Chapter 79 Covering the Sky with One Hand
Zhou Tiancheng stared at the plaque, gritting his teeth and saying, "That bastard Song Bo dared to trick me. If I don't beat him so badly today that even his mother wouldn't recognize him, then I'm a loser."
Saying that, Zhou Tiancheng looked at Chen Xuan again and said, "Brother-in-law, it's all up to you this time."
"I also want to experience this... Liuhe Zhai!"
Chen Xuan stared at the three-story building, his eyes shimmering with a peculiar glow.
Then, Chen Xuan and Zhou Tiancheng stepped inside.
Inside the shop, by the entrance stood a dozen long-legged girls dressed in palace attire. They looked to be in their early twenties, all like class beauties. Many of them were likely university students working part-time here.
Additionally, behind the counter stood several elderly scholars responsible for appraising antiques, and a few shop assistants were attending to customers.
Here, any antique sold would earn a commission. Seeing Zhou Tiancheng, the walking ATM, almost everyone in the shop rushed over. Some even abandoned the customers they were attending to, to welcome Zhou Tiancheng.
Zhou Tiancheng, however, remained clear-headed amidst these sugary words and was unmoved. He asked plainly, "I'm looking for Song Bo."
"What do you need to see President Song for? We can serve you well!"
But in an instant, all words of flattery drowned Zhou Tiancheng. Many of the girls in palace attire clung to Zhou Tiancheng, seeming to want to win his favor.
At this moment, a slightly aged voice rang out, "What kind of conduct is this!"
Upon hearing this voice, everyone froze, appearing somewhat frightened. They instinctively shrank their necks and retreated a few steps unwillingly.
At this moment, the crowd parted, and an elderly scholar wearing glasses emerged. He was the most respected appraiser in the shop – Xu Gongming.
Xu Gongming smiled and said, "Young Master Zhou, what business do you have with President Song? If you need a discount or are looking for rare antiques, I can help."
"I have something to discuss with Song Bo, ask him to come out." Zhou Tiancheng wasn't that unintelligent; he didn't get angry but said in a deep voice.
Xu Gongming couldn't help but cough twice awkwardly.
Zhou Tiancheng always spent millions of yuan each time he visited Liuhe Zhai. He had originally sacrificed his reputation to drive away the crowd, preparing to personally receive Zhou Tiancheng and thus secure the substantial commission, but he hadn't expected Zhou Tiancheng to insist on seeing Song Bo.
He could only say, "President Song is entertaining guests upstairs. I'll call President Song right away."
Zhou Tiancheng nodded and urged, "Hurry up."
"Hahaha."
Soon, Xu Gongming made a call. Shortly after, accompanied by a burst of hearty laughter, a plump man in his twenties with a sly look came downstairs.
His legs were very short, and his stature was petite. Descending the stairs, he looked like a ball rolling down.
Upon seeing Zhou Tiancheng, his eyes lit up, and his face broke into a wide smile. He said cheerfully, "Young Master Zhou, since you're here, why didn't you call your brother in advance so I could welcome you? After all, we're good brothers, why are you being so polite with me?"
Zhou Tiancheng suppressed his anger and said, "No need. It's nothing major, just want to ask you something."
"Oh? What is it that's worth Young Master Zhou coming here personally?" Song Bo asked with a smile.
Zhou Tiancheng asked, "It's not a big deal. I just wanted to know if you accept antiques here."
Song Bo said, "Yes, of course, we do. Whether it's from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, or the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, we accept all antiques."
"Is that so? Then it's perfect."
Immediately, Zhou Tiancheng poured all the antiques he had bought from Liuhe Zhai onto the table.
Seeing this scene, Song Bo was stunned for a moment, and then his expression changed slightly.
Song Bo reacted quickly and quickly signaled Xu Gongming.
"What kind of antiques are Young Master Zhou selling? Let me take a look for Young Master Zhou!"
