It truly is a case of what one knows, another does not.
In his previous life, he had spent his entire existence immersed in antiques, encountering and associating mostly with experts in the antique world.
Occasionally, he'd come across unscrupulous profiteers, but they dealt in genuine cultural relics, smuggled or otherwise, not these ridiculously fake items.
"He's mixing real items with fakes just to attract legitimate collectors each time?" Li Chonglou mused for a moment, understanding Zeng Wang's motives.
Ning Lang nodded in agreement, "Exactly. The antique trade is unlike any other industry."
"With arrogance so extreme it's outrageous."
"For instance, do you look down on these glass items?"
"That's why you can't even be bothered to argue; you know that the moment you speak, you've already lost."
"There are plenty of people who think that way."
"But what I truly admire about Old Zeng is this: he's deeply studied human nature."
"By interspersing real pieces among the fakes, he makes these collectors patient and turns them into his stooges."
If an ordinary person heard these words, their worldview might be instantly shattered.
But Li Chonglou understood perfectly.
It was simply a matter of each getting what they needed.
Zeng Wang's method primarily victimized foolish individuals greedy for a bargain.
Ignorant and hoping to profit from it – weren't they asking for it?
Even if it was fraud, the law would deal with it; it had nothing to do with him.
He just wanted to see what kind of items would come next that were even more fake than dyed glass being passed off as jade!
This had already surpassed his comprehension.
"Distinguished guests, esteemed friends, I, Old Zeng, have always enjoyed sharing my treasures with you, hence this appraisal fair."
Seeing the whispers below, Zeng Wang beamed and said, "Master Chen has exceptional eyesight, recognizing the origin of this bracelet at a single glance."
"As for this Qing Dynasty Imperial Collection Three-Colored Jade Bangle, its brilliance, to be frank with you all, is due to some optimization."
"What optimization is, I believe everyone understands. Things in nature have flaws, but royalty pursued perfection, so they modified it using rare techniques."
"This makes its value immeasurable."
"Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone. Why don't we have an auction today?"
"If any esteemed friend fancies it, please bid generously!"
The main event had arrived!
A wave of murmurs…
There were many prominent figures present, but not all of them were antique experts.
Most were wealthy but lacked discerning eyes.
Without exaggeration, to someone who couldn't recognize jade, glass and jade were practically the same.
Seeing Zeng Wang speak so convincingly, they couldn't help but believe him.
After all, Zeng Wang's position as the general manager of Ginza carried considerable weight in the business world.
They completely failed to understand that credibility in business was entirely different from that in the antique circle.
The antique circle had no concept of credibility; it was entirely dependent on individual eyesight.
In broader terms, there were customary rules to keep things in check.
Others knew Zeng Wang's bracelet was fake, but what if he himself *didn't* know?
Would that constitute selling known fakes?
It actually wouldn't!
Old rules had their merits, but they also had many loopholes, which he was exploiting.
"One million, I'll take it!" a middle-aged woman, elegantly dressed and with a refined demeanor, raised her hand.
Women have an innate attraction to beautiful things. That bangle, frankly, apart from being fake, had a considerable visual impact.
After all, it was dyed with three colors, and the hues were quite accurate and saturated.
Green like Imperial Green jade.
Red like high-grade Acar red coral.
Yellow like the Emperor's imperial robe.
Crystal clear and flawless.
"Someone actually fell for it..." Li Chonglou couldn't bear to watch.
This scene today had served as a harsh lesson in his decades of antique experience.
He never imagined people would dare to play such games.
It only fueled his curiosity for even more outlandish items to come.
Now, he was no longer looking at antiques, but at the spectrum of human nature.
He believed many collectors and connoisseurs present shared the same sentiment.
"Two million." At this moment, Ning Lang suddenly raised his hand.
"Are you trying to inflate the price for him, or do you not want this to fall into ignorant hands?" Li Chonglou asked in a low voice.
"Both. You understand me, Chonglou." Ning Lang chuckled.
Having been invited by Zeng Wang to sit in the guest seats, he implicitly condoned Zeng Wang's actions and was expected to help promote the items, much like Chen Haiqiang.
However, Ning Lang found it difficult to stomach such deceit.
Bidding a price to help inflate it was his limit.
If the buyer didn't materialize, he might as well buy it himself, thereby reducing the number of people who were tricked.
Buying it for two million wasn't about acquiring glass, but about the friendship with Zeng Wang and their business dealings; it wasn't a loss.
"Brother Lang, everyone in the circle knows you're an expert. How can you still compete with us?" As soon as he finished speaking, a greasy, pot-bellied man in a businessman's attire chuckled and said, "Don't blame me for not giving you face. This bracelet is truly beautiful; I'll buy it to give to my darling, hehehehe…"
"I bid three million!"
This smug laughter almost made Li Chonglou gag.
This was acceptable?
"Alright, I'll let you have it." Ning Lang went with the flow, forcing himself to maintain a stern face and not laugh.
It wasn't his fault; some people were eager to be fooled. They said the masses had discerning eyes, but these capitalists were sometimes blind.
The first woman who bid thought for a moment and then withdrew.
Ultimately, it went to the portly man.
At this moment, Tu Hong, seated below, his eyes full of cold malice, his small orchid-like finger almost touching the seat in front of him, snorted, "Ning Lang and that lame dog beside him are showing off from the guest seats. If we don't teach them a lesson, how can Young Master Tu maintain his standing tomorrow?"
