When Elaine’s name echoed across the room, Charlie was so shocked that his jaw dropped. He never expected that Elaine and Jacob were collegemates!He didn’t even expect that she had the reputation of the college’s number one vixen!Honestly speaking, Elaine didn’t seem like someone who had gone to a university before.Honestly, she didn’t even seem like a person who had finished junior high! Given her inferior temperament and character, it was incredible for her to be admitted into the university.Charlie was not the only one surprised at this moment.All of Jacob’s classmates were equally dumbfounded and shocked!No one thought that Jacob would end up with Elaine!Although Elaine was not in the same class as them, her reputation preceded her back in the days!She was the symbol of arrogance and stubbornness back then, very vicious too. Stealing other people’s things was normal for her. When she was caught, instead of admitting her mistakes, she would fight with the person wh
Everyone laughed hysterically upon the reveal! No one would have predicted such an amazing twist in the story!Jake added, “Wow, Uncle Wilson, you’re incredible! You’re like the main character in a romance movie where you broke up with your college sweetheart and married your nemesis! Hahaha!”Charlie was not in place to comment about the matter, but he found the whole incident hilarious as well.Never did he think that there was this kind of backstory of his parents-in-law. Elaine was herself through and through. Not only did she get Jacob drunk, but she also did the deed with him! It was such a devious act!After muffling their laughter, the men felt sympathetic toward Jacob and started offering him words of encouragement and comfort.Aaron still kept an eye on Jacob and said with a laugh, “Don’t sympathize with Jacob yet. Elaine was pretty miserable to marry him!”The crowd was puzzled. “What’s so miserable about it? She got to marry Jacob, isn’t that enough?”Aaron sighed. “
Thanks to Aaron’s information, Charlie sent Isaac a message asking him to investigate Aaron Philips and his wife’s personal information as well as their track record at the petrochemical company. At the same time, he asked him to check the relevant information of Aurous Continental Technology.While Isaac was working on the tasks, Aaron was enjoying the flattering words and admiration of his friends.This group of old people mostly worked in government sectors or state-owned enterprises. Most of them were regular staff who had spent their years working hard for the company. They were earning a few thousand dollars a month which fell short of the best but better than the worst.Hence, Aaron, who was in the senior management of the petrochemical company, made them very envious.The petrochemical company provided the perfect track of performance and revenue. Although the management team in a petrochemical company was not its core cadres, it could be regarded as one of the prominent po
At this moment, someone shouted from outside, “Guys, Mr. Lee is here. Quick, get two young men to help carry him up the stairs.”Jacob finally breathed a sigh of relief and urged Charlie, “Hurry, go and help.”Charlie nodded.Aaron said to Jake as well, “You too. We old folks are not as strong as the youngsters, we can’t do it anymore.”“Okay.” Jake nodded and walked out the door with Charlie.As they walked down the stairs, the supercilious Jake walked ahead of Charlie and didn’t bother to even bat an eye at him.Charlie couldn’t be bothered either. This bugger and his company wouldn’t survive after today anyway. He just needed to find the best timing to deliver the fatal blow.Extreme joy spawned extreme sadness, and that was the worst blow a man could get. Jake hadn’t reached extreme joy yet.They arrived downstairs and saw an eighty-something-year-old man with white hair sitting in a wheelchair and looking up at the old school building.A middle-aged man was standing next
Jake hissed at Charlie’s irrelevant response, “Do you think it’s funny? It’s actually an honor to let you work at the construction site!”Charlie nodded with a laugh. “Alright, I know, I get it. I’ll arrange it for you.”Jake was irritated by his ambiguous remark and chided, “Crazy!”Then, he added, “As an experienced person, let me give you some advice. You are still young, go out and find something serious to do. You may still be successful in the coming days.”“What? Did you think working in construction is an obscure job? No, it’s not. Do you know Arnold Schwarzenegger? He was laying bricks and started his own construction business. Okay, his business failed, but he became famous, didn't he?”“Besides, look at the latest trends. TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are so popular right now, you could register for an account and post some of your daily work at the construction site, maybe you will become famous!”“By the way, I have a Snapchat account. Do you want to foll
Everyone’s eyes started turning red, and some of them even cried a little. “Oh, Mr. Lee. Please don’t, you don’t have to apologize to us…”Mr. Lee plastered a warm smile on his face. “I’ve been through thick and thin for all my life, I’ve witnessed your growth, I’ve witnessed the development of the country. I have nothing much to say but this, ‘be contented with a simple and virtuous life, delight in wisdom’. I’m still a poor old man after years of teaching, but my lifetime ideology is to live happily and be content with no regrets!”Loud applause shook the classroom. Everyone cheered, especially Jacob. He felt that Mr. Lee was the beacon to show the way after hearing what he said.Although he didn’t have much money, indulging himself in the antiques and cultural relics was his way to pursue happiness, so he was glad about it.Of course, there was still a source of pain in his life, and that was Elaine.Mr. Lee shuddered slightly as he gave everyone a lecture about ancient languag
