Chapter 419: Is This Torment?

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

As Zhou Chao drifted into slumber, far away in Huaxia, Xiao Yang was sitting on a couch, smoking, and looking at pictures on his phone!

[Victoria Parliament Scepter][King John’s Crown]Picasso[Painter]Van Gogh[Painter on the way to work]

Xiao Yang gazed at these artifacts that should have long vanished into history, particularly the first two, which were treasures of the Eagle Country.

“What’s this kid’s intention in sending me these pictures? Based on the background, it seems like he’s inside a hotel. Could these be replicas he bought?” Xiao Yang scratched his head, trying to calm himself.

As he looked out the window at the pitch-black night, a sigh escaped his lips.

“I really messed up. 1 set his phone and messages to special notifications, and now 1 can’t even sleep!” Xiao Yang extinguished his cigarette, realizing he had smoked three in a row.

“I can’t sleep, and he probably can’t either. I don’t even know if this stuff is real or fake!” He called Zhou Chao.

The phone rang continuously until it automatically disconnected, with no answer on the other end. Xiao Yang, feeling frustrated, called once more, but it was the same result.

Frustration almost led Xiao Yang to slam his phone on the table.

“Ah, this darn kid is definitely getting back at me!” Xiao Yang sighed deeply and lit another cigarette.

It wasn’t until daybreak that Xiao Yang dozed off on the couch.

“Wake up! It’s already daylight, why are you still sleeping!” A stern voice interrupted Xiao Yang’s deep slumber.

Squinting his eyes, Xiao Yang glanced at the speaker, and with a jolt, he quickly got up.

“Grandpa, why are you awake!”

“It’s already daylight. Why wouldn’t I be awake? Do you think everyone’s as lazy as you?”

Xiao Yang responded with a hint of helplessness, “I’m not being lazy. It’s all because of your precious granddaughter’s son-in-law that I can’t sleep!”

“Oh, tell me about it. What happened?” Xiao Lao interest was piqued.

Xiao Yang didn’t hesitate and promptly recounted the whole story to his grandfather. Listening attentively, Xiao Lao pondered, while Xiao Yang poured two cups of tea and took one, sipping it contemplatively.

“I believe this thing is probably authentic. Do you think Zhou Chao is the kind of person who jokes about such matters?”

Xiao Lao’s words caught him off guard. He realized that Zhou Chao had never joked about such things.

Coming to a realization, Xiao Yang quickly opened his phone and examined the pictures carefully.

“Grandpa, what do you think his intention is in sending me this?”

“Haha, this little rascal is quite something. Think about where he is now and how these items relate to him.”

Xiao Yang mumbled to himself, “He’s probably in Europe, in the Eagle Country.”

“Eagle Country!” Xiao Yang suddenly understood.

“My goodness, this kid is starting to control me again!”

“Haha, control you? You should consider yourself lucky. Right now, your main priority is to give him a call and clarify everything. Don’t jump to conclusions blindly, or you might be in for a rough time if it’s not for the reasons you think!”

“I understand, Grandpa, but 1 tried calling Zhou Chao, and he didn’t answer!”

“You still don’t get it. He’s doing this on purpose. Did you perhaps mistreat him in some way?” Xiao Lao looked at Xiao Yang meaningfully.

“Ahem, 1 didn’t do anything serious. 1 just drank a lot of his liquor in Jingdu!” Xiao Yang’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, and Xiao Lao could barely hear him.

“Liquor? What liquor? Is it the Maotai series he sent me before?”

“Yes.” Xiao Yang reluctantly nodded.

Hearing this, Grandpa Xiao clenched his fists, and with a stern look, he asked, “How many bottles did you drink?”

“Ahem, about twenty or thirty bottles!”

Grandpa Xiao’s anger flared, and he glanced around before grabbing a stick and starting to hit Xiao Yang. “You little rascal! You drank twenty or thirty bottles and didn’t bring any back for me. You’re infuriating me!”

“Oh, Grandpa, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I still have two bottles of collector’s edition Maotai; I’ll give them to you! Please don’t hit me, Grandpa!” Xiao Yang received several hits and quickly ran outside.

Hearing that there were two bottles of collector’s edition Maotai, Grandpa Xiao finally put down the stick.

“I want to see them today, or else 1’11 hang you up and give you a good beating!” “I understand, Grandpa!” Xiao Yang said, looking aggrieved.

With that, Grandpa Xiao left contentedly.

“Zhou Chao, you scoundrel! I’ll remember this. Just wait until I come back; 1’11 teach you a lesson! Ouch, it hurts. I need to apply some medicinal alcohol!” Feeling the burning pain on his back, Xiao Yang realized that his grandfather had hit him quite hard.

After applying the medicinal alcohol, Xiao Yang tried calling Zhou Chao once again, but it still didn’t connect.

