From Becoming Penguin's Major Shareholder to Building an Entertainment Empire

Note that this book is a slow-burn novel, and it will become increasingly exciting as the story progresses.

It starts from 2002, beginning at the Beijing Film Academy, and starting with the H...

Chapter 40: Visiting the Antique Street, the Fairy is Scammed Out of 100 Yuan

Stepping out of the gates of the foreign language school.

Shen Fang looked at the three of them.

"Who among you has been to Tianjin?"

The three shook their heads.

"Damn... what are we supposed to do here?"

Huang Bo was speechless: "That's easy, just ask a passerby where there are fun things to do nearby, that's all."

Shen Fang nodded, confirming it was true. He waved and hailed a taxi. The four of them got in.

The driver then started chatting.

"Wow, this little girl is really rare to look at, so pretty! This young man is really handsome! Oh, this girl looks like a boy, so unique! Wow, you little thing, you're so exquisitely beautiful."

This last sentence was said to Huang Bo.

Huang Bo, speechless, started to complain: "Hey bro, is there anyone like you? What's wrong with my looks? I'm an actor, an idol, you know?"

The driver turned around, glanced at Huang Bo, and scoffed, "Now even migrant workers can be actors? What a pity. I'll try it tomorrow too."

Huang Bo: I XXX@#&@#

The driver was equally blunt: I XX@#%

To be honest, Huang Bo brought this trouble upon himself. When it comes to cursing, comparing yourself to people from Tianjin is just asking for trouble.

The two exchanged insults for less than a minute, and Huang Bo was completely dumbfounded by the insults.

Shen Fang, Shen Lanlan, and Liu Tianxian were completely dumbfounded.

The driver sneered and looked at Chen Fang: "Handsome young man, where to?"

Shen Fang was stunned for a while before coming back to his senses: "Um, Master, we are all from out of town. Are there any fun places around here? You can take us there."

The driver smiled and said, "Would you like to go to the park, the food street, or the museum? Oh, and there's an antique street nearby that's really lively. There are lots of interesting and fun things there, and they even have stage acrobatic performances sometimes."

Liu Qianqian said directly, "Antiques Street, let's go to Antiques Street."

"Alright, let's go."

The journey was uneventful, mainly because the four of them had witnessed the driver's aggressive nature and dared not engage in conversation.

About 10 minutes later, the group arrived at the antique street. Shen Fang paid the fare and got out of the car. Huang Bo gave the driver the middle finger, and the driver returned the gesture. They greeted each other politely.

Shen Fang laughed loudly: "Brother Bo, why are you arguing with people from Tianjin? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Huang Bo, his neck stiff, said, "Who told him to insult me? Goodness, his mouth is like a machine gun, going on and on. I'm really impressed. That's how crosstalk performers are, and that's how people from Tianjin are too. I'm truly impressed by his quick wit."

"Second brother, why aren't you helping your elder brother?"

Shen Lanlan shrugged: "Boss, I'm from Guangdong, so my Mandarin isn't standard to begin with. You want me to argue with him? That's just asking for trouble."

Liu Tianxian chuckled.

Shen Fang patted Huang Bo on the neck: "Alright, let's go. Today is also a cultural tour. Let's take a look at this antique market."

Walking into the antique street, there were quite a few people, mostly elderly, with fewer young people. Stalls lined the street, displaying all sorts of trinkets in a seemingly chaotic manner, accompanied by a constant stream of hawkers' cries.

Liu Qianqian curiously walked to a less crowded stall and stopped, looking at a string of red beads on the stall and playing with them.

The stall owner was a middle-aged bald man.

"Hey, little girl, you like it, right? This is an agate bracelet left by Empress Dowager Cixi. Since you're so pretty, I won't give you 9998 or 998. You can take it home for just 98.8 yuan."

Liu Tianxian simply pulled out a 100-yuan red fish from her pocket and made the deal immediately. Shen Fang couldn't stop her.

Shen Fang was speechless.

"Empress Dowager Cixi's agate bracelet is only this price? Dude, don't try to fool the kids."

The middle-aged man smiled and picked up a jade thumb ring: "Young man, look at this jade thumb ring passed down from Emperor Kangxi. Have you heard the story of the Nine Princes' Succession Struggle? This is the jade thumb ring that won the throne. Legend has it that the treasure of the Qing Dynasty is hidden inside this jade thumb ring. I'll only charge you 998 to take it home."

Chen Fang... "Brother Bo, I think this thumb ring suits your style. Why don't you buy it for me?"

Huang Bo rolled his eyes at Chen Fang: "Do you think I look like a fool?"

Seeing that the two were not fooled, the middle-aged stall owner picked up another glass bead-like object to try and trick Liu Tianxian.

"Little girl, look what this is?"

Liu Tianxian stared blankly at the stall owner and shook her head.

The stall owner swindled, "These are the legendary Dragon Balls. If you collect all seven, you can have one wish granted. I'll only charge you 399."

Liu Tianxian looked at the uncle speechlessly upon hearing this.

"Uncle, I've seen Dragon Ball."

A middle-aged stall owner...

"Ahem, well, I also have Qin Shi Huang's skull, Li Shimin's jade ruyi, Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral hoe, Su Wu's straw sandals while herding sheep, and Zhuge Liang's white coat."

Shen Fang was speechless: "Uncle, what did you do before? You're getting more and more ridiculous. If you had these things, you would have been shot countless times by now."

The middle-aged man chuckled: "I used to be a crosstalk performer on Tianqiao, but I couldn't make a living there, so I started a street stall business. I didn't expect to make a lot of money, just to sell in large quantities and earn enough to eat."

Liu Tianxian pointed to the agate in her hand: "So this is fake?"

The middle-aged man flashed his bright white teeth: "The stones are dyed, don't worry, they're harmless. You can even play with them in your hand. They're 3 strings for 5 yuan outside, I'm making a killing by profiting 98 yuan from you."

Liu Tianxian glared angrily at the middle-aged man.

"Didn't you say I'm cute? How could you bear to lie to me?"

The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "How can this be called cheating? This is called deception. Besides, in the antique market, once you've made your purchase, you're done. Young lady, even though you're cute, you can't eat that."

Liu Tianxian pouted and looked at Shen Fang with a wronged expression. Shen Fang quickly comforted her.

"Alright, I didn't rip you off much money, just consider it a lesson learned. Come on, I'll take you to a proper antique shop and see if there's anything you like that I'll buy for you."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man knew that Shen Fang and his companions were wealthy.

"Hey, buddy, the stuff in antique shops isn't always genuine. If you want to buy something, go to Jianbaozhai. It's not far ahead. The stuff there is real, and the owner is more honest."

Shen Fang smiled and said, "Thank you."

Liu Tianxian glared hatefully at the middle-aged stall owner before being pulled away by Chen Fang.

Huang Bo grinned mischievously, "Heavenly Fairy, how can you be so naive? You actually believe such a thing."

Liu Tianxian said aggrievedly, "Of course I know it's not Empress Dowager Cixi. I just thought it looked pretty, but who knew it was so cheap and made of pebbles? I'm so angry!"

Shen Lanlan patted Liu Tianxian on the shoulder: "It's normal. As soon as I see that old man, I know he's not a good person. He has a wicked smile on his face. He must have lied to a lot of kids before."

Shen Fang patted Liu Tianxian's little head.

"Okay, don't be angry. I'll buy you real agate, Sisi."