Christian kept waiting for a call from Jasmine’s assistant on the way back to Willow Manor. He knew that the conditions he offered to Jasmine today were very sincere, and Jasmine would definitely ask his benefactor for instructions before giving him a clear answer.However, he did not know where his benefactor was at the moment. He did not know whether he was in Aurous Hill or Oskia. Therefore, Christian speculated that if his benefactor was in Oskia or even in Aurous Hill, Jasmine would definitely contact him as soon as possible and report this matter to him. Jasmine would get someone to reply to him quickly as to whether she would agree to his conditions, then.If the reply came quickly, his benefactor might be in Aurous Hill.However, Jasmine still hadn’t replied to Christian even after he arrived at Willow Manor. When he returned home, the Acker family members immediately put down everything on hand and approached him as they waited for him to give them the latest update on th
Kaeden hurriedly asked, “What did Miss Jasmine say?”Christian replied, “She didn’t give me a clear answer. She said that she wanted to think about it. I think that she wants to report this matter to our benefactor first and ask for his opinion.”Kaeden slapped his thighs and cried out, “Oh, Christian! It should have taken you more than half an hour to drive back here. Did Miss Jasmine send you a reply yet?”Christian said, “Not yet.”Kaeden was a little disappointed and sighed as he said, “It seems that our benefactor is most likely not in Aurous Hill…”Christian nodded and said, “I share the same thoughts as you. If she takes a long time to reply, I’m guessing that there is a high probability that our benefactor is not in Aurous Hill.”With that said, Christian added, “When I was talking to Miss Jasmine, she mentioned that our benefactor had left Aurous Hill as well. I was wondering if our benefactor had continued staying abroad after the incident in New York.”Kaeden smacked
After Merlin was done speaking, Keith, whose condition had improved greatly over the past few days and whose memory had gradually begun to recover, suddenly said with a serious expression, “Merlin is right! We used to deny everything based on intuition too easily. That’s why we haven’t been able to find Charlie even after so many years! Sometimes, when doing things, we have to go against our own intuition!”Christian nodded and said, “After my sister’s accident, we searched Aurous Hill for a while but did not find Charlie’s whereabouts. We intuitively judged that Charlie must have left Aurous Hill at the time. Since then, we’ve always looked for Charlie outside of Aurous Hill, but we’ve been searching for twenty years with no results. Perhaps Charlie never left Aurous Hill in the first place!” Kaeden was silent for a moment and then suddenly raised his head and frowned as he said, “Now that I think about it, there are really unfathomable depths in Aurous Hill! If nothing else, based
Zachary dug out the three magical instruments that Charlie had given him from the smelly soil next to the latrine using a shovel in his hand. These three magical instruments had been buried together with the rotten and smelly pig offal for two days. There was a pungent smell as soon as the magical instruments were dug out.Zachary pinched his nose and picked out the three magical instruments from the soil, then carefully brushed the dirt around the magical instruments with a soft brush and wiped them carefully with a dry towel. He then held the magical instruments under his nose and smelled them vigorously.By this time, the fishy smell of blood had faded a lot. According to Zachary’s previous experience of selling antiques, this smell was very close to the smell of a new jade dug out from new tombs. Objects from new tombs, especially jade objects that were buried close to the body, would typically have a faint fishy odor for a period of time after they had been dug out from the
“That’s right. Zachary, isn’t it better for you to work for and follow Don Albert around to enjoy life instead of playing around with things in Antique Street?”A woman selling fake copper coins said with a smile, “Zachary, could it be that you made some mistakes and were kicked out by Don Albert?”Zachary waved his hand and said casually, “Don’t mention these things anymore. I plan to come back here to set up my stall again.”After saying that, he looked at the man who had greeted him first and said, “Landon Diggor, I lent you my original stall for free after I left back then. Since I’m back now, you should give that position back to me.”The man known as Landon waved his hand immediately and said, “No, no, I can’t do that. Zachary, when you left, you agreed that you would never come back to Antique Street, so you gave that stall to me. A real man should keep his word, so you shouldn’t go back on your word!”Zachary sneered and said, “Landon, you are not taking me very seriously,
Landon, who was aside, also hurriedly said, “Mr. Zachary, please take me with you as well! I have no other advantages aside from being obedient! I will definitely obey your orders and do whatever you ask me to as long as you’re willing to take me with you!”Other people also expressed their sincerity to Zachary. In their opinion, since Zachary was willing to give up his position as Don Albert’s confidant, this proved that he had definitely found a better way to make money. Zachary also mentioned that this new money-making path was related to antiques, so Zachary was not only good at it, but everyone was familiar with it as well. Therefore, everyone wanted to get a share of the pie with Zachary.Zachary said calmly at this time, “Everyone, I just came back to Antique Street and have not smoothed out the new business completely yet. I can’t use so many people at this initial stage, so I’ll just take Landon and Terry with me to get started first. You should not worry if your turn hasn’t
