Chapter 428: Handing Over

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Zhou Chao looked at the four boxes in front of him and the precious items placed inside them, nodding in satisfaction.

He then took out his phone and called Xiao Yang.

“What’s up, my young master Zhou?” Xiao Yang’s voice sounded somewhat helpless as soon as he answered the phone.

“I’m at home!” Zhou Chao said lightly.

“What? You’re already back in the country? Are you at your canal-side courtyard? I’ll bring people over right away!” Xiao Yang suddenly became energized and hung up the phone.

“Uh, what’s the rush?” Zhou Chao shook his head in amusement as he looked at the disconnected phone.

Seeing Shoufu sleeping on his lap, Zhou Chao revealed an evil smile.

He cradled Shoufu’s head and gave it a gentle nudge to wake it up, settling an old score for the cat resting on his chest!

Shoufu, suddenly awakened, stared wide-eyed with a bewildered expression. For a moment, his small brain couldn’t catch up.

After a few seconds, the Shoufu recovered and meowed at Zhou Chao a few times, even raised its paw to pat Zhou Chao a few times, causing Zhou Chao to burst into laughter.

After playing with the Shoufu for a while and checking the time, Zhou Chao realized that Xiao Yang should be arriving soon. He set the cat aside and went to the refrigerator to take out some fruits, cut them into small pieces, and arrange them on a plate.

As Zhou Chao finished these tasks, he heard several heavy knocks on the door.

“This brute doesn’t even know how to ring the doorbell. If he damages my door, 1 won’t let him off without several big meals!” Zhou Chao muttered as he walked quickly towards the front door.

“Be gentle, can’t you treat this door like its your own?”

When he opened the door, he was greeted by a sight of five or six people, including an elderly scholar-like gentleman.

“What are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer the door!” Xiao Yang complained as he entered the house.

“Do you treat this place as your own home? Your voice is even louder than mine!” Zhou Chao said loudly.

The others standing at the door wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

“Come on in, don’t stand at the door!” Zhou Chao said and then walked into the living room.

Upon entering, he saw Xiao Yang sitting on the sofa, cuddling the Shoufu and petting it incessantly. Judging by his expression, it was clear that he couldn’t resist the cat’s charm.

“What are you doing, we’re here for business!”

“The main person is not me, why should I be in a hurry? Here, Mr. Guo, the director of the Palace Museum, you talk to him!” Xiao Yang said as he continued to pet the cat.

Zhou Chao was speechless but turned to look at the legendary elderly man.

For Xiao Yang to bring an expert was not surprising at all; after all, they needed to confirm if everything was genuine to avoid becoming the laughingstock later.

“Mr. Guo, please come this way,” Zhou Chao led Mr. Guo towards the table where the precious items were placed.

Upon seeing the four boxes on the table, Mr. Guo immediately recognized what each of them contained. After all, Xiao Yang had already given him a brief explanation when he arrived.

Taking a toolbox from his assistant, Mr. Guo opened it, revealing an array of various research tools.

With a pair of white gloves from the toolbox carefully worn on his hands, Mr. Guo gently opened one of the long boxes, and what met his eyes was the Scepter of the Victorian Parliament!

Watching Mr. Guo engrossed in his study, Zhou Chao smiled and walked over to Xiao Yang, who was sitting on the sofa.

“Brother Yang, you’ve emptied my wine cellar. Shouldn’t you explain yourself?” Zhou Chao said to Xiao Yang, who was playfully interacting with the Shoufu.

“You didn’t say anything, and as soon as you did, I got scolded by the old man and even received a few beatings. What about my emotional trauma? Consider the wine in your cellar as my compensation!” Xiao Yang still pretended to be wronged, making Zhou Chao want to laugh.

“A few bottles? There are dozens of bottles of Maotai alone in your cellar, not to mention the red wine, which is the Domaine Romanee Conti from the 45th vintage, each bottle worth 3 million. Did you drink it all by yourself?”

“How much for that red wine? 3 million per bottle?” Xiao Yang, upon hearing this, stood up in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s roughly that price.”

Xiao Yang cleared his throat and said, “Damn, I’m such a squanderer! Why did I give it all away? No, 1 have to go and get it back!”

He then took out his phone from his pocket, still muttering, “If these guys don’t return the wine to me, I’ll go to their houses and stay there!”

Sure enough, shortly after, Xiao Yang’s loud voice came from the backyard, “Wang Fei, I don’t care, you must return those two bottles of red wine I had before. If you don’t, 1’11 come to your house. I didn’t have any, it was you guys who took them while I was drunk. I didn’t say anything then, but now you won’t return them? Just wait until 1 finish my business, and I’ll come to your place!”

He made several more similar phone calls, all with variations of Xiao Yang demanding the wine back and getting rejected. Watching Xiao Yang acting like a spoiled child, Zhou Chao shook his head with a wry smile.

Shifting his gaze, he looked at Mr. Guo, who was meticulously examining the two oil paintings. Mr. Guo was now using a small flashlight and a magnifying glass to study them closely.

Xiao Yang had finished his calls and walked back in with a dejected expression. When he saw Zhou Chao looking at him, he immediately put on a dignified demeanor, leaving Zhou Chao somewhat baffled.

