Chapter 139: I’ll Give You One Million; I’m Buying Your Jade Pendant

This speaker ruined Tang Chen’s immediate impulse to do the good deed, but Tang Chen wasn’t angry. After all, he just wanted to help the Old Master vent, and it didn’t matter who dealt with the troublemaker.

As for the punishment? Tang Chen shamelessly reasoned that since he hadn’t even started the Mission yet, there was no failure to speak of.

Clearly, whoever stepped forward at this moment would be admired by everyone. This guy looked to be in his early thirties. He wore glasses, giving him a gentle, scholarly air, very much the look of an office worker.

The shop Boss looked at him, displeased, and said, “Sir, this matter doesn’t concern you. Please mind your own business.”

The man first walked to the Old Master and helped him up. Then, angrily, he said, “What do you mean it doesn’t concern me? Treating an Old Master like this is something no person with a conscience could stand by and watch.”

Hearing this, the other onlookers weren’t pleased. You’re calling us out? Aren’t you basically implying none of us have a conscience?

After speaking, the man dusted the dirt off the Old Master’s clothes and said, “Old Master, don’t be afraid. My name is Chi Chen. I will ensure you get justice.”

The Old Master, tears of gratitude welling up, grabbed Chi Chen’s hand and said, “Thank you, young man. You’ve reminded me that there are still good people in this world.”

The shop Boss wasn’t happy. What’s going on? Are you two, one old and one young, actually singing praises right outside my shop? Don’t you know I opened this shop to do business?

The Boss puffed himself up and said arrogantly, “Old master. Since you’re fine now, hurry up and leave. I have business to attend to.”

Before the Old Master could speak, Chi Chen jumped in, “Boss, that’s unfair. You need to give the Old Master his money back. Otherwise, I’ll go with him to the Police Station and press charges.”

“Press charges?” The Boss burst into loud laughter. “What charge? That I sold you a fake? Where’s your proof? Didn’t I tell you this Old Master bought the Bodhisattva statue three days ago? He only came back now claiming it’s fake. He could easily have swapped it out during those three days. Even if you press charges, you have no case.”

The Old Master looked worriedly at Chi Chen, but Chi Chen declared righteously, “I remember you boasting just now that everything in your shop is genuine, right? How about this? Pick any item in your shop at random. Let me examine it. We’ll see, right here in front of everyone, whether or not you sell fakes.”

The Boss snorted dismissively. “You? Who do you think you are? You want me to just hand over precious pieces for you to examine? Forget whether you even have the knowledge to appraise them! Given how eager you are to help this Old Master, who knows if you two are actually in cahoots? What if you’re trying to scam me together?”

Chi Chen scoffed, walked towards the Boss, pulled out a business card from his briefcase, and handed it over. “I work for the Southwest Museum. Authenticating antique pieces is literally my specialty. Here’s my card. If you don’t believe me, use your Mobile Phone or computer to look up the museum’s official website. My published papers and staff profile are there. You’ll see.”

The Boss took the card. “I have no idea how to do any of that computer stuff. How do I know you didn’t just fake this card to fool me?”

“I know how! I’ll help!” Tang Chen called out. He pulled Yang Mi through the crowd towards the center. Taking the card, he addressed the onlookers, “I don’t know this Big Brother, and it’s my first time here. How about I act as a neutral third party? More fair. What do you all say?”

The crowd, loving the drama, immediately chimed in: “Sounds good! Good idea! That young man seems trustworthy!”

Chi Chen gave Tang Chen a friendly smile, indicating he had no objections. Seeing the crowd clearly siding against him, the Boss had little choice but to reluctantly agree.

Tang Chen handed his Mobile Phone to Yang Mi to do the search. She found the information and showed it to the shop Boss. The Boss knew resisting was futile. He just pretended to glance at it quickly.

“Alright, kid,” the Boss said, looking pointedly at Tang Chen. “Since you’re butting in, let’s set the rules. If the treasure I pick from my shop is proven genuine by him…” He jabbed a finger at Chi Chen. “…then not only does he have to buy the ten most expensive treasures from my shop, right now, but he also has to publicly apologize to me in front of all these people for slandering my shop’s reputation. But… if it turns out to be even one fake piece… then I apologize. And I pay compensation.” The Boss spoke confidently, projecting righteousness.

Chi Chen agreed instantly, without a second thought. He trusted his professional knowledge. If it was fake, he would spot it.

Chi Chen stated firmly, “With this Big Brother as our witness, nobody backs out.”

Tang Chen nodded in agreement. Inside, though, he was skeptical. ‘This awful boss looks so sure of himself. Could his stuff actually be genuine? What if there are no fakes? Can I still complete the Mission?’

The Boss didn’t waste time talking. He casually pulled a jade pendant from a shelf that looked noticeably old. The jade was about the size of a palm, creamy white in color, with blotches of dried mud on it, making it look like it hadn’t been properly cleaned.

He displayed it confidently to the crowd. “This pendant cost me a fortune. Dug it up from Emperor Han Wudi’s mausoleum myself. Selling price is eight hundred and eighty thousand. Young man,” he said, turning to Chi Chen with a smirk, “examine it well. If you can’t clearly prove it’s a fake… you better be ready to pay up and buy this piece.”

Ignoring the Boss’s cold, threatening eyes, Chi Chen calmly took the jade pendant. He first weighed it in his hand. Solid, feels heavy. Seeing the caked mud, a cold smile played on his lips. Pathetic. Artificially aging pieces with dirt is such a common, low-level trick forgers use to make fakes appear ancient. Utterly transparent to someone like me.

Chi Chen felt a wave of relief. He began examining the pendant meticulously. A minute later, the confident smile vanished from his face. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked absolutely horrified, as if he’d seen something terrifying. Tang Chen noticed the change. What? Could it really be genuine?

“Well, young man?” the Boss boomed, radiating confidence as if he’d expected this reaction all along. “Tell everyone loudly! Real… or Fake?”

Chi Chen’s hands trembled. He forced the words out, punctuating each one: “It… it is real. The grain… the patina… estimated age… all genuine. Preliminary assessment places it firmly in Emperor Han Wudi’s era.”

Curse my stupidity! Chi Chen screamed internally. Why did I have to show off? Why jump in to help this old guy? Now look! His problem isn’t solved, and I’ve just lost eight hundred and eighty thousand in seconds!

Eight Hundred. Eighty. Thousand. Where could he possibly get that much money?!

The crowd gasped. Real? So that meant… the Old Master was the liar?

“Old Master…” the crowd murmured, shifting their blame instantly. “… How could you pull such a money-grabbing trick at your age?” In an instant, the crowd dragged the Old Master from his moral pedestal.

Desperate, the Old Master grabbed Chi Chen’s sleeve. “Young man! Look again! Please! Is it really genuine?”

“Could I be mistaken?” Chi Chen exploded, all pretense of civility gone, crushed by the weight of the massive debt. “I try to help you out of a jam, you thank me by ruining my life?! Why don’t you just drop dead!” He shouted, his face twisted with rage.

“You… you…!” The Old Master, stung and bewildered by the sudden vitriol, burst into tears again, utterly lost. Is this the same man who told me not to be afraid moments ago?

The Boss laughed heartily, satisfied. “See? See now who the real fraud is? I’ve never sold fakes! It’s all this old man! Trying to fleece me!”

“Yes, absolutely, you’re right Boss,” Chi Chen stammered, suddenly sycophantic. He hastily handed the jade pendant back, a flattering smile plastered on his face. “…Boss, about that money… could you… maybe give me a bit of a discount?” The flattery felt forced. “It’s… it’s far too expensive… I simply can’t manage…”

“I didn’t lie!” The Old Master pleaded despairingly from his position on the ground. “He tricked me!” He looked heart-wrenchingly pitiful.

Yang Mi felt a pang of sympathy. She stepped forward, intending to help the Old Master up, but Tang Chen immediately grabbed her arm, stopping her. Inside his mind, Tang Chen urgently addressed the System: ‘System! Is that asshole Boss’s jade pendant genuinely authentic?!’

System: “Respected Host, scanning complete. This jade pendant is absolutely not genuine. In human terms, it is a high-quality replica. The forger possessed considerable skill, making it extremely difficult for the average person to recognize the deception.”

“Wait! Boss!” Tang Chen stopped listening to the System and called out loudly.

The Boss paused, mid-revelry, and turned to Tang Chen with a cold sneer. “Little Brother, your services as a witness aren’t required anymore. If you’ve got nothing else, best head back where you came from.”

Tang Chen shook his head slowly. A new kind of calm certainty had settled over him. “You said earlier this pendant is priced at eight hundred and eighty thousand, correct?” he stated calmly. Then, a slight, confident smile played on his lips. “This Young Master is interested.”

He looked the Boss straight in the eye.

“I’ll give you one million. Your pendant? I’m buying it.”