Ye Chen picked up the bloodstone, weighed it in his hand, and said, "The luster and texture of this bloodstone indeed are indistinguishable from real bloodstone, but everyone, please look at the engravings. The carving is too meticulous; itРІР‚в„ўs obviously modern. Moreover, the luster of real bloodstone is soft with a waxy sheen, but this one is too bright."
As he spoke, Ye Chen lifted the bloodstone to his nose and sniffed it: "This bloodstone also has the dampness of soil, clearly having been intentionally buried for aging. It hadnРІР‚в„ўt been dug up for more than a couple of days, right?"
As soon as Ye Chen spoke, the whole room fell silent.
Li Rongrong was stunned.
Ye Qian was stunned.
Several antique shop owners were also stunned.
The expressions of the middle-aged man and the young man slightly changed.
What Ye Chen said was very professional and made perfect sense.
Could it be that everyone was really wrong, and this bloodstone is fake?
But this was authenticated by Fourth Master; how could it be fake?
There was a deathly silence in the Treasure House.
Li Rongrong took the bloodstone from Ye ChenРІР‚в„ўs hand and examined it; it was just as Ye Chen described.
A look of incredulity flashed across her eyes.
How could this young manРІР‚в„ўs treasure appraising skills be so high?
In just a few words, Li Rongrong could judge that Ye ChenРІР‚в„ўs treasure appraising skills surpassed hers.
At this time, the young man snapped back to reality and snorted coldly: "YouРІР‚в„ўre talking nonsense. This bloodstone was authenticated by Fourth Master; how could it be fake."
Yes, Fourth Master has never made a mistake. It canРІР‚в„ўt be fake.
Several antique shop owners chipped in as well.
EveryoneРІР‚в„ўs gaze turned to Ye Chen.
Ye Chen said calmly, "Fourth Master, if he really authenticated this bloodstone, it only means heРІР‚в„ўs a fraud!"
"How dare you insult Fourth Master."
"ThatРІР‚в„ўs too much."
"If you canРІР‚в„ўt prove this bloodstone is fake, youРІР‚в„ўre dead."
Ye Chen sneered: "You want evidence, right? Fine."
"Who has a lighter?" Ye Chen asked.
At this moment, an assistant handed Ye Chen a lighter.
After lighting it, Ye Chen held the flame against the bloodstone.
In an instant, the surface of the bloodstone turned charred black.
Ye Chen said calmly, "When real bloodstone is heated, it shows little wax on the surface; its color turns purple or dark under high heat but immediately returns to its original color upon cooling. However, you see this bloodstone; itРІР‚в„ўs completely burned black. What do you say? Real or fake?"
Everyone gathered around, and sure enough, the bloodstone turned charred black after being heated.
Seeing the fake bloodstone revealed, the young manРІР‚в„ўs face turned ugly.
"Forget it, IРІР‚в„ўm not selling it."
The young man picked up the bloodstone and was ready to leave.
However, Ye Chen blocked his way.
"DonРІР‚в„ўt go; selling fake artifacts comes with legal responsibilities."
At that moment, the sound of police sirens came from outside, and Zhou Susu entered with two officers.
Seeing the police, the young manРІР‚в„ўs face turned ashen, and he tried to run.
But the assistants had already blocked him.
The middle-aged man, seeing the situation worsening, muttered, "Damn it, almost bought a fake stone."
Ye Chen, however, stood in his way.
"You lack loyalty. Your partner gets caught, and youРІР‚в„ўre okay running off?"
The middle-aged manРІР‚в„ўs face turned cold, and he quickly said, "What nonsense are you talking? WhoРІР‚в„ўs his partner? IРІР‚в„ўm a victim too, okay?"
He tried to push Ye Chen away, but Ye Chen grabbed his arm.
By then, the policeman had already cuffed the young man.
Another policeman checked the records and called out excitedly, "Captain Zhou, this guy is the scam thief weРІР‚в„ўve been after, and he should have an accomplice too."
Ye Chen smiled faintly: "His accomplice is right here."
The middle-aged man saw he couldnРІР‚в„ўt escape and finally broke down.
Two police officers rushed over and cuffed the middle-aged man as well.
The middle-aged man, full of resentment, said, "WeРІР‚в„ўve run rampant in Hua Country for many years, and now weРІР‚в„ўre caught by you."
Ye Chen merely smiled: "This is what they say about evildoers meeting their end."
Li Rongrong was completely stunned by what she saw.
She was also secretly relieved; if not for Ye Chen, she wouldРІР‚в„ўve been deceived today.
Zhou Susu came up to Ye Chen and said, "You should consider switching careers and becoming a cop. In one day, youРІР‚в„ўve helped capture three A-level fugitives."
Ye Chen smiled faintly: "Just let your police department hitch a ride with me more often."
Several antique shop owners gave thumbs up to Ye Chen.
"Young man, youРІР‚в„ўre amazing. I respect your treasure appraising skills."
"Young man, come work at our shop as a treasure appraiser. IРІР‚в„ўll offer you a yearly salary of 100,000, how about it?"
"Get out of the way; heРІР‚в„ўs mine." At that moment, Li Rongrong stepped in front of Ye Chen.
Everyone: "..."
Li Rongrong blushed slightly: "What I mean is, I want to hire Ye Chen as a treasure appraiser."
Turning around, Li Rongrong said, "Ye Chen, why donРІР‚в„ўt you work at our shop as a treasure appraiser."
Ye Chen shook his head: "CanРІР‚в„ўt, I still have to drive DiDi."
"Drive DiDi?" Everyone was baffled.
How much does driving DiDi pay per month? A treasure appraiser easily earns over a hundred ten thousand a year.
Plus, driving DiDi exposes you to wind and sun; how does it compare to the comfort of earning easy money as a treasure appraiser?
Li Rongrong was also momentarily stunned. After thinking about it, she said, "You donРІР‚в„ўt need to come every day, just when needed. How about I offer you a million a year?"
Ye Chen thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright then!"
Ye Qian tugged at Ye Chen and said, "Ye Chen, since youРІР‚в„ўre so amazing, why donРІР‚в„ўt you take me shopping for treasures?"
Ye Chen nodded: "Sure!"
The two of them left Treasure Pavilion and started browsing Taobao Street.
Taobao Street has now been developed into a tourist attraction, which includes stalls, shops, and an auction venue.
Li RongrongРІР‚в„ўs shop is considered high-end.
Ye Chen glanced at the items on the stalls; most were fake.
He picked out a bracelet for Ye Qian for two thousand dollars, whose actual price was twenty thousand.
As they were about to leave, they noticed everyone rushing towards the largest shop on Taobao Street.
Ye Chen curiously asked, "Where is everyone going?"
"Fourth Master is appraising treasures; weРІР‚в„ўre going to have a look."
"Fourth Master?" Ye ChenРІР‚в„ўs eyes narrowed slightly.
Fourth Master is Chen Bin.
Ye Chen wanted revenge for Lin Youyou, so he was ready to meet Chen Bin.
Ye Chen followed the crowd to an antique-style building.
Three large characters "Tongbao Tower" were inscribed on the building.
At the entrance was an intricately designed sandalwood table.
On the table was an antique blue and white porcelain vase.
Beside the vase stood a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a suit.
This man was Chen Bin.
Chen Bin proudly cupped his hands and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the blue and white porcelain I just brought back from abroad, costing me thirty million. An expert just appraised it as worth a billion."
A billion?
There was a commotion at the scene.

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