Chapter 21 Antique Dealership
"Why can\'t I come?" Lan was pouting playfully.
"Yes! Of course, you can tag along! I miss you so much! It was as if I had not seen you for three years." Chen put on a wide smile.
"You are sweet talking me again!" Lan gave Chen a gaze. However, Lan was the one who felt shocked.
"You… You are Chen?"
"Yes. It\'s me!"
Chen smiled and said, "In order not to embarrass you in the upcoming birthday party, I underwent a cosmetic surgery especially for you. How is it? Do you think it\'s okay?"
"This… You went too far! I feel like your skin is better than my skin now.!" Lan stared at Chen with her big and dreamy eyes. She could not believe her eyes.
"Please don\'t stare at me the way you are staring me right now. I\'m afraid that you will fall in love with me." Chen put on an evil laugh. He tried to divert the topic. Regarding on how his look became better, he had to keep it a secret. He could not afford others to discover the truth behind it.
"Bah! Stop being so narcissistic!" Lan curled her lips and moved her stare away from Chen.
"Sit tight. I\'m going to drive now."
At the front seat, Uncle Qin was smiling happily and said, "She has never been to any antique examination meeting. This is her very first time tagging along. She can\'t afford to be late."
"Uncle Qin!" Lan stomped her feet and pouted playfully. The way that Uncle Qin delivered his words sounded like Lan had decided to tag along because of Chen.
Chen saw what Lan did for him. He was very appeased by it. He decided not to embarrass her. The car was driving towards a mountain that was located at the north. There was a luxurious villa built halfway up the mountain. The identity of the owner was very mysterious. This villa served as a place for people from the upper society who really appreciated antiques to gather together and share their thoughts. They could arrange trades if they found anything that they liked. They could even carry out a small auction inside the villa. Uncle Qin helped Chen to contact the right buyers that were interested in his golden jade hairpins. It was his wish to sell the hairpins as soon as possible. They were going to trade today.
"Elder Qin."
"Good day, Elder Qin!"
"Elder Qin…"
Everyone greeted Uncle Qin once he stepped inside the villa. From here, Chen knew that Uncle Qin was a regular customer here and his reputation was really high. Chen and Lan were shocked as they stepped into the villa. It was like a small museum with different antiques displayed inside the house. All the antiques were authentic.
Chen thought that there was something wrong with his eyes because he saw something weird surrounding the antiques. Soon, he realized every antique emitted some kind of "Qi". It was one the functions of the Eight Diagrams of Godly Prediction.
Like a person, every antique here had different "Qi". White, Green, Red, Silver, Gold, and Purple Gold represented the rarity of each antique. Most of the antiques emitted Red and Green "Qi". There was only one antique that possessed a Golden "Qi". It was a white jade signet being protected by a double layered bulletproof glass, placed in the middle of the hall.
"Uncle Qin, What\'s so great about that white jade signet?" Chen asked curiously. Lan straightened up her ears because she was interested in it.
"It is a king\'s imperial jade signet from ancient Yan country.!"
Suddenly, Uncle Qin straightened up his face and said seriously, "Remember. There\'s a rule here. No one is allowed to discuss the price of that white jade signet! The owner will ban those whole talk about its price from stepping into this villa again."
"Why?" Chen asked curiously.
"Idiot!"
Lan pouted playfully and said, "The white jade signet must mean a lot to the owner. Just like a real man would not allow others to talk about the price of his woman!"
"It is a good metaphor, Ms. Lan. So, that is the answer to your question." Uncle Qin nodded.
Chen nodded his head as well. He was getting more and more curious about the owner of this villa.
"Elder Qin, you are here, finally!"
A man in a suit and tie walked towards them. There was a man with golden frame glasses walking on his left side. He looked like a typical elite from the world of business. The one who walked on his right side was a seventy years old man with a pair of thick glasses on him. His hair was all white. He looked like some kind of nerdy old man who had isolated himself from the real world.
"President Ma. Don\'t you trust me? Why did you even bother to bring along Elder Wang?" Uncle Qin asked jokingly.
"Elder Qin, you misunderstand my intentions. Of course, I trust you with all my heart."
President Ma quickly explained, "Elder Wang heard that some antiques from the Tang dynasty would be sold today. He wanted to come here to feast his eyes."
"Haha. I was just joking. Let me introduce them."
Uncle Qin laughed and said, "This is President Ma and Mr. Wang Jianjun."
Chen and Lan were very shocked when they heard the name Wang Jianjun.
"No wonder Elder Wang look so familiar. He is the antique authenticator from the reality show."
Chen facepalmed himself lightly and realized it immediately. His antique authenticating show had a really high viewership. Also, his name carried a high reputation. He needed to be very famous for \'hikikimoris\' like Chen to know about him.
Uncle Qin continued with his introductions, "This is the seller who possesses three pieces of antiques from the Tang dynasty. The one beside him is Ms. Lan from the Lan family."
When President Ma and Elder Wang heard that she was from Lan family, they quickly greeted her with passion. She was the daughter of the renowned Lan family. Also, she rarely attended any functions. The two of them felt really honored that she was here today. After that, they talked to Chen for the sake of formalities. It was pretty obvious that they treated Chen colder than they did to Lan. The truth was that the both of them looked down on him.
"Alright! Since we know each other now, let\'s finish off the deal. This is going to be momentous!" President Ma smiled and his eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Very well. Please, take a look at them." Chen took out the three golden jade hairpins from his bag and handed it to them.
"Please. Elder Wang, have a look first." President Ma did not dare disrespect Elder Wang.
Elder Wang took the hairpins and examined them carefully. He said surprisingly, "These are authentic! These three hairpins came from Tang dynasty! Also, they are well preserved! Such rarity!"
"That is good news!"
President Ma\'s face was filled with happiness after he heard Elder Wang\'s words. He said seriously, "Mr. Chen. Since you are introduced by Elder Qin. Let\'s get straight to the point. According to the market price, I will pay you ten million for the hairpins. I can transfer the money to you right now!"
"Hehe. I\'m not selling it at this price." Chen shrugged his shoulders and said casually.