The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

More than half an hour later, Wang Xiaoyuan received a call informing her that the beads from her uncles had been delivered, and the two hurried back.

The area around the Wang family's villa was already packed with cars, and the house was noisy. As soon as the two of them entered, the crowd immediately quieted down.

"Boss Shen, General Manager Shen..." everyone hurriedly greeted him.

"Now that everyone's here, let's start taking inventory!" Shen Lian nodded without further ado.

Each family had put their heart into it; Shen Lian carefully examined their beads, and there were no problems with any of them.

Shen Lian immediately paid them the money.

"Mr. Shen, it's getting late. We've already made arrangements at the restaurant, so please do us the honor of having a simple meal with us," Wang Laosan said, squeezing in. The others nodded in agreement.

"I'm so sorry, everyone, Uncle Wang, and Xiaoyuan. I really have something to do tonight and have to rush back immediately." Shen Lian repeatedly refused. What good would it do to eat with these old men? If he went, he would inevitably be pressured to drink.

He's very busy right now and doesn't have time to waste here with them.

"Xiao Shen, are you really that busy?" Wang Cheng was a little embarrassed; it was almost five o'clock. He hadn't even been able to invite him to stay for dinner.

"Uncle Wang, there's really no way. I already have plans tonight and have to get there right away. Maybe next time! I'll definitely have a good drink with you next time I come."

"Alright then! What about these beads?" Wang Cheng had no choice.

"Uncle Wang, could you please send a car to take me? Someone is picking me up in the city!"

"Brother Shen, let me give you a ride!" Wang Xiaoyuan stepped forward.

"Okay! Thank you then!"

Wang Xiaoyuan opened the back door of her father's SUV. Over 50,000 pearls sounded like a lot. But they only weighed a little over 200 kilograms, and could be packed into five or six boxes.

Everyone helped load the box into the trunk, and Shen Lian waved goodbye before driving away with Wang Xiaoyuan.

"This Mr. Shen is really decisive in business; there are so few customers like him. I hope he's satisfied this time, so we can have a long-term partnership!" Wang Cheng and his companions smoked their cigarettes, watching the departing car lights with hope.

"Xiaoyuan, keep making the jewelry you designed! I think your designs are very good, and it's okay if the quantity is large. I'll take care of it all for you."

"Ah! Okay, thank you, Brother Shen." Wang Xiaoyuan was overjoyed and almost jumped for joy.

"Hey! Drive carefully, watch the road." The girl got so excited that the car swayed, giving Shen Lian a fright.

"Brother Shen, when are you coming next time?"

"I'm going abroad soon, and it's hard to say when I'll be back. I estimate it will be at least two or three months!"

"Oh! Then be careful on your journey," Wang Xiaoyuan said softly, a slight sense of disappointment in her heart.

Along the way, Shen Lian kept observing, looking for the most convenient place. Of course, he didn't have a car to take the pearl back to Shanghai; he needed to find a suitable place to store it in his spatial storage.

"Xiaoyuan, pull over to the side of the road ahead. I can already see their car."

This must be the outside of a factory; many cars were parked in the gaps between the trees lining the sidewalk. Shen Lian noticed that there were no security cameras nearby.

The car stopped in an empty spot. Wang Xiaoyuan opened the door, got out, and looked around; there was no one there.

"Brother Shen, where are your friends? I can't see them." After all, it's worth millions of pearls, so Wang Xiaoyuan was still a little nervous.

"Open the trunk quickly. They're right next to you, you can't see them. For safety, we always split up." Shen Lian made up a lie without hesitation.

"Really?" Wang Xiaoyuan opened the trunk with a puzzled look.

"Alright! You should go back now! They won't show up if you stay here." He moved the box to the curb and saw Wang Xiaoyuan still looking around. Shen Lian immediately shooed her away.

"Okay! I'm off then, Brother Shen, take care on your journey. Send me a message when you get to Shanghai. Oh! It seems we haven't added each other on WeChat yet, let's add each other!"

"Okay! But I rarely use WeChat, so I might not be able to reply to you right away!" Shen Lian took out his phone.

"It's okay! Just reply when you have time." Wang Xiaoyuan happily added Shen Lian on WeChat and drove away.

Shen Lian took out a cigarette, lit it, and after checking that no one was around, quickly put the box into his spatial storage. He then called a car on his phone.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, a black Mercedes-Benz van pulled up beside them. The driver rolled down the passenger window; "Are you Mr. Shen?"

Seeing Shen Lian nod, the driver quickly parked the car and opened the side door to help Shen Lian lift the suitcase inside.

Shen Lian hasn't ridden in this luxury van yet, but it feels much more comfortable than a sedan. He might buy one if needed in the future.

After starting the car, Shen Lian took out his phone and made a call.

"Hey, Lao Liu, what are you doing?"

"Second brother, you finally decided to call me?" A surprised voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Call me Second Brother, you little rascal, haven't you been waiting for years and your skin is itching again!" Shen Lian was speechless.

There were six people in their university dormitory. Shen Lian was the second oldest, and he was often teased by these guys.

"Hey! Second brother, aren't you in Shanghai? I called you earlier but you didn't come. I was saying I'd come see you sometime!" Wu Chengxiu was very happy to receive Shen Lian's call. He and his college buddies had a good relationship. Although they were scattered all over the country and hadn't seen each other for several years, they still kept in touch often.

"You'd better get ready to receive me! I'll be there in a little over an hour. This time, I'm going to eat you out of house and home!" Shen Lian laughed heartily.

"Really? You're not lying to me, Second Brother!" Wu Chengxiu screamed.

"When have I ever lied to you? Hurry up and arrange the best food and wine. Send me your location, I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay, second brother. Just watch! Your little brother has arranged everything perfectly for you."

The two chatted for a while longer before Shen Lian hung up the phone with a smile. This sixth brother was named Wu Chengxiu, a native of Lucheng. His family apparently owned a small machine processing plant.

Despite his young age, this kid is eloquent and generous, and everyone likes him. Back when he was in college in Shashi, Shen Lian, being a local, often took him around, and he even visited Shen Lian's home.

Thinking of home, Shen Lian quickly called his mother. He had really risked his life in this ordeal.

"Mom, are you busy? Are you off work yet?"

"Sweetie, you finally called your mom! How are you doing? Are you settling in Shanghai? Do you have enough money?"

"Mom, I'm a grown-up, don't call me a little kid!" Shen Lian said helplessly. His mother, Li Rumei, was almost fifty, but she still dressed up beautifully every day, wore light-colored clothes, and looked like a young girl.

She was a grassroots civil servant in charge of family planning in the town, with a fiery personality, generous and straightforward, and very popular. It was just that her youthful spirit was still intact, which left Shen Lian somewhat speechless.