Zhu Dongfeng’s gaze burned with intensity, as if attempting to see right through his inner thoughts.
Lou Tingxue felt utterly uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
Still, he remained silent, casting his eyes downward and averting his gaze from Zhu Dongfeng.
Zhu Dongfeng slowly reached out his hand, intending to touch Lou Tingxue’s cheek.
However, Lou Tingxue’s brows knitted tightly together as he dodged away from him as if avoiding a plague god.
Zhu Dongfeng’s hand froze mid-air.
Yet his smile did not fade; he simply retracted his hand and said, “What’s wrong? Is Young Master Lou feeling shy?”
Lou Tingxue said in a cold voice, “I am straight. I don’t like men.”
That brought the conversation to a dead end.
Zhu Dongfeng didn’t press him further either. He simply changed the subject, saying, “In that case, Young Master Lou should rest well. I just secured that salt merchant business, so now happens to be a good time for me to check on it.”
That’s fine too—it’d be for the best if he never comes looking for me again.
Lou Tingxue watched Zhu Dongfeng’s departing figure and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the next few days, Zhu Dongfeng began consolidating the salt merchant business in his hands.
However, just as he was about to give it his all and expand his operation, a group of men clad in official uniforms suddenly burst into the Prosperous Building. Every one of them carried a stern and majestic demeanor, shouting at the crowd to halt the moment they crossed the threshold, declaring that they were there to arrest Zhu Dongfeng.
“How bold of you, Zhu Dongfeng! You dare to deal in bootleg salt! The evidence is concrete—come with us to the magistrate’s office to be jailed!” The constable leading the group spoke with a voice like a booming bell.
Before his words had even finished echoing, the bailiffs swarmed forward, surrounding Zhu Dongfeng tightly.
What made everyone’s hearts sink even further was that the constable immediately followed up: “This building is suspected of harboring illegal salt transactions. It is to be shut down and sealed off at once!”
Facing Zhu Dongfeng, Lou Tingxue froze completely in shock.
Unexpectedly, retribution had arrived so quickly. Zhu Dongfeng had offended those three salt merchants, and now he was suffering their revenge.
To the side, Yu Wei’s brows were tied into a tight knot, her face alarmingly cold.
Lin Shi clenched his fists, his jawline taut and rigid, while the aura around his body became suffocatingly heavy. Wen Xiao’s eyes were as sharp as blades; his gaze swept across the bailiffs, already prepared to strike at any moment.
Yet Zhu Dongfeng suddenly called out to stop them, saying, “Hold your hands!”
His voice was calm and grounded. Though encircled by the bailiffs, he showed not the slightest trace of panic.
“Master…” Tears welled in Yu Wei’s eyes.
Zhu Dongfeng turned to look at the three of them—Yu Wei, Lin Shi, and Wen Xiao—and said, “Wait here for me. I shall be back shortly.”
Having said this, he slowly raised his eyes, his gaze landing on Lou Tingxue’s face. Complex emotions churned deep within his eyes, yet in the end, he uttered not a single word. Turning around, he followed the bailiffs, step by step, out of the Prosperous Building.
Zhu Dongfeng’s spine was straight and tall, yet it carried a trace of solitary despair. In just a brief moment, his figure vanished beyond the entrance of the Prosperous Building.
Lou Tingxue’s tightly stretched nerves suddenly relaxed.
The very first thought in his heart was: The chance to escape has finally come!
Having been trapped in the Prosperous Building all these days, he had long yearned to break free. Now that Zhu Dongfeng was arrested and the Prosperous Building was sealed off, it was the perfect opportunity for him to slip away amid the chaos!
Suppressing the secret joy in his heart, Lou Tingxue turned briskly and returned to his room.
He casually grabbed a few light pieces of clothing to stuff into his bundle, along with a few valuable items. He was so excited that his fingertips were trembling slightly.
Yet halfway through packing, Lou Tingxue’s movements came to a halt.