“It’s now 8 AM in China, and it should be the early hours where he is. I’ll try calling him again in the afternoon!” Sighing deeply, Xiao Yang tidied up and headed out, as there were still things to be done at work.

“Hmm… Ah!” Zhou Chao peeked out from under the blanket, stretched lazily, and slowly sat up in bed.

Reaching for his phone placed nearby, he burst into hearty laughter upon seeing over a dozen missed calls from Brother Yang and nearly twenty messages, each almost a minute long.

“Haha, this is hilarious! I wonder what Brother Yang is feeling right now!”

Checking the missed calls, the earliest one was from last night, which should have been around 4 or 5 in the morning in China. The last missed call was just half an hour ago.

Without much thought, he called Xiao Yang. It was already past 9 AM at his location, roughly 3 PM in China.

As expected, the phone rang for only a couple of times before it was answered. Without waiting for Xiao Yang to speak, Zhou Chao quickly said, “Brother Yang, I was so tired last night that 1 collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. I had my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, so I didn’t hear your calls. I just woke up and called you right away!”

Xiao Yang, who had been prepared to scold him, was left bewildered by Zhou Chao’s explanation. It took him a while to regain his composure.

“You’ve really become quite skilled at making excuses, huh? You even know how to come up with reasons to shut me up. I suspect you did this on purpose, turning your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb.’ When did you become so cunning?” Xiao Yang couldn’t help but speak in Jingdu dialect in his excitement.

“How could that be? Brother Yang, do you think I’m that kind of person? I’m a very straightforward guy!” Zhou Chao wore a righteous expression.

“Ah, right, right, you’re a very straightforward guy! You’re the most straightforward!” Xiao Yang finally understood that Zhou Chao was unbeatable when it came to talking his way out of things.

“Are you praising me or mocking me?”

“I’m praising you, big pineapple! Alright, let’s not waste time. Back to business!” Xiao Yang suddenly turned serious.

Hearing Xiao Yang’s change in tone, Zhou Chao also dropped his playful demeanor.

“Xiao Chao, are those things you sent me last night authentic?”

“Of course, they’re authentic. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t have bothered sending them to you.”

“For real!” Xiao Yang stood up from his chair excitedly, speaking loudly enough that people passing by outside the office could hear.

“Brother Yang, can you lower your voice a bit? My ears are almost deaf!” Zhou Chao moved the phone away from his ear and rubbed it a few times, complaining.

“Hehe, I was just too excited.”

“These are mine, not yours. Why are you getting excited?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yang was puzzled. Oh, wow, is he trying to negotiate with me?

After a moment of thought, he realized he didn’t have many options, so he reluctantly asked, “So, what’s on your mind?”

Xiao Yang wasn’t a fool; otherwise, he wouldn’t be in his current position.

“I visited the Great Eagle Museum yesterday and found many of our national treasures there. So, I started thinking if they’ve been away from home for too long, maybe it’s time for them to return!”

Zhou Chao’s words left Xiao Yang silent for a moment, his eyes flashing with determination. He spoke in a serious tone, “Yes, it’s time for them to come home.”

“Tell me your plan.”

“What options do I have? 1 think the most straightforward approach would be a direct exchange. Considering the exceptional significance of these items in my possession to them, I believe they will be highly motivated to agree!”

“Are you sure they’re real? Don’t make a joke that will embarrass us and not just us…” Xiao Yang hesitated before finishing his sentence.

“Brother Yang, you can rest assured. How could I joke about something related to the honor of our nation? By the way, has the previous announcement been made?”

“Not yet, but it’s almost time. Dunhuang is currently making all the preparations, and it should be announced in the next few days!”

“Well, I can guarantee that the items are real. The rest is up to you. If you feel it’s not secure, I’ll think of other ways to negotiate with them.”

“I’ll report the situation to the higher-ups. You know this matter can be of great significance, and any mistake could be costly for both of us!” Xiao Yang acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

“Alright, Brother Yang, if you have any updates on your end, feel free to call me anytime!” Zhou Chao understood that the final decision wasn’t solely in their hands.

“Just make sure you answer the phone when I call, unlike last night when you didn’t pick up multiple calls!” Xiao Yang couldn’t help but tease.

“Don’t worry, that won’t happen!” Zhou Chao grinned.

“Hmph!” Xiao Yang hung up the phone, well aware that Zhou Chao was doing it on purpose.

“I wonder how many of them will come home this time.” He sighed and then got up from the bed, heading to the bathroom.

When Zhou Chao emerged from his room, Lin Wu and the others were sitting on the sofa, engaged in conversation.

They quickly stood up to greet Zhou Chao.

Zhou Chao waved his hand for them to sit back down and then turned to Miles, asking, “Miles, how’s the progress on your end?”

“Boss, I’m here to report on that. This morning, Manchester United called me and agreed to negotiate with us.”

“Good, you’re in charge of this matter. Just make sure the price doesn’t go too high!”

“Yes, Boss!”