Chapter1

In the rainy season, it was sticky in the forest .

The sun shines through the dense woods and through the raised wooden windows, casting a light into a cabin deep in a jungle on the outskirts of Bangkok. At the moment, Guo Yang was sleeping deeply on the wooden bed under the window, breathing evenly and quietly, no matter how brilliant the sunshine on his chest.

The door of the wooden house was pushed open, and a shirtless man came in and carried an ice bag in his hand. Seeing Guo Yang was asleep, he shook his head helplessly and walked straight toward the bed. On this way, a few empty beer bottles that blocked his way were kicked away by him casually.

“Yao Yang! Wake up, Yao Yang! It is already noon!” The man rapped on Guo Yang’s shoulder while trying to awaken him, shouting from small to big.

After being rapped by the man for a few times, Guo Yang opened his eyes and paused for a few seconds: “Where am I?”

The man put the things in his hand on the table casually, and then sat next to Guo Yang, looking at him quizzically, and said, “my home.”

Guo Yang stared at the person in front of him. Both his face and name were familiar to Guo Yang. He was Lang Kun, a Thai Chinese in his early twenties. Guo Yang had known him for about…one month.

“Langkun. How did I come to your home?” Guo Yang asked in confusion.

“We had a drink at the bar last night. Do you remember?” Lang Kun asked.

“No, I don’t.” Guo Yang didn’t want to think hard, for excessive brain use would cause a mild headache. This is probably a symptom of the hangover, and on the floor at the edge of his vision, those empty bottles in a mess seemed to explain the problem. He shook his head and whispered very unconfidently. “I don’t remember, probably… I drink too much.”

“You were carrying your luggage at the time.” Lang Kun poured a glass of water, added some ice, and handed it to Guo Yang, “wake up.”

“Where is my luggage?” Guo Yang asked.

“I have got it back for you.” Lang Kun pointed to the corner of the room, “there.”

Guo Yang grabbed his head painfully, “we met at the bar last night, hand a drink, and then I was drunk?”

“When I met you, you have already been drunk!” Lang Kun looked at Guo Yang with surprise, “do you lost your memory?”

“I can’t remember it at all.” Guo Yang lifted his head, “and then…”

“Then I took you to my home, and you drank a lot again. I also drank a lot. After I got drunk, you went straight to sleep.” Lang Kun said. And he took a shirt on the bed, put it on, and then turned on TV. On TV was the Cantonese morning news from Hong Kong. The female anchor was reading news in standard Cantonese–the day before, while a group of cultural smugglers were carrying the cultural relics belonging to the Southern Yue period, The police successfully intercepted them on their way to the exit port of Yun Nan. The intercepted cultural relics belonging to the Southern Yue period added up to more than 1800.

Lang Kun stared at the TV, yet Guo Yang did not even turn his head, and took a sip of ice water in front of him.

“Guo Yang, this is awesome.” Lang Kun looked back at Guo Yang, “Chinese cultural relics.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear it? Just said on TV, more than a thousand artifacts were intercepted by Chinese police,” Lang Kun said with a smile.

“I can’t understand Cantonese.” Guo Yang said absent-mindedly.

Lang Kun took a deep breath and stopped speaking.

At the moment, Guo Yang began to sort out his own ideas. It seemed as if his memory was interrupted with something.

This person in front of him was Lang Kun, surely, a Thai, around twenty years old, an undergraduate. He had known Lang Kun for a month. It was a rainy afternoon. While he was looking for a book in the library of an old university in Bangkok, he just met Lang Kun, who was sitting down at an area of the library reading a book quietly. The bookshelves on that area were full of the books about the history of Southeast Asia, and the book he was looking for was taken in the hands of Lang Kun.

In the first three days of meeting with Lang Kun, he talked to Lang Kun almost every day. This nerd-like Thai overseas Chinese is a history major of this university. The answers of the questions that he wanted to know had also been found from Lang Kun, and his work went quite well. Anyway, he had almost got all he wanted.

His real purpose had almost been totally realized.

“Yes, my purpose has already been realized.” Thinking of this, Guo Yang looked at the TV set, and his mouth showed a smile that was not easily noticed.

