It's normal for a villain like me to subdue a corrupted female protagonist, right?

Page 161

The rules of the Southern War God have always been this: failure to complete a mission will result in severe punishment.

For whatever reason!

"We'll discuss the punishment later."

Xiao Tianze suppressed his anger and said, "I have another task for you this time. If you do well, you may be able to make up for your mistakes."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, sir. I will do my utmost!"

"Go to the Anderson auction a few days later and bid on the national treasure, 'Treading on Snow'."

"No problem, I will definitely bring the national treasure back to the Dragon Kingdom!"

Shang Minghai guaranteed.

Chapter 258: Xu Mengzhu's Friend

"Who said you were allowed to bring the national treasure back?"

Xiao Tianze sighed in exasperation, "If people find out that I was the one who retrieved the national treasure, many people will be watching me."

Especially for the Northern War God, this is a crucial period in his competition for the Dragon Alliance leader, and he doesn't want to attract too much attention because of other things.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"You have to bid for it under the guise of donating it to the Dragon Kingdom Museum, then pretend that the national treasure is lost, and finally give it to an islander named Yamaguchi Takeshi."

"Isn't this... a bit..."

Shang Minghai hesitated for a moment. If this were discovered, he would be universally condemned in China.

"Who told you to do it yourself?"

Xiao Tianze said sternly, "Just find someone to go in your place, and you can keep an eye on things from the shadows."

"My subordinate understands!"

After Shang Minghai left, Xiao Tianze was still furious, his face covered in frost.

Despite being a war god and wielding considerable power, there are certain things he cannot do in his current capacity.

For example, they could have directly killed He Qinzhou's entire family.

For example, reclaiming the Snow-Treading Painting.

He could only do these things in secret.

Xiao Tianze stood up and took out another painting from the safe behind him.

This is a painting of fallen leaves, which is as famous as the painting of treading on snow.

However, no one knew that he was in Xiao Tianze's hands.

"The Heavenly Book... the secret to immortality, I must collect it all!"

Xiao Tianze wanted the Snow Treading Painting because it contained a huge secret.

There were originally four paintings in the "Treading in the Snow" series, collectively known as the "Four Seasons" series. In addition to "Treading in the Snow," there were also "Falling Leaves," "Spring Outing," and "Children Playing in the Water."

According to his master, who was also the leader of the Dragon Alliance, each of these Four Seasons paintings contains a quarter of the Heavenly Book.

The origin of the Heavenly Book is unknown, but his master told him that as long as he obtained the Heavenly Book, he could glimpse the secret of immortality.

Immortality!

Having gained power and women, Xiao Tianze's next greatest desire was naturally immortality.

So over the years he used every means to obtain a painting of snow-covered feet, but having only this one painting was not enough.

According to the master, all four pieces must be collected at the same time to see the complete contents of the Heavenly Book.

Therefore, this time, he needs to remain hidden behind the scenes so that neither the Northern War God nor his master knows that he has taken action, and he also needs to retrieve the Snow-Treading Map. So, he can only use the power of the island nation.

"These short, barbarian bastards... Go, bring me back the Snow-Treading Painting!"

Xiao Tianze carefully put the fallen leaves painting back, then slapped the armrest of the chair to pieces.

Using the island nation as a pawn violated his principles as the God of War of the Dragon Nation.

But in order to achieve immortality and preserve his current power, he had no other choice but to do so.

a few days later.

Wellington is the capital of the country.

Anderson Auction House is a century-old auction house located in the heart of Wellington, the capital city, and has auctioned many rare and precious items.

The plane landed slowly on the tarmac and taxied smoothly for a while before coming to a stop.

Then, the plane door opened, and out stepped He Qinzhou and Xu Mengzhu, along with their entourage.

The airplane's streamlined appearance is pleasing to the eye, and Xu Mengzhu even specially painted her favorite colors on the surface of the airplane.

It's not that He Qinzhou can't afford a plane, it's just that his business is mostly in China, so he rarely needs to use a plane.

"The scenery here is quite nice."

He Qinzhou looked around.

The airport is surrounded by rows of plane trees. Sunlight casts dappled shadows on the trees, and the melodious birdsong and the fragrance of flowers wafting from somewhere make one feel relaxed and happy.

"Really? As long as you like it."

Xu Mengzhu said with a smile, "This is my friend's private airport, and the accommodation she arranged for us is also nearby."

"friend?"

He Qinzhou was somewhat surprised, "Didn't you grow up in China?"

“I met that friend when I came to China. I had been in Wellington for a month on a business trip before that.”

"I met her briefly at that time."

Xu Mengzhu laughed and said, "Speaking of which, you might know her. She's a big star. Don't be too surprised when you see her later."

He Qinzhou was puzzled when he suddenly heard fluent Chinese spoken behind him.

"Hey! Xu, is this your boyfriend?"

He Qinzhou turned around, looked at the woman with coffee-colored curly hair and a voluptuous figure, and exclaimed in surprise, "Mei'er!"

"Aha!"

Mei'er smiled and said, "My friend from the Dragon Kingdom, you seem to know me too."

"How could I not recognize you?"

Xu Mengzhu chimed in, "You're a household name, a superstar. And don't talk nonsense, he's not my boyfriend!"

"Not yet?"

