Brother, I will join in the fun too.

Qin Yuanjiu's thoughts spun like lightning as he tried to figure out Zhao Huang's true intentions. If Zhao Huang harbored ill will, he would be in deep trouble.

Just then, Zhao Huang cupped his fists toward Qin Yuanjiu and said, "Manager Qin, please forgive me for any offenses I've committed in the past."

"Not at all, not at all." Hearing Zhao Huang say this, Qin Yuanjiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, Zhao Huang continued, "From now on, Jiamei will not need to pay protection money to anyone, and it will be under the protection of myself and the Wang family. If anyone dares to cause trouble for Jiamei, Manager Qin can come directly to me, and I will sort it out."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuanjiu was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you so much!"

At that moment, another voice came from outside, "Is Manager Qin in?"

"Yes, please come in." Qin Yuanjiu wondered to himself, "What is going on today?"

Two people walked through the door, and they were none other than Wang Zeyian and Liu Shaokun.

When Qin Yuanjiu saw them, he quickly said, "Ah, the two of you have arrived. Please take a seat."

Wang Zeyian and Liu Shaokun exchanged a bitter smile.

"We won't sit down. We just came to inform Manager Qin that from now on, wherever Jiamei has a presence, our Jiasheng and Haomei will definitely give it a wide berth. Moreover, if Manager Qin ever needs anything from us, just say the word. Here in the capital, the two of us can still manage to be of a little help."

Hearing their words, Qin Yuanjiu stood there in a daze, completely baffled.

Of course, he didn't think he had such great influence that these people were rushing to curry favor with him. It was undoubtedly because of Mr. Lu's prestige.

Qin Yuanjiu sighed inwardly, "Mr. Lu is truly a divine being!"

...

Meanwhile, on the high-speed rail.

Lu Ming had just found his seat when he received a call from Yun Shengguo.

It turned out that Yun Shengguo had long been preparing for the return of the bronze dragon head and had finally finalized the schedule recently, but he had been unable to reach Lu Ming and was extremely anxious.

The celebration for the return of the dragon head was scheduled for tomorrow, and yet Lu Ming had still not returned. Growing desperate, Yun Shengguo tried contacting Lu Ming once more and finally got through.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming informed him that he would attend on time tomorrow.

Yun Shengguo finally set his mind at ease. Since Lu Ming was the one who retrieved the national treasure, the celebration would feel incomplete without him. Furthermore, with such a grand celebration, many patriotic figures and intellectuals from all over China had already arrived to attend, and having Lu Ming present would give him peace of mind.

After hanging up the phone, Lu Ming began chatting casually with A Duo.

Listening to A Duo recount stories from her childhood, Lu Ming couldn't help but recall his own early years, and the two of them chatted with great relish.

Just then, a group of people boarded the train. At the lead was an elderly man, looking to be around seventy years old with a full head of white hair. Beside him was a young woman who looked somewhat similar to him and was exceptionally beautiful.

There were also two young men in their twenties, acting like the elderly man's assistants as they carried a large pile of luggage.

These four people took their seats right next to Lu Ming, and soon after, the high-speed train slowly pulled away, beginning its journey.

Lu Ming and A Duo chatted idly back and forth. At this moment, the elderly man next to him said excitedly, "The dragon head is finally returning! This is truly a blessing of monumental proportions. Good thing we made it in time."

"Grandpa, look how happy you are," the young woman beside him said with a smile.

The old man shook his head and smiled. "You don't understand. This is a humiliation of China. The return of every single animal head proves the growing strength of our nation. It is a symbol with extraordinary significance."

Hearing this, Lu Ming couldn't help but shake his head.

Noticing Lu Ming shaking his head, the old man frowned and said, "Young man, do you have some objection to what I said?"

Lu Ming hadn't planned to say anything, but seeing the old man's serious expression, he replied, "I just feel that it's nothing more than a cultural relic that has been lost for a little over a hundred years. Is it really that exaggerated?"

Lu Ming's words immediately stirred up a hornet's nest. The old man widened his eyes and said angrily, "What do young people know? The loss of the animal heads is a national disgrace. Now, their return proves that our country is growing stronger; it is a grand event for all the people of the nation. How can it sound so trivial in your mouth? You young people nowadays are truly heartbreaking."

The old man seemed deeply patriotic, and seeing Lu Ming speak in such a manner, he wore an expression of profound grief and indignation.

Lu Ming frowned and said, "Old sir, a nation's strength doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the return of an animal head, does it?"