He recalled that complex look in Zhu Dongfeng’s eyes right before he left, and he remembered how Zhu Dongfeng had stubbornly insisted on his own way before, turning a deaf ear no matter how the others tried to dissuade him.
For an accident to happen so suddenly now felt far too coincidental…
As Lou Tingxue thought of this, his brows couldn’t help but furrow.
Zhu Dongfeng was no simple character. To become the world’s wealthiest merchant, he certainly possessed immense talent, and his ability to read people and situations was surely second to none. How could he fall into such a tragic state?
Lou Tingxue always felt there was something fishy going on.
This matter was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. Zhu Dongfeng was a meticulous and calculating person; how could he easily fall prey to a charge like bootlegging salt?
If he ran away rashly right now, and Zhu Dongfeng returned safely or the situation underwent a reversal, he would still be dragged back. It would be better to keep his footing steady first and see how things developed.
Thinking up to this point, Lou Tingxue hid his bundle away.
Right at that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door. Yu Wei pushed the door open and burst inside, rushing up behind him and grabbing his hand in a panic.
“Young Master Lou, don’t be afraid, and don’t think about leaving! The Master knows what he is doing; he would never actually commit a crime. He will definitely return safely. Once the Master is back, the two of you can get married, alright?” Yu Wei was frantic with worry.
Lou Tingxue turned his head to look at her, already wearing a face like a pear blossom bathed in rain.
His eye sockets were red, and his voice choked up with tears as he said, “Miss Yu Wei misunderstands… I had no thought of leaving. I am just… far too heartbroken. The moment I think of Boss Zhu being arrested and the Prosperous Building being gone, I can’t help wanting to hide away and cry for a bit…”
As Lou Tingxue spoke, he stealthily wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.
Heartbroken at the sight, Yu Wei couldn’t hold back her own tears either, saying, “Master has never been put in prison before. It must be the work of those three salt merchants from a few days ago! I am going to find them and settle the score right now!“
Lou Tingxue stopped her, however, and said, “Miss Yu Wei, now is not the time to settle scores with them. With the Prosperous Building sealed off, the priority is to stabilize the overall situation.”
Just at that moment, Lin Shi and Wen Xiao hurried over.
Lin Shi wore a look of rage as he reported, “This is bad! The merchants who previously worked with Master heard news of his imprisonment, and now they’ve come to the Prosperous Building to make a scene!”
Yu Wei was furious, fuming with anger: “What a bunch of profit-seeking villains! Master has only just fallen into trouble, and instead of lending a helping hand, they come to kick him while he’s down! They are truly despicable!”
Lou Tingxue, however, wasn’t surprised in the least. He asked, “What do they want to do?”
Wen Xiao replied, “They want us to refund the money they previously left at the Prosperous Building, saying that since Master is jailed, he certainly won’t come back out, and the Prosperous Building is bound to collapse. They refuse to partake in a losing trade.”
“What do you mean he won’t come back out?! I’ll rip their mouths apart!” Yu Wei was beside herself with anger.
Lou Tingxue held her back once more and said, “Seeking profit and avoiding harm is merely human nature. It’s fine like this too—recognizing their true colors earlier is better than getting stabbed in the back by them later on.”
At these words, everyone present was instantly impressed and humbled.
Yu Wei calmed down as well. Filled with admiration, she said, “Young Master Lou is truly remarkable. Just like Master, you always say things that leave me completely convinced.”
Lou Tingxue smiled faintly and said, “Not at all. Right now, the most urgent task is to quickly root out these poisonous tumors.”
Before long, the few of them arrived at the main hall.
The room was packed with a dense crowd of people. In the past, when Zhu Dongfeng possessed boundless glory, they had come drawn by his fame, attempting to claim a share of the spoils. Now that Zhu Dongfeng was imprisoned, they discarded him without hesitation.
Seeing that people had arrived, the crowd immediately clamored for the Prosperous Building to refund their money.
Looking at this group of shameless bastards turning their backs on them, Yu Wei was still trembling with rage.