Xu Gongming hurried over to inspect them. He found that all the antiques had the mark of Liuhe Zhai. His expression gradually turned grim, and he shook his head at Song Bo without a word.
Song Bo's heart sank, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face. These people were all sharp. He quickly regained his composure.
He smiled at Zhou Tiancheng and said, "Young Master Zhou, we are brothers. You cherish these things so much, why are you selling them? Are you short of money? Your brother can lend you hundreds of thousands, just spend it freely, don't be polite with your brother."
The repeated mention of "brothers" was a great irony to Zhou Tiancheng.
Zhou Tiancheng could also see Song Bo's guilt. He sneered, "No need. I just want to sell these antiques. Give me a price."
Song Bo's expression changed slightly, and he said reluctantly, "I'm sorry, Young Master Zhou, we at Liuhe Zhai never buy back what we sell. If you want to sell them, you can try other shops."
Not accepting?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiancheng could no longer contain his fury, which erupted like a volcano.
He slammed the table and cursed at Xu Gongming:
"Stop faking it! Liuhe Zhai sold me nothing but fakes. I spend tens of millions here every year, and this is how you cheat me?"
As he spoke, Zhou Tiancheng pointed at Song Bo's nose and cursed, "And you, Song Bo, I treated you like a brother, and you cheated me like this! You sold me a pile of fakes and made me lose face!"
He loved using antiques to suppress others and show off. Now, thinking about how he had been given fakes all along, he imagined how those people must have mocked him behind his back. This was worse than killing him!
Song Bo's expression darkened, and he warned, "Zhou Tiancheng, you can eat anything, but you can't say anything carelessly. When has Liuhe Zhai ever sold fake goods? If you don't believe me, you can get someone to appraise them."
Zhou Tiancheng said coldly, "Just you wait. I'll call Professor Wang right now."
With that, Zhou Tiancheng picked up his phone.
Chen Xuan frowned.
He estimated that Zhou Tiancheng wouldn't be able to call anyone. Liuhe Zhai was powerful, and all the antique appraisal experts in Jiangzhou City were likely bought off by Liuhe Zhai.
If it weren't for Zhou Tiancheng threatening his life that day, and also saying that Professor Wang wouldn't reveal it was him who appraised it, Professor Wang likely wouldn't have told the truth.
Additionally, he was amazed that Liuhe Zhai was truly arrogant, not buying back what they sold. It was truly covering the sky with one hand.
As expected, when Zhou Tiancheng called Professor Wang and asked him to come to Liuhe Zhai to appraise antiques, Professor Wang directly hung up the phone. Zhou Tiancheng's subsequent calls were all unanswered, making Zhou Tiancheng curse in anger.
Song Bo let out a few cold laughs and waved his hand, issuing an eviction notice: "Young Master Zhou, if you want to buy anything, feel free to look. I'll give you a 50% discount. If you're not selling anything, then leave with your things."
Zhou Tiancheng clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on Song Bo, his body trembling. Suddenly, he remembered Chen Xuan!
He looked sharply at Chen Xuan, "Brother-in-law, don't you understand antiques? Can you help me confirm that these antiques are fakes?"
Chen Xuan opened his mouth to speak, but at this moment, Song Bo said faintly, "Young Master Zhou, you also said this is your brother-in-law. How can his appraisal results count?"
After speaking, Song Bo glanced at Chen Xuan again and sneered, "Besides, this fellow is so young, does he have the qualification to appraise?"
Zhou Tiancheng was stunned. He had to admit that Song Bo's first point was valid because of the kinship, the appraisal results wouldn't be recognized.
Zhou Tiancheng originally wanted to cause trouble for Liuhe Zhai, but he didn't expect such a frustrating outcome.
He was clearly swindled, but he couldn't prove it!
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth, "Brother-in-law, what should we do? Shall we just smash this Liuhe Zhai?"
Chen Xuan nodded slightly. He didn't care too much about it.
But at this moment, a charming and seductive voice faintly sounded.
"Do I have the qualification to appraise?"