Antique Market.

In just a few fleeting moments, memories from the past vividly resurfaced in Ye Chen's mind.

Zhang Jingshan.

Although Ye Chen had no personal dealings with this name in his previous life, it was far from unfamiliar!

He had a grandfather who once served as the top official of Jiangzhou City.

A father who was the chairman of a construction company.

And he personally founded Yunshan Network Company, which became a sensation on the internet not long after its creation.

But it wasn't these family connections that triggered Ye Chen's memories.

What made Ye Chen remember this name was a trending topic in his previous life.

It all started with a female livestreamer.

A livestreamer under his very own network company!

In a video that once stirred up a storm of heated online discussions, Ye Chen vividly remembered how Zhang Jingshan had forced himself upon that livestreamer under her feigned resistance, completely unaware that she had secretly installed cameras in her home to record the entire incident.

Ye Chen didn't know what drove the livestreamer to go all out in exposing the video online, burning all bridges.

But he knew that her desperate act not only destroyed Zhang Jingshan but also dragged down his father.

Because of that so-called assault incident, many scandals surrounding the Zhang family were brought to light. This included the revelation that his father's construction company had been cutting corners on municipal projects!

As the Zhang father and son were engulfed in a storm of public criticism, misfortune struck again. The proverbial last straw that broke the camel's back occurred when an accident at a Zhang family construction site, due to negligence during construction, resulted in the tragic deaths of several workers.

This completely pushed the Zhang family off the edge into an abyss of no return. Old Master Zhang was so enraged he coughed up blood and passed away a few months later.

Zhang Jingshan and his father were sentenced to prison, Zhang Jingshan's network company went bankrupt, and the Zhang family became public enemies, condemned by millions.

A once-promising family fell into ruin, devoured by public opinion.

What was lamentable, however, was that years later, the Zhang family was exonerated.

It was revealed that Zhang Jingshan's assault had been orchestrated — a deliberate framing.

As for the accusations against his father's construction company, the corner-cutting was the work of a deceitful manager who, to pocket kickbacks, had carried out these actions behind his father's back.

Regarding the accident on the construction site that claimed several lives, it was indeed an accident caused by negligence during construction. However, given the Zhang family's situation at the time, it naturally became the final straw that sealed their fate.

Unfortunately, by the time these truths were made public, years had already passed.

Thinking about this, and knowing that Zhang Jingshan intended to gift the antique to his upright and incorruptible grandfather, the former top official of the city, Ye Chen decided not to haggle over the price anymore.

He didn't care about earning an extra tens of thousands of yuan. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future, and the thirty thousand was more than enough to cover the hole from the loan shark.

Fine, although this Buddhist prayer bead bracelet was worth more than thirty thousand, Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to fuss about it anymore. Thirty thousand it is.

Nodding, Ye Chen said.

However, he had no intention of warning Zhang Jingshan about the crisis that would soon unfold.

For one, even if he said something, there was no guarantee the other party would believe him.

And given the mere passing acquaintance between them, Ye Chen didn't feel it necessary to meddle in someone else's business, especially at the risk of inviting unnecessary trouble for himself.

Hopefully, this prayer bead bracelet, blessed with supreme Buddhist fortune, can change the course of the Zhang family.

"Alright, I'll transfer the money to you now!" Zhang Jingshan said with a hearty laugh.

As he was about to take out his phone, he suddenly realized that he had rushed out in such a hurry that he forgot not only his phone but also his wallet!

"Jingshan, what's wrong?" Seeing Zhang Jingshan suddenly freeze, Lu Cheng asked, puzzled.

Spending 300,000 yuan to buy this prayer bead bracelet might seem extravagant to others, but presenting it to his old superior could be considered a significant find!

"Why are you hesitating now?"

"Uncle Lu, I forgot to bring my wallet and phone!" Zhang Jingshan admitted, embarrassed, looking at Lu Cheng.

"Huh?" Lu Cheng was taken aback.

"Uncle Lu, do you think you could—"

Before he could finish, Lu Cheng seemed to already know what he was going to say and cut him off, "Don't look at me. I only have a few thousand yuan in my savings account, and that's at home! How about you call your dad and ask him to send the money over?"

But to Lu Cheng's surprise, Zhang Jingshan shook his head stubbornly and said, "No, I won't ask him for help, no matter what!"

"Then what are you going to do?" Lu Cheng asked.

Zhang Jingshan turned to Ye Chen, hesitating and embarrassed. "Bro, um... how about coming with me to get the money? Or maybe you could give me your bank account number, and I'll transfer it to you later?"

As he said this, Zhang Jingshan couldn't help but blush. After all, how foolish would someone have to be to agree to this?

Just as he expected, Ye Chen shook his head.

But what happened next left him utterly shocked and in disbelief.

"Forget it. I didn't bring my bank card, so I can't give you an account number. Let's do this: prepare the money when you get back, and then call me. I'll come and pick it up directly. It'll save us all some trouble!" Ye Chen said.

"Uh..."

The moment those words came out, not only were Zhang Jingshan and Lu Cheng dumbfounded, but so were the vendor who had just sold the prayer bead bracelet to Ye Chen and the nearby stall owners.

They couldn't help but twitch the corners of their mouths.

"This guy... this guy must be an idiot, right?"

Who hands over something worth 300,000 yuan and just waits for the other party to pay later? What if he takes the item and doesn't pay? Where in the world could he track him down?

But little did they know what Ye Chen was thinking.

With Zhang Jingshan's resources, how could he possibly default on a 300,000 yuan payment?

Especially since this was a gift for his grandfather, the former Municipal Party Secretary.

"You trust me that much? You're not afraid I'll default and not pay?" Zhang Jingshan asked in disbelief.

"You don't look like someone who would renege on a debt!" Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"Uh..."

Was that a flimsy reason?

There couldn't be a more flimsy reason than that!

Even Zhang Jingshan thought this guy was utterly naive!

"Uncle Lu, do you think he's honest or just plain clueless? But looking at him, he doesn't seem like someone who'd come from a simple background, does he?"

Carefully holding onto the prayer bead bracelet, Zhang Jingshan eventually left the antique market with Lu Cheng without taking Ye Chen back to get the money.

"Jingshan, that prayer bead bracelet is worth more than 300,000 yuan! To be precise, he knows it's worth more than 300,000!" Lu Cheng said thoughtfully.

"Huh? Then why did he sell it to me?" Zhang Jingshan asked, stunned.

"From his expressions, he didn't initially intend to sell it. But I noticed that when he heard your name, he changed his mind!" Lu Cheng explained.

Zhang Jingshan was even more puzzled. "I don't know him. As far as I can recall, I've never met him before! Also, you said he changed his mind when he heard my name. So what's his motive?"

"That's a good point!"

Lu Cheng shook his head and chuckled, the contemplative look on his face fading. "Maybe he's heard of your name, knows you're the grandson of a high-ranking official and the CEO of Yunshan Network Company, so he's confident you wouldn't default on a mere 300,000 yuan!"

"That makes sense!"

Zhang Jingshan smiled and said, "Alright, let's hurry back to the office and get the money ready. Seriously, in this day and age, I still have to prepare cash for him? Online transfers are so much easier, but this feels like some black-market deal!"