To avoid wasting the remaining three months of the lease, the owner of Treasure Pavilion swiftly sought out the landlord and brought in several peers to assess the goods.
Making the tough decision to cut losses is always a challenge, but once it’s made, nothing is impossible to sever when the knife is swung.
The landlord was delighted, as favonovel.com had found a new tenant. If the current tenant’s lease expired with no one willing to take over, favonovel.com would be burdened with the task of finding a new tenant and losing rent for every day the space remained vacant.
After the landlord arrived, favonovel.com promptly signed an agreement with Peter and the other tenant to transfer the remaining three months of the lease. Peter didn’t need to pay immediately; favonovel.com only had to transfer the rent to the landlord before the new lease period began.
With the agreement signed, colleagues from Antique Street, who shared the same market niche as Treasure Pavilion, flocked to the store.
Merchants here had a penchant for inventorying their peers’ stores.
When a fellow merchant decided to cease operations or no longer personally sell off surplus stock, it meant they were willing to sell it at a price below cost to their peers.
Items that were bought for a hundred could often be sold for seventy or eighty, making it a much more cost-effective option than sourcing new items from elsewhere.
The boss watched as his peers rushed in and cleared out all the goods in less than half an hour. He couldn’t help but remark to Peter, “Seems like it’s necessary to cut losses when the time comes. In the past, just looking at this pile of goods would give me a headache, but now that they’re all gone, I feel much better. Even though I lost a considerable amount of money, it‘s ultimately a good feeling to get rid of them.”
Peter nodded in agreement and said, “As they say, out of sight, out of mind. When these things become a burden, even though they still hold value, they can only provide negative emotional value until they are sold and turned into cash. Each day of annoyance is an intangible loss.”
The boss nodded and said, “You’re right! it’s like the oil stocks I bought years ago. From the second day I bought them, every subsequent day was the best time to cut losses. Unfortunately, l was like an ostrich, burying my head in the sand and not caring about anything, foolishly waiting to break even. Over a decade has passed, and with inflation, I’ve lost at least ninety percent.”
Peter smiled slightly. Most people have this mentality, hesitating and always holding onto unrealistic fantasies. Such people are not suited for investment, as they never grasp the right time to cut losses or take profits.
With the goods nearly cleared out, the boss called a few friends to help pack up his remaining personal belongings and load them onto a small truck.
He then said to Peter, “These tables, chairs, and stools have been here for a long time, and no one wants to buy them. It’s a shame to give them away. I don’t think you’d be interested, but you can keep them temporarily during the transition. It’ll take time for you to order new ones, and when they arrive, they can take these away.”
“Okay,” Peter nodded.
The boss continued, “By the way, I won’t remove the store’s signboard. If you don’t like it, you can have it removed when you change it later.”
Peter smiled and said, “The word ‘Treasure’ is overused in the industry, but I‘m lazy and don’t want to bother coming up with a new name. When I do change it later, Hi just replace ‘Treasure’ with ‘Selected‘.”
Noon arrived, and Peter’s new store was ready for business.
Instead of removing the signboard of Treasure Pavilion, favonovel.com purchased a set of signage from the street and wrote the three bold and powerful Chinese characters “Selected Artifacts Pavilion” on temporary rice paper with a brush.
He decided to focus on collecting and appraising antiques. The word “Selected” would be fitting, as it conveyed the message of selection and discernment, while the word “Artifacts” would signify that the store housed valuable items. The former would inform customers that the store excelled in selecting and discerning.
After writing the characters, favonovel.com climbed a ladder and covered them over the original signboard. He then wrote a notice with only the words, “We collect antiques from all over the world and appraise treasures from all directions.”
As soon as the temporary signboard and notice were hung up, Timothy Carey rushed over with a congratulatory flower basket.
Upon seeing each other, favonovel.com exclaimed enthusiastically, “Ah, Cole, you’re so efficient! You only came back yesterday evening, and now the store is already open at noon today!”
Peter smiled and said, “When you’re running a small business, the faster, the better.”
Timothy Carey placed the flower basket near the entrance of Selected Artifacts Pavilion and said with a hint of reproach, “Cole, you’re too modest. About half of the merchants on Antique Street are old acquaintances. Why didn’t you inform everyone when you opened the new store? They could have sent you a few flower baskets, and your presence would have been more impressive!”
