After agreeing with Shun Ge, I specifically went to a nearby pastry shop. While buying pastries, I discreetly inquired about Old Ghost. However, Old Ghost remained elusive. He had already drawn me into the situation, so why hadn't he appeared to explain things?
This time was different from my encounter with Boss Xie. If the "Celebrity Circle" was indeed a trap, I had never been in such a situation before. I was still in the process of identifying the trap, let alone breaking it. I had no idea what the other party's scheme was or how they were deceiving people. Since Old Ghost wanted to use me as a pawn, he at least needed to give me a target.
After buying the pastries, I went for some spicy hot pot, and then, steeling myself, I ordered a steamed chicken soup from another restaurant. At that moment, I truly wished a stout man would appear behind me, chuckling and asking, "Can you possibly eat all this?"
However, it was all my imagination. Tomorrow, I was supposed to go to the Celebrity Circle with Shun Ge, and Old Ghost still hadn't shown up.
...
Feeling so full I could barely walk, I returned to the small inn. I didn't go in immediately. There was a small note under the door, already stepped on. I had left this note myself, fearing someone might enter my room. So, when I left, I specifically asked the innkeeper not to clean the room and also left a small note that I could slip under the door.
I had deposited the money in the bank and mailed the stones home. There was nothing else worth discarding in the inn. I just wanted to know if anyone had been there. I cautiously pushed the door open, inserted the card, and the lights came on.
I saw no signs of anyone rummaging through things. On top of the TV cabinet, there was a glasses case, and under it was a piece of paper.
...
At this point, I couldn't help but feel suspicious. The person who left the glasses here couldn't be Old Ghost, could he? With Old Ghost's shrewdness, wouldn't he realize my trick of slipping notes under the door? Despite my doubts, I picked up the glasses case and unfolded the two sheets of letter paper tucked beneath it.
Blank paper?
There was nothing on them?
How could this be?
I opened the glasses case again. At first glance, they looked identical to the pair I had just gotten. I took off my own glasses and put on these. Visually, these glasses were very ordinary, even a bit blurrier than my prescription ones.
Of course, I couldn't see anything special about these glasses. But as I lowered my head and my gaze fell upon the two sheets of letter paper, my facial expression stiffened. The previously blank sheets now bore some patterns and text.
These patterns looked familiar; they seemed to indicate the cutting positions of the stones. The text consisted of two types: one was the stone's serial number, and the other was a four-character phrase: "Read and destroy."
So that's how it is. I couldn't help but smile. Old Ghost was truly ingenious. This method reminded me of a Hong Kong film from the 1980s called "God of Gamblers," where invisible ink was used for cheating.
After memorizing the information, I tore the letter paper into pieces and flushed them down the toilet. Then, I lay on the bed, waiting for Shun Ge's summons in the morning. I had intended to rest well to prepare for the big event tomorrow, but I couldn't fall asleep. My entire body was trembling with excitement.
This was the life I wanted.
...
The Celebrity Circle was not easy to find. Shun Ge summoned me the following evening. Driving his Santana through a neighborhood of old, low-rise buildings that were over a decade old, we entered a neglected industrial zone. Ruili's industry was not well-developed, with almost no decent factories. The factory compound occupied a large area, but more than half of it was overgrown with weeds.
Shun Ge parked his Santana at a distance, handed me a mask, and we walked into the compound wearing masks. Shun Ge, carrying a heavy box, was worried about damaging the wheels, so he ended up slinging it over his shoulder.
"With so much space in the yard, why are we parking outside?" I couldn't help but complain.
"We arrived early. Soon, other people's cars will come, and mine will look like trash. It's undignified."
I smiled helplessly. Shun Ge was truly a typical northerner, valuing appearances. We reached the entrance, where a white wall next to the gate was painted with a mural that looked very fresh, as if it had been painted recently.
The mural, taller than a person, depicted what appeared to be an uninhabited house. The outer wall of the house was rendered with strikingly realistic crackled patterns, resembling tortoise shell. On this seemingly cracked wall, there were some moss-like plants growing due to dampness, their faint greenness bringing the entire mural to life, making it seem as if we were truly looking at the wall of an abandoned old house.
"What is this?"
"It's the logo of the Celebrity Circle. The design is based on old houses in Ruili from years ago; many houses looked like this back then. The founder of the Celebrity Circle must have been someone who ventured into the Ruili jade market more than ten years ago, or even earlier. The 'Celebrity Circle' is just what people call it; the members of this organization refer to themselves as the 'Empty House.'"
As Shun Ge described it, I noticed a hint of uncertainty: "What do you mean, 'must have been'?"
"No one knows who the boss of the Celebrity Circle is. The Ruili police have raided them several times, and each time they make the newspapers, claiming to have found the boss of the 'Empty House.' But soon after, the 'Empty House' reappears. This organization is like a ghost in the world of gambling on stones."
I was a bit confused hearing this: "There are gambling on stones shops all over Ruili, so why are the police arresting the boss of this 'Empty House Celebrity Circle'?"