"For the next item, as soon as he dares to bid, we'll outbid him."
"We absolutely cannot let him steal the spotlight!"
"Do you hear me?"
Tu Hong's subordinate quickly nodded.
They hadn't reacted when Ning Lang bid earlier.
They knew the item was fake, but since Tu Hong had given the order, whether it was real or fake no longer mattered.
The money was spent to save face and to put Ning Lang in his place.
As for that lame dog, they didn't even give him a second thought. After the appraisal fair, they'd make sure he regretted it.
Chen Haiqiang, seeing the plump man eagerly go to retrieve the bracelet and pay, felt a sense of triumph.
At least, no one at the scene dared to disrespect Zeng Wang and expose him on the spot.
That made things easier.
He had come with a mission, and it had started with a bang.
With this introductory act, it would be easier to fabricate the subsequent items.
After speaking, he turned to Li Chonglou with a challenging look, "Kid, aren't you some antique expert? For the next item, you should give us your appraisal."
Ning Lang had praised Li Chonglou to the heavens, which displeased Chen Haiqiang greatly.
In this line of work, no one bowed to others.
Especially not Li Chonglou, this impetuous young man who hadn't even fully grown.
He wanted to see Li Chonglou's psychological fortitude and whether he dared to spout nonsense in front of so many people, just like himself.
If he couldn't do it, Chen Haiqiang would have a reason to challenge him on behalf of General Manager Zeng.
Even with Ning Lang protecting him, what good would that do?
"Noisy!" Li Chonglou couldn't even be bothered to look at him.
By this point in the farce, he had become accustomed to it, silently telling himself to take things as they came.
He might as well treat it as a joke.
Soon, the second item was brought onto the stage by the hostesses.
This one was slightly more normal; the fake wasn't as outrageous. At first glance, it was obvious it was Afghan jade with rolled-on coloring, imitating Hetian river-worn pebbles.
Afghan jade and Hetian jade were completely different concepts; their compositions were entirely distinct.
One was a carbonate jade, composed of calcite. Even if crushed into fine pieces, the fragments would be regular quadrilaterals.
The other was jade primarily composed of tremolite.
Their hardness also differed vastly.
Afghan jade had a hardness of about 4, while broad Hetian jade generally had a hardness of around 6.
Although the difference in Mohs hardness was only two points, it was like comparing the sky to the earth, a sparrow to a phoenix.
Ordinary people couldn't really tell with this item.
But an expert could see it just by looking at the pores.
In fact, from this distance, even experts would find it difficult to see clearly, but Li Chonglou had extraordinary eyesight.
"Natural jade, still with its skin," Li Chonglou smiled.
If they wanted him to appraise it, how could he?
Fabricate stories about the Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China?
His face would be completely lost, and he couldn't spin such nonsense.
It wasn't a lack of imagination, but a limitation of knowledge.
He could only speak the truth.
Although it was fake, it was at least natural; that statement was not wrong.
The jade was natural, the skin was fake.
Chen Haiqiang heard this and his face was filled with sarcasm and disdain. He couldn't even fabricate a story; was he really an expert?
As he expected, he was just an ignorant youngster!
"My brother is right, Hetian jade pebbles are priceless now; many people want to buy them but can't!" Ning Lang was truly considerate, taking over the conversation and boasting about it.
However, he wasn't as shameless as Chen Haiqiang.
But even so, Zeng Wang nodded with satisfaction.
"This pebble was found by someone I entrusted to search the source of the Yulong Kashi River," Zeng Wang began his performance. "Its whiteness is top-grade, smooth as sheep fat."
"It contains immense energy and has been a spiritual object for cultivators and immortals since ancient times."
"People nurture jade for three years, and jade protects people for a lifetime; I believe everyone knows this, right?"
"Without further ado, since I'm hosting this appraisal fair, I must be generous."
"I shall part with it for you all!"
These words were incredibly persuasive.
They immediately ignited the crowd.
Bids poured in.
Ning Lang also joined in.
But this immediately drew a counterattack from Tu Hong and his group.
"Seven hundred thousand!" Tu Hong said proudly, scanning the room as if declaring ownership.
His gaze then landed on Ning Lang.
Filled with provocation.
"One million!" Before Ning Lang could react, Li Chonglou said calmly.
Wow!
Immediately, many people exclaimed.
Earlier, they thought the expert Ning Lang mentioned was a fake, stammering and unable to say anything coherent.
Now, he was offering a high price of one million, suggesting the item was indeed good.
And so, the second round of bidding began.
The proud expression on Tu Hong's face completely froze as he watched the price of this Afghan jade skyrocket.
It stopped at two million three hundred thousand.
This scene made Zeng Wang beam with joy.
Li Chonglou, however, chose not to speak, and the item was eventually taken by Tu Hong.
He pointed his little finger downwards at Li Chonglou with intense disdain, "Lame dog, how dare you compete with me."
"Young Master has plenty of money; I'm happy even if I buy a piece of glass."
Everyone present was a sensible person. This money wasn't for buying the item, but for asserting dominance and giving face to Zeng Wang.
By crushing Li Chonglou underfoot, they were effectively trampling Ning Lang as well.
The sense of accomplishment he felt from this made him lose all restraint.
Seeing this arrogant attitude, a hint of coldness flashed in Ning Lang's eyes, "Brother, don't hold back from now on; take care of this clown for me!"
"As you wish!" Li Chonglou smiled faintly.