Mei'er took off her sunglasses, her eyes filled with mockery as she looked at the two of them.

However, neither of them noticed the hint of curiosity and seriousness hidden deep in Mei'er's eyes.

"You're asking for it, you deserve a beating!"

Unable to resist, Xu Mengzhu blushed slightly and was about to step forward to tickle Mei'er.

"OK, OK, I won't say anything more."

Mei'er quickly looked away and took the initiative to admit defeat.

"Let me introduce you."

Xu Mengzhu finally suppressed the blush on her face and said to He Qinzhou, "This is Ye Meier. You should know her, but she also has another identity: the Duchess of Wellington."

“We became friends when she and her father, the former duke, visited the Dragon Kingdom.”

He Qinzhou nodded and joked, "I see. No wonder she hasn't released a new song yet. She's not a full-time star. Fans like me have been waiting so long."

Mei'er couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this: "Xu, your friend is really interesting. Since you're my fan, I can give you an autograph in a little while."

Xu Mengzhu then introduced to Mei'er: "This is He Qinzhou, the chairman of the He Group and the eldest son of the He family. He is a friend who recently joined forces with our Northern United Chamber of Commerce. He is a rising young talent in Kyoto."

"Really? Then I'll have to get to know you properly!"

"You're not allowed to have any funny ideas!"

Xu Mengzhu quickly warned.

"Eh?"

Mei'er pouted, feeling wronged, and said somewhat resentfully, "He's clearly not your boyfriend, so why can't I have ulterior motives?"

"In short, it's not allowed!"

Xu Mengzhu started acting like a rogue, saying that she remembered when Mei'er came to China before, she liked to compete with her. Whatever toy she had, Mei'er had to have too.

One day, the elders asked them what kind of boyfriend they wanted when they grew up. Mei'er still remembers her answer: "I want to find someone I like to be my boyfriend!"

Although it was just childhood ramblings, Xu Mengzhu still feels very uncomfortable thinking about it now.

Looking at the situation before him, He Qinzhou was puzzled, but he still smiled and stepped forward to introduce himself: "Hello, Miss Mei'er, it's a pleasure to meet you, thank you for your hospitality."

"You're welcome."

Mei'er gently took He Qinzhou's hand. "You're the first male of my age to be introduced to me in so long. I think we'll become good friends."

To He Qinzhou's surprise, when he released Mei'er's hand, Mei'er subtly scratched his palm with an extremely alluring expression.

Chapter 259: The Auction Begins

Faced with Mei'er's teasing, He Qinzhou withdrew his hand without changing his expression, while Xu Mengzhu felt somewhat irritated for some reason.

"Alright, take us to a place to rest first. We can get to know each other better later."

"Okay."

Mei'er smiled meaningfully.

Upon arriving at their destination, it was already noon. Mei'er had already instructed the housekeeper to arrange lunch for the two of them. The three at the table didn't adhere to the usual rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping, so they naturally began discussing the auction.

"We've come here for the Snow-Treading Painting, Mei'er, did you know that?"

"Of course, I know the person who plans to sell the Snow Treading Painting. His grandfather obtained the painting during the war, but he recently suffered investment failures and lacked cash flow, which is why he is auctioning it off."

Mei'er used her knife and fork elegantly while smiling at He Qinzhou and the other man.

"Moreover, this auction has specially invited many people from China, hoping that you can buy back the Snow Treading Painting at a high price."

"Yes."

Xu Mengzhu nodded. "With such a good opportunity, no Chinese person can tolerate their national treasure being auctioned off and continuing to languish abroad. I'm afraid they just want to take this opportunity to fleece us Chinese people."

"But we will not sit idly by and wait to die."

He Qinzhou said, "In the next few days, we will contact other Chinese people, unite, stop bidding against each other, and then use the power of the Chamber of Commerce and the country to put pressure on people from other countries participating in the auction, temporarily cutting off their cash flow so that they cannot compete with us."

Mei'er looked at He Qinzhou, her eyes sparkling with interest: "It sounds like a great idea, but you've forgotten something."

"This is Wellington."

Mei'er held up one finger.

“As the host country, Wellington can raise funds quickly on its own soil. If people from our country want to bid for this painting, they may become your biggest competitors.”

"So we need your help."

Xu Mengzhu said earnestly, "With your influence in Wellington, you can persuade others not to participate in the bidding for the Snow Treading Painting. After all, it is a national treasure for the people of China, but it doesn't have any special significance for you. I will give you a reward after it's done."

"of course can."

Mei'er smiled slightly.

On the day of the auction.

He Qinzhou and Xu Mengzhu walked hand in hand down the red carpet and into Anderson Auction House.

It has to be said that Wellingtonians really care about things like aristocratic rituals; they even invite reporters and have them walk the red carpet when they hold an auction.

However, He Qinzhou and Xu Mengzhu were very familiar with such grand occasions and were not at all intimidated. Their stunning good looks even attracted the attention of the reporters taking pictures.

After arriving at their private room, the two sat down and He Qinzhou noticed that most of the people at the auction were from China.

Xu Mengzhu smiled slightly: "I've already made arrangements. Most of the Chinese people below are from our side. This time, we're mainly on guard against the Koreans and Japanese. However, I had someone squeeze their cash flow before, so they shouldn't be able to come up with much money now."

"That's good."