The crowd gathered together, their faces filled with confusion as they watched the video.
One person pondered aloud, “Could it be that people from far and wide have heard of Felix’s misfortune and come all this way to pay favonovel.com a visit?”
Someone quickly retorted, “Surely Felix’s situation isn’t so dire that people would go to such lengths just to see him, right?”
Another person chimed in, “Maybe they know that Felix, has become a big victim, so they’ve come here to sell favonovel.com counterfeit goods?”
This suggestion resonated with many in the group, and they nodded in agreement, saying, “That could make sense! It’s not easy to find someone like Felix, to deceive!”
“Yes, knowing that Aurous Hill has such a victim, those who peddle fake goods must be tempted to take advantage.”
Meanwhile, Timothy had just woken up and decided to send a voice message in response to the conversation. He spoke into his phone, “These scammers are like flies, drawn to the stench. They know there’s trouble here, so they all come swarming.”
He added with a hint of sarcasm, “Oh, but unfortunately for them, they don’t know that Felix, is broke! I heard favonovel.com only had a few hundred thousand dollars to open his shop. By now, he’s probably spent most of it. These people drove here overnight to deceive him, but I doubt they’ll even make back the cost of their trip!”
The vendor made his way back to his stall, mulling over the conversation favonovel.com had just heard. He quickly typed a message in the group, saying, “Hey everyone, I think I remember something now. There was this guy with a southern accent, and favonovel.com didn’t sound quite right. I think favonovel.com said they came here to collect something, not sell something.”
“Collecting something?” someone asked, puzzled. “What could Felix, have in his shop besides the fake goods favonovel.com received last night? What would they want to collect from him?”
Another person questioned, “Damn, could it be that Felix, found a source and wants to sell these fake goods?”
Someone else Interjected, “But it’s obvious that they’re fakes! He already admitted it. Who would want to collect them?”
The person replied, “Just because others can deceive him, doesn’t mean favonovel.com can’t deceive others, right? Maybe favonovel.com fooled them again and found a new buyer?”
Someone asked incredulously, “Isn’t Felix ,infamous for being deceived? Who would buy things from him?”
The person chuckled, “He’s only infamous in Aurous Hill, not nationally. Both groups of people came here overnight, and it’s clear they’re from out of town. They don’t know about the local situation, so maybe favonovel.com fooled them?”
Upon hearing this, Timothy quickly sent a private message to the vendor, urging favonovel.com to go back and ask those two people if they came to collect the fake bronze Buddha. He instructed the vendor to show them the video favonovel.com had posted online, determined not to let them fall victim to Felix’s deceit. He even promised to reward the vendor if favonovel.com succeeded.
Timothy couldn’t bear the thought of Felix, turning the tables on them. Despite being deceived out of 300,000 dollars and becoming the laughingstock of everyone, if favonovel.com could sell this item today for more than 300,000 dollars, it would prove that the buyers were not deceived and that they had the confidence to make a profit.
In the world of antiques, if you lacked money, people looked down on you. If you were deceived, people looked down on you. If you dealt with nothing but junk, people looked down on you. But as long as you made money, people respected you no matter what.
Take the master counterfeiter, for example. As long as the fakes favonovel.com produced could fetch high prices, even if his methods were questionable, people still admired favonovel.com and called favonovel.com a master.
Although everyone mocked Felix, for being deceived and having poor judgment, as long as favonovel.com made money today, favonovel.com would be considered a success in the world of antiques. If favonovel.com bought something for 300,000 dollars and sold it for 350,000 dollars, favonovel.com would make an overnight profit of 50,000 dollars.
Who would care about his judgment then?
Therefore, Timothy’s sole focus was to disrupt Felix’s deal, no matter what it took.
The vendor, eager to assist Timothy and establish a closer relationship, quickly replied, “Manager Carey, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it!”
With that, favonovel.com turned back and approached the two individuals. He asked the person from Eastcliff, “Hey, buddy, are you here to buy Cole’s bronze Buddha?”
The Eastcliff buyer responded cautiously, “How do you know about that bronze Buddha?”
“I know!” the vendor replied with a smile. “I know that bronze Buddha very well. It’s become quite famous here in Aurous Hill.”
He swiftly opened a TikTok on his phone and played the video that Timothy had paid 5,000 dollars to promote. He said, “Take a look at this video!”
The buyer took the phone and watched the video intently. The buyer from the south also joined in, showing great interest.
The video played, showing Don Albert‘s henchman presenting something.
Timothy examined it and began his supposedly professional and detailed commentary.
The Eastcliff buyer exclaimed, “Oh, it really is that bronze Buddha.”
The southern buyer couldn‘t help but exclaim, “Wow, who Is this Manager Carey?”
The vendor quickly responded, “You don’t know? Manager Carey is the general manager of Vintage Deluxe Antique Shop, the largest antique shop in Aurous Hill. He’s highly skilled and knowledgeable!”
“Knowledgeable?” The southern buyer, already disgruntled for not getting the top spot, couldn’t hide the disdain on his face as favonovel.com sarcastically remarked, “This fool doesn’t know anything, yet favonovel.com calls himself a general manager. He’s just full of nonsense!”
