However, even if it's not a Ming Dynasty garden, a garden built later would be fine too!
It was the first time Xu Yao had ever seen a private garden of such scale, and her big eyes were full of amazement.
Du Zhe led the two onto a shuttle bus inside the garden, which wound its way to a quaint building located in the center of the garden.
"This is it, my dad's study."
Du Zhe got out of the car, looked around, lowered his voice, and made a "shh" gesture to Zhou Yang and Xu Yao in a thieving manner.
"Let me tell you, my dad treasures that little thing like it's his own eyeball, he usually won't let me touch it! We need to get this over with quickly!"
The three of them tiptoed into the study.
The study is elegantly furnished with antique charm, filled with a rich scholarly atmosphere.
Du Zhe walked familiarly to a huge mahogany bookshelf and fiddled with it for a while.
One side of the bookshelf slowly slid open, revealing a built-in safe.
"Hey, I secretly memorized the password a long time ago."
Du Zhe raised an eyebrow smugly and quickly pressed a string of numbers on the keypad.
With a soft click, the safe door opened.
Du Zhe carefully took out a palm-sized red brocade box from inside and solemnly presented it to Zhou Yang.
"Master, this is it!"
Zhou Yang took the brocade box; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.
He took a deep breath and slowly opened the box.
On the brocade cushion, a jade seal lay quietly.
The jade is warm and lustrous, with the unique mutton fat sheen of Hetian white jade. The seal is square, with a lifelike nine-dragon pattern carved on the top. The dragons are coiled, with powerful claws and a majestic aura.
The seal face is vermilion, and the engraved characters are faintly visible.
Judging from its appearance alone, it does indeed have a royal air about it.
Xu Yao also curiously leaned over to take a look, exclaiming softly, "Wow, it looks so beautiful..."
However, Zhou Yang only glanced at it, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He picked up the jade seal, gently stroking the texture of the jade with his fingertips, then turned it over to carefully examine the carving of the seal knob and the inscription on the seal face.
The whole process took only a few dozen seconds.
Du Zhe held his breath, staring intently at Zhou Yang's face, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Finally, Zhou Yang put down the jade seal, raised his head, and looked calmly at Du Zhe, but his tone was resolute and left no room for doubt:
"Fake."
"ah?!"
Du Zhe and Xu Yao gasped in surprise at the same time, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Du Zhe was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale: "Fake...fake?! Then...then my dad's more than 100 million...is all gone down the drain?!"
Du Zhe's face fell instantly, his features almost scrunched up.
"Master, what... what can we do? Over a hundred million! Is there any way to get this money back?"
He was so anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, he was practically jumping up and down on the spot.
That's over a hundred million, not just a stack of Happy Beans!
It's all gone to waste. His dad would have been better off just giving him the money to live a carefree life!
Zhou Yang remained calm and gently shook his head: "It's uncertain. Once the item leaves the auction house, the variables become much greater."
"Sotheby's is a place with strict rules. Once you leave, it's incredibly difficult to get revenge. They have a million ways to sever ties."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, chilling Du Zhe to the bone.
"Then...then that solves it?!"
Du Zhe felt like the sky was falling, and he completely deflated.
Just then, a series of steady and powerful footsteps came from outside the study, heading this way!
"Oh no! My dad's back!"
Du Zhe's expression changed drastically. Like a frightened bird, he frantically tried to stuff the brocade box and jade seal on the table into the safe.
He dared not let his father know that he had secretly shown this "precious gem" to outsiders.
"Clang—"
But before he could hide the things, the study door was pushed open from the outside.
A middle-aged man wearing a Chinese-style jacket with frog buttons and an imposing, dignified expression walked in.
He was of medium height, but possessed a commanding presence, with sharp, eagle-like eyes that swept across the study.
When he saw Zhou Yang and Xu Yao standing next to Du Zhe, his brows furrowed instantly.
"Du Zhe!"
The middle-aged man's voice was deep and tinged with obvious displeasure, "Didn't I tell you that the study is a restricted area and you're not allowed to bring just anyone in? These two are..."
His gaze fell on Zhou Yang and Xu Yao, filled with scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible contempt. "What kind of shady characters dare to bring people into my study?!"
The moment those words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze.
Zhou Yang's eyes suddenly turned cold.
He may not care what others think of him, but the words "neither fish nor fowl" carry a strong sense of insult, especially in front of Xu Yao.
Just because I'm not showing my teeth doesn't mean I'm some kind of Hello Kitty.
“Sir,” Zhou Yang said, a half-smile playing on his lips, but his tone was utterly devoid of warmth.
“We are Ah Zhe’s friends. As for being ‘neither fish nor fowl’... do you mean we’re not dressed in a ‘three-piece suit’ or that our behavior isn’t ‘steady’?”
"If judging people by their appearance is your way of treating guests, then the Du family's social standing is probably not very high."
Xu Yao frowned slightly. Although she didn't say anything, her gaze towards the middle-aged man carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
"you!"
The middle-aged man was taken aback by Zhou Yang's words, which were neither humble nor arrogant, and even carried a hint of sarcasm. His face immediately turned even uglier.
He is Du Zhe's father, Du Minghua, the head of the Du Group.
Having grown accustomed to flattery, I've never been contradicted like this to my face before.
"Dad! What are you saying!"
Seeing this, Du Zhe disregarded his fear and immediately stood in front of Zhou Yang, stubbornly defending him.
"My master and mistress are my honored guests! What's so shady about them? They're much better than some spendthrifts who spend over a hundred million to buy a fake and treat it like a treasure!"
Du Zhe was so angry that he blurted out all the resentment in his heart without thinking.
"What did you say?!"
Du Minghua frowned.
Du Zhe retorted, "Dad, you always say I'm not doing my job properly, but I only spend a little over 100 million of your money all year round, and at least I enjoy it."
"Unlike you, who spent over a hundred million to bid on some jade, only to find out it was fake and worthless!"
Upon hearing this, Du Minghua immediately knew that he was referring to the Qianlong-made jade seal that he had recently purchased.
He flew into a rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at Du Zhe, "You little brat, what do you know! That jade seal made by Emperor Qianlong is a treasure of our Chinese nation!"
"I photographed it overseas intending to donate it to the National Museum free of charge! This is bringing glory to the country and making a contribution to the country! What do you know!"
Du Minghua looked righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he were some kind of national hero.
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