Supremely Talented Tyrant-Chapter 1598 - 1798: Antique Market

Although Hao Jian couldn't see her, Shu Ya still had an apologetic look on her face as she spoke, because when she went out today, she specially emphasized to Hao Jian to stay at home and not go out. She promised she would make him a nice dinner