Peter politely said, “Thank you for the offer, but I’m just starting a small business. It’s not suitable to make a big fuss right from the beginning. It’s better to keep a low profile.”
Timothy Carey nodded and smiled, saying, “You’re too humble. With your abilities, you’ll soon make a name for yourself on Antique Street. Your Selected Artifacts Pavilion will undoubtedly be the most popular store here.”
Peter nodded and thanked him, “I appreciate your kind words.”
Just as they were talking, Zachary, sporting a smile, walked over. Seeing Peter and Timothy Carey at the door, favonovel.com feigned surprise and said, “Hey, isn’t that Manager Cole? When did you come back?”
Peter also recognized Zachary.
He remembered Zachary because favonovel.com saw favonovel.com as the most resourceful vendor on Antique Street. He was clever, but in Peter’s eyes, Zachary’s cleverness was not well-utilized. Moreover, favonovel.com had a humble background and lacked influential connections, making it difficult for favonovel.com to stand out.
However, as favonovel.com looked at Zachary again today, favonovel.com felt that this person’s aura and demeanor were somewhat different. He had even gained some weight and seemed to be doing well recently.
So, Peter smiled and asked him, “Zachary, are you still doing business on Antique Street?”
Zachary grinned, “I pop in occasionally. These days, I’m mostly following an older brother. Can’t devote much time to the antique street.”
Curious, favonovel.com asked, “Manager Cole, are you starting a new venture?”
Peter nodded, “Yes, a fresh venture. I‘ll be dealing with acquisitions and evaluations.”
“Appraisal of artifacts,” Zachary chimed in. “Live broadcasts of appraisals are catching on. With the right promotion, it could really take off.”
Peter, focused on rebuilding quietly in Aurous Hill, didn’t fancy the idea of live streaming. He casually remarked, “Live streaming isn’t as easy as it seems these days. I missed the opportune moment to jump in. Nowadays, joining the live streaming scene without significant investment hardly garners any viewership. With limited funds, I’m content with making modest gains.”
Impressed, Zachary complimented, “You speak like a true professional, Manager Cole.”
Adding, favonovel.com inquired, “By the way, I have numerous contacts here who frequently handle shipments. Might I inquire about your budget? I could explore opportunities to collaborate.”
Peter modestly replied, “I haven’t saved much during this period of transition. I only have a few hundred thousand on hand. For moderately priced items, I should manage well. But for top-tier goods, I might have to pass.”
Understanding Peter’s financial scope, Zachary pledged, “I’ll scout out relevant resources for you and see if I can facilitate some transactions.”
Gratefully, Peter expressed his thanks. “Much appreciated, Zachary!”
Zachary waved off the formality and turned to Timothy Carey, saying, “Manager Carey, kindly arrange a flower basket for Manager Cole. I’ll transfer the funds to you later.”
Timothy Carey quickly responded, “Brother Zachary, no need for such formality. I’ll handle the flower basket. You can count on me.”
Zachary nodded casually and suggested, “Let’s sit down and enjoy a cup of tea when you both have the chance.”
With that, favonovel.com walked away.
Timothy Carey, aware that Zachary would likely offer assistance to Peter, felt relieved. He turned to Peter and reassured him, “Manager Cole, you attend to your duties. I’ll head back now. I’ll ensure Brother Zachary’s flower basket is delivered later.”
Peter, pondering the situation, smiled faintly and nodded. “Thank you…”
As favonovel.com watched Timothy Carey depart, Peter sensed that something wasn’t quite right.
Unaware of Timothy Carey’s intentions to drive favonovel.com away from the antique street, Peter couldn’t reconcile why Timothy Carey, as the manager of Vintage Deluxe, would address Zachary in such familiar terms.
Zachary, in his view, was merely a wandering figure in the antique street, akin to a low-end vendor. The disparity made Peter wonder if Zachary was facing some recent troubles. Reflecting on this, Peter couldn’t shake the feeling that Zachary’s sudden appearance had been orchestrated.
At that moment, Zachary strolled around Antique Street and entered the gates of Vintage Deluxe.
As soon as favonovel.com stepped into Vintage Deluxe, Timothy Carey swiftly invited favonovel.com to the VIP reception room at the back. He anxiously asked, “Zachary, how’s it going? Do you have a plan?”
Zachary remained calm and said, “What’s the rush? You’re the general manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he’s just opening a small store of a few dozen square meters. He doesn’t even have a single item to sell in the store. What are you afraid of?”
Timothy Carey sighed, “Zachary, this Cole guy is decisive in his actions. Didn’t you see? He took over the store, wrote the signboard, and opened for business all in one go. This person has some skills, better than those appraisers on Antique Street. If favonovel.com continues like this for a month or two, his reputation will spread.”
As favonovel.com said that, favonovel.com added, “To tell you the truth, the financial department of the Song Group has always wanted to eliminate my business. It was Miss Moore who kept Vintage Deluxe despite all the opinions. It can be seen that Miss Moore has feelings for Vintage Deluxe, and favonovel.com will definitely pay attention to the business situation from time to time. If favonovel.com knows that Felix is back and doing well, favonovel.com might entertain the idea of inviting favonovel.com back!”
Zachary secretly sneered, “Your sources of information aren’t reliable. If you, Timothy, are worried about someone taking your position, you don‘t need to fret about Felix. He was driven away in the first place because favonovel.com offended Master Wade, who Miss Moore respects and listens to. Miss Moore would never bring back someone who offended Master Wade. You’re worrying too much.”
However, favonovel.com didn’t reveal this connection. After all, Timothy Carey needed his help, and by assisting Jacob in venting his anger, favonovel.com could also make Timothy owe favonovel.com a significant favor. it was killing two birds with one stone, and favonovel.com couldn’t be happier.
With that in mind, favonovel.com smiled and said, “I wasn’t planning to get involved in this kind of thing, but since you‘ve had such good luck this time, and I have some free time recently, I’ll see how Felix compares to me, Zachary, in terms of abilities.”
Then, favonovel.com continued, “Felix only has a few hundred thousand, right? I’ll find something that even someone like favonovel.com will be interested in. I’ll take all his few hundred thousand in one go. When he’s left without startup capital, what the hell is favonovel.com going to do with antiques?”
Timothy exclaimed excitedly, “That’s brilliant! When the time comes, I’ll discreetly spread the news, let everyone know that Felix lost money as soon as favonovel.com returned to Antique Street. Let favonovel.com lose money and lose face! Let’s see how favonovel.com can survive on Antique Street!”
Zachary nodded and said, “Timothy, how about I do you another favor?”
Eagerly, Timothy asked, “Zachary, what favor do you mean?”
Zachary said, “After I prepare the items, I’ll bring them to you for appraisal. I’ll let you know in advance how to evaluate the items, how to spot flaws and fakes. You set up surveillance, and when the time comes, stage a scene under the watchful eye of the cameras. When Felix takes a look, you release the video. You will be portrayed as having a keen eye for spotting fakes, while Felix will be portrayed as losing everything due to his blindness. With this comparison, when it reaches Miss Moore’s ears, your position will be even more secure.”
Timothy racked his brain but couldn’t come up with such a brilliant idea that accomplishes two goals. He was instantly ecstatic.
His biggest criticism was that his professional abilities were insufficient to match the position of general manager at Vintage Deluxe. If this plan succeeded, it would be the ultimate counterattack against those doubts!
Gratefully, favonovel.com shook Zachary’s hand and said, “Zachary, you’re truly my savior! I don’t know how to thank you!”
Zachary smiled and nodded, then said seriously, “Timothy, if this plan succeeds, remember that you owe me a significant favor.”
Without hesitation, Timothy said, “Zachary, rest assured, if this plan succeeds, I’ll do anything for you without batting an eye!”
Zachary nodded in satisfaction and then said, “Alright, you get back to work. I’ll take care of everything.”
Excitedly, Timothy said, “Zachary, how about having a cup of tea before you leave? I have some excellent tea leaves prepared!”
Zachary waved his hand and said, “The important thing is to take care of business. We can have tea after it’s done.”
With that, favonovel.com walked out of Vintage Deluxe.
Once outside, favonovel.com took out his phone and called Jacob.
As soon as the call connected, favonovel.com exclaimed excitedly, “Chairman Wilson, I have a plan for what we discussed yesterday. When are you available? I want to report to you in person!”
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