61: Chapter 60 The Clown, A Natural Implementation

Elder Wang's face showed surprise, while Wang Jiancheng and Wang Ru wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost, thinking they had misheard.

The guests were stunned, their smiles—intended to watch a joke—frozen on their faces, unable to recover for a long time.

"Starting at 2 million? Are you kidding me? How is that possible?"

Liu Yan and Xu Luo held hands, their faces filled with pleasant surprise. As expected, that sly fox Lin Feng would not disappoint.

"That guy, he really worried me to death."

"Luoluo, you can rest easy now, right?"

"I think you were quite worried about him too."

Liu Yan's cheeks turned bright red, and she whispered, "How is that possible? I was worried for you."

Xu Luo looked at her best friend with a knowing smile.

Liu Yan felt her face burning hot and turned her head away, feeling guilty.

"Impossible, starting at 2 million? Does that kid have that much money?"

"I don't think it's possible either. The receipt he wrote said 500 yuan. Does he actually know how to appraise antiques?"

Wang Ru and Wang Jiancheng began to question the authenticity of the appraisal.

"We accompanied Lin Feng when he bought it; it was indeed 500 yuan." Liu Yan said with a calm expression, speaking up to explain for Lin Feng.

"Yanyan, don't talk nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense."

Liu Yan's father had been trying to pull her to his side, but she had refused. Now, seeing his daughter actually interjecting to defend Lin Feng, he was startled.

When titans clash, no matter who has the upper hand, it is best not to pick a side; otherwise, it is easy to invite trouble.

"Elder Wang, I am Xu Shengshan's granddaughter. My parents couldn't attend your birthday banquet due to work, so my grandfather specifically instructed me to come and offer you his congratulations."

At the scene, few people knew Xu Luo. But after Elder Wang heard the name Xu Shengshan, his indifferent expression changed significantly. Surprise and astonishment appeared in his eyes.

"So it's Old Xu's granddaughter. After the banquet ends later, Grandfather wants to have a good chat with you."

The crowd was secretly shocked; they hadn't expected an inconspicuous girl to be the descendant of one of Elder Wang's old acquaintances. It sounded like that Old Xu and Elder Wang shared an extraordinary relationship.

"Grandpa Wang, let me also say a fair word. The item was indeed bought by Lin Feng at Antique Street, and he spent a long time picking it out at the time. It looked like he knew whether it was real or fake."

Elder Wang nodded gently and looked at Wang Jun. "Xiaojun, what did he say to you before he left?"

"Grandfather, Lin Feng said he wouldn't let me lose face, nor would he let himself lose face. He said just find someone who knows the trade to appraise it, and that would be enough."

"Your classmate is quite interesting." After Elder Wang finished speaking, he looked at Chen Fuxiang: "He asked politely, is there anything special about this item?"

"Its full name: Qing Yongzheng Famille Rose 'Fortune and Longevity Gourd Vase'."

"It is from around the Yongzheng period, approximately 1723-1735, about 22cm high, with a caliber of about 3cm."

"Upper bulb: Five bats (symbolizing 'Five Blessings Bestowing Longevity') surrounding the seal script character 'Longevity', finished with carmine red glaze. Lower bulb: Two longevity peaches paired with lingzhi, with branches and leaves spread out, and distinct layers of pink and green pigments. Neck: A ring of meander patterns, finished with light blue glaze."

"The base mark is a six-character, two-line regular script mark of 'Made in the Yongzheng Period of the Great Qing Dynasty', written in underglaze blue, with neat and powerful brushwork. Glaze: The famille rose colors are soft and moist, and the glaze has fine orange-peel texture, which is a characteristic of natural aging in old porcelain."

"Master Chen, then why did the Antique Street shop owner misjudge it?"

"Elder Wang, it is like this: a layer of dark gray patina on the surface covered the original colors, which is very difficult for the average person to discover. There is a 3cm crack at the bottom that is easily mistaken for damage, but it is actually a kiln ash indentation from when it entered the kiln; it is not a crack, and can be wiped clean with clear water."

