My grandfather taught me from a young age that in the murky world of antiques, what falls from the sky is never a free lunch, but always a trap.
This unfamiliar middle-aged man immediately offered me immense wealth, which naturally made me wary. I adopted a distant attitude: "Sir, we are complete strangers. This wealth is too sudden. I've heard plenty of stories about windfall gains being too hot to handle."
"Haha, Brother Duan, don't be nervous. Who in this hall doesn't know you're Mr. Leng's friend? Even if I were a dishonest person, I wouldn't dare to play a honey trap with you here!"
The middle-aged man's words revealed what I was thinking. He lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, that Fanghou goblet on the stage is mine."
I had considered countless possibilities of a middle-aged man coming to find me, but I never expected that he would claim to be the owner of that wine cup.
Seeing that I didn't believe him, the middle-aged man took out two photos from his pocket: "Brother Duan, please take a look."
I took the photos and looked at them. They were indeed of the bronze wine vessel, but the photos were not taken here. One of them was taken inside a car, and the other was taken inside a safe.
As I looked at the photos, the middle-aged man continued, "Although this Fanghou wine cup is mine, it wasn't sent to me in my name. The so-called owner was just my agent. Now, can we talk?"
I looked at the middle-aged man with a puzzled expression: "I wonder what exactly you want to talk to me about?"
"The world is bustling with activity, all for profit. Let's cooperate and make a fortune together."
The middle-aged man didn't mince words: "I've already figured it out. You're Mr. Leng's advisor today. The reason he wants this bronze wine vessel is because you, Brother Duan, recognized it as a rare treasure! If you're willing to raise the price, I'll give you five percent of the profits, how about that?"
My pupils contracted: "You want me to get out of the cage and help you feed Mr. Leng his medicine?"
"Under-the-cage" is a term specific to the antique business, generally referring to the act of secretly and privately trading under the guise of someone else's business. There are many drawbacks in the antique business, among which "under-the-cage" is the most insidious and the most difficult to detect, because it can only be accomplished through an insider. Therefore, this behavior is the most condemned. Given Mr. Leng's character, if I betray him, I'm afraid I won't even be able to save my life.
As for taking medicine, it refers to being deceived and cheated, while feeding medicine means actively trying to cheat or harm others.
"Brother Duan, don't get so agitated. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Otherwise, even if you spend your whole life advising others, you'll only be picking up scraps from others. With such paltry sums, when will you ever achieve anything?"
The middle-aged man winked slyly: "Don't worry, I know Mr. Leng is not someone to be trifled with. Since I've asked you to cooperate, I naturally can't put myself in a dangerous situation. So this is a secret between heaven, earth, you, and me. We'll all make a fortune together, how about it?"
Looking at the middle-aged man's smug expression, I frowned slightly: "It seems this isn't the first time you've done something like this?"
"Isn't the antique business all about scheming and manipulation? I'm already upholding my bottom line by not selling fakes or deceiving people!"
Although the middle-aged man was dishonest, his words were still quite frank: "To be honest, I've been preparing for this for a long time! Many people in the Beijing circle know that Mr. Leng suffered a setback at the tea party when he met Mr. Lin last time, and he must be determined to get back at him today! That's why I spared no expense to acquire this bronze wine cup. What was it for? Wasn't it for profit?"
Mr. Leng has always loved bronzes, and this Fanghou wine cup is quite substantial. If he can acquire it, he will undoubtedly become famous in the circle, thus redeeming himself from his previous humiliation! Mr. Lin has already outshone Mr. Leng before, and if he can surpass him today, his position in the circle will be secure! From now on, when people mention the two of them, Mr. Leng will always be half a level below Mr. Lin!
So neither of them wants to lose this battle today. If we just put in a little effort to ignite this rivalry, it'll be like building a mountain of gold! For people like them, throwing money at a price several times higher to prove themselves is perfectly normal! Look at Sotheby's, Christie's, Poly Auction—aren't there countless examples like that? And the few grains of rice they squeeze through their fingers are enough to feed us nobody!"
Looking at the middle-aged man's hopeful face, I sneered, "Isn't it a bit unrealistic for you to say that? Don't forget, everyone who reaches their level is a shrewd and calculating person!"
"You don't understand these people at all! Apart from being born into prestigious families, they are actually just ordinary people like you and me. Their pampered and spoiled lives from childhood have made them extremely concerned about their image, because they don't need to worry about anything else! For them, money is not important, winning or losing is the only thing!"
The middle-aged man looked at me with a radiant expression: "Brother Duan, to be honest, Mr. Lin's Ah Sheng has already agreed to my conditions. As long as you agree as well, with the cooperation of both sides' advisors, this will definitely be an extremely exciting auction. What do you think?"
When I heard what the middle-aged man said, a mental storm immediately raged within me.
My first thought was that he was bluffing me.
As Lin Jianghao's follower, Ah Sheng should be his confidant. How could someone of his status easily betray his boss?
Could it be that Ah Sheng, like me, was just someone Lin Jianghao temporarily brought in to help out, and not one of his trusted confidants?
It's terrifying to think about.
Could it be that Ah Sheng had already seen through the trickery of the doucai jar and was deliberately setting a trap to swindle Lin Jianghao out of his money?
Because I don't know anything about the people there, I can't verify my guess.
After a brief silence, he shook his head and declined the middle-aged man's offer: "I'm really sorry, I'm not interested in your suggestion, and I'm not destined for this windfall. I'll pretend I didn't hear about it, and you didn't tell me either."
"Brother Duan, I know what you're worried about, but I really advise you to think it over carefully."
The middle-aged man seemed surprised by my refusal: "You should be well aware of the conflict between Mr. Leng and Mr. Lin. Even without your words today, they would still continue to fight. I simply need you to pass on a word for me at a crucial moment. Every word is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
"Anyone who tries to lift a mountain of gold with their fingertips will only end up with their fingers crushed! I'm a worker, so I have to abide by the rules of this industry."
I remained unmoved by the middle-aged man's advice: "The patriarch Fan Li once said, 'Loyalty to the country, wisdom to protect oneself, business to get rich, and fame to be known throughout the world.' Although I am not exactly a righteous person, I really wouldn't dare to take money that I shouldn't have. I'm sorry!"
If I agree to the middle-aged man's conditions, it will be like getting a guaranteed minimum wage. Regardless of whether Mr. Leng wins or loses, I will receive a large sum of money.
The reason I didn't agree to the middle-aged man's offer was twofold: firstly, I was afraid that the truth would come out and ruin my future; secondly, the middle-aged man had misjudged me. I wasn't just going to work for Mr. Leng; I had my own business. I could earn money slowly, but if my reputation was ruined, it would be a stain on my life forever.
"Brother Duan, I admire your integrity and perseverance, but I still have to tell you something: your perseverance will not change the outcome of today's battle. If you ever fall into poverty someday, I hope you won't regret this decision when you think back on it!"
Seeing that the people at the booth had finished inspecting the goods, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Now let's see just how fierce this battle will be."
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