In the antique world, there are many different categories. As people have limited energy, they generally specialize in one category. The old saying "practice makes perfect" is exactly for this reason.
However, Li Chonglou had just named three different small categories of samples, and in such a short time. Xiao Liu instantly understood that he had misjudged the situation and had stumbled upon someone he shouldn't have.
Xiao Liu's face suddenly turned pale. The female manager understood the situation at a glance and said coldly, "Go and complete the procedures yourself, or don't blame me!"
Xiao Liu dared not say anything further. He lowered his head and quickly left in disgrace.
The female manager then looked at Li Chonglou and said apologetically, "I'm very sorry. It's a problem with my staff. My surname is Xian, and I am the department manager here. May I know how you are addressed, sir?"
Li Chonglou thought for a moment. Instead of taking out his business card as he had to Zhou Tong, he gave a false name.
"Xiao Fang, you can call me Mr. Xiao."
The female manager took out a gold card from her bag and handed it to Li Chonglou, saying, "Mr. Xiao, to express our apologies, this is our highest-level pass for Xing Street. I hope Mr. Xiao can accept it."
Li Chonglou didn't care about the level of the pass. He just wanted to go in and take a look. He had lost interest after being pestered by that person earlier, but now that the female manager's attitude was acceptable and she had gone this far, Li Chonglou accepted the gold card.
"Then can I go in now?"
The female manager quickly made a gesture of invitation and apologized again. Li Chonglou then entered Xing Street.
Little did Li Chonglou know that after he left, the Mediterranean man with thinning hair said enviously to the woman, "Manager Xian, even I, a regular customer, don't have a gold card. When will I get one?"
The female manager smiled and said, "Boss Wen, you joke. It's not because we had a problem ourselves. Our place is small, and we can't afford to have any reputation issues."
The Mediterranean man chuckled and didn't expose the woman. What small place? Who didn't know the influence of Panjiayuan these days?
The man couldn't find any reason for directly giving out a gold card other than seeing the person's potential.
At this moment, a young man who had been following him without speaking asked, "Uncle Wen, is there anything special about this gold card?"
The Mediterranean man explained, "If I had a gold card, you wouldn't need to apply for this pass now. Of course, the privileges of a gold card are not limited to this. If I remember correctly, it can also be used to loan at least thirty million inside, right?"
The Mediterranean man looked at the woman, who smiled and nodded, "It's fifty million now."
Hearing this, the young man took a sharp breath. He could get fifty million with just a card?
The Mediterranean man raised his eyebrows and said, "Xiao Dong, you must work hard to get a gold card. As far as I know, those who possess gold cards now have no small status or influence."
Although these words seemed to be encouraging the young man, they were actually a subtle jab at the female manager's previous statement. The woman knew this but maintained her smile and did not explain.
However, the young man completely misunderstood. After hearing the Mediterranean man's words, he instantly became dissatisfied with Li Chonglou being able to get a gold card.
What incredible luck.
The young man's gaze towards Li Chonglou's retreating back was filled with jealousy.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou had already put the incident behind him. After entering Xing Street, he quickly noticed the difference. Whether it was bronze ware or jade ornaments, all the antiques were of ancient origins and value that those outside could not compare to.
"As expected of a place that has developed into a central street. The boss behind this is not simple!"
Li Chonglou browsed around with great interest. Of course, he only looked and didn't ask for prices casually.
There are two basic rules in the antique world: don't ask if you don't intend to buy, and don't get close if you don't intend to buy. If you don't plan to buy, don't randomly inquire about prices. If you see someone inquiring, try not to get close. If you are nearby, remain silent and don't talk unnecessarily.
"I knew this girl didn't understand anything. She dared to speak carelessly with a silver pass. The item might even be something she stole."
At this moment, a quarrel came from the corner ahead, attracting Li Chonglou's attention. When Li Chonglou walked over, he found a crowd already gathered there.
"People nowadays are too bold. How dare they steal things in such a place? Xing Street is also to blame; how can any Tom, Dick, or Harry be allowed in?"
Li Chonglou only saw a group of people gathered there and couldn't help but ask a passerby about the situation.
"Oh, it seems someone lost something after buying goods from Boss Huang."
At this moment, Li Chonglou suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"Don't talk nonsense. If I stole your things, would I still come back to return them?"
Hearing this voice, Li Chonglou hurried to squeeze through the crowd and look inside.
He saw Yu Ke, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, blushing furiously in the center of the crowd, glaring angrily at a fat man with a big belly.
The fat man, however, was full of disdain. "Are you saying that I, the manager of the prestigious Juexin Bank, would falsely accuse you?"
"It would be laughable to tell others!"
Yu Ke clenched her fists, wanting to retort, but by this time, some of the onlookers who didn't understand the situation were already pointing fingers.
"Juexin Bank is an old establishment, so they probably wouldn't do something like this."
"Didn't you just hear that this girl only had a silver pass? She was barely qualified to enter. And with her level, she was arguing with the professional appraiser about authenticity just now!"
The shop bullying the customer, unable to reason. Yu Ke never expected to encounter such a situation here.
"Fine, then I'll go find the department manager. I don't believe you can bully people while selling fake goods!"
As Yu Ke spoke, she tried to leave, but the fat man's face suddenly sank, and he said, "You can't leave yet. This isn't about the goods anymore. You must be searched before you can go."
To demand a search of a woman in such broad daylight was clearly an attempt to make things difficult, but the crowd was unanimously on the fat man's side.
Li Chonglou quickly understood the crux of the matter: Yu Ke had bought something she believed to be fake and wanted to return it, but the fat man's reason was that genuine goods could not be returned, which escalated the situation.
The fat man's actions were undoubtedly to prevent his business from being affected, and he was deliberately making things difficult for Yu Ke.
Li Chonglou was quite familiar with Yu Ke's character. They had even spent a night together back then, so he could tell at a glance that the fat man was causing trouble.
Moreover, the goods were likely fake as well.
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou quietly withdrew from the crowd and took out a mask he always kept for emergencies and put it on.
In the crowd, the fat man's gaze lingered on Yu Ke's body with lust. He walked directly in front of her and was about to make a move, when suddenly a shadow flashed before his eyes.
*Slap!*
The fat man was slapped hard. He was instantly enraged, but then he received several more solid slaps.
*Slap, slap, slap!*
The onlookers were all stunned.
"If you don't want this shop to stay in business, I'll close it for you right now!"