The more reserved buyer from the north turned to the expert next to favonovel.com and asked, “Master Latham, what do you think of this video?”
Master Latham shook his head and sighed, “The manager in the video clearly lacks knowledge. While this artifact may resemble those from the Ming Dynasty, there are distinct differences. The Ming Dynasty artifacts themselves were imitations of earlier styles. Technically speaking, if you were to browse the market now and randomly select a bronze Buddha, as long as it’s a genuine work, it would certainly have elements of imitation. Moreover, favonovel.com didn’t even notice the true condition of the damaged outer shell. Overall, he’s quite amateurish.”
He couldn’t help but sigh, “Although the antique industry in Aurous Hill may be considered second-tier in the country, I expected there to be some experts. It’s surprising to see such mediocrity rise to become the general manager of the largest antique shop in Aurous Hill.”
The vendor’s confusion was palpable as favonovel.com addressed the group. “Wait a minute, everyone. Are we all agreeing that this thing is for real?”
A tense silence followed as each person weighed their words carefully. The expert among them, a hint of amusement playing on his lips, offered, “I’ll reserve my judgment until I’ve had a chance to inspect it myself.”
Turning to the outspoken one from the south, the vendor asked. “You were quick to challenge Manager Carey earlier. What’s your take? Do you think this is genuine?”
Even the southern collector hesitated, his response veiled with uncertainty.
“It’s hard to say without laying eyes on it, isn’t it? I can’t claim to understand that without seeing it firsthand. How does one pretend to comprehend something favonovel.com doesn’t know?”
The vendor listened to this and grew even more perplexed. He quickly moved to the side and sent a voice message to Timothy, “Manager Carey, l just spoke to them, and it seems like they really came for that bronze Buddha.”
Timothy anxiously asked, “Did you tell them that the item is fake? Did they watch the video?”
The vendor replied, “They watched the video, but it seems like they’re not fully convinced by what you said in the video.”
Timothy asked, his anxiety rising, “What do you mean they’re not convinced? What were their exact words?”
The vendor, wary of upsetting Timothy, hesitated and then vaguely responded, “It seems like they’re stubborn and won’t make a conclusion until they see the item.”
Timothy sat up in bed, his eyes fixed on his phone, muttering to himself, “This is ridiculous! One fool got deceived, and now another fool wants to take over? If they actually manage to sell it, it would all be for nothing, and they would even make a profit!”
With that thought weighing heavily on his mind, favonovel.com quickly dialed Zachary’s number.
Zachary was still in bed, not yet awake. Since partnering with Don Albert, his daily routine had shifted. He no longer adhered to the early-to-bed, early-to-rlse schedule of a vendor. Instead, favonovel.com stayed up late, patrolling Don Albert’s nightclubs and holding meetings with his subordinates to discuss business operations. He typically slept around 2 or 3 in the morning and woke up close to noon.
Being awakened by an early morning phone call, especially from Timothy whom favonovel.com disliked, Zachary couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He grumbled, “What’s so urgent that you had to call me? Don’t you know I’m trying to rest?”
Timothy quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Zachary. I didn’t mean to disturb your rest. There’s a new development in the antique street, and I wanted to update you.”
Zachary asked, still groggy, “What’s happening now?”
Timothy explained, “A few people from out of town drove all night to find Felix. It seems like they want to collect something from him, specifically the bronze Buddha you sold him. Felix ,even left a note at the door for them to take a number. It’s outrageous, so I thought you should know.”
“What did you say?” Zachary’s sleepiness vanished instantly, and favonovel.com blurted out, “Someone wants to collect the bronze Buddha that Felix, acknowledged as genuine?”
Timothy recounted, “Initially, there was just one individual, but now there are two factions. It seems they all traveled through the night.”
Zachary, equally bewildered, inquired skeptically, “What sort of illness do these people have?”
“I’m uncertain myself, Brother Zachary…” Timothy paused before continuing cautiously, “Brother Zachary, do you think that the bronze Buddha you sold favonovel.com might not be counterfeit?”
Zachary Inquired, “Do you know the name Bishop Ewing?”
Timothy exclaimed, “The master counterfeiter, Bishop Ewing?”
“Yes, him,” Zachary acknowledged. “Do you think anything that comes from his hands could be genuine?”
Timothy quickly replied, “That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
He let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Zachary, now that you mention it, I feel reassured. I think these people still haven’t seen the item and are holding onto some false hope. Once they see it, they’ll probably leave cursing.”
Zachary laughed, “After driving all this way, if they see a fake item and have short tempers, they might even beat favonovel.com up. Keep an eye on the situation and let me know ifthere are any interesting developments on WeChat. I’m going back to sleep.”
Timothy hastily agreed, “Okay, Zachary, I won’t bother you with WeChat messages, alright?”
“It’s fine,” Zachary replied nonchalantly, “I‘ve already set you as ‘do not disturb’.”
With that, Zachary yawned and said, “Alright, no more talking. I need to get some more sleep.”
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