CH 15

Li Wei scratched his head, uncertainly saying: “I have an uncle who is involved in the restoration and identification of cultural relics. I seem to have seen similar drawings at his place before. This bracelet used to be worn by an Empress on the auspicious day of her coronation, and its exquisite craftsmanship left an impression on me. However, I had heard that it has long been lost, reportedly taken away by foreigners a hundred years ago…”

Now, everyone looked at Luoxi with extremely complicated gazes.

You managed to pick up even such a thing in the sea? Tell us how did you come across it. 

Luoxi: “….the nurse shark gave it to me.” 

Upon hearing her words, the few who had experienced nurse shark delivering food immediately had a bit of understanding. So it was that miraculous shark. That explains it.

Only the Little Golden Dragon roared madly in Luoxi’s mind. 

‘I picked it up! I brought it out! It wasn’t that dumb shark! It’s mine! Mine!’ 

Luoxi ignored the raging of the Little Golden Dragon. If it weren’t for it almost being seen by the boss, she wouldn’t have to reveal this bracelet to act as a scapegoat. Since it took all the blame, what was there to bicker about? 

Li Wei was influenced by his uncle and had some interest in antiquities as well.

He took the bracelet into his hand, examining it closely, “This is remarkable. It should be classified as a grade 1 cultural relic. This kind of craftsmanship is lost now, not to mention that it was worn by the new Empress during her grand wedding. It holds significant historical research value.”

He turned his head to look at Luo Xi: “Private individuals are not allowed to possess grade 1 cultural relics. Even if it is found, it must be handed over.”

Before Luoxi could respond, the Little Golden Dragon exploded with anger.

‘Hand it over!? Hand over what?! That’s mine, mine! I suffered untold hardships to select it and worked hard to bring it back from the bottom of the sea. Why should I hand it over?! I won’t!’ 

Luoxi ignored it and tilted her head, asking Li Wei: “Will there be a reward for handing it over?”

If they offer a reward for a leopard, then this bracelet must be worth more than a leopard.

Li Wei nodded affirmatively, “Yes.”

Luo Xi was satisfied. Though she lost the leopard, she still had the bracelet. There was no loss. 

Without leaving a trace, she fiercely pinched the Little Golden Dragon inside her sleeve, successfully shutting up its heart-wrenching cries. 

The corner of Li Mo’s eye twitched. She wanted to say that even if there was a reward, it definitely wouldn’t be the grand prize Luoxi imagined. At most, it would be some verbal praise, a certificate of merit, and a few hundred RMB in cash. If Luoxi truly wanted money, she should hide the bracelet and find a channel to sell it. That would be a big profit. 

However, the risk was also very high. If caught secretly selling national relics, she would unquestionably end up behind bars.  

While the group was playing with the bracelet, the squad leader of the rescue team entered, catching the end of their conversation, “What is it that you want to hand over?” 

Li Wei smiled and proceeded to recount the story about the bracelet, passing it to the squad leader so that even a soldier like him could have a look. 

The squad leader examined the bracelet for a while, and as if something had occurred to him, he raised his head and asked Luoxi: “From which area of the sea did you find that nurse shark? Do you still remember?” 

Luoxi responded vaguely: “Probably south from the reef island, a bit further south? It came from that direction.” 

The squad leader estimated the location and was shocked to realize that it was already approaching the maritime region bordering Southeast Asia.

He glanced at the bracelet and wondered if it could really be the ship he had in mind. 

A hundred years ago, foreign forces plundered Huaxia, causing a significant outflow of wealth. 

There was once a force that raided the treasure vaults of Huaxia’s imperial family, looting countless treasures and, even more notably, large quantities of gold from the state treasury. 

This batch of gold was worth almost one-fifth of Huaxia’s total wealth at that time, causing countless people to covet it. It was said that the ship, laden with treasures and gold, departed from Huaxia by sea and was never heard from again. 

For over half a century, many countries have been searching for the whereabouts of the ship, but to no avail.

Some speculated that the ship may have encountered the perils of the sea and sank. However, more than half a century passed, and despite the efforts of numerous search parties in the ocean, no one has found any trace of the vessel.  

Therefore, there were those who speculated that some faction had monopolized everything, using the shipwreck as a mere excuse. At one point, this speculation even caused disputes among foreign powers. 