Although the terms of Zachary’s request were harsh, the two men agreed unanimously when they thought about the considerable income.Zachary was unambiguous and transferred thirty thousand dollars to each of them through QR pay directly as he said, “This money will be treated as my advance payment to both of you for ten days of your labor fees. If you dare to be lazy in these ten days, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”Landon patted his chest without hesitation and promised, “Don’t worry, Mr. Zachary. I will even wear adult diapers to keep an eye on the incoming people for you because you’re so straightforward! I would rather pee in my pants than even take half a step away from my post!”Terry also expressed his position immediately as he said, “Please rest assured, Mr. Zachary. I will never let you down even if I don’t eat or drink during the day!”“Okay.” Zachary nodded, then took out two jade rings from his pocket and handed them to the two men respectively as he said, “Wear th
He could not help but think to himself, ‘It seems that I can’t throw this antique business away. Half of my happiness comes from this place… I can come here and have some fun every now and then if I’m not so busy with work from Don Albert in the future.’Zachary was happily making plans in his mind when a familiar and delighted voice that carried a hint of surprise sounded, “Oh, Zachary, when did you come back to set up a stall again?”Zachary looked and said with a respectful expression, “Oh, Mr. Jacob! I haven’t seen you in a while!”The person who had spoken up was none other than Charlie’s father-in-law, Jacob. Although Jacob was now the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, his love for antiques remained the same as it was before. Some time ago, he was not in a very good mood after he fell out of love, so he had not come here for quite some time.He regained his composure a little over the past two days, and it happened to be the weekend, so he came u
With those words, Jacob didn't wait any further as he turned and left Antique Street, intent on seeking legal counsel.Raymond watched him leave before returning to Treasure Measure.He wasn't going to leave, but he had said so because he didn't want to waste much time with Jacob.Still, to avoid any trouble, he turned the sign outside to 'closed' before locking the door from the inside.That was when a man suddenly arrived, asking through the glass door, "Can I still take a look inside, sir?"Raymond was ready to refuse without even turning around when he realized that it was Charlie.He turned around and saw him standing outside just as expected.Smiling, he hurried over to open the door for him. "It's been a while, Mr. Wade!"Charlie was aware that Raymond was sticking to his identity of 'Raymond Cole' who had not been in touch since Raymond had been fired from Vintage Deluxe.Charlie chuckled in turn. "It has indeed. And you're a business owner yourself now, too.""It's j
Jacob zipped toward Raymond, his attitude immediately subservient, "I'm sure you've seen what Zachary Evans posted on his Twitter page, and to be honest, it's so terrible that my position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association has been affected too. I mean, you've made a lot of money, right?"Hell, even if you donated ten million, you'd still have another ten million and 970 thousand in net profits. So, all I'd like to ask is for you to post something to disclaim Zachary's post.Jacob's words left Raymond in thought.For Jacob, just being suspected of fraud would definitely be terrible. In fact, his position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association would definitely be threatened—if not dismissed altogether—if he wasn't cleared of suspicion.Since Jacob was Charlie Wade's father-in-law, Raymond had reason not to drive Jacob over the brink.But that also begged another question—it must be under Charlie's intention for Zachary to post his confession, and that meant Charlie in
Raymond couldn't help chuckling just as Jacob finished—he had honestly never heard of anyone who demanded a refund after donating to charity, but he was certainly seeing one now.Still, the receptionist was clearly experienced and slowly explained, "Sir, it's a legal clause of the country that all donations for philanthropy purposes can not be refunded under most circumstances—""It truly was a mistake," Jacob quickly said, cutting the receptionist off. "I was going to donate thirty thousand but pressed an extra zero by mistake. Please discuss this with your management—you just have to refund 27 thousand, see?""Sorry, sir," the receptionist apologized. "But it's a strict rule that we ourselves do not get to access the funds that have been donated into our accounts. Every donation will be screened extensively, and if you consider that there was a major oversight on your part, you may seek legal counsel to appeal for a refund. If the courts back your appeal, our organization will the
