When Chen Xiaobei ran to the school gate, Uncle Qin was already waiting there in the same black Rolls-Royce as last time.
As soon as he got in the car, he was surprised to find Lan Mengchen was also there.
She was wearing a slim-fitting long dress today, and the close-fitting design perfectly showed off her stunning figure.
Her black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, further highlighting the unique nobility of a goddess.
Beneath the hem of her dress, a pair of slender calves exuded a jade-like luster, extremely alluring.
"Mengchen? Why are you here..." Chen Xiaobei was dumbfounded as he got in the car.
"Can't I come?" Lan Mengchen pouted playfully.
"Of course you can! I've missed you so much that a day apart feels like three autumns—I've been dying for you to come," Chen Xiaobei grinned, showing a bright smile.
"Flirt."
Lan Mengchen rolled her eyes at him, but then she herself was stunned: "You... you're Chen Xiaobei?"
"Yes, it's me!"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and said, "To avoid embarrassing you at the banquet the day after tomorrow, I specially went for a makeover. How do you like it? The effect isn't bad, right?"
"This... this effect is too exaggerated... I feel your skin is even better than mine now!" Lan Mengchen stared with her beautiful big eyes, completely unable to believe it.
"Stop staring at me like that, what if you fall in love with me?" Chen Xiaobei grinned mischievously, diverting the topic.
He couldn't let anyone dig deeper into his change—there was a big secret behind it!
"Pfft! Stop being so full of yourself!" Lan Mengchen pouted and looked away.
"Sit tight, I'm going to drive,"
From the front seat, Uncle Qin smiled and said cheerfully, "Our young lady is going to an antique appreciation party with me for the first time ever. We mustn't be late."
"Uncle Qin!" Lan Mengchen stamped her foot in a huff. His words made it sound like she was going to the antique appreciation party just for Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei saw this but just smiled knowingly, not exposing her.
The car drove toward North Mountain.
Halfway up the mountain, there was an extremely luxurious private manor.
The identity of the manor's owner was very mysterious.
The manor was used as a place for upper-class people who loved antique collecting to gather and communicate.
If they found something suitable, they could of course trade it, or even hold small auctions.
Since Chen Xiaobei wanted to sell the three gold and jade hairpins in his hand, Uncle Qin specially helped him contact a suitable buyer for the transaction today.
"Master Qin!"
"Good day, Master Qin!"
"Master Qin..."
Everyone they met when entering the manor greeted Uncle Qin respectfully.
It was obvious that Uncle Qin was a regular here and had high prestige.
Entering the mansion,
both Chen Xiaobei and Lan Mengchen looked amazed.
The interior of the mansion was like a small museum, displaying all kinds of antiques.
Moreover, they were all genuine!
Chen Xiaobei had thought he would be completely clueless, but unexpectedly, he could see the "aura" of these antiques!
This was the effect of the Eight Trigrams Evolution Divine Pattern.
Just like people, every antique had a "qi" (aura).
White, green, red, silver, gold, purple gold—these represented the rarity of the antiques.
Most of the antiques here had red or green auras.
Only one had a golden aura.
It was a white jade seal, protected by double-layered bulletproof glass and placed in the center of the mansion.
"Uncle Qin, what's the origin of that seal?" Chen Xiaobei asked curiously.
Lan Mengchen also pricked up her ears, interested.
"That's the imperial seal of the ancient Yan Dynasty emperor!"
Uncle Qin's expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "Remember, there's a taboo here—never talk about the price of that seal! Otherwise, you'll be permanently banned by the mansion's owner!"
"Why is that?" Chen Xiaobei wondered.
"Silly!"
Lan Mengchen pouted and said, "That seal must have extraordinary significance to the mansion's owner! It's like a man would never allow others to talk about the price of his beloved woman!"
"The young lady put it perfectly—that's exactly the reason," Uncle Qin nodded in agreement.
Chen Xiaobei also nodded, feeling more curious about the mansion's owner.
"Master Qin! You're finally here!"
At this moment, two men in suits walked over to greet them.
The one on the left was a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses, a typical business elite.
The one on the right was an old man in his seventies with all white hair and thick glasses, giving off the vibe of a scholarly old pedant.
"Mr. Ma, don't you trust me? Why did you invite Master Wang here?" Uncle Qin asked half-jokingly.
"Master Qin, you're misunderstanding me—I could never distrust you,"
Mr. Ma quickly explained, "Master Wang heard there are three Tang Dynasty antiques for sale today, so he specially came to feast his eyes."
"Haha, just kidding. Let me introduce you,"
Uncle Qin laughed heartily and said, "This is Mr. Ma, and this is Mr. Wang Jianjun, an elder."
Wang Jianjun?
Upon hearing this name, Chen Xiaobei and Lan Mengchen both looked surprised.
"No wonder Master Wang looks familiar! He's the antique appraisal master from the treasure appraisal show!"
Chen Xiaobei slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing.
The treasure appraisal show had high ratings, and Wang Jianjun's name was very well-known.
Even a homebody like Chen Xiaobei knew him, which showed how impressive the old man was!
Then Uncle Qin continued, "This is Mr. Chen, the seller of the three Tang Dynasty antiques, and next to him is the young lady of our Lan family."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Ma and Master Wang first greeted Lan Mengchen warmly.
This top-tier young lady of Qingteng City rarely made public appearances, so they felt honored to meet her today.
After that, they only exchanged a few perfunctory words with Chen Xiaobei, their attitude clearly much colder than before.
In their eyes, although Chen Xiaobei was good-looking, his clothes were very ordinary, so he must not be a member of high society.
To put it bluntly, they looked down on him.
"Alright, now that we all know each other, let's finish the transaction quickly. There's a big event later!"
Mr. Ma grinned, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Okay, please take a look, gentlemen,"
Chen Xiaobei took out the three gold and jade hairpins from his backpack and handed them over.
"Please let Master Wang take a look first," Mr. Ma said respectfully, not daring to be presumptuous.
Master Wang took the hairpins, examined them carefully for a moment, then exclaimed, "Genuine! These are definitely Tang Dynasty antiques! Moreover, they're so well-preserved—it's simply rare!"
"That's wonderful!"
Hearing this, Mr. Ma also looked delighted and said seriously, "Mr. Chen, since you're introduced by Master Qin, let's be straightforward. According to the market price, I'll offer ten million, and I can transfer the money right now!"
"Hehe, I won't sell at this price," Chen Xiaobei shrugged, speaking casually.