Soon, everyone hopped into multiple cars and went to Glorious Club.Mr. Lee was hesitant to go, but since it was rare for them to get together and his students had invited him to join them enthusiastically, he agreed.Charlie and Jacob hopped into a taxi together. Jacob whined angrily, “That Aaron Philips is too much! Why can’t he just leave me alone? Argh, d*mn, I’m pissed!”Charlie chuckled at his whining and said, “Dad, if you’re so upset, let’s just go home then.”“No!” Jacob muttered, “I haven’t been to the clubhouse, I want to go and see!”Charlie shrugged and nodded.When they arrived at the clubhouse, everyone gathered in the lobby. They were mesmerized and amazed at the luxurious decorations of the clubhouse.The extremely expensive and sophisticated interior design of the clubhouse had exceeded these elderly people’s imagination and their memories about a recreation center. Jacob was equally amazed. He pointed his phone around the lobby and took multiple pictures, ev
The receptionist said with an apologetic expression, “Sir, I’m so sorry, all our suites on the seventh floor are fully booked. We’ve checked, but the only available suites for your membership level are on the third floor and below. Would you like us to prepare a suite for you on the third floor?”Jake hissed irritably, “What? Are you serious? You want me to go to the third floor? This is a disgrace to my status and my membership! How will others think of me if I go to the third floor?”“I’m very sorry, sir, but there’s nothing I can do. All the suites on the fourth to the seventh floors have been reserved in advance. You did not make any reservation, so, our hands are tied…”“If so, just give me a free upgrade and let me go to the eighth floor or above!”“I’m sorry, sir,” the receptionist said in a polite yet firm tone, “At the Glorious Club, we only allow downgrade service for the membership tier, but not upgrade. That is to say, if the ceiling of your Silver card membership only
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade
In groups like these, any gossip would immediately spread like wildfire as people share everything here with their other circles.Within minutes of these people's good work, Antique Street was abuzz even as the skies darkened: one of the antique traders had been swindled for 300 thousand, and it was Raymond Cole—the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe at that!Some of them wondered when Raymond had actually returned while others were laughing.He was supposed to be the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe, but he had messed up as well? You had to be kidding!Many were dumbstruck too—how would Raymond survive in Antique Street after losing so much money? It had been so long since such a major scam had been pulled!As such, all the antique dealers were asking one question: how did Raymond Cole get fooled?Meanwhile, Mick didn't leak the security footage right away, instead sending his people out to spread the news in other channels, claiming that Raymond thought he had won big by
Mick had already clipped the security footage and was waiting for Zachary's word.He had checked the footage repeatedly as well and was only getting more impressed with his masterful acting by the second. He looked just like a maestro, and every detail he mentioned was flawless and showed experience.Zacahry even said that Raymond had truly slipped up with that bronze sculpture, leaving him endlessly thrilled.The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle was here!Hence, calling all the staff he trusted, he told them excitedly, "Spread the word right away—Raymond Cole slipped up, spending 300 thousand on a fake Renaissance-era bronze sculpture!"His staff had no idea of the conspiracy involved, only that Mick had said that someone had tried to sell a counterfeit bronze sculpture but he had seen through it right away and chased him away, only for Raymond to end up buying the fake bronze sculpture soon after.Someone asked, "Mr. Crane, don't you think Raymond Cole bought from the man
Raymond had said everything he should and shouldn't and with complete sincerity exactly because Billy would never believe it.As Billy just wanted to swindle him, it didn't matter how sincere Raymond was—he wanted the 300 thousand whatever it took. The key here was that Billy had refused a better prospect when told it was possible, and there was evidence that would support Raymond if either he or Zachary realized the truth and came to start trouble.That meant Raymond had nothing to worry about—they could take this to the United Nations but he'd still win this case.Having been in the antique trade for so long, he had seen every form of oddity and was always cautious with people, considering every aspect of any issue.Hence, once he downloaded the security footage to his phone, Raymond decided that he needed to sell the bronze sculpture—not because he was in urgent need of money, but because he realized that there were those who wanted him out of Aurous Hill's Antique Street.Afte