"Gambling on stones itself isn't strictly defined as gambling, but smuggling is illegal! The Celebrity Circle displays 'Meng Bao Liao,' which are chosen by the most experienced masters directly from the mining areas. Then, through means unknown to us, they are smuggled past customs."
"But that shouldn't warrant an arrest, right? Isn't that what snatchers do every day?"
Hearing me say this, Shun Ge's face filled with bitterness, his expression reflecting the hardship of being a snatcher. "How can that be the same? What is the scale of the Celebrity Circle? Those scraps that Myanmar people bring through customs, can they compare?"
...
As we talked, we arrived at the factory building, and the interior was indeed different, with strict security at the entrance. After currency verification, we were given a Number 2 badge, which allowed us passage, but we still underwent checks similar to those at an airport.
The entire ten-thousand-square-meter factory was divided into three well-organized and clearly visible areas. From our entrance, the closest was the reception area, followed by the exhibition area, and then the auction area.
In the reception area, tall and slender girls wearing elegant ethnic masks served refreshments from trays, offering a variety of delicacies and fine wines. My interest, however, was in the second exhibition area. There, high-end display tables stood in rows, dozens of them at a rough count. All the display tables were separated by silver-painted pathways. If you considered the entire pathway, the scene resembled a mystical and ethereal Bagua diagram. The third auction area had smaller, staggered platforms of varying heights. Each platform had a round glass coffee table with golden patterns, and random high-end leather sofas were arranged around them. The lighting in the auction area was dim, creating a somewhat dark ambiance. However, this dimness helped focus attention on the auction stage directly ahead. The auction stage had a tall chair, a display rack behind it, spotlights, and a conveyor belt.
Of course, in the third auction area, there was also a square glass workshop containing tools for cutting raw stones.
Shun Ge had once mentioned that the most thrilling part of the Celebrity Circle was this: live stone cutting.
...
"Welcome to the Empty House."
A heavenly voice interrupted my observation of the jade gambling venue.
"Thank you."
"Please enjoy the food and wine to your heart's content. If you require anything, please feel free to ask us as the hosts."
Even with the mask, I could sense the inherent pride in the girl's demeanor, yet she humbly referred to herself as a servant. This made me a little uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I didn't say much, simply accepting it as a special treatment reserved for the wealthy.
Shun Ge took a glass of champagne, and I followed suit. We chose to sit in a corner. After surveying the entire environment, I tried to focus my attention on the attractive women. I didn't want anyone to perceive my genuine interest in the place, so I deliberately acted a bit lecherous.
"You're really different from others, aren't you?"
"How so?"
"Everyone who comes here is interested in the arrangement of the Empty House, chattering and enjoying themselves among friends, while you seem to be deliberately avoiding it."
I hadn't expected my pretense to backfire. However, I didn't panic and said with a smile, "A beautiful woman is a delight to the eye, is that not what gentlemen appreciate? Is looking at pretty girls considered deliberate avoidance?"
"To put it bluntly, in the circles of the wealthy, attractive appearances are in surplus. Those rich people never lack female companionship."
"So, does that mean you, Shun Ge, are also faithful at home and have affairs outside?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I have a wife and children."
I successfully shifted the focus and pressed my advantage.
"No wonder you're wearing a mask."
"I don't want the people here to know what I look like. These people are all into stones, and they'll inevitably go to the Jade Market in Shwegu. At my age, if I'm still working as a snatcher there, it'll be too conspicuous. If those wealthy individuals knew they were buying things at the Empty House alongside a snatcher, it might lead them to question the integrity of the Empty House, which would be bad for the Captain. I don't want to disgrace the Captain."
Shun Ge was quite a straightforward person. Despite his years in this line of work, he still possessed a brotherly loyalty. However, this obsession with appearances was his weakness, and I felt he would eventually be ruined by it.
Just then, people began to arrive intermittently. Judging by their attire, they were not the kind of people I usually interacted with. Most of the men were dressed in suits, and the women wore evening gowns, revealing as much as possible.
However, there were also some dressed casually, which made us less conspicuous. But I noticed one thing: many people were reluctant to reveal their true identities, and they all wore peacock feather masks.
Soon, Li Dazhi also arrived. Seeing us both wearing masks, he burst into laughter, "Don't want to be seen? Go to the entrance and ask for a mask. Why are you wearing masks? Are you afraid I'll infect you with a cold?"
"You didn't wear a mask last time either."
"I heard that place was raided by the police, so they've reformed and upgraded to masks."
I volunteered to get a mask. When I reached the entrance, I saw a slender person dressed in a suit and tie, also wearing a mask. I didn't want to look at him, but I couldn't help but steal a few glances.
This was because I was wearing the same glasses that could see invisible ink today, and I saw the word "Gui" (ghost) written on this person's chest.
Of course, only I could see it.
Could he be one of Old Ghost's men? After guessing, I memorized his badge number, 67.
When I returned, most of the guests had arrived, and it was time for the second procedure.
The Empty House's second procedure: Appraisal.