Nonetheless, Jacob darted into Treasure Measure and plucked off his mask, asking nervously, "Excuse me, Mr. Cole? It's me… Jacob Wilson…"Raymond looked up, pausing for a moment before acting as if he was actually curious, "Mr. Wilson! What brings you here? Don't tell me—you want that bronze sculpture back too?""No, no, no…" Jacob quickly shook his head. "I would never… I returned all the way from Dubai to apologize!""Apologize?" Raymond smiled faintly, and he did not play dumb this time as he asked bluntly, "Did you come back because of Zachary Evan's post?"Knowing he couldn't deny it any longer, Jacob nodded, "Yeah…"Raymond nodded and said calmly, "That's unnecessary. I was the one who benefited in the end."Jacob wasn't quite keeping up—thinking that Raymond was just trying to be nice by telling him he didn't have to apologize, he quickly pulled out his phone.Tapping on it and bringing up his transaction records, he handed it to Raymond reverently, "Mr. Cole, I understan
The cabbie chuckled. "You're a local yet you're heading to Antique Street right away as soon as you land instead of going home? And you're still saying you're not trying to pick up a killer bargain deal?"Come on, man—it's not just you, I want that too. We cabbies work ourselves to death only for ten thousand per month at best while our friend over there made twenty million in one night. I could keep driving cabs for the rest of my life and still not make that much money."Jacob knew that the cabbie must be talking about Raymond and became even more miserable then, grumbling unhappily, "I'm going to Antique Street for business—I'm not trying to pick up some missed bargain.""No? Then you didn't hear what happened yesterday?"The cabbie was immediately curious, and without waiting for Jacob's answer, he exclaimed happily, "Look, man—it was so ridiculous not even Hollywood would put it in their script. There were these fools who were trying to sell an antique trader a replica, but th
It was nighttime in Dubai as Jacob dragged his weary body from the hotel back to the airport.As he was flying economy this time, he was left sitting at the hard bench near the boarding terminal, waiting for it to open.While he waited, his heart was torn as he tapped into the website of the Aurous Hill Charity Fund, found their donation account, and wired the entire 300 thousand he had made over to them.He had picked the Aurous Hill Charity Fund because the circles of antique collectors in Aurous Hill were all discussing how Raymond had donated half of the 20 million he had made to that same charity fund.After Raymond skyrocketed to prominence in Antique Street and became a star, it could not be denied that people admired his profound ability.However, there were also people who envied his skill in turning the tables just as there were those who were jealous he had made twenty million in a single night.Still, Raymond moved fast—soon after word spread that he had made twenty m
Elaine quickly asked, "Well, what if you can't get it done?"Jacob was apprehensive even as he sighed. "If they really pressed the issue, guess I can't even stay at the Calligraphy and Painting Association now… We will see. If things get bad, I'll just resign. I won't ask for much right now, just as long as I don't have to go to jail."Elaine nodded. "Then you should try to reason things out with Raymond Cole or ask for Charlie's help if push comes to shove. Being humiliated is still better than prison.""Okay!"-It was nighttime at Aurous Hill by the time Elaine and Jacob arrived at their hotel.Charlie and Claire had just had dinner, and Claire pulled out her phone, saying, "I just checked my flight app, and it says my parents should have landed two hours ago. They are probably at the hotel, so I'll check in on them with a video call."She had yet to open her WhatsApp when Elaine called her on a video call.Jacob was planning to check in with Claire and Charlie to put their
Hearing what Jacob had said, Elaine became anxious and pressed him as he hung up, "What's going on? You're leaving? But we just got here! My shoes have just caught Dubai dirt, so why are we leaving so soon—"However, Jacob was wiping the sweat off his brow as he mumbled quietly, "Well, at this point, I have to leave or I won't be vice president anymore."Elaine immediately fumed. "We've been married for half our lives, and this is supposed to be our honeymoon, yet we're just leaving? I've posted about this on social media too—there are plenty of people who're waiting for more posts on our trip!"And don't forget—we spent a lot on our flight tickets and our hotels! The hotel bookings can't be refunded either!"Jacob scowled dolefully. "Well, what can we do? Why don't you stay? I'll go home and get this sorted out first….""Well, how long would that take?" Elaine asked."How should I know?" Jacob sighed, uneasy and annoyed. "Don Albert is saying I have to go back and donate the 300
"But I spent 98 thousand on that bronze sculpture!" Jacob exclaimed in agitation before he knew it. "I made 300 thousand from it, and that means my profit was 200 thousand at best, but I'm supposed to return that to him as well?! That means I'd have lost my own capital too!""I can't help you if you can't bear to part with that money, Mr. Wilson," Don Albert said quietly. "In that case, you'll just have to handle it yourself.""Wait, wait, wait!" Jacob immediately became antsy and cried out right then, "Please, Don Albert! I'll return the money! I'll return it, alright?! The entirety of my profits—202 thousand, okay? At least let me keep the money I spent, okay?""By that reasoning, Mr. Wilson, when a phone scammer is told by the cops to return the money they've made from defrauding, should he be allowed to keep the money he spent on telco charges? ""Oh, I…" Jacob was left stumped and could not come up with an answer.Don Albert then pressed on, "Mr. Wilson, I've offered a prom