âYouâre not seriously pinning all of these on that broken watch, are you?â Dahai asked, disbelief evident in his tone.
âI donât know where that grandmother is now. What should we do?â
âDo you remember her appearance?â
âIt was so dark when she visited the ghost market at... wait, no. I remember,â I corrected myself as a blurry image of that woman popped in my head.
âReally?â
âI remember customers who have bought my dolls, in fear that they would find and reprimand me for selling fake goods.â
âDraw a portrait when you get the chance,â he said.
I nodded and opened the watch. âThe needles werenât here when I gave them to Pang Guang. He mustâve sought a repairman to add them in. I feel like something might happen if I remove them.â
Dahai smiled and raised his electric drill in the air.
âWe should get someone else to do it,â I suggested.
âCome, Iâll drive,â Dahai said.
âWhere are you bringing me?â
âDo you remember what the second son was into?â
âAntique?â
Dahai nodded. âI suspect that Pang Guang had him fix this. Who else could he have relied on?â
âBut isnât the second son dead?â
âPeople in the shop are alive.â
We got on the road and I couldnât help but ask, âAre you sure they know you?â
âDonât worry about it. Pang family is worth so much money. Theyâre going to be kissing my ass,â Dahai said cockily.
The car stopped by the shop and we alighted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
About six people immediately crowded over to invite us in.
Dahai gave me a goofy smile. âTold ya.â
âDid you ever think that itâs the Land Rover and not you?â I commented doubtfully.
The antique shop was the biggest Iâve ever seen. It was retro in style and was made of plank pillars and bricks, even the chairs were from high-quality wood.
There were two teapots on the table and a group of people stood behind us, ready to cater to whatever we need.
They were sucking up to Dahai just as heâs predicted.
It made sense since Dahai has the rights to all Pang property and assets.
Who else would they suck up to? As Dahaiâs best buddy, thankfully, I get to steal a bit of his spotlight as well.
An old man walked over and smiled at us. âWhat brought you over?â
Dahai leaned in and whispered, âSecond sonâs accountant, Uncle Fu.â
âDo you have your eyes on this place, too?â Uncle Fu frowned.
With a dismissive wave, Dahai responded, âI just need you to take a look at something.â
âWhat is it?â
âCan you open this up?â Dahai asked, fishing out the pocket watch.
âIsnât this Pang Guangâs? Why do you have it?â
Someone walked over to Uncle Fuâs side and whispered in his ear.
âThis is too much. How dare you steal his watch, too?â Uncle Fu said indignantly.
âSo youâre not willing to look at this for me?â Dahai asked urgently.
The atmosphere was getting tensed so I mumbled softly, âYou have the assets and power but it seems that few are willing to obey.â
âSeems like it,â he replied just as softly.
âIâll take over from here so follow my pace,â I instructed.
âDonât do anything stupid,â he warned.
I turned to Uncle Fu and smiled. âHi, Iâm Mr. Pangâs lawyer.â
âDoes he really deserve that title?â Uncle Fu ridiculed, his ears turning red.
âUncle Fu, you can insult him all you want but as his lawyer, it is my duty to stand in legally. Arenât you afraid of going to court for smearing his reputation?â
âWh-what?â he spluttered angrily. âHeâs been disowned by his family so heâs not a Pang. I do not acknowledge him.â
âHis ancestor only severed their ties verbally. None of it has been legally recorded, as Iâve checked. The law will not accept your statements blindly. You can ask around if youâre in doubt but if you continue slandering my client, you better be ready to receive a letter from the court.â
Uncle Fu glared at me.
Dahai whispered, âYou sound legitimate. Who taught you this?â
âTV.â I grinned, almost evoking laughter from Dahai.
âI can acknowledge you but youâre not to move my spot,â Uncle Fu added.
âWe can choose to ignore the amount of company funds you pocket. Itâs all for money after all. We wonât take those away from you.â
âPromise me one thing then, and Iâll acknowledge him,â Uncle Fu stated.
âWhat is it?â
âMy son and grandson are here, too. You cannot touch them as well.â
âThatâs not an issue,â I reassured him.
âSince thereâs no wine, Iâll thank you with this tea,â Uncle Fu said, gulping down a cup.
Dahai butted in, âYou recognize this watch so he mustâve come to you with it before?â
Uncle Fu nodded. âHe did. This thing is kinda evil.â
âWhat do you mean?â Dahai asked.
âFollow me,â Uncle Fu told us before turning around.
âTalk about a 180,â Dahai muttered.
âHe was just afraid that youâll seize everything,â I said to him.
âBut thereâs no way Iâm going to let this shop go,â Dahai informed me anxiously.
âA verbal agreement doesnât mean anything so donât rush. Youâll have a lot of time to deal with him later on,â I whispered smilingly.