looked at Xu Yan in surprise: "Young Master Xu is truly well-versed and knowledgeable, even about such state secrets. This level of insight is far beyond the ordinary. It seems I must look at Young Master Xu with new eyes."

Under the admiring gaze of the young girl, Xu Yan felt a sense of elation: "Not at all, for external matters, ask Baidu; for internal matters, ask my wife~~" He suddenly felt something was off: "Look at me with new eyes? That doesn't sound like a good term, does it? What did she think of me before?"

After hearing Xu Yan's account of the U.S. military strength, Zhu Youxiang frowned, her brows furrowed with worry. Xu Yan couldn't understand what was troubling her. As he tidied up the dishes, he asked, "Miss Zhu..."

"If Young Master doesn't mind, please call me Xunyun," Zhu Youxiang said politely.

"You're right, calling you 'Miss' all the time does seem a bit off... Xunyun, what are your plans for today? I need to go back to my dorm to get some things and return some books to the library. Do you want to come along and take a tour of our school?"

"Young Master, if it's not too much trouble, I would like to stay here and continue watching the movies."

"Hehe, I didn't realize you were such a homebody. Alright, you stay here. I'll bring you something to eat when I come back—by the way, what do you want for lunch?"

"I'm not familiar with the local cuisine, so I'll leave it up to Young Master."

"Alright, I'll just order something—see you later."

Xu Yan walked to the door and saw Zhu Youxiang sit back on the sofa and start watching movies again. He couldn't help but say, "Xunyun, I think you should rest a bit. Although you're young, staying up late is really bad for your health—watching movies is just for entertainment, it's not worth ruining your health over."

Zhu Youxiang turned around and gave him a sweet smile, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. Don't worry, Xunyun knows her limits."

Seeing Zhu Youxiang's beautiful face, Xu Yan felt his heart race. He didn't dare to look any longer, waved his hand, and quickly left. As he watched his back disappear behind the door and heard the "bang" of the door closing, Zhu Youxiang's smile gradually faded, replaced by a deep calm.

"This Young Master Xu is a good person. He dares to bring a stranger into his home and leave me alone here."

Zhu Youxiang skillfully opened the DVD player, thinking, "But Young Master Xu is too naive. How can this be just for entertainment? Military matters are of utmost importance to a nation. Now that there's a chance to gather intelligence, staying up all night is nothing."

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While Zhu Youxiang was seriously considering matters of global human fate in Xu Yan's home, Xu Yan was also busy with something important. After leaving home, he headed straight to the dormitory building and went to Liu Yang's room.

They were all very familiar with each other, so Xu Yan didn't even knock, but kicked the door open with his foot. Inside the dorm, a few guys were playing cards. Hearing the door being kicked open, they turned to see Xu Yan, then turned back to their game.

Xu Yan greeted them cheerfully, "Good morning, guys. Where's the fatty? Where did that guy go?"

The guys grunted like animals, and one of them pointed to the bed next to them, "The fatty is still sleeping—Little Wang, it's your turn!"

Without a word, Xu Yan lifted the blanket and found Liu Yang sleeping soundly, drooling at the corner of his mouth.

"Fatty, fatty, wake up, wake up!"

Liu Yang yawned sleepily, "Condoms are at the pharmacy, and Brother Wei is also at the pharmacy—Xu Yan, it's a rare weekend, why aren't you spending time with your beauty? Why are you bothering me?"

"Cut the crap, I have something important to tell you—get up or I'll make you do the ice bucket challenge!"

Under the threat of cold water, the fatty grumbled and finally got up. He went to the washroom, splashed some water on his face, and yawned, "Xu Yan, what's so urgent that you had to come so early?"

"Something important." Xu Yan glanced at the guys playing cards, "Let's talk outside."

Xu Yan's serious tone made Liu Yang realize that his friend indeed had something important to discuss.

"Alright, let's go. Where to?"

"Nine-Curve Pavilion."

The Nine-Curve Pavilion is a pavilion on the artificial lake in the suburban campus of Shudu University. At night, it's a haven for couples. But on a Saturday morning, it's still quite deserted.

"Xu Yan, why did you drag me out so early? And you brought me to this remote place—don't tell me you have something for me—just so you know, I'm allergic to men!"

Xu Yan looked around; the surroundings were quiet, with a light mist floating over the lake. Apart from a few students reading English a hundred meters away, there was no one else within tens of meters. Despite this, to be cautious, Xu Yan pulled the fatty to the side of a wooden pillar, using it to block the view from the shore.

Xu Yan carefully took out the gold ingot, "Fatty, you know about gold and silver, right? Can you take a look at this thing..."

"Hey, you dragged me out so early just for this trinket? Xu Yan, are you okay? But this ingot is quite interesting..." As he spoke, he took the gold ingot and felt its weight, instantly pausing, "So heavy?"

Liu Yang tossed the gold ingot a couple of times to gauge its weight, then a smile appeared on his face, "So heavy... it must be real gold! It's probably about five or six taels. Xu Yan, gold is about 300 yuan per gram now, so this ingot is worth tens of thousands of yuan—where did you get it?"

Xu Yan still couldn't believe it, "Fatty, take a closer look, is it really not fake?"

