Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 122 Really! Forty-six million! (Please subscribe!) (1/2)
Chapter 126: Chapter 122 Really! Forty-six million! (Please subscribe!)
Yueming Tea House.
After President Li had spoken with Liu Qing on the phone, he already had a plan in mind. He then returned to the private room with long strides and an energetic spirit:
“Director Lin, Little Director Zhang, sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Lin Chuan waved his hand, smiling, “Today it’s us who have troubled President Li. It’s only right that we should wait.”
“You’re too kind, Director Lin.”
President Li seated himself, laughing heartily.
Lin Chuan took a sip of tea and immediately passed the ‘Fengtian One Tael’ coin back to President Li: “President Li, we’ve already looked at the stove, hairpin, and fan earlier, and now only this coin remains.”
President Li took the coin, glanced at Lin Chuan and the Little Landlady, then fixed his gaze back on the coin that had his nerves trembling.
He slightly furrowed his brows and summarized the origin of the coin.
Next, he began analyzing its appearance:
“Director Lin, look at its patina, silver-gray with a bias toward black around the edges, a result of silver oxidation, while the center is brighter and smoother, making it a rare gem among coins!”
“So it’s genuine?”
Lin Chuan’s eyes lit up at this.
“Ah…”
President Li heaved a sigh and shook his head, “Director Lin, you may not know, this ‘Fengtian One Tael’ coin is a sample minted in 1903, and there’s only one in the world, which is currently on public display at the Hongxi Art Museum. Thus, any circulating in the market are fakes.”
Lin Chuan’s acting skills surged as his expression quickly fell into dejection, yet he seemed somewhat reluctant to accept this, “President Li, please take another close look. If it is a sample minting, could there be a second one produced?”
“There’s currently no evidence to prove the existence of a second ‘Fengtian One Tael,’” President Li shook his head, “The one you have here is a top-grade imitation.”
“Thank you, President Li, for your time today.”
Lin Chuan let out a sigh, taking the coin back and sipping his tea in resignation, a mixture of dissatisfaction and indignation playing across his face. He patted the Little Landlady’s hand, ready to stand up and leave.
“Director Lin.”
President Li called out, stopping Lin Chuan.
“Yes, President Li, what advice do you have?” asked Lin Chuan with a smile.
“If I may ask so boldly, how much did you pay for that ‘Fengtian One Tael’ just now?” inquired President Li.
Holding the coin, Lin Chuan replied somewhat sheepishly, “One hundred and twenty thousand.”
Hiss!
President Li took a sharp breath, then said, “Director Lin, I have a friend who is keen on collecting these coins. If Lin Chuan wants to minimize his loss, would you be willing to sell it for twenty thousand?”
“Twenty thousand?” Lin Chuan was taken aback.
“That’s right, just to make a friend,” President Li smiled.
Lin Chuan held the coin, looked at it again, and shook his head, “President Li, this was the first high-value item I bought back. It was a misjudgment, and so I’d like to keep it for myself as a lesson learned.”
“Do you have an ideal price in mind, Director Lin?” President Li probed.
Anyone who has bargained knows that when the other side provides a reason for refusal, it usually means the price isn’t right.
Time to raise the offer!
The corners of Lin Chuan’s mouth tilted up slightly in a self-deprecating smile, “Don’t laugh at me, President Li. When I first acquired this coin, I compared it against photos of ‘Fengtian One Tael’ for a long time before I was sure. I originally thought it could be worth at least ten million, but now I’ve truly embarrassed myself.”
President Li’s smile twitched as he thought to himself, You sure have big dreams! Using just a photograph for comparison and expecting to make millions, but damned if you didn’t almost fool them!
President Li thought for a moment and smiled, “In the realm of antiques, it all comes down to the character ‘play.’ There are not many people who play with the boldness that Director Lin does.”
“I’m just a novice in the presence of an expert,” Lin Chuan responded with a smile.
After pondering for a short while, President Li added, “Director Lin, I’m by no means a master in the antiques circle and can only say I’ve just scratched the surface when it comes to appraisal. The identification of this coin may not be entirely accurate. I will take a few pictures of this coin and then consult a few master friends for a thorough examination. How does that sound?”
“This…”
Lin Chuan was somewhat hesitant.
At this moment, Little Landlady joined the conversation, “Chairman, if those masters identify it as a genuine piece, we could make a fortune!”
“Exactly, that’s the idea!” President Li laughed heartily, hurriedly chiming in.
“Fine!”
Lin Chuan glanced at President Li, looking at this proxy for Liu Qing, and revealed a slight smile.
President Li took the photographs meticulously, not overlooking any detail.
He even brought out a precise ruler and a weighing device to record the diameter and weight of the coin.
Despite all this, President Li still felt a bit regretful, because he couldn’t take the coin directly for appraisal.
“Take care, President Li.”
Lin Chuan smiled, intending to keep this coin in his hand at all times; it was the most important lure in this scheme.
By the time he stepped out of Yueming Tea House, it was already noon.
In the alleys, the midday sun resembled golden fine sand, sprinkling upon the stone slabs and tiles, seeping through the gaps in the leaves, and dotting the ground with a mottled play of light and shadow. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, bringing a hint of coolness, and in a corner, several cats lazily lounged in the sun, napping.
“Chairman, do you really think they’ll believe that this coin is the ‘Fengtian One Tael’?” Little Landlady asked, her eyebrows knitted in curiosity.
“Of course,”
Lin Chuan said with a smile, his confidence evident on his handsome face, which seemed particularly dazzling in the sunlight.
“Forty million-plus, will they really take the bait that easily?” Little Landlady asked naturally as she looped her arm through Lin Chuan’s.
“In the antiques circle, in the jadeite circle, making a fortune can happen overnight, just as bankruptcy can,”
Lin Chuan said, ruffling Little Landlady’s hair first.
The fraud was now set in motion.
Liu Qing and President Li had already been ensnared.
As long as they went to get the ‘Fengtian One Tael’ coin appraised with its photographs, they would soon be unable to extricate themselves.
Even if they suspected a trap, they couldn’t resist such temptation.
In the Virtual World of ‘Fraud Salesman’ and ‘Antique Forgery,’ Lin Chuan had seen too many such people.
It’s not that they lacked intelligence.
On the contrary, they were calculating and shrewd.
But when faced with a vast profit, they would throw caution to the wind.
—For a 100% profit, they would dare to trample all human laws; with a 300% profit, they would dare commit any crime, even risking the noose.
And the ‘Fengtian One Tael’ counterfeit that Lin Chuan had crafted was convincing enough to deceive even masters.
“Chairman, I remember you mentioned last time that Liu Qing might be connected to the factory area. How does the antiques circle relate to the factory area?” Little Landlady asked, pursing her lips, unable to fathom the intricacies.
Lin Chuan countered, “Why can’t they be connected?”