Driven by her mounting anger, she couldn’t help but step forward and scold, “In the past, Master never treated you poorly! When everyone partnered up in business, Master bore the losses alone whenever trouble arose, yet when profits were made, you shared them equally! Now that Master has merely run into temporary trouble, you are so eager to sever ties—aren’t you being far too inhuman?!”
However, the man leading the crowd remained completely unmoved, a look of cold mockery even playing across his face.
He laughed out loud without the slightest reservation, saying, “Zhu Dongfeng is already in prison! Given the crime of bootlegging salt, he is bound to die in there! While we can still get back some of our assets now, we might not be able to once his house is confiscated! Parting ways cleanly right now is good for everyone!”
Hearing these words, Yu Wei’s face turned pale with fury.
Just as she was about to argue further, Lou Tingxue spoke up: “The money can be refunded.”
At these words, everyone turned their eyes toward him.
With just a single glance, the crowd’s eyes lit up; they hadn’t expected Zhu Dongfeng to have such a breathtakingly beautiful companion.
Lou Tingxue’s gaze slowly swept across the crowd as he added, “However, I must make things clear: if you insist on taking your money and leaving today, should Zhu Dongfeng return safely in the future, you will no longer have any right to step foot into the Prosperous Building, let alone speak of any cooperation.”
“On the other hand, if you choose to stay today and weather the storm ahead alongside the Prosperous Building, then from this day forward, Zhu Dongfeng will share a life-and-death friendship with you, and he will certainly never treat any of you unfairly.”
As his words fell, the front hall instantly plummeted into a dead silence.
The business partners who had been clamoring moments ago looked at one another, the anxiety and cold indifference on their faces gradually replaced by hesitation.
A moment later, someone was the first to speak out, saying resolutely, “I’ll still take my refund. Given Zhu Dongfeng’s current situation, there’s likely no hope left. It’s not worth taking the risk.”
Once there was a first, a second followed. The merchants filling the room all chimed in, shouting for their refunds.
Lou Tingxue’s expression did not change; he neither tried to retain them nor scolded them.
He merely gave a faint nod and said, “Since your minds are made up, I won’t stop you. Whatever money ought to be refunded, I shall return to you in full.”
Just as he finished speaking, Lou Tingxue gestured to Lin Shi and Wen Xiao behind him.
They placed heavy wooden chests before the crowd. Upon opening the chests, the gleaming white silver dazzled everyone’s eyes.
Lou Tingxue personally supervised the process, referring to the account book Yu Wei handed him as he refunded every last bit of their money.
Chest after chest of silver was claimed, and the noisy front hall gradually quieted down.
Having obtained their money, the crowd couldn’t wait to leave in a hurry, terrified that staying a moment longer in the Prosperous Building would bring trouble upon themselves.
It wasn’t until the end, when the tea grew cold and the people had dispersed, that a single youth remained standing quietly in a corner, not stepping forward a single pace.
That youth looked to be merely sixteen or seventeen years old, clad in a washed-out green cloth robe.
His frame was lean yet upright, his features clean and clear, and his jawline bore the crisp sharpness unique to youth. Though his attire was plain, it could not hide the candid openness and resolve deep within his eyes.
The youth kept both hands lowered at his sides, his fingertips slightly clenched. His gaze rested on the wooden chests in the center of the hall, yet he refused to walk forward.
Lou Tingxue’s gaze fell upon him, and he asked, “They all took their money and ran—why have you refused to come forward this whole time?”
The youth snapped back to his senses and said, “Young Master has misunderstood; I did not come to ask for money.”
He hurriedly took a step forward, saying word by word, “In the past, when I was just learning to do business, I ran into dead ends everywhere. Later, it was thanks to Boss Zhu’s guidance that I managed to pull through my hardest times. Now that Boss Zhu is in trouble, my heart feels uneasy. I merely wanted to come and see if… perhaps there is anything I can do to help.”