Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 118: Can’t Say I’m Cheating, Right? (Please Subscribe!) (2/2)
The antiques market is treacherous, with extremely high profit margins, and some people have derived illicit methods, using antiques as bait to lure victims.
The ultimate goal was essentially to sell replicas as authentic pieces at high prices.
At its core, it was about exploiting people’s psychology to commit fraud.
Many people got deeply trapped in the Antique Scam and couldn’t extricate themselves, eventually leading to financial ruin, and in worse cases, broken families.
“So, Little Landlady, you understand what I’m saying now, right?” Lin Chuan said with a smile.
“I kind of get it now.”
Little Landlady took a deep breath. “Which means, Aunt Liu might have set me up.”
“It’s indeed possible, but her target isn’t likely you; it’s Old Zhang,” Lin Chuan nodded in affirmation.
Lin Chuan speculated that in this Antique Scam, Liu Qing first used her relationship with Old Zhang to give the Little Landlady the Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet.
Then, she arranged for a stooge to ‘coincidentally’ see the Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet and offer to buy it at a high price.
Her purpose was actually to use the Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet to make the Little Landlady trust her.
Thus influencing Old Zhang.
Because the Little Landlady was the person Old Zhang was closest to.
Liu Qing was very clever.
She had investigated both Lin Chuan and the Little Landlady and knew that they had no experience with antique trinkets and were completely ignorant in that area. Therefore, she boldly designed such a scam under the guise of ‘meeting’ them.
The goal was to hook Old Zhang.
Originally,
when Lin Chuan first encountered Liu Qing, he was only suspicious and did not dare be completely certain.
But now suddenly someone wanted to buy the Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet she had given to the Little Landlady at a high price, so Lin Chuan was sure that she wasn’t sincerely dating Old Zhang but rather planning to swindle him.
This kind of scam was relatively common in the antiques circle.
For someone new to antiques like Old Zhang, it was like a lower-dimensional strike.
“So what should we do? Should we tell Old Zhang directly?”
The Little Landlady furrowed her brows and asked.
After some thought, Lin Chuan shook his head: “Old Zhang might already be caught in it. If we confront him directly, he might not believe us, and it could alert Liu Qing instead. Let’s collect evidence first.”
As the saying goes, the player is blind but the onlooker sees clear.
After years of being single, he was desperate for a relationship, so he fell for it.
From Old Zhang’s perspective:
His girlfriend gave his daughter a precious Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet, and someone wanted to buy it for a high price.
This indicated that the bracelet was genuine.
It further proved that his girlfriend truly cared for his daughter.
As for the word ‘deceit’, it probably only flickered through his mind without leaving a trace.
“This Liu Qing actually wants to trick Old Zhang!”
The Little Landlady’s brows knitted together, and a hint of anger appeared on her pretty face as she said indignantly.
Lin Chuan rubbed the Little Landlady’s head to comfort her, “Stay calm.”
Little Landlady took a deep breath to calm her agitation and then asked, “Chairman, what should we do with this bracelet now?”
“Of course, we should sell it,” Lin Chuan said with a laugh.
“Ah?”
Little Landlady was taken aback. “Isn’t it a fake? Will the client really buy it?”
“If it really is part of an Antique Scam, of course, they will buy it,” Lin Chuan said with a smile. “Even if we say we don’t know if it’s real or fake, he will insist it’s genuine. Besides, how can we gather evidence and talk to Old Zhang if we don’t sell it?”
In the rental, the Little Landlady pursed her lips: “What will we do after selling it?”
Lin Chuan pondered for a moment.
In his mind, he retrieved memories related to the antiques con in the Virtual World.
Then,
Lin Chuan smiled, the corners of his mouth forming a subtle curve, “If everything goes as expected, after we sell it, Liu Qing will soon invite Old Zhang and you to view a collection of antiques.”
“Hmph, the wicked woman!”
The Little Landlady, Zhang Xinxin, clenched her fists and pouted, speaking angrily.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you get your revenge,” Lin Chuan said with a laugh as he rubbed the Little Landlady’s head again.
Little Landlady looked up, her clear eyes meeting Lin Chuan’s, and with a purse of her lips, she nodded firmly, feeling inexplicably reassured by the sight of Lin Chuan’s faintly smiling face.
“How come you know everything?” the Little Landlady asked curiously.
“Well… maybe that’s just the mark of a genius,” Lin Chuan said with a smile.
Only a genius could explain all this.
Otherwise… it’s not like I could say I’m using a cheat, right?
“Chairman, you’re so full of yourself!” the Little Landlady teased, but deep down she had no doubt about Lin Chuan’s words.
Lin Chuan smiled faintly, then picked up the ‘Century-Old Red Agate Bracelet’ from the table, his eyes flashing with a cold and sharp light.
He didn’t want the Little Landlady to worry.
If it had been yesterday, he would have been a complete novice in the world of antique trinkets.
But after last night’s experience in virtual life, he was now at the Grandmaster Level in the antiques circle!
The pinnacle of forgery was creating a replica that was even more convincing than the genuine article, and Lin Chuan was at that level.
As for appraising,
it was merely a matter of handling the item and looking it over.