“How’s the progress with Mr. Guo?”

“He’s already examining the paintings, and he has finished inspecting the scepter and crown!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang nodded without saying anything and stood attentively by the side.

After a considerable amount of time, Mr. Guo finally stood upright, heaved a sigh of relief, and wore a smile on his face.

Wiping the slight sweat from his hands, he carefully placed the two items back.

“Director Xiao, after the appraisal, all these items are authentic!” There was a hint of excitement in his words.

“Well, I got it. Mr. Guo, please take a rest for now!” After the confirmation, Xiao Yang also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and his expression softened.

“The rest is up to you!” Zhou Chao shrugged nonchalantly.

“You went through some trouble, putting in a lot of effort and care for these items that are rightfully yours. But you’ve been quietly playing the part of an uncelebrated hero. Doesn’t that affect you in any way?” Xiao Yang gave Zhou Chao’s shoulder a friendly

“You’re making it sound like I did something extraordinary. I just did what I should do. I’m far from being a hero. Think about those drug enforcement heroes who work on the front lines and sacrifice themselves, or the firefighters who fight fires. They are the true unsung heroes. I’m just a patriotic young man at most!” Thinking of those valiant men who fought with their hearts filled with passion, Zhou Chao felt a lump in his throat.

“Unsung hero or patriotic youth, our country is fortunate to have people like you. Salute all of you!” Upon hearing Xiao Yang’s command, the several nameless individuals standing by the door raised their hands.

Zhou Chao felt unexpectedly moved and returned the salute.

“Salute!”

Xiao Yang checked the time on his watch and said, “It’s getting late, 1 should head back. If you’re interested, you can attend the handover ceremony later. I recommend you go; after all, you’re also involved!”

“Yeah, 1 got it.” Zhou Chao replied with a light sigh and nodded.

Xiao Yang glanced at Zhou Chao, patted his shoulder, and then carefully held the four boxes before leaving. Mr. Guo also bid farewell and followed suit.

It wasn’t until Xiao Yang’s group had left that Zhou Chao took a piece of tissue to wipe his nose.

“All, Shoufu, do you think I’ve gotten old? How did 1 become so sentimental?” He said while cradling the Shoufu’s head.

The Shoufu gazed at him with innocent eyes, and affectionately rubbed his hand with its head, as if consoling him.

At noon, Zhou Chao cooked a dry pot of spare ribs at home and enjoyed a satisfying meal. However, Shoufu was left meowing eagerly on the side. Zhou Chao refused to share the food, mainly because it had always eaten cat food and not much else, and the dry pot had strong flavors, so it wasn’t suitable for the cat.

After Zhou Chao finished cleaning up, he realized that the Shoufu was still upset. It was sulking in a corner, wagging its tail, and when Zhou Chao approached, it turned its head away.

Shaking his head, Zhou Chao didn’t pay it any mind and began playing with his phone on the sofa. Before long, the Shoufu voluntarily climbed onto his lap and fell asleep.

“So bored, nothing to do!” Zhou Chao muttered as he opened his WeChat to see if any friends were in Jingdu.

“Oh, when was this message sent to me? Why didn’t I see it?” The note on the message clearly indicated it was from Zhang Ruoyun.

“It turns out to be the group autographed photo of Mingzhen that 1 requested from him earlier. It has already been sent to The Palms Residence in Modu. It’s been so long; I wonder if it’s still there!”

After contemplating for a moment, Zhou Chao called his dedicated butler. After some inquiries, he confirmed that the package was indeed there, stored with the property management. They were about to call and inform him by the end of the month if he hadn’t called.

“Shoufu, are you bored at home too? How about 1 take you to listen to some stand-up comedy?” After thinking for about 20 minutes and realizing he didn’t have any friends in Jingdu, Zhou Chao decided to go to Deshe to listen to some stand-up comedy to pass the time.

“Meow-”

“I’ll take that as a yes!” He fetched the space capsule backpack, placed the Shoufu inside, and grabbed the keys to Kuli South before leaving.

As soon as he started driving out of the gate, Zhou Chao lightly tapped his head.

“Oh, 1 didn’t even check which theater they are performing when 1 left. It’s not a good idea to wander aimlessly!”

He was about to take out his phone to check which small theater had a performance in the afternoon when he remembered Xiao Yueyue telling him it was a small theater. It seemed like it was in Sanlitun.

Without further thought, he drove straight to Sanlitun.

In the afternoon, there was a bit of traffic congestion in Jingdu, causing a few minutes of delay on the road. By the time he arrived at the Sanlitun Theater, it was almost two o’clock. He had just parked the car and was about to be stopped.

“Young Master Zhou, where are you going?”

Zhou Chao turned to the voice and saw Xiao Yueyue calling out to him.

“Xiao Yueyue, it’s you! 1 was planning to go to Deshe to listen to some stand-up comedy. Where are you headed?”

As soon as Xiao Yueyue heard this, he forgot about his plan to go home.

“I’m going to buy some snacks. Zhou Chao, I can take you inside!”

“Isn’t that inappropriate?” Going inside without a ticket to watch a performance wasn’t Zhou Chao’s style.

“Don’t worry about it. The theater belongs to you!”

Zhou Chao was momentarily surprised but then realized it made sense..