"Nonsense! If the country weren't strong, would those foreigners be willing to return the animal heads?" the old man demanded angrily.

Lu Ming smiled. "As far as I know, the return of these animal heads was bought back by wealthy individuals and donated to the country. What does that have to do with national prosperity?"

"If the country weren't prosperous, could these people have so much money?" the old man retorted.

Lu Ming shook his head and decided not to argue with the old man any further.

At that moment, a young man behind the old man spoke up. "Sir, this is Professor Xia Yuanfei from the Department of Archaeology at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is a very prominent scholar. Can his insights possibly be wrong?"

At the same time, the young woman next to the old man said coldly, "You don't understand anything, yet you dare to speak so boldly."

Lu Ming frowned slightly.

Xia Yuanfei looked at Lu Ming with an arrogant expression.

Lu Ming shook his head once more and remained silent.

In his view, people like these professors and scientists should be focusing on advancing technology and scholarship instead of obsessing over things like the return of animal heads; it was a sheer waste of time.

Whether a single animal head returns or not, what difference does it make? For people in their position, helping the country, enriching the nation, and strengthening the people was the fundamental duty. What was the use of fussing over such superficial vanity?

Seeing that Lu Ming stayed silent, the old man let out a cold snuff, while the young woman glared at him with icy eyes and said to Xia Yuanfei, "Grandpa, don't lower yourself to his level. You are an honored guest specially invited by Secretary Yun, and a professor at Tsinghua—your status is extraordinary. Don't let him anger you."

Xia Yuanfei stroked his granddaughter's head and smiled.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming closed his eyes to rest and recharge.

By evening, the high-speed train arrived at the station. Lu Ming and A Duo got off. Just before alighting, Xia Yuanfei's granddaughter gave Lu Ming one last fierce glare with a cold and haughty look.

Lu Ming sighed inwardly, hailed a cab outside the station, and headed straight back to the grocery store.

As soon as he stepped through the door of the grocery store, he saw Huo Yutong, Nagi Miyu, Yun Ketian, Qin Lan, and the others gathered inside. Lu Ming let out a hearty laugh and said, "Comrades, did you miss me?"

"Why aren't you dead yet?" Qin Lan retorted.

"Brother Lu, you're finally back," Yun Ketian said with a crying tone, looking as though he had taken his fair share of beatings.

"Brother Lu, we've all missed you," Huo Yutong said shyly.

Nagi Miyu stepped forward, bowed, and respectfully greeted Lu Ming.

Lu Ming greeted each of them in turn and then introduced A Duo.

A Duo was pure, cute, and endearing. Huo Yutong immediately pulled her into an embrace, showing endless affection.

A Duo appeared somewhat reserved. Although she knew these people were Lu Ming's friends and liked them from the bottom of her heart, she was still a stranger to them and felt a bit shy.

After chatting for a while, Lu Ming said, "Let's go. Tonight, I'm treating—we're going to have a big feast."

"Yay, awesome!" Huo Yutong immediately clapped and cheered.

Qin Lan frowned and said, "With a cheapskate like you, did you strike it rich on this trip?"

Lu Ming rolled his eyes at her and said, "Hmph, obviously! With my abilities, where wouldn't I get rich? Let's go."

Lu Ming led the way out, followed by the others. Fortunately, Yun Ketian had driven the community's Buick minivan over. The group piled in and set off to find a place to eat.

After making several turns, instigated by Qin Lan, Yun Ketian parked the car in front of a high-end restaurant.

The group walked into the restaurant, only to be told that all the private dining rooms were fully booked, leaving them no choice but to sit in the main dining hall.

Six of them gathered around a table. Qin Lan picked up the menu and began ordering recklessly, making Lu Ming's heart skip a beat.

However, thinking of the thirty million in his bank account, Lu Ming forced himself to put on a calm and casual expression.

A moment later, after finishing the order, the group chatted idly while waiting for the food to be served.

Just then, an intoxicated, bleary-eyed fat man walked past, glanced sideways at Lu Ming's table, and swaggered over with a grin. "Quite a few beauties here. Mind if I join in on the fun?"

With that, the fat man plopped down right at Lu Ming and the others' table.

Lu Ming and the others were instantly dumbfounded.

Qin Lan said coldly, "Get lost to the other side right now, or you'll regret it."

Hearing this, the fat man laughed heartily. "A thorny rose! I like it. Why don't you come to my room later and beat me up properly?"