Most of the young men and women, realizing that the beauty (or handsome fellow) was already spoken for, gave up their lingering attempts to poach, and went back to what they were doing.

Han Lang, of course, was conflicted at this moment, but he felt a surge of surprise when he saw Wang Guan approaching.

"A drink?"

Wang Guan extended a cocktail, chuckling softly. "I thought you would be mentally prepared for this."

"You knew all along?"

Han Lang hesitated for a moment, took the cocktail, and downed it in one gulp. There was little sorrow in his eyes. After all, without feelings involved, there was nothing to be sad about; it was just irritating.

"More or less," Wang Guan equivocated. "I thought you should have known too..."

"Of course, I knew," Han Lang replied with a bitter smile. "But I didn't expect her to be so absolute—to bring him here directly. It was clearly meant to make me give up completely, to hold no hope whatsoever."

"That's just her temperament. Though she’s a woman, she's never wishy-washy, and she's extremely direct—completely the style of a tough guy. That's why I always suspect she was reincarnated incorrectly," Wang Guan consoled. "With a personality like that, you probably couldn't handle it either. Why look for trouble?"

"It’s not that I sought this trouble, but..." Han Lang trailed off, shaking his head. "Forget it. There's no point in talking about it now. You've really gone through some trouble."

"Eh?"

At this moment, Wang Guan actually saw a flicker of pity in Han Lang's eyes, which thoroughly confused him. Shouldn't that line have been his? How did Han Lang say it first?

"Baffling," Wang Guan muttered to himself, sensing that Han Lang might have misunderstood something, but he didn't dwell on it and immediately changed the subject. "By the way, I saw a friend earlier; he seems to have come too. But with so many people, he disappeared in a flash, so I wanted to ask you about him."

"Who?" Han Lang asked casually. "Everyone who should be here is here. Just call out, and they'll show up."

"His name is Meng Jian. I checked; he's not here," Wang Guan said, carefully observing Han Lang's reaction.

"Meng Jian!"

Indeed, upon hearing that name, Han Lang showed immediate surprise and looked up at Wang Guan. "You know each other?"

"Naturally. And his sister, Yao Jing, is here too, right?" Wang Guan nodded, feeling no shame whatsoever. After all, knowing each other's names counted as knowing each other, didn't it?

"I don't know about that; only he came. He's in the main hall right now, probably having tea with my grandfather."

"Are they discussing business?" Wang Guan guessed boldly, though he sounded quite certain on the surface.

"Yes," Han Lang nodded, then suddenly looked somewhat suspicious. "You know about this? Didn't he say he wanted to keep it confidential..."

At this point, Han Lang clamped his mouth shut vigilantly.

Wang Guan pretended not to notice and continued rambling casually, "When doing business, you naturally have to compare three vendors. Whether it succeeds really depends on the sincerity of both parties."

It was merely platitude, but Han Lang had already formed a preconception, so his mind filled in the blanks, leading to a look of realization. He nodded slightly. "That's certainly true. Did he talk to you about it too?"

"Mmm," Wang Guan evaded the critical point. "He’s inside, isn't he? Can you take me in to see?"

Han Lang hesitated slightly, but looking at Wang Guan, and then at Qiao Yu, who was laughing heartily with Bei Ye while holding her close, he sighed inwardly and waved his hand. "Come in with me. Since you are friends, he should be quite pleased to see you here..."

"Pleased? Maybe not!" Wang Guan smiled and followed Han Lang toward the villa.

Soon, the two arrived at an elegantly decorated sitting room. Compared to the lively atmosphere outside, the room was much quieter. Elder Han himself was personally hosting two guests.

However, contrary to Wang Guan’s expectation, Meng Jian was not among them. Furthermore, among the two guests, there was someone Wang Guan knew—someone so familiar that Wang Guan almost wished to turn around and leave immediately.

"Wang Guan!" At that moment, the man also looked over. After a moment of stunned recognition, his face immediately lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy. "Why are you here?"

"Director Wang, what a coincidence," Wang Guan thought wryly, but maintained a cordial smile on the surface.

Coincidence or not, this was the second time Wang Guan had run into Director Wang in Hong Kong. The first time was yesterday at the marble lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, when he and Pi Qiu Yi saw Director Wang going out to dine with a group.

Wang Guan hadn't intended to cause trouble then, so he hadn't gone over to say hello. He hadn't expected to meet him again a day later; it truly felt like fate. Of course, in Wang Guan's mind, if meeting the Monk of Mid-Levels was a good omen, running into Director Wang was pure trouble.

"Why did you come to Hong Kong?"

At the same time, Director Wang chuckled. "Were you worried, so you came to conduct a secret inspection?"

