chapter 29 You are a fool ===

"Deceive you? I didn't deceive you, I just made a mistake. In the antiques business, there's no deceit." Joe said with a cold smirk. "Return my money to me, give it back to me now." Lionel Ye looked around frantically, the seller had already disappeared. He grabbed Joe and shouted. "Give it back to you? Whoever you gave the money to, go find them." A scar-faced man stepped forward, pushing Lionel Ye aside, "A loan of 150,000, you owe triple in three days. You had better go home and gather the money." "What did you say? Why should I pay three times the amount?" Lionel Ye was furious. "Hehe, it's all in black and white. It clearly states: Borrow 150,000, and after three days, the principal triples." The scar-faced man flashed the paper Lionel Ye had just signed. "You all teamed up against me, I'll call the police..." Lionel Ye finally reacted. "Call the police? Think you're being clever, boy? Come on, let's talk outside." The scar-faced man sneered, dragging Lionel Ye out. From the look of it, Lionel was in for a tough time. The event continued without interruption, not letting Lionel Ye's situation affect the mood of everyone else. Thorpe Chen shook his head, his older cousin was in trouble. He wondered how the pompous father-in-law would react to this. "Ah, young Chen, you're here?" Elder Wu led a young man to Thorpe Chen, saying, "Let me introduce you, this is my student, Gary. He was the buyer of your tiger amulet last time. Gary, this is the young Chen I told you about." "Haha, pleased to meet you," Gary, from his dress and demeanour, appeared like a kid whose parents are rich. But he didn't display any arrogance typical of such folks. He extended his hand to Thorpe Chen, "The Warring States tiger amulet was truly a rare find. I've donated it to a museum. If you have any other valuable items in the future, be sure to contact me." "I was just lucky last time. I can't always be so lucky," Thorpe Chen laughed. "You're too modest, brother. Come, let's sit upstairs," Gary said with a smile. The second floor was a room. Inside were experts and a few bidders. "This ceramic cat was excavated from a Tang Dynasty tomb. According to records, it was a gift from ancient Persia to the Chinese imperial court. The starting bid is 10,000. Please evaluate," the auctioneer said while presenting an antique. This antique was a clay cat, of a dull gray colour. Other than its refined craftsmanship, there seemed nothing special about it. "Master Wang, could you please elaborate on this?" The auctioneer turned to an expert after his introduction. Master Wang, a popular host of an antique appraisal TV show and a director of the Antique Association, cleared his throat, "This ceramic piece is a foreign tribute during the Tang Dynasty. It's finely crafted and has significant collectable value." "Master Wang, are you saying it's not that valuable?" A young man in the room, with a haughty demeanour, asked. This young man dressed opulently, clearly a wealthy individual. "Yes, its value isn't significant," Elder Wu smiled, "If young master Zhao likes it, you should add it to your collection." "Hehe, if it's not valuable, I won't buy it. Gary, this one's yours," The young man provocatively looked at Gary, implying they weren't on good terms. "Leap Zhao, I'll compete for what I like. I don't need your charity," Gary snorted, then turned to Thorpe Chen, "Brother, what do you think?" "Oh, you brought a bumpkin for advice?" Leap Zhao sneered, "Gary, you are, after all, the future heir of the Gary Group. Why are you associating with all sorts of riffraff?" "You're going downhill, consulting a bumpkin to make decisions for you," Leap Zhao laughed heartily, clearly looking down on Thorpe Chen. Indeed, Thorpe Chen's attire was simple, making him appear poor in their eyes. "The Gary Group?" Thorpe Chen thought, "In Fengling City, there's only one 'Gary'—that's one of the four major families. So this affable young rich man is the future heir of the Gary Group?" As for Leap Zhao, there's a Zhao family in Fengling, also one of the four major families. Only they would dare to confront Gary head-on. "Gary, this item is worth buying," Thorpe Chen simply said. Thorpe Chen wasn't sure about the value of the object, but he knew that this ceramic cat faintly emitted a special aura. "All right, ten thousand, I'll take it," Gary said without doubting Thorpe Chen's words and named her price directly. "Elder Wang already said it's worthless. Spending ten thousand on junk? With that money, you could tip a girl, and she'd call you 'big brother' a few times," Leap Zhao said sarcastically. "I like it; it's none of your business," Gary retorted with a cold smile. "Since it’s what you like, I won't let you have it. I bid, one million." Leap Zhao provocatively raised the price. "Two million," Gary, of course, wasn't short of money. The two rich heirs were thus competing, turning an item originally priced at ten thousand to a whopping five million. "All right, it's yours now," Leap Zhao laughed heartily. He had outsmarted Gary, making her pay millions more, which made him very satisfied. "Young Master Gary is indeed generous. Consider this money as a contribution to charity," Elder Wang said cheerfully. Elder Wang was invited by Leap Zhao, and his words were somewhat prickly, making Gary uncomfortable. After winning the bid for the ceramic cat, she asked, "Brother, what's so special about this item?" "Of course there is, and it’s worth more than five million," Thorpe Chen replied with a smile. "Hahaha, if something slips past Elder Wang's discerning eye and he says it's not valuable, then it's not. Could Elder Wang be wrong?" Leap Zhao laughed heartily. "People can occasionally make mistakes," Thorpe Chen replied. "You're implying I was wrong?" Elder Wang coldly huffed, "Young man, watch your tone." "Elder Wang, I didn't mean to belittle you," Thorpe Chen smiled, "I'm just stating the facts." "Well, in my eyes, this is an artefact from the Tang Dynasty, gifted from a foreign land. Its craftsmanship and research value are average. What's so special about it?" Elder Wang scoffed. "Brother, what's unusual about this? If you can point it out, I'll share 50% of the profit with you," Gary said. She wasn't doing it for the money but to prove a point. "Judging from the ceramic material, there isn't anything special," Thorpe Chen laughed, "But Mr. Gary, if you look at the eyes of this cat, even though they are dim, there is a faint glimmer within." "As Elder Wang mentioned, the cat was a foreign tribute. Although the Tang Dynasty led the world in craftsmanship and cultural standards, it's normal for foreign tributes to be made of rare and exotic treasures," Thorpe Chen explained with a smile. "You're suggesting there's something with the eyes?" Gary promptly called out, "Someone, get the tools to remove the eyeballs." "Hahaha, this is hilarious. Do you think a turtle would wear a dragon robe? It's just like the fool you've found," Leap Zhao mocked without restraint. Gary ignored him, had someone bring tweezers, and personally removed the cat's eye beads. After removing them, they felt cold and heavy in her hand. She handed them to Thorpe Chen, saying, "They feel different, take a look." Thorpe Chen rubbed the beads in his hand, and when he opened his palm, two crystal-clear red gemstones appeared.