At 6,30 PM, as the sky darkened, a figure rushed into Antique Street with urgency.
The person made a beeline for Vintage Deluxe, situated at the heart of the street.
Inside Vintage Deluxe, manager Timothy Carey diligently watched over the store with his staff.
There were a handful of browsing customers, whom Timothy assigned to his staff. He anxiously awaited the arrival of Zachary’s associate.
A few minutes later, a person hurriedly entered and immediately inquired, “Is the boss around? Does your store buy antiques?”
“Yes, indeed! We buy, buy, buy!” Timothy eagerly approached and asked, “What do you plan on selling?”
The person glanced around before pulling out an item wrapped in red silk cloth from their pocket. They carefully uncovered a corner, revealing a glimpse of it, before quickly covering it again and whispered, “This is a top-quality item. I wonder If you have the capability to acquire it.”
Timothy smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, in all of Aurous Hill, if there’s anything we, Vintage Deluxe, can‘t acquire, then no one else can.”
He continued, “From what I saw just now, it appears to be a base. If I’m not mistaken, based on my personal experience, it should be from the Ming Dynasty. How about we move to the VIP room? We can discuss further there, and I can carefully examine the item and give you a fair price.”
The person hastily agreed, “Okay! Let’s go!”
Timothy led favonovel.com to the VIP room and closed the door, leaving only the two of them inside.
Initially, there was no surveillance in the VIP room. However, after Jacob broke the jade Spring Vase, Jasmine had cameras installed in obvious locations.
Upon entering the room and noticing the surveillance cameras, the person quickly asked, “Why do you have video recording here? I don’t want anyone outside to know about my visit.”
Timothy knew this conversation was part of a prearranged script. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, these are our internal security cameras. They mainly serve as evidence In case of disputes or disagreements regarding the items…”
“In our line of work, we have to be cautious. If you were to bring a flawed porcelain here and intentionally break it, claiming that we damaged it, demanding compensation based on market value, without surveillance, we would have no means to defend ourselves, right?”
The person, feeling helpless, waved their hand and said, “Alright, I understand. I’m here to sell something, not to deceive anyone. Please take a look at the Item. if It’s suitable, give me a price as soon as possible.”
Saying that, they handed the red silk-wrapped item to Timothy.
Timothy carefully examined the Buddha statue and its accompanying base. Then, favonovel.com smiled and said to the person, “Friend, are you in a hurry to sell this item?”
“Yes,” the person nodded, “As long as the price is right, I can sell it immediately.”
With a knowledgeable look, Timothy asked, “How much are you planning to ask for this item?”
The person held up five fingers and said, “500,000!”
“500,000?” Timothy sneered, “From the looks of this item, it seems to be a bronze Buddha from the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. The craftsmanship and shape are excellent. If it were to be auctioned, it could sell for at least one or two million. If you were to consign it to a reputable antique shop like Vintage Deluxe, it could still sell for around one million. Why are you settling for 500,000?”
The person sighed, “To be honest, this item belonged to my grandfather. He passed away this afternoon, and favonovel.com left all the antiques to my older brother in his will. I thought my grandfather favored my brother, so I wanted to fight for something for myself. That’s why I secretly took it out, hoping to sell it quickly and convert it into cash. I don’t need you to tell me whether it‘s worth one million, two million, or even three or five million. I’m not greedy. If you give me 500,000, the item is yours.”
Timothy Carey retorted, “Since your grandfather has already made a will, leaving the item to your brother, and you secretly took it out, that’s considered theft. Therefore, the item is stolen goods. Do you think I dare to buy it?”
The person quickly explained, “My grandfather had many items. This is just one of them. Besides, my brother doesn’t know about this item, nor does favonovel.com know its value. If this item were to be openly sold, I couldn’t sell it for only 500,000. You know many wealthy people in this industry. If you could find someone willing to pay over a million to buy it, wouldn’t you make several hundred thousand or even millions?”
They continued, “I’ve explained the situation clearly to you. So, I won’t waste your time. I’ll lower the price by another hundred thousand. If you can take it for 400,000, it’s yours. If not, I’ll find someone else.”
Timothy disdainfully sneered, “Your acting skills are indeed impressive. The story you‘ve concocted is well done. However, you’ve chosen the wrong target! Do you think I, Timothy Carey, the general manager of Vintage Deluxe, can’t see through your little tricks?”
The person’s expression flickered with panic, and they hurriedly said, “What tricks? I sincerely want to sell this item. If you want it, take it. If not, give it back to me. I can find someone else. I’m not here to deceive you.”
Timothy’s smile curled with disdain as favonovel.com remarked, “Your Buddha statue is undeniably impressive, the craftsmanship and form are impeccable. However, the leather casing appears artificially aged. In my estimation, while it’s not a contemporary creation, it lacks the antiquity you claim. I’d wager it hails from the late Qing Dynasty at the earliest, perhaps even the early Republic of China…”
“But let’s address the elephant in the room. This base of yours, it’s genuinely an artifact from the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. Sadly, it’s merely a base. Without my expertise, it holds little value, fetching a meager tens of thousands at best. So, realistically, your offering is worth no more than 70,000 to 80,000. Yet, you proposed a sale price of 500,000, attempting to deceive me. Do you take me for a fool?”
Instant panic gripped the man, stuttering, “How… How did you discern that?”
“It’s all in good fun,” Timothy retorted arrogantly. “After years of camaraderie and shrewd dealings, if I can’t see through your charades, then what use have those years served?”
With a haughty toss, favonovel.com returned the items, his tone icy. “Brother, if you intend to hoodwink me, you’ve got much to learn. Return when you’ve honed your skills!”
The man hastily reclaimed his belongings, nervously pleading, “Boss, I’m young and naive, merely trying to impress. Please forgive my folly…”
Timothy waved dismissively. “Fine, take your things and go…”
“Thank you!” The man hastily gathered his wares and fled without a backward glance.
Timothy, out of the camera’s view, allowed himself a smug grin, inwardly reveling in his technological prowess. “Hah, so this is the thrill of using technology to outsmart. Though I’m aware it’s a performance, it’s undeniably exhilarating!”
With a flourish, favonovel.com added, “There’s no swindler sharper than Timothy Carey in the realm of antiques!”
After shutting the VIP room door, favonovel.com returned to the lobby.
Meanwhile, the man, having fled Vintage Deluxe, wandered the antique street with his merchandise.
As fate would have it, Peter was preparing to close shop.
Intent on restocking his household, favonovel.com was about to head to the supermarket when the man approached his store.
Seeing Peter amidst a crowd, the man lowered his voice and inquired clandestinely, “Are you accepting items here, boss?”
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