672 A Million Times for You 34 (1/2)
She then looked at Jin Qingyan, wondering to herself, Just how did he know that the item in the box was a sham without even taking a look?
If it were a counterfeit, the auctioneer wouldn't be able to escape scot-free.
An Xiaoning's mind was filled with questions.
Once they exited the elevator, Ye Xiaotian hopped inside his car to leave. ”Would you like to go home together with me?” Gu Beicheng asked.
”I'll go back tomorrow morning. Those people I bought are still in the hotel.”
Gu Beicheng glared at Jin Qingyan, who was standing beside her, and said, ”Forget it, I don't feel safe leaving you here. I'll go back with you tomorrow morning. I'll just check into the hotel tonight.”
Jin Qingyan gave him the side eye and stood with his hands behind his back while waiting for Fan Shixin to drive the car over.
The pair of siblings entered the hotel, leaving Jin Qingyan alone by the roadside.
”Heartless creature,” he scoffed.
The car stopped beside Jin Qingyan swiftly, and he opened the door to get inside.
”Young Sir, was it another sham again tonight?”
”The auctioneers are getting more and more horrid and substandard with their acting chops… I knew it'd be a wasted trip tonight. There wasn't any improvement at all,” he said with much disdain, crossing one leg over another.
”I saw Ms. An and Mr. Gu entering the hotel together just now. Why didn't you tag along with them, Young Sir?”
”What's the point of doing that? Didn't you see how Gu Beicheng was staring at me just now? He was acting as if I were a predator hunting for prey,” Jin Qingyan remarked scornfully, sounding rather disgruntled.
Fan Shixin could not contain his amusement and burst into laughter. ”Going home without doing anything else doesn't seem like something you'd do, Young Sir,” he teased.
”Whatever, that hotel belongs to the Gu Corporation. I won't be able to get up to anything.”
Fan Shixin remained quiet and continued to drive steadily.
…
”Do you have any questions for me?” Gu Beicheng asked, handing her a cup of warm tea.
An Xiaoning placed the cup on the headboard and switched on the heater in the room. ”What's the point of such an auction? If the auctioneer knew the item was inauthentic, why did he have the audacity to put it up for auction when he knows he'd have to cough up the money he swindled?”
”You don't understand. It's because this item has been auctioned multiple times before and, ultimately, there's always someone who falls for it every single time. In the end, only half the amount of money lost will be recovered. But the very fact that everyone still rushes to attend such auctions just goes to show that they're willing to be cheated out of their time and money rather than miss the golden opportunity,” Gu Beicheng explained.
”But no one has seen it before. How would they know if it's authentic or not?”
”Those people who are bent on acquiring it have all brought an authenticator with them. A treasure map from decades ago would be examined first for paper quality, followed by the other aspects. However, none of the maps put on auction have ever passed the paper authentication.”
”Does such a map really exist?”
”It probably does. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so highly coveted. I could tell that Jin Qingyan's attitude toward the auction was similar to mine. He was just there to take a look,” Gu Beicheng said truthfully.
”Well, to me, it's as good as a mythical object that only exists in fantasies. Aren't they just a bunch of lunatics to be vying with each other over a treasure map that no one has ever seen before?”
Gu Beicheng decided to change the subject and asked, ”How many people have you bought?”
”Fourteen in total. Eight of them have serious illnesses. I bought them for ten million dollars,” said An Xiaoning.
”Usually, those who have been sent to training camps from a young age wouldn't be abandoned unless they've fallen ill or made some mistakes. What diseases are they plagued with…?”
”All sorts of diseases and ailments. But… do you know of any gangs or mafia organizations that are led by a female leader?” An Xiaoning asked.
”I do, but there are only very few female leaders. Women are mostly too soft-hearted to be leaders. There's only a small minority who are ruthless and firm enough in their decisions.”