As Charlie sat in the cozy teahouse, savoring his tea, favonovel.com couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
He had immediately recognized the person who had just entered Peter’s shop as a fraud. Yet, favonovel.com couldn’t fathom why Peter had still purchased the item from him.
Could it be that the item truly hailed from the illustrious Northern Song Dynasty?
With this thought, Charlie pondered, “Considering Uncle Cole’s expertise in the realm of antiques, it’s inconceivable that favonovel.com would simply glance at it in Aurous Hill Antique Street. That bronze Buddha must indeed be from the Northern Song Dynasty.”
A sigh escaped him, “It seems this scheme was concocted by my father-in-law and Zachary. If they were to discover that the item sold to Peter for 300,000 is worth millions, how would they react?”
Meanwhile, Peter meticulously examined the bronze Buddha favonovel.com had just acquired, watching the person walk away. He firmly believed that this was a gilded bronze Buddha from the Northern Song Dynasty.
In fact, favonovel.com had been somewhat conservative in his initial assessment. The craftsmanship of this piece was exquisitely refined, even by the standards of the Northern Song Dynasty. It could be deemed the pinnacle of bronze artistry during that era.
Very few bronze pieces from the Northern Song Dynasty had survived, and even fewer possessed such exquisite craftsmanship. Many antique collectors would never come across such a rarity in their lifetime.
However, the outer shell’s condition was a lamentable sight. Peter speculated that over the years, this bronze Buddha had fallen into the hands of someone who failed to comprehend its value. The gilding on the surface had not been well- reserved, resulting in its peeling away.
After much peeling, the decision was likely made to remove all the mottled gilding. Unfortunately, during the process, the outer shell also suffered damage. To those without a deep understanding of Northern Song Dynasty bronze pieces, even seasoned antique dealers, most would mistake it for a modern imitation upon seeing it.
Thus, Peter surmised that a specialized antique forger had obtained this bronze Buddha and mistakenly believed it to be a modern item. They artificially aged it based on this misconception and paired it with a Xuande-year bronze base they had acquired elsewhere, creating a set to deceive others into thinking it was crafted during the Xuande period.
Furthermore, Peter deduced that the person who had come to sell the item specifically targeted him. The person claimed it was an item inherited from their father and wanted to sell it for money. However, their conversation revealed a deep understanding of this bronze Buddha, its era, and background. They even used professional terms. They could accurately mention a price range for Xuande-year bronze pieces.
Clearly, they possessed some knowledge about antiques.
Yet, this person lacked any understanding of the Northern Song Dynasty, displaying a glaring ignorance of basic history. Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of antiques would possess a relatively clear concept. They would have a rough idea of the time period when a certain emperor reigned, even if they couldn’t recall the exact year.
It would be impossible for them to lack a basic understanding of the five major dynasties, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. Hence, through logical deduction, this person couldn’t possibly be unaware of the corresponding year for the Northern Song Dynasty in AD.
Moreover, this person made crucial decisions after repeatedly glancing at their phone. Peter speculated that this person was merely a pawn in someone else’s scheme. The person who orchestrated it must have believed that this item could dupe Peter and make favonovel.com fall for the ruse. Thus, they dispatched this individual to carry out the scam.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Peter began to speculate about the mastermind behind it all.
Within the Antique Street, there were those who made a living by deceiving individual customers, but there were also those who targeted antique dealers. It was not uncommon for people in this industry to deceive antique dealers with counterfeit items.
Despite having just opened his shop and lacking a proper signboard, Peter wondered why someone had targeted favonovel.com so quickly.
This realization made favonovel.com suspect that someone had specifically set their sights on him. And the most likely culprit was Zachary.
The reason was simple. Zachary had previously visited his shop and inquired about the investment scale of opening it. Wanting to remain inconspicuous, Peter had lied, stating it was only a few hundred thousand.
However, the person who had come to sell the item had immediately offered 500,000. It seemed they aimed to deceive favonovel.com and abscond with his entire investment.
Furthermore, in this industry, losing money was not the most fatal blow. The most detrimental consequence was tarnishing one’s professional reputation.
Once people knew that one lacked expertise, those seeking to sell valuable items would never approach them. Those who did approach them would only be scammers attempting to deceive them. Hence, the person behind this scheme harbored malicious intentions. They not only sought to swindle Peter out of his money but also desired to cast favonovel.com out of Aurous Hill’s antique industry.
