Eight o’clock at night. The South City Suburb.
The cracked asphalt road was flanked by low, dilapidated residential buildings.
Some of them had tattered signs, like ’Tobacco & Liquor Emporium’ or ’Changsheng Hall Barbershop’.
Scattered about were also a few Western-style houses that had clearly been uninhabited for a long time.
At night, they looked like haunted mansions.
A luxury Mercedes-Benz van drove through, a stark contrast to the surrounding desolation and decay.
Inside the van, Xia Li sat in the back row.
She watched the scenery outside, her elegant brows slowly furrowing.
The guard in the blue shirt sitting beside her was watching her intently.
The security captain in the driver’s seat glanced at Xia Li in the rearview mirror and grumbled:
"South Sea actually has a rundown street like this? It’s even worse than the old city district, isn’t it?
Does anyone actually live here? She isn’t just messing with us, is she?"
The middle-aged guard in the passenger seat chuckled.
"Of course no one lives here. You’ve never heard of Anxiang Street?"
The security captain shook his head.
"Never heard of it."
The middle-aged guard leaned back against his seat, speaking with a proud expression.
"Right, I guess only old South Sea locals would know about this place.
Everything you see is an authentic product of the Xia Republic era."
The security captain was taken aback for a moment.
"The Xia Republic era? Preserved until now?"
"Of course. This is the most completely preserved street from the Xia Republic.
Speaking of which, this matter is actually related to the World Dream Group."
The middle-aged guard glanced at Xia Li through the rearview mirror and began to recount a piece of history:
"Eighty years ago, the boss of World Dream was still Xia Zhe.
Back then, the Xia Republic government owed the World Dream Group a sum of money.
The government granted this street to the World Dream Group to settle the debt."
The security captain was stunned.
"It was granted to the World Dream Group, so how come this street was never developed?"
The middle-aged guard sneered and said:
"Under the pretense of preserving architectural heritage, they forbade World Dream from demolishing the buildings here.
So, while this street belongs to the World Dream Group in name, it’s actually still the government’s."
The security captain chuckled.
"Then that Xia Zhe was a real sucker."
The security captain’s mind was put at ease.
He had been worried that Xia Li was scheming to escape by meeting some friends here for a rescue.
Now, it seemed there was no need to worry.
There wasn’t a living soul here. Who could she possibly call for help?
It seemed Xia Li really was just here to retrieve her father’s belongings.
After all, hadn’t they just said? This Anxiang Street had deep ties to the World Dream Group.
Xia Li pursed her lips, staring blankly out the window with worry in her eyes.
’How could anyone possibly live here?’
’And why would someone from the Taboo Association agree to meet me here?’
It was only because she thought she could turn the tables by meeting that woman’s ’master’ that she’d agreed to sign the contract.
’And now?’
If that guard hadn’t brought it up, she would have completely forgotten that World Dream even owned this Anxiang Street.
Xia Li suspected that woman might be a fraud with a grudge against World Dream, trying to set her up.
’Why lure me to Anxiang Street?’
’Perhaps because Anxiang Street is the World Dream Group’s biggest failure, she did it specifically to humiliate me.’
Suddenly, the security captain in the driver’s seat exclaimed in shock:
"Holy shit, someone actually lives here!"
Xia Li quickly looked over.
Sure enough, not far ahead stood a quaint, two-story building.
The main color of this Chinese-style building was black.
Two red lanterns with a distinct, vintage feel hung by the entrance.
It had the stunning feel of an ancient pavilion transported to the modern day.
Yet, when combined with the surrounding Xia Republic-era scenery, it didn’t feel out of place at all.
It was tasteful and exceptionally stylish.
The van drew closer to the small building and came to a stop.
This was the location from the address.
Xia Li sized up the small building continuously.
There was a plaque above the entrance that read ’Antique Shop Zero’.
The security captain turned around and said mockingly:
"We’re here. Bring President Xia down."
The guard next to Xia Li quickly got out, pulled a wheelchair from the trunk, and roughly lifted her into it.
The other two guards also got out, flanking Xia Li on her left and right.
Xia Li was silent for a moment.
"I want to go in by myself."
The security captain sneered.
"That’s not happening. We have to watch you at all times."
Xia Li struggled internally for a moment.
’I really shouldn’t bring these people with me to meet the mysterious ’master’.’
’After all, a ’master’ from a mysterious organization would definitely not want his identity casually exposed to others.’
But she had no say in the matter, nor the ability to move freely. She could only let the guards do as they pleased.
Xia Li sighed.
"Fine."
’I’ll just have to take it one step at a time. I hope I don’t anger the ’master’.’
After the group entered the antique shop, shock filled their eyes.
The interior continued the style of the facade. It was antique and elegant; the entire three-story building was like a giant antique itself!
There was a strange fragrance in the air—not sandalwood, but more like aged nanmu wood and dry rice paper.
Dozens of brass candlesticks hung from the dark beams, their soft light illuminating every corner.
They weren’t electric lights, but real candle flames!
One of the guards couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.
"To think the Xia Family had such an awesome place."
Xia Li’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
She was once a top second-generation heir in South Sea, and now she was a top tycoon.
She had a discerning eye.
Every object here, including the stairs, tables, and chairs, was a time-worn antique.
Such a display of extravagance was rare even in the entire Xia Kingdom.
’Why would an antique shop like this appear in a place like Anxiang Street?’
’And what’s more, I knew nothing about it!’
Bizarre, and utterly strange!
Xia Li felt a chill run down her spine.
Just then, the woman by the counter turned around and smiled.
"Our guests have arrived. Please, have a seat."
The three guards stared at Jin Meiting, their eyes practically popping out of their heads.
That chest, that tiny waist, those legs.
They felt a certain part of their bodies stirring and quickly sat down.
A flicker of disgust, nearly imperceptible, crossed Jin Meiting’s eyes. She went to the counter, poured hot tea into a cup, placed it in front of Xia Li, and said softly:
"The master will be down shortly. Warm yourself up first."
One sniff and Xia Li knew this tea was no ordinary brew.
The three guards began to whisper among themselves:
"What do you think? The higher-ups told us to keep an eye on anyone who comes into contact with Xia Li."
"Hehehe, then let’s pay extra attention to this little slut."
"What I mean is, we tell Lawyer Zhao that Xia Li and that little slut said something they shouldn’t have, and then we grab the little slut."
"Deal. Getting a piece of that little slut would be worth dying for!"
"Didn’t they say there’s some ’master’? He’s the owner of this shop, right?"
"We’ll just tie him up too. It’s not like this is the first time we’ve done something like this. Anyway, I’m claiming that broad!"
"Right, Lawyer Zhao said that if anyone who contacts Xia Li steps out of line, we take ’em all down!"
Xia Li’s expression turned ugly. She gave Jin Meiting an apologetic, awkward smile.
Jin Meiting returned a reassuring smile, then looked at the three guards as if they were already dead men.
At that moment, the sound of steady footsteps came from the top of the stairs.
A man dressed in a black business shirt, vest, and suit appeared in their line of sight.
He looked like a bar owner or an antique shop owner.
Oh, right, this was an antique shop.
The man had a cold aura. He walked expressionlessly to the head of the table and sat down, with Jin Meiting standing obediently behind him.
Xia Li tried her best to straighten her back.
She was a very proud woman. When faced with someone powerful, she was more than willing to display her own confidence.
Unfortunately, her body was too weak. Even sitting up straight and proper was a difficult task.
The three guards watched the man with amusement.
’So skinny?’
’We could take him down easily.’
’That hot piece of ass is in for it tonight.’
...