"Boss, this is a famous piece from the Jian kiln of the Song Dynasty. It was highly sought after by scholars and literati at the time, and its price was extremely high and it was very rare. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, the firing technique of the 'haobian' teacup was also lost, and nowadays there are very few left in the world, boss—"
"I'll offer 100,000 silver dollars," Chen Ke interrupted the middle-aged man.
He knew that the price he offered was completely mismatched with the value of this national treasure, but nowadays, 100,000 silver dollars was already a very high price in the antique world. After all, gold is valued in times of chaos, and antiques are valued in times of prosperity. The antique market is currently very sluggish.
As expected, the middle-aged man was completely stunned after hearing Chen Ke's words.
"Boss, what did you say?"
“I said, I’ll pay 100,000 silver dollars for this little cup of yours.”
"Really, really, 100,000 silver dollars? No, am I dreaming?" The middle-aged man excitedly confirmed again and again.
"Of course, it's cash on delivery."
With a "whoosh!" sound, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up.
Chen Ke quickly protected the national treasure on the table.
"Thank you, boss, thank you, boss, you...you are such a good person!" The middle-aged man was already incoherent, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.
In the end, Chen Ke gave the man a banknote from Jufengdong. The man looked at the banknote over and over again. It wasn't that he thought the banknote was fake, but rather that it felt unreal.
This unreal feeling only gradually dissipated when the man went to the money exchange and withdrew 100 silver dollars; his excited and ecstatic heart finally returned to its original state.
"Waaah!" Overwhelmed with grief, shock, and joy, the man couldn't help but cover his face and weep as he held the money.
The man attracted frequent stares from those around him, but he ignored them, for he had been suppressing his emotions for far too long.
"Sir? Are you alright?" The bank's receptionist came over to ask upon seeing the situation.
The man waved his hand, "No, it's nothing, I'm just too, too happy."
The receptionist stared at the man's departing figure, completely bewildered. How could someone be so happy that they burst into tears?
·······
Chen Ke carefully put the rabbit fur teacup into the system and printed out ten indistinguishable one-year-old replicas.
Looking at the rows of rabbit fur teacups, even though I know they will become worthless fakes in a year, they still have a very strong visual impact now.
Chen Ke kept one as a decoration in the shop and put the rest into the back warehouse. He also picked out a few other antiques to fill the gap in the shop after selling them to Lauters.
Today was a good start. After closing the door, Chen Ke planned to go and see the original owner's adoptive parents.
Four days had passed since Chen Ke last saw Chen Zhuo, and Chen Ke wondered if the little brat had recovered from the shock of seeing him.
······
After school, Chen Zhuo picked up his schoolbag and walked home in silence.
He had already decided to give up his studies, but on the last day of school, he inexplicably went and registered again.
Zhou Shanhuai and Song Xiaowen were overjoyed. Regardless of why Chen Zhuo changed his mind in the end, they were very happy.
"Hey, Chen Zhuo!" A group of people chased after him, laughing and joking.
Chen Zhuo frowned slightly, his eyes filled with impatience, but he still turned around and asked in a calm tone, "What is it?"
A well-dressed young man stepped forward. "I heard your adoptive parents went bankrupt?"
The boy spoke in a declarative tone, and his expression didn't reveal whether he was mocking or sympathetic, but Chen Zhuo could sense his subtle schadenfreude.
Before his family went bankrupt, he had a pretty good relationship with this group of people. Now they're just looking to mock him and make a fool of him because he's down on his luck.
Chen Zhuo couldn't maintain his composure any longer; his eyes turned cold. "What's wrong? Want to see me make a fool of myself?"
Seeing this, another boy nearby quickly spoke up, "No, Chen Zhuo, don't misunderstand, we didn't mean that."
"Yes, Chen Zhuo, we just wanted to check on you. We couldn't get in touch with you at the time, and we thought... you weren't coming to school anymore."
"Yes, it's good that you came and didn't give up your studies. Chen Zhuo, if you have any difficulties, just tell us. Although we can't be of great help, we will definitely help if we can."
"That's right, Chen Zhuo, if you have any difficulties, just say so. Don't be shy, we're all friends."
Chen Zhuo looked around at his classmates with a somewhat blank expression.
How could they...?
They weren't even close friends before, and in his opinion, they weren't even friends. Why would they help him?
"What's wrong, Chen Zhuo? Is something really difficult?"
"Yes, don't stay silent. Do you know how worried we were about you?"
"I, I—" Such concern left Chen Zhuo, who had always thought of himself as lonely and friendless, somewhat bewildered, and for a moment he was at a loss for what to do.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern." Chen Zhuo hurriedly said this, and then left the place as if he were fleeing.
He seems more suited to mockery and ridicule than to showing concern.
He knows how to retaliate against those who mock and ridicule him, but he doesn't know how to get along with those who care about him.
This scene was witnessed by Chen Ke. When Chen Zhuo quickly came out of the alley, he ran right into Chen Ke.
"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you're just passing by again." Chen Zhuo's face darkened instantly, his eyes filled with icy coldness.
Chen Ke got out of the car and said calmly, "Of course not, I came here specifically to find you."
Hearing Chen Ke's words, Chen Zhuo sneered: "Heh, why aren't you pretending this time?"
Seeing Chen Zhuo's angry face and hatred that made him want to kill him, Chen Ke didn't care at all. He said, "Think whatever you want. I came to you this time just to ask about my parents' situation."
"I forbid you to mention them! How dare you mention them after what you did!" Chen Zhuo rushed over and grabbed Chen Ke by the collar, roaring angrily.
Chen Ke suppressed his subconscious retaliatory urge, only slightly frowning and looking down at Chen Zhuo: "Chen Zhuo, I thought you would have grown up and matured a bit during the time I was away, and learned to control your emotions, but... you seem to have not changed at all."
Chen Zhuo's breathing became heavy, his eyes filled with disbelief, "You, what did you say?"
Chen Ke pressed down on Chen Zhuo's hand with one hand and easily pried it open in Chen Zhuo's even more shocked gaze.
"Chen Zhuo, you need to learn to control your emotions. A person doesn't truly grow up just because they think they have. If you continue to be so self-righteous—"
"I'm arrogant?" Chen Zhuo interrupted Chen Ke. "You're saying I'm arrogant?" Chen Zhuo was so angry that he was dizzy. He had never felt so frustrated before. Damn it, the anger he felt hadn't been released and had only accumulated more and more!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