This 'worry' naturally referred to the Jiaowei Qin zither. But Wang Guan had never been concerned about that. After all, it was a world-shaking national treasure, guarded with security comparable to that of a head of state. If it could have problems under those conditions, it wouldn't be safe anywhere.

So Wang Guan simply shook his head and smiled faintly. "I came to Hong Kong on some business and was invited to the banquet, so I came over. I didn't expect Director Wang to be here as well."

"I came accompanying a friend..." As he spoke, Director Wang first offered Elder Han an apologetic smile, asking his forgiveness for monopolizing the conversation, before making the introduction. "This is Brother Cheng, an appraisal expert at Hong Kong's largest private museum, the Liangyi Collection, and also a friend I've known for many years."

"Liangyi Collection!"

Wang Guan mused slightly. He had a vague impression of it, not only because the Jiaowei Qin was exhibited in that museum, but more significantly, because some pieces from that museum were exhibited at the Palace Museum the year before last, and several were stolen.

That incident had drawn significant public attention, becoming a hot topic in newspapers and on television for a while. Wang Guan wasn't clear on the final outcome, but it seemed to have been resolved peacefully.

The owner of the Liangyi Collection apparently did not hold the Palace Museum responsible, even offering to replace the stolen items with some of their own exhibits, placing the Palace Museum in their debt.

Thinking of this, Wang Guan somewhat understood why the Jiaowei Qin was being exhibited at the Liangyi Collection museum. His thoughts raced, but he didn't show any delay, greeting them with proper reverence. "Elder Cheng, hello!"

"And you," replied Elder Cheng amiably, thanks to Director Wang’s introduction. He reached up to touch his sparse white hair and looked at Director Wang with amused curiosity. "Is this your relative or junior?"

It wasn't surprising that Elder Cheng assumed this; both shared the surname Wang, and Director Wang was so warm that people naturally speculated. But hearing the question, Director Wang sighed half-heartedly and chuckled, "I wish he were. Then I wouldn't have to worry about having no successor."

"Oh, so he’s in the field too?" Elder Cheng understood a part of the meaning, and his smile deepened.

Only in competition do peers become rivals. Otherwise, established collectors are usually quite warm and friendly toward one another. This is because enthusiasts of collecting only improve through constant exchange with fellow collectors.

Moreover, in traditional fields like this, few young people are interested, and even fewer are willing to put in the meticulous effort to study. Thus, older collectors and seniors often like to support their juniors to prevent a gap in the industry.

"Not just in the field, but a great collector," Director Wang said with a tone full of admiration and envy.

"Director Wang heaps such praise on me; aren't you afraid I'll shatter into pieces?" Wang Guan joked, then looked toward Elder Han and asked tentatively, "Elder Han, is Meng Jian not here?"

"Hmm?" Elder Han paused. To be frank, upon learning Wang Guan's name, he had been somewhat startled, wondering if this was the inside man mentioned by Fourth Master Qiao.

But before Elder Han could sort out his thoughts, Wang Guan's question added another layer of confusion.

"Mr. Wang and Mr. Meng are friends."

Han Lang quickly explained from the side. "And he knows Mr. Meng's objective too..."

"Oh," Elder Han seemed enlightened, then smiled. "He seemed to have an urgent matter to attend to and left in a hurry, arranging to visit again in a few days."

Wang Guan instantly felt that Meng Jian was avoiding him. Since when did he acquire such a reputation that people fled upon hearing his name, actively conceding ground?

At that moment, Wang Guan subtly shook his head, feigning disappointment. "What a pity; I wanted to continue our conversation."

"Oh? You're interested too?"

At the same time, Director Wang said with a smile, "That's quite a large transaction. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Uh?"

There was a lead. Wang Guan was inwardly delighted, then equivocated vaguely, "One person can't handle it, but one can always call on a few more people. Besides, he isn't only negotiating this large deal with us. I saw quite clearly at the Su family's birthday banquet a while ago; he was chatting happily with many people, including major bosses like Fang Mingsheng and Li Yifeng..."

Hearing this, Elder Han and Director Wang weren't surprised; business was like that—you needed multiple potential buyers. The more competition there was, the higher the price you could get.

"You're right, but this matter... how should I put it? It's better to be cautious," Director Wang's expression turned serious. He then turned to the other man. "Brother Cheng, do you think this is reliable?"

"I don't think it's fake," Elder Cheng frowned. "After all, no one is an idiot. They won't just take his word for it; they'll definitely send people to verify. Moreover, this kind of undertaking isn't small; it can't be entirely concealed. There should be whispers locally; a little inquiry will clarify things."

"Exactly," Director Wang agreed. "A museum, even a small or medium-sized one, has quite a few items. Most importantly, many of those items are cultural relics lost overseas by the nation. If they can successfully return, it would certainly be a cause for great celebration..."