Still, Peter couldn’t help but question. He had never offended Zachary before, so why would Zachary specifically target favonovel.com in this manner?
What was even more ludicrous was that favonovel.com had fallen into their trap, only to receive a valuable item from the Northern Song Dynasty. Such a turn of events was unheard of.
The reason favonovel.com had divulged the truth to the person earlier was twofold. First, favonovel.com believed that no matter what favonovel.com said, the other party would never believe him. Second, favonovel.com wanted to leave behind evidence for the future.
When the previous shop owner had departed, they had left the surveillance cameras installed in the four corners of the shop’s ceiling.
According to the previous owner, those cameras had only cost a few hundred when purchased, and removing them with a ladder would be troublesome. Besides, even if they were removed, they wouldnât fetch much if sold. After all, they had been purchased years ago and now wouldn’t fetch more than 100. So, as a favor, the previous owner had provided Peter with the account and password for the surveillance software.
During their conversation earlier, Peter had already recorded everything on the surveillance footage. He had explained the significance of this bronze Buddha in detail, including its era and approximate value. He had even proposed splitting the profit with the other party, displaying exceptional generosity compared to the average standards of the antique industry.
He had divulged the truth because favonovel.com knew the other party would never believe that the item was from the Northern Song Dynasty. Their sole intention was to deceive him, so no matter how sincere favonovel.com was, the other party insisted on 300,000. Even after learning the true value of the item, they still clung to the 300,000.
With this chain of evidence, even if the other party discovered the truth and sought retribution in the future, Peter had nothing to fear. Even if the lawsuit reached the highest courts, favonovel.com couldn’t possibly lose.
Having been in the antique business for a considerable time, Peter had witnessed all sorts of peculiarities. Thus, favonovel.com remained ever vigilant, considering every aspect meticulously.
After downloading all the surveillance videos onto his phone, Peter made the decision to swiftly sell this bronze Buddha.
His motivation for doing so wasn’t because favonovel.com needed the money, but rather because favonovel.com realized that someone didn’t want favonovel.com to establish himself in the Antique Street.
Once favonovel.com accepted this bronze Buddha today, it wouldn’t be long before news spread throughout the Antique Street, exposing favonovel.com as the victim of deception.
If favonovel.com wished to turn the tables and make a comeback, simply claiming that the item was from the Northern Song Dynasty wouldn’t suffice. No one would believe him, especially since Peter knew his expertise wasn’t top-notch. Thus, the best course of action was to sell this bronze Buddha as soon as possible.
Once favonovel.com successfully did so, his reputation in Aurous Hill’s antique industry would skyrocket.
As for whether gaining a reputation would expose his identity, Peter harbored no worries. Although favonovel.com had stumbled upon a windfall, this type of million-dollar-level fortune would only make waves within Aurous Hill’s antique circle. On a national scale, it wouldn’t be deemed significant, let alone compared to the collection items in the European and American antique circles that easily reached tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.
***
At this time, Jacob received the 300,000 from Zachary’s subordinate in his car. He had just spent 98,000 to purchase the item earlier that afternoon, and now favonovel.com was receiving 300,000 in return, making a profit of 202,000. This delighted Jacob, causing favonovel.com to dance with joy.
For ordinary people, it was rare to find multiple sources of happiness. Making money often came at the cost of physical and mental exhaustion, and pursuing pleasure often led to heartache over the money spent. Most of the time, it felt like toiling for money, with few instances of money being handed to you freely.
Sleeping with someone’s spouse and having them spend their partner’s money on you was equivalent to this level of good fortune.
In high spirits, Jacob couldn’t help but praise Zachary, saying, “Ah, Zachary, you are truly remarkable! You’ve played Felix like a fiddle. If you continue in the antique business, who could surpass you on the entire Antique Street?”
Zachary, too, breathed a sigh of relief. No longer having to use his own money to support Jacob, favonovel.com flattered, “As long as President Wilson is satisfied!”
“Satisfied! Very satisfied!” Jacob laughed heartily. “Now that we have the money, shouldn’t we expose Felix’s deception to the entire Aurous Hill antique industry?”
“Of course,” Zachary confidently replied. “President Wilson, rest assured, I have everything arranged.”
With that, favonovel.com retrieved his phone and called Timothy Carey. After a brief conversation, favonovel.com declared, “Felix spent 300,000 to purchase that bronze Buddha. You can begin spreading the news now!”
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