The fat man glanced at Travis before placing a simple wooden box onto the round table. Inside the box was a crimson red jade, seemingly an ancient treasure. As soon as the box was opened, everyone present felt as though the lobby had been filled with a hint of warm energy.Everyone’s eyes lit up.Jasmine turned to Quilt. “Uncle Quilt, what do you think?”Quilt stared at it and nodded. “I think it’s the real thing. It seems to be the Bloody Jade from the Zhou dynasty. It also appears to have been blessed by a very powerful monk!”Jasmine nodded and then turned to Charlie. “What do you think, Mr. Wade?”Charlie, on the other hand, scowled in disgust. “It’s a fake……” Quilt glowered at him. “You’re just a youngster, who gave you the right to lie through your teeth in front of this many people?” Matthew Gibson, the elderly man who was sitting next to Travis, opened his eyes and stared at the piece of jade. “May I hold it?”The fat man let out a cold laugh. “Mr. Gibson, are you kid
“Of course! Just speak your mind!” Quilt chuckled. “I would also like to see how you con artists lie to others!”Charlie shrugged. “I didn’t want to expose you guys, but if you insist, it would be rude for me to ignore you.”“Expose? So you’re saying that we have overlooked something?” The calm and collected Matthew Gibson laughed.Charlie took a glance at him and laughed. “He is the most idiotic one out of all of you…”“Do you have a death wish, you brat?” Matthew was infuriated.“The jade is real, don’t get me wrong.” Charlie then added, “But it’s not some bloody jade from the Zhou dynasty, nor was it blessed by a powerful monk. This is just a high-quality nephrite, but it is worth around fifty thousand maximum.”“Bullsh*t. Can’t you see that the jade is red in color!?” Quilt scowled.Charlie continued as if he had never been interrupted. “The red color of the jade is due to it being corrupted by potassium permanganate minerals. Did you really think that it was doused in the
Charlie was now furious. “Do you think you can get out of this by not talking, fatso? I’ll have you know, this is Aurous! Don’t you know that the people in this room are all just as powerful within this area? They can have you die in a ditch as long as they say so! I’d advise you to tell us the truth this instant, otherwise, you won’t even be able to save yourself!”Jasmine knew that Charlie was trying to manipulate him, hence, she put on a stern expression and played along. “The Moore family is fairly powerful. If anyone intends to scam any of us, we will surely teach him a good lesson. After all, if we were to spare them, our reputation in the public’s eyes would certainly be damaged!”The fat man was shocked to his core. He knew that the Moore’s indeed held extreme power in this area. If he were to piss Jasmine Moore off, he would surely die in Aurous!Panicking, he turned to Quilt in desperation. “Quilt, help me out! This isn’t what we agreed on!”Quilt’s facial expression chan
Jasmine had a very indifferent expression on her face as they sat in the car. For her, the fact that there was such a useless scumbag in her family was extremely frustrating. Moreover, what was even more vexing was the fact that Uncle Quilt had tried to set her up in front of so many outsiders.If he had fooled her into giving him the money today, Uncle Quilt would have escaped with all that money. Jasmine would have been really embarrassed if she had discovered the fact that she had been cheated only after losing a vast fortune that belonged to the Moore family!Fortunately, Charlie was present at that time and had saved her, helping her avoid losing her family fortune.Jasmine took out a bank card from the glove box in her car before she handed it over to Charlie. “Mr. Wade, there is about one million dollars in this card. The passcode is six ‘eights’. Please accept this as a form of my gratitude.”Jasmine could not help but sigh as she spoke. Why had Charlie chosen to join suc
Charlie felt completely helpless at this time. Jacob had just broken the Yuhuchun vase in the morning, and yet, as soon as he had stepped out of the house, the old man had actually taken advantage of his absence to sneak out and explore Antique Street again.That was just so typical of him. He would never learn from his mistakes.Jacob laughed as he asked them in a mysterious manner, “I meant that these celadon cups are worth more than half a million dollars! Why don’t you guess how much I bought them for?”Claire hesitated for a moment before replying, “Three hundred thousand dollars?”“No! Guess again!” Jacob replied as he waved his hand.“Two hundred thousand dollars?”“That’s not right either!”Charlie glanced at the pair of celadon cups in his father-in-law’s hand and he instantly knew that the cups were fake and only worth a few hundred dollars.Just then, Jacob smiled as he exclaimed excitedly, “Haha! I bought it for only three hundred dollars! Isn’t that amazing?”Clai