“Since so, why don’t I go back?” Guo Yang asked himself in his heart, and Lang Kun, who was next to him, was watching TV quietly, and did not pay attention to Guo Yang.

Why did I go to bar and drink?

Why did I drink with Lang Kun?

Why did I come here?

How did I come?

A series of thoughts made Guo Yang’s head hurt again.

“What are you thinking about?” Lang Kun put on glasses, dressed neatly, stood up, and asked.

“Nothing.” Guo Yang was also dressed, and he felt that he had best return to China directly at the moment.

“Then let me take you to hang out.” Lang Kun smiled, “I will take you to a fun place today.”

“I have an emergency and have to return to China.”

“Emergency?” Lang Kun was stunned, “will you return to China?”

“Yes.” Guo Yang felt a little dizzy while standing up.

“Is the emergency to buy a purse for your sister?” Lang Kun pulled Guo Yang, which made Guo Yang feeling that his body was not in control. He felt groggy, but he was still standing on the ground, not falling to the bed at once.

“Let’s go, I will take you to see some eye-openers.” Lang Kun smiled and pulled Guo Yang forward. Guo Yang felt that he was just like a walking dead at the moment and followed Lang Kun’s words.

The fireworks burst in the dark night sky, lit up the sea, and merged with the city lights in the distance.

The light of the fireworks stung Guo Yang’s eyes, and the pain from the pupils to the cerebral cortex was like a switch which awakened the disappeared consciousness of Guo Yang. He found himself standing on the deck and looked around. This was a medium-sized yacht decorated with colorful neon lamps. Under the yacht was the sea, which was slowly pushed away.

“where am I?” Guo Yang felt a little scared. This real feeling strongly aroused his surprise, and the salty smell of the sea stimulated his nose. This must not be a dream.

“Yao Yang!” Lang Kun’s voice got into Guo Yang’s ears and formed a reaction on his cerebral cortex.

Guo Yang turned around and saw Lang Kun was standing in front of himself in a suit. Yes, this man was named Lang Kun. Guo Yang had known him for more than a month. He was a Thai, an undergraduate, a nerd…

“It’s cold on the deck. Come on in. It’s about to begin.”

“Lang Kun, where is here?” Guo Yang asked. “Why did you change your clothes?When did you change your clothes? ”

Lang Kun smiled and walked over to Guo Yang. “Don’t you change your clothes?”

Guo Yang lowered his head and saw the shoes which he wore on his feet. He raised his arms to the front and looked at the shirt and suit on his body.

“I said that I will bring you to a good place, a big occasion. Thus we have to dress up. You insisted that you wanted to go to the store to buy it. Why don’t you remember?” Lang Kun said with a smile. “Let’s go, the auction is about to begin.”

“Auction?” Guo Yang was confused. Why did he have no impression on Lang Kun’s words? He only remembered to wake up at Lang Kun’s house. Why didn’t he remember the things after that? Just like last night…

Lang Kun pulled him into the yacht to join an ongoing auction. People with the skin of various colors sat in small groups, whispering. On the rostrum, the items were getting prepared for the auction, and the auction host was trying to explain the details to the buyers in the standard English.

Guo Yang was pulled onto a seat by Lang Kun. He felt that his head was swelling. There must be something wrong with his intermittent memory. He wanted to return to China, but now he was at sea. Fortunately, Lang Kun had been sitting next to him.

“The items will be shown soon. Just wait a minute.” Lang Kun smiled and patted Guo Yang’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it will come soon.”

The host showed the first item. He introduced it to everyone in English. This was a golden mask of the Southern Yue King.

Guo Yang heard his words, saw the image on the big screen and the authentic item in the display cabinet, and stood up in surprise. He resisted dizziness and muttered, “Impossible, impossible…”

“Sit down!” Lang Kun pulled Guo Yang onto his seat. “What are you excited about!”

Since the beginning of the auction, the price soared and the bidding had been continuing for a long time.

“Can you understand his English?” Lang Kun whispered to Guo Yang. Guo Yang didn’t make a sound and just looked at the exhibits in front of him in pain.

A total of more than ten exhibits were snapped up within an hour, and the transaction prices were all astronomical.

After the auction ended, Guo Yang was stunned without rising from his seat. He did not even have the strength to stand up. There was only one sound filling his heart:

This is impossible!