Chen Fuxiang put down the item in his hands and said in a serious tone, "If what the two young ladies said is true, this Mr. Lin's attainments in antique appraisal are likely to surpass mine. But that is not the key point; the key is his age. I have almost never seen anyone at this age who could have such achievements."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ru and Wang Jiancheng turned as pale as paper. They hadn't expected that the seemingly ordinary young man was so capable.

"Hehe, it's getting late, everyone. Let's go to the dining room for a meal. You can take these gifts back. My old bones can't handle such rich offerings."

"Xiaojun, I quite like this gourd; your friend put thought into it. Put it on the mahogany shelf in my study later."

"Thank you, Grandfather."

Wang Jun breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was racing with excitement. He had bet correctly; Lin Feng was truly extraordinary.

Xu Luo and Liu Yan exchanged a glance, and both saw joy in each other's eyes.

"That guy, he really has skills; he worried me to death."

"Let's go, let's go inside to eat. Are you coming to the company tomorrow? Lin Feng is coming to open an account."

"I'm coming, I definitely am."

The guests came to their senses, each wearing a bitter expression. Their gifts had all been returned; they had lost face this time. After mocking him for so long, it turned out they were the ones who were the clowns.

Returning home, Lin Feng had a phone call with Qin Yu. Her mother's medical checkup indicators had all passed, and the surgery would be in one week. Lin Feng told her to stay at the hospital and take good care of her, and to contact him if she needed anything.

After hanging up, Lin Feng took his backpack and went to Jinhe New Village. This time, it wasn't to find Tian Xue, but to go to the apartment he had bought and retrieve the 500,000 in cash.

It was a 70-square-meter two-bedroom apartment, and it was Lin Feng's first time coming inside. Although no one had lived there for a long time, it still maintained the previous decoration. It seemed that the official had been quite corrupt; this decoration was considered luxurious at that time.

Lin Feng didn't turn on the lights; with the moonlight from outside the window, visibility was good. His gaze swept across the entire room and suddenly stopped at the floor in the southeast corner of the living room. [Movable solid wood floor, 500,000 in cash hidden underneath.]

Lin Feng walked to the corner, lifted the floorboard, and saw it was empty underneath; sure enough, there was a dusty box. After opening it, inside were five stacks of crimson hundred-yuan bills. Lin Feng put every single stack into his backpack.

He did not intend to disturb Tian Xue and prepared to leave quietly.

At the entrance of Jinhe residential area, Lin Feng got on his e-scooter, but his phone rang. "Hello... who is this?"

"Boss, it's me. The second-hand trading section and errand running section you asked me to set up are all done. They can basically go online tomorrow."

"So fast?"

"It wasn't difficult."

Now that everything had fallen into place, and he wasn't lacking money, it seemed like it wouldn't be a bad idea to appropriately increase his profile.

"Do you know anyone who works in advertising planning?"

"I do. Many of my classmates studied media. Do you need me to find one for you?"

"Yes, find me someone capable; I'll hire them directly."

"OK."

Lin Feng hung up and, after thinking for a moment, called Zhang Yan again.

"Brother Feng, do you need something from me?"

"Does your family have any office space in an office building? I want to rent one, about 200 square meters. Just give me the regular price."

"Brother Feng, don't worry, renting to you..."

"Cut the crap. Rent it to me at the original price, otherwise I'll just go find an agent."

"Oh... that's no problem. My dad bought several offices in office buildings before, and none of them have been rented out yet."

"Then hurry up and give me an answer tomorrow."

"You got it."

Lin Feng hung up the phone and couldn't help but laugh. Everything had fallen into place.

With the business expanding, he was preparing to move the company into an office building. As for the shop along the street, Lin Feng had other plans for it and would temporarily use it as an office.

Suddenly, Lin Feng looked up, his eyes narrowing. He saw an acquaintance—or to be more precise, a familiar enemy.