The next day was already the weekend.Jacob dragged Charlie out of the house and they drove to Antique Street early in the morning.The old man looked very refreshed and energetic, and upon stepping out of the car, Jacob waved his hand at Charlie as he said, “Come! Let me show you how you can pick up a good product!”After that, both of them started walking down Antique Street.Charlie had to walk quickly to keep up with Jacob. Regardless, he continued to look around him as he walked along the street.Since it was the weekend, there were a lot more people on Antique Street as compared to usual.Antique Street was very dense on both sides of the street as there were many vendors who came out to set up their stalls during the weekend, and so, the whole street was very packed.Many vendors simply placed a plastic sheet on the ground as they welcomed guests and customers to check out all the various kinds of antiques and jades placed on the ground.Charlie looked around casually an
“Boss, I think I must have brought the wrong wine bottle out since I rushed out of the house in a hurry today.”“So, you brought the wrong bottle out today?” Charlie smiled as he picked up another wine bottle that was covered in mud. He wiped the mud off with his hand before looking at it under the sun. After inspecting it, Charlie said, “What about this bottle, then? It seems as though this wine bottle was made in Suzhou.”Sure enough, there was a row of small characters written below the bottle.“Made by Suzhou Craft Factory.”“I don’t know what is written on it since I am illiterate,” The owner of the stall smirked as he replied. After that, he rubbed the sole of his feet against the oil paper, making it seem as though he was not interested in doing business with them at all.Jacob became angry and annoyed when he saw that he had been fooled.Grabbing hold of the owner of the stall, he shouted angrily at him.“You liar! Give me back my money!”“What money are you talking abo
As soon as he heard the voice, Charlie turned around to look for its source.He saw a young man wearing a white linen suit and a pair of black cloth shoes walking toward the stall. There were all sorts of bracelets on his hand, and as it was broad daylight and sunny, he was wearing an antique pair of gold-rimmed glasses with two round black lenses. The young man’s glasses looked like the type of glasses young children would wear during the Qing Dynasty in China.About four to five bodyguards were walking behind the young man, and compared to the young master, the bodyguards looked more fierce and evil, driving everyone around to move away quickly in order to avoid causing any trouble at the scene.“Oh, it’s Mr. Quinton!”The owner of the stall widened his eyes and started smiling as soon as he saw the young man. After that, flattering words came out of his mouth as though he was a tap with running water flowing from it. “Mr. Quinton, why didn’t you tell me in advance that you were
Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate.""How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked."Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,
"Okay!"Mr. Cardensky smiled and pointed at a nearby farmyard. "There's our workshop—the good stuff is all in there. Allow me to take you there!"The farmyard seemed uninteresting at first glance, but Mr. Cardensky soon led them to the stables and brushed off the straws covering the floor, revealing a plank laid flat on the ground.Mr. Cardensky then lifted it, revealing a passage below—they had dug a cellar into the ground beneath, with the stables as an entry point.As Jacob followed Mr. Cardensky down the cellar, he exclaimed in awe, "Your operation is definitely big, digging such a huge cellar!"Mr. Cardensky smiled humbly. "Anyone working in the business would have sustained their losses before. In the end, we're all folk of humble origins, starting out with raiding tombs or excavating artifacts. Just digging a cellar is really nothing."As they conversed, they cleared the stairs and arrived at the main hall.It was certainly a hall as it was around a hundred square meters,
Zachary nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Montague? Very well!""Yes!" Jacob grinned smugly. "Longer last names are simply better—it just sounds so authoritative."With that agreed upon, both men alighted, where the master was waiting nearby.Seeing them get off, he hurried over to them, smiling, "Please, follow me."Zachary looked around and huffed, "Honestly, Mr. Cardensky, isn't this way too far from the highway? The road is narrow and terrible, and I have to park my car all the way out here. Just coming here is taxing."Mr. Cardensky smiled in turn. "My friend, that's exactly why we picked this place. Do you remember seeing a couple of cars parked by the road, occupying half of it?""We arranged for them to be there. Anyone coming by car would have to slow down that way, buying time for us to see who they truly are. If it's cops, our watchers would quietly text us while we clean the house and bail."Zachary exclaimed in realization, "You boys really run a tight ship!""For sure," Mr.