Huaxia attached great importance to this ship. No matter when gold has always been a hard currency, and no one would complain about having too much of it, especially since this batch of gold rightfully belonged to Huaxia.

The squad leader of the rescue team was from the Marine Corps but had transferred to the Navy rescue team after being injured.

He had participated in many special missions, and the search for this ship laden with gold was one of the tasks he had encountered in the past. The squad leader knew more details than the average person. It was said that among the treasures looted along with that batch of gold, there was a coral phoenix bracelet adorned with gold.

Although he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, the description of gold-inlaid coral and the design matched. Furthermore, this bracelet was discovered in the South Sea, and it was said that the ship departed from Huaxia through the South Sea!

Everyone saw the squad leader holding the bracelet in silence for a while and then gesturing Luoxi that he wanted to have a word with her. 

——

Not far from the navy rescue ship, the Lu Group’s rescue ship circled a few times in the South Sea before notifying the authorities that they had found the last guest and would be responsible for taking him to the hospital for examination. 

So far, all the people trapped in the tsunami were out of danger.

On the Lu Group’s rescue ship, the leopard settled in the cabin and stared at his elder brother in silence. Its thick fleshy claws fiddled with the golden ball, hesitant to speak. 

“Speak if you have something in mind.” 

Lu Haozhi cast an insipid gaze at his silly little brother. 

The leopard struggled for a moment and then howled: “Awoo~”

Lu Haozhi: “…”

Veins popped up on Lu Haozhi’s forehead. He really didn’t want to admit that he and the idiot in front of him were siblings. 

The leopard howled at the top of its lungs. When it heard its leopard’s roar come out, it realized that it hadn’t changed back yet. Embarrassed, it let out a few more “awoos” and made gestures with its paws.

Luo Haozhi coldly said, “Speak after you change back.” 

The leopard squatted on the ground, somewhat dejected. 

“Still unable to change back?” Lu Haozhi narrowed his eyes, fully understanding what its current appearance meant. 

The leopard nodded, feeling extremely dispirited. 

It couldn’t switch smoothly between its human and leopard forms. It took some time to revert back after transforming into a leopard, and the duration varied each time. It was very troublesome. If it hadn’t been for the tsunami, it wouldn’t have transformed into a leopard to escape.

At that time, the situation was dire. Compared to a human body, the leopard was well-known for being an excellent swimmer and had a higher survival rate in the tsunami. In the end, it hadn’t struggled for long in the sea before encountering Tang Luoxi. Moreover, it had been tied up and threatened by her.

Fortunately, not everything was bad.

The leopard whimpered while looking at his elder brother, wanting to share its excitement with him, but it quickly faded under his brother’s contemptuous gaze. 

Lu Haozhi maintained a cold expression, ignoring his brother’s attempts to be cute.

How old was he? He wasn’t a delicate little sister, so why act all cute? 

If Mo Nan had seen the interaction between the siblings, he would never believe that this was Luo Haozhi, who was extremely protective of his younger brother. 

In Mo Nan’s impression, Lu Haozhi always displayed great brotherly love whenever Gong Xu was involved. His past unreasonable protective behaviors were evidence of that.

Mo Nan believed that although Lu Haozhi appeared cold and scary on the outside, he must be a gentle and loving elder brother in private.

Unfortunately, what he didn’t know was that Lu Haozhi’s protectiveness didn’t mean he would dote on his little brother.

In Lu Haozhi’s eyes, even if Gong Xu did something wrong, he was still his little brother, so he could reprimand him. But if outsiders dared to touch him, he would chop off their claws. 

Gong Xu grew up under his brother’s iron-handed upbringing. When he was beaten mercilessly by his brother as a child, he would cry and lament why he wasn’t a girl.

That was all because Lu Haozhi believed that if it were a sister, she should be raised in abudance1 and spoilt.

But as for a little brother…..*snort*

The leopard felt depressed for a moment. It grabbed its brother’s phone, unlocked the screen, and started poking the letters with the tip of its sharp claws. It was quite a challenge with its large fleshy paws. In order to avoid typing the wrong letter, it tried hard to squeeze its paws.

After tapping the last letter, it let out a sigh of relief and eagerly handed the phone to its elder brother, indicating for him to take a look.

Lu Haozhi lowered his head expressionlessly and saw a few words on the screen, followed by three huge exclamation marks, which were enough to reflect the leopard’s excitement.  

【I’ve taken a liking to Tang Luoxi！！！】

Tang Luoxi, who? 

Lu Haozhi narrowed his eyes. Which little star in their circle?

Gong Xu hung in the entertainment industry. Born into the Gong Household, blessed with handsome looks, and possessing an exceptional talent as a songwriter and acclaimed music producer, he attracted the attention of many. Due to the nature of his work, there were many models, stars, and singers around him.

The name that came out from him was too unfamiliar. Lu Haozhi contemplated for a while but couldn’t put a face to the name. He thought it might be some new star with undisclosed intentions desperately trying to make a favorable impression on this idiot, and this idiot fell for it. 

It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Gong Xu seemed smart but was actually quite unreliable.

Seeing the leopard’s appearance, with its sparkling almond-shaped eyes and a restless tail swinging from side to side, it was evident that it had fallen deeply under her spell.

Lu Haozhi wasn’t interested in what kind of woman his younger brother would choose as his girlfriend as long as this fellow wasn’t foolish enough to be exploited by someone with hidden motives. If he found an ambitious woman who saw him only as a stepping stone, he might as well choose Mo Nan.

Gong Xu was unaware that his elder brother’s thoughts had already veered dangerously close to the edge. He had many things he wanted to share with Lu Haozhi. 

For example, that Tang Luoxi’s voice was very pleasant, almost divine. It was incredibly captivating. 

Moreover, Tang Luoxi was particularly eye-catching in the sea. He suspected that she might have a special bloodline, just like them. 

Furthermore, it’s been a long time since he heard a song that made his blood boil, but Tang Luoxi managed to do it!

Even though he was far away and couldn’t hear exactly what was sung, that mellifluous melody was like a voice from heaven. It made him experience the fluttering of the heart he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

The leopard paced back and forth. Unable to speak felt terrible.  

It tried to transform back, but it didn’t work. It took longer than usual this time. Could it be because of the trauma from the tsunami?

The leopard gave up and grabbed the phone again, using the tip of its claws to type.

【Elder brother, sign Tang Luoxi to Lu’s Entertainment. Get her here first.】

【But what if she refuses to come? She seems to value friendship a lot.】

【How about I go there? Batian Entertainment is so poor, and she doesn’t have a manager yet….】

Lu Haozhi bent down to take the phone back, preventing his younger brother from making a fool of himself.

Given his brother’s status, voluntarily going to Batian Entertainment to become a manager for a newcomer? Demeaning himself didn’t work in such a way. 

When he saw the two words Batian Entertainment, Lu Haozhi finally put the face to the name. He was certain that Gong Xu didn’t know this newcomer before participating in the filming of Deserted Island Survival.

In just one day, his dense-headed brother had fallen under the girl’s spell. It would be too naive to assume that she wasn’t intentional. In spite of that, she managed to make a favorable impression on him. Those who could make it in the entertainment industry were no innocent and gullible beauties. 

Glancing at the leopard’s foolish and infatuated expression, Lu Haozhi recalled its altruistic intention. He labeled Tang Luoxi as ‘deeply calculating’, someone with ‘sophisticated methods’, ‘ambitious’ and ‘difficult to handle’. 

It was the first time his little brother was so smitten with someone. 

Lu Haozhi raised Tang Luo Xi’s level of danger and made a mental note to classify her as a key observation target in the future. At the same time, he turned his nose at his little brother’s taste. With a fishy odor clinging to her, it was surprising that he still found her captivating.

If the leopard knew what his elder brother was thinking, it would surely mock him. 

Fishy odor? 

There was no fishy odor! 

When Tang Luoxi tied him to the wood, its leopard’s keen sense of smell detected more than just the scent of the seawater. It picked up an additional delightful scent, refreshing and pure, with a faint and elusive fragrance. There was no fishy odor at all.

Just because you hate fish, don’t assume that everyone smells fishy! 

Translation notes:

[1] Raised in abundance refers to a Chinese saying derived from “sons be raised in frugality and daughters in abundance,” where parents hold a belief that a son will grow up into a responsible and solid man, whereas a daughter will grow up into an elegant lady who can resist all materialistic temptations. (source)