Liu Yang repeatedly weighed the ingot and scratched its surface with his fingernail. Finally, he nodded confidently, "The texture is so soft, it's definitely real gold, and of high purity, even purer than the gold bars sold by banks. As for whether it's solid gold or if it's filled with lead, that's hard to say. If we want to be sure, we can find a place to cut it open and check—but I don't think it's filled. With my keen eye, this is a solid gold ingot—wow, is it an antique? That would make it even more valuable!"

Xu Yan forced a smile, hearing that the ingot was worth tens of thousands of yuan, he felt a sense of unreality, as if he were dreaming.

"Is this real?"

Immediately, a fear gripped him: If this small ingot is real, then the hundreds of small gold ingots Zhu Youxiang took out last night, are they also real?

Zhu Youxiang, this mysterious woman, who is she? How could a young girl have so much money?

"Xu Yan, what are you spacing out for! You're rich now, why not treat me to a good time? Tonight, let's book a table at Lushanju for a delicious meal, and then go to Jinzuan for some fun... hehe!"

The fatty drooled as he spoke, giving Liu Yang a knowing look.

Xu Yan snapped back to reality, and steeled himself—regardless of who Zhu Youxiang is, she gave him the money, and it wasn't stolen or robbed. He could spend it with peace of mind.

He agreed, "Alright, fatty, let's do it! But first, we need to exchange this gold, or we won't have the money for tonight's expenses."

Liu Yang, being a local, took on the task of exchanging the gold. He made a few calls and then excitedly reported to Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, I found out that banks don't accept privately minted gold. To exchange gold locally, we need to go to Chang'an Road, where there are many private gold shops!"

"Oh, then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Chang'an Road is in the new district of Jincheng City, but it's also part of the old city. The road is narrow, with heavy traffic and a bustling crowd. However, this old city is more vibrant and full of life than the neatly planned wide streets of the new district.

Along Chang'an Road, colorful shop signs lined the street—Liu Yang called them gold shops, but that wasn't quite accurate. These were more accurately described as jewelry processing shops. They were small private shops that usually helped grandmas and grandpas make necklaces and rings, and also bought and sold gold jewelry and items.

For the first time dealing with such a large amount of cash, both Liu Yang and Xu Yan were very cautious. The gold ingot, confirmed by Liu Yang to be real, was quietly lying in Xu Yan's pocket. To be safe, Xu Yan kept his left hand in his pocket, tightly gripping the gold, feeling the warmth from the ingot transmit to his nerves.

Xu Yan still felt a bit dazed: The thing Zhu Youxiang gave him, is it really a gold ingot? With so much gold, why would she end up with no food or place to stay?

Gold shop owners are legendary figures, known for being cunning and deceitful. Both of them were a bit nervous about dealing with such people. Afraid of being cheated, they decided to compare prices at several shops—seeing their cautious and suspicious behavior, one might think they were selling drugs door-to-door.

They whispered behind the glass doors of the gold shops, "Fatty, what do you think of this shop owner?"

"From my keen eye, this skinny guy with a rat-like face and cunning eyes is definitely not a good person. Let's not go to him."

"Fatty, what about this shop owner?"

"This guy has a face full of scars, a muscular body, and a fierce gaze. He's clearly a violent and unreasonable person—this is definitely a black shop, let's not go to him."

"Fatty, look, there's a female owner over there..."

"Tsk, this woman has triangular eyes and a thin, sharp mouth. She's definitely a sharp-tongued and mean person. Let's not bother her."

"Behind this counter is a young man wearing glasses, he looks very polite and kind..."

"Xu Yan, what kind of judgment do you have! This guy has a traitor's hairstyle, a fake smile, and would have been saying 'General, General' during the war. He's definitely a hypocrite, we absolutely can't do business with him!"

...

"Fatty, are you choosing a shop or a son-in-law?" Xu Yan said weakly, "We've walked the whole street and looked at so many shops, and you don't want to go into any of them."

The fatty was also out of breath, but he was still stubborn, "Don't rush, don't rush. I don't believe there's not a single honest and trustworthy owner on the whole Chang'an Road. Ah, Xu Yan, look, that's the one, that's the kind of shop I'm looking for!"

Xu Yan perked up and looked up, seeing a gold shop not far ahead. The sign, made of red sandalwood, read "Qin Family Gold Shop." The sign was dark and old, clearly having been there for a long time. The shop was small, but the water-stained, dark walls, the aged furniture, and the heavy counter, along with the old paintings on the walls, gave it a sense of history and a weathered appearance.

The shop was quiet, with no customers. Behind the counter sat an elderly man in a white traditional gown. He had a refined appearance, white hair, and was reading a scroll of ancient books, gently fanning himself with a folding fan, so engrossed that he didn't even notice Liu Yang and Xu Yan entering.

Liu Yang whispered, "Xu Yan, see? This owner has a kind and gentle face, and the aura of a cultured businessman. This shop looks like it's been around for a hundred years. Such a long-standing shop values its reputation and credibility. I think it's fine."

Seeing the elderly man, Xu Yan had to agree with Liu Yang: The elderly man had a dignified and calm appearance, white hair, and a refined demeanor, giving off a trustworthy aura. At first glance, he didn't look like a gold shop owner but more like a retired teacher or a respected old doctor. (For more fresh content from "The World Guardian" and a 100% chance to win a prize, follow the official WeChat account "qdread" now! Click the "+" in the top right corner, search for "qdread," and follow us quickly!)