After working in Antique Street for years, Zachary's connections and influence were naturally special. And yet, though he was acquainted with some of the more impressive individuals, he was not that close with them either.For example, the forgery masters who worked specifically to deceive experts only accepted jobs from major clients, usually antique traders high in social status and wealth.In contrast, they wouldn't ever be interested in frivolous people like Zachary. Even if he could reach them, they might not look at him twice.If one would describe them as the cartel boss, then Zachary would be a low-level enforcer, managing night joints or goofing off.But now, Zachary had turned over a new leaf—he worked under Don Albert, so one of those masters was pleasantly surprised when he called one of them, inviting him to his own workshop for a visit and further discussion.As such, Zachary picked up Jacob and went over to the master's hideout where the latter worked on his count
Zachary was naturally shrewd enough to read Jacob's intention.In reality, he wasn't offering to pay just because he wanted the profit. He merely wanted to get in Jacob's good graces. After all, wouldn't Jacob be even more grateful that he wasn't just helping his revenge but also helping him make money?As such, he didn't hesitate to tell Jacob, "Well, chief—since you'll be paying, I will make sure that you will get every cent of profit that you deserve."Jacob was grinning ear-to-ear, but he said, "Oh, you don't have to! If we really are making a profit, there's no way I would let your good work go unrewarded!"Spreading his arms, he continued generously, "How about this? I will pay the full cost while you get twenty percent of the net profit!"Zachary laughed. "Now, that can wait, chief. We need to pay as soon as we decide on the item we want, and there's no time for buyer's regret. But if Raymond doesn't take the bait, all that money will go down the drain, and whether we can s
Zachary chuckled and continued, "Well, I went to Antique Street and asked around. Turns out our mutual friend only brought a few hundred thousand grand with him. If he messes up and loses all his money, won't it be over for him?""He won't just be broke either—he'd be humiliated and forced to fuck off from Antique Street. You'd get even then!"Jacob was at once excited.Just yesterday, Claire and Charlie were warning him that assault meant doing time.As the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and the next presidential-hopeful, he would lose his place if he was charged with assault or being an accessory to a case.However, Zachary's plan was much better. Jacob wouldn't have to take responsibility, and the damage on Raymond would be even worse!In comparison, slapping Raymond meant nothing. Watching him go broke and get humiliated would really ease his heart!With that in mind, he promptly pressed Zachary, "Are you sure that prick will mess up?""I can't a
Jacob Wilson was in his office at the Calligraphy and Painting Association, planning his itinerary in Dubai.Still, he was immediately thrilled when Zachary told him that there was progress, and he quickly said, "Come see me at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. We'll talk in my office!""Alright!" Zachary agreed to it happily. "Just wait, Mr. Wilson. I'll be right there!"Jacob then quickly told him, "By the way, remember to address me as the vice president when you're here. Got it?"Zachary was naturally sharp enough to understand why, especially around other members of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Smiling, he said, "Don't worry, chief. You can always be at ease when I'm on the job!"Once he hung up, he drove to the Calligraphy and Painting Association at top speed.There were just a dozen people around the dozens of work cubicles although Zachary was curious about the personal effects or office tools in the cubicles.After asking around, a staff member le
Then, Mick continued, "I won't lie—Moore Group's bean counters have been eager to get rid of Vintage Deluxe for a while now. It's only Miss Moore's insistence that keeps them at bay, even occasionally coming to check on how business is going. That means she holds sentiment for this place, but if she knows that Raymond is back and doing well, she might hire him again!"Zachary could laugh right then. After all, Mick was terrible at gathering information—he could worry about anyone taking his palace, but not Raymond. The man was fired because he had insulted Master Wade's father in-law, and Miss Moore was endlessly respectful—even obedient to Master Wade. There was no chance that she would hire Raymond back after what he had done, and Mick was just being paranoid.However, Zachary did not tell Mick that.As Mick was begging him to intervene and thus owing him big time, he would also be helping Jacob Wilson get even.Two birds with one stone, so why not?With that in mind, Zachar
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach