Chapter 190: Chapter 183: A Qixi Gift for a Brother
She said, sounding a little superstitious.
It seemed she was a firm believer in such things.
"What other evil aura could compare to this one?"
Lin Chu commented, then turned and gave it a couple of casual swings. It felt well-balanced in his hand.
In modern society, however, something like this could only be a collector’s item. Its killing power was completely disproportionate to its price.
"How much for both of them together?"
Lin Chu asked casually.
He wasn’t buying them for himself, of course. They were gifts. The teacup wasn’t for him to use, but for whomever he gave it to, as long as they didn’t find its origins unsettling. He could, of course, just not tell them.
Besides, wasn’t the Qixi Festival coming up?
Time to prepare some gifts for his buddies.
"Fifty percent off."
Sister Tang took a deep breath and said softly.
She felt a little awkward when it came to quoting prices.
Honestly, she felt a little ashamed to even talk about money. This shame stemmed from her past prodigal behavior—spending tens of millions on these items only to sell them at a fifty-percent, ’coughing-up-blood’ loss, all while worrying the buyer would haggle further or even look down on the items.
’How foolish.’
’My past self was so incredibly foolish.’
’But if I don’t sell?’
’They’ll end up in who knows whose hands, and I’d rather not let those bastards get them for cheap.’
Lin Chu glanced at her, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "That’s too high. I think thirty percent is more reasonable. Elder Ma is on the verge of bankruptcy and can’t even pay his employees. It’s time for collectibles to return to a more normal valuation."
Sister Tang was speechless.
For a moment, she hesitated.
She knew Lin Chu was referring to the recent news, and it was true. The last decade had been a golden age for collecting, with many items being hyped up to astronomical prices. It was about time for a market correction, a regression to the mean.
Taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth, she nodded. "Alright."
Neither the teacup nor the jade knife were among her most cherished pieces. Even at such a steep discount, a sale was a sale. Recovering cash was her top priority.
"I have one more condition. I’ll take them on consignment. I guarantee I’ll sell them within seven days, and I’ll give you the money after the sale."
Lin Chu added.
’If I buy them myself, even at thirty percent off, it effectively ’resets’ the value of these two treasures. But if I take them on consignment, then when I give them away, their value will be their original auction price.’
’Consignment?’
She gave Lin Chu a deep look, a flicker of suspicion returning. ’This isn’t some kind of scam, is it?’
’The world of antiques is full of tricks and schemes.’
Many auction houses would have the owner send over their collection first, then give them a very high valuation as bait. After hooking them in, they’d use all sorts of excuses—processing fees, marketing fees, appraisal fees—to get the owner to pay up. In the end, the items might not even sell.
"We’ll sign a contract. I’ll give you a thirty million deposit upfront. I’ll pay the rest of the balance within seven days after they’re sold."
Lin Chu, guessing her concerns, quickly added with a smile.
She was silent for a moment.
Though still somewhat hesitant, she gritted her teeth and nodded.
’A deposit clause does make it... a lot safer.’
’The two items together were worth nearly 140 million. Thirty percent of that is 42 million. A 30 million deposit was a significant amount.’
’She wouldn’t even be opposed to just selling them to him for 30 million.’
She agreed.
Lin Chu signed a contract with her, paid the thirty million deposit, and took the two most expensive items. After selecting some precious medicinal herbs, he was ready to leave.
’But he was already mulling over how he would give the gifts away.’
Amidst Wang Huating’s polite and grateful words of thanks, Lin Chu got into his car. Once they had driven off, he dialed Wang Zhefei’s number again.
"Hey, dumbass, what’re you up to? When’s my Qixi gift getting here?"
Huh?
Hearing this, Wang Zhefei, who was in his office playing a video game, couldn’t help but laugh. He had been completely slacking off at the company lately. Aside from handing off his duties, all he did was play games. He couldn’t give a damn about anything, since he was quitting in two months at most anyway.
"How about a box of 003s and a little blue pill? Is that enough? If not, I can double it."
Wang Zhefei said with an air of mock generosity.
’It was all about catering to his friend’s tastes, after all.’
’As a good bro, he naturally knew what Lin Chu liked.’
In the car, Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh. "Why the hell would I need that? I don’t use that crap. Think of something else."
Wang Zhefei: ?
"Then... Vaseline?"
Lin Chu was speechless.
"I’m not *that* kinky!"
He couldn’t help but laugh again.
"For fuck’s sake, this is so annoying. What kind of gifts do guys even give each other? It makes us sound like a couple of perverts..."
Wang Zhefei grumbled, unable to think of anything else. ’Talk about putting a guy on the spot.’
"Well, I got you something. It’s pretty expensive, too. But since you feel that way, I’ll just save myself the trouble."
Lin Chu said with a sly grin.
Hearing this, he instantly grew frantic. "Hey, hey, hey, hold on, Foster Father! I love expensive things! As for you, just name it! What do you want? I’d even trade a diamond ring with you!"
Lin Chu burst out laughing.
’There it is. My personal money-making machine, Brother Fei.’
’Such a sweet-talker.’
「About half an hour later.」
Lin Chu went to his company. He entered as a visitor and wasn’t stopped. After signing in, he went straight to Wang Zhefei’s office.
"Holy shit, so formal?"
"You actually came."
Wang Zhefei looked genuinely surprised to see Lin Chu had actually shown up.
Lin Chu’s eyes swept around the office before he casually pulled the Jian Zhan bowl from his pocket. "Here. Happy Qixi."
Wang Zhefei: ?
"Damn it! What’s with this crappy cup? Get lost! I don’t want it! You might as well have gotten me a fleshlight!"
Lin Chu shot back, "You dumbass, it’s a Jian Zhan! This is a Jian Zhan bowl! An antique! Try to elevate your taste a little. Emperor Huizong of Song used this back in the day. It comes with its own imperial aura."
