The beautiful manager of Wanxin Hesheng Auction House, Xu Nan, listened to the laughter of the crowd and couldn't help but frown deeply as she watched Shen Qiang on the computer screen.

As the owner of the pink Blood Coral and Nalan Xingde's thumb ring, Wanxin Hesheng Auction House had been vigorously promoting the auction on Friday, with the main items being Shen Qiang's pink Blood Coral and a Yuan Blue and White Porcelain Vase.

Many clients who had heard rumors about Nalan Xingde's thumb ring expressed their hope to see it at the auction, and some kept inquiring about Shen Qiang.

So, in her heart, Shen Qiang still held some weight.

But now, seeing that Shen Qiang would actually go to buy those commonplace agate beads, even Xu Nan, who considered herself to have seen much and known widely, couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Why buy agate beads, oh%... Could it really be that I overthought it, and Shen Qiang obtained the Blood Coral and Nalan Xingde's thumb ring purely by luck? Perhaps this is just his personal hobby, and he might buy other things..."

In the following period, Xu Nan continued to watch Shen Qiang with a mix of anticipation and curiosity.

But as time went by, Xu Nan, like everyone else, lost her patience with Shen Qiang.

After purchasing those agate beads, though Shen Qiang did go around and browse everywhere, he did not buy anything of value.

On the other hand, Sun Kaiping was surprisingly impressive. He met the spending standard of ten thousand yuan exactly, and even without seeing the actual items, the three goods Sun Kaiping bought aroused considerable interest among those present.

An hour passed quickly.

When Sun Kaiping and Shen Qiang arrived at the entrance of Eight Treasures Pavilion, it was just 6:45 PM, five minutes ahead of schedule.

At this time, the hall of Eight Treasures Pavilion was already packed with around thirty people.

These were all the reputable antique dealers from the old goods market and the antique market.

As soon as Sun Kaiping entered Eight Treasures Pavilion,

those dealers immediately laughed and greeted him.

But Shen Qiang, who entered just before or after Sun Kaiping, wasn't given such treatment; there were no greetings for Shen Qiang, not even a smile.

Only Xu Nan stood up with a smile and greeted Shen Qiang.

Even though her smile was very professional, it still somewhat eased Shen Qiang's awkwardness.

"Here are the three items I've acquired; everyone, please take a look," said Sun Kaiping, glancing at Shen Qiang and confidently placing the three goods in front of Old Master Meng's table.

As everyone watched, Old Master Meng picked up the magnifying glass to take a look.

"A Song Dynasty handheld pot with average condition, its current market price is around ten thousand yuan," he said, handing the viewed pot to someone beside him and moving on to the second item.

Immediately someone in the crowd laughed, "Old Sun, that's not too good, the item isn't worth much."

"Indeed, it's far inferior to Nalan Xingde's thumb ring."

"Hahaha, and it's far behind the Blood Coral too."

Hearing the mocking jokes of those present, Sun Kaiping's face remained stoic as he said, "I got this pot for five hundred yuan."

Instantly, the crowd fell silent. After a full five seconds, someone said, "Old Sun really has sharp eyes, turning five hundred into ten thousand; that's 20 times the value, faster than robbery."

Sun Kaiping gave a slight smile.

At that moment, Old Master Meng, holding the magnifying glass, said solemnly, "An Early Qing Bamboo Carving Brush Pot, finely carved but not well preserved, its market price is between two and three thousand yuan at most."

Boss Ma, who had been silent, chuckled and said, "Old Sun, this isn't good either, why buy such trash?"

Sun Kaiping replied coldly, "Two hundred and forty yuan; did you expect me to buy the He's Bi jade disc?"

Boss Ma choked on these words.

Someone nearby laughed and said, "A tenfold increase in value, that's not bad at all."

Hearing such an appraisal, Sun Kaiping's eyes gleamed with a hint of smugness as he glanced at Shen Qiang.

However, he saw Shen Qiang remaining indifferent, as calm as the breeze and the gentle clouds.

Coldly snorting in his heart, he then proudly looked toward Elder Meng and said, "Elder, this third item of mine is really something, you have to take a close look."

Elder Meng, holding a magnifying glass, frowned slightly and asked, "How much did you pay for this?"

Sun Kaiping smiled, "Nine thousand two hundred yuan."

Elder Meng sighed, then handed the bronze piece in his hand to the appraiser from Wanxin Hesheng Auction House, saying, "I have to admit, Sun, your eye power has really gotten better, and your luck's indeed not bad either."

"Let Master Tong announce the result of this bronze censer."

Upon hearing Elder Meng's words, everyone present instantly perked up, as they had all detected from his tone that Sun Kaiping's third piece was probably not simple.

The appraiser from Wanxin Hesheng Auction House, Master Tong, took the magnifying glass and, after examining it repeatedly, put down the glass and announced solemnly, "This is a bow-shaped large bronze incense burner from the Qianlong period of the Great Qing, with an inward tapering mouth, plump shoulders, a sloping belly, and a flat base. The body of the burner is plain and smooth, with flowing, rounded lines."

"The shape is seen in the 'Xuande Yi Qi Tu Pu' compiled by Lv Zhen during the Ming Dynasty. The bottom of the burner is cast with the six-character inscription 'Made during the Qianlong period of the Great Qing' in seal script, estimated to be worth between 1.5 to 2 million yuan, a rare genuine article."

At these words, the crowd immediately buzzed in astonishment.

"Such a huge score, two hundred times the profit!"

"Holy shit, Sun, you can't do this to us, if I had known I could find something like this, I would never have bothered with this crap."

"Sun, for the sake of your bet, we didn't even go to the market today, so remember to give us a cut when you sell that big incense burner."

Hearing the crowd's comments, Sun Kaiping turned around with a triumphant look in his eyes and said to Shen Qiang, "A bet is a bet, and now that the result is out, Shen Qiang, I've already won. Nalan Xingde's ring is mine now."

As he said this, he took out a checkbook from his chest, wrote vigorously, and handed a check for one million yuan to Shen Qiang saying, "You can go get the ring now."

The people around immediately got excited.

"Damn, Sun's luck has turned, not only did he pick up a huge bargain, but he also won back Nalan Xingde's ring!"

"Indeed, the older, the wiser."

"Hahaha, this silly boy, trying to compete with Sun in eye power, it's like he's asking for trouble. Consider Nalan Xingde's ring the price for his growth."

Listening to the surrounding people's discussions, Shen Qiang laughed, "You haven't seen what I bought yet, how can you tell I have lost?"

The crowd paused.

Sun Kaiping laughed, "My bow-shaped large bronze incense burner is probably worth around two million yuan on the market. With only a ten-thousand yuan cost, how could you possibly beat me?"

The crowd immediately burst into laughter.

"This silly kid just bought some agate beads and still babbles on here."

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter, those broken things he bought aren't even worth ten yuan."

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Shen Qiang smiled, reached for a Yuan Blue and White Porcelain Floral Porcelain Plate priced at one million yuan on the Eight Treasures Pavilion's shelf of fine items, and placed it on the table under Elder Meng's grim expression.

Then he poured dozens of beads from a plastic bag onto the plate with a rattle.

"Holy shit, has this kid gone mad? That's Yuan Blue and White Porcelain, and he's using it to hold agate beads?"

"Idiot!"

Amid their derision, Shen Qiang, with a calm expression, pushed the Yuan Blue and White Porcelain Floral Porcelain Plate toward Elder Meng, who was seething, then smiled faintly, "There are a few beads in there that are quite special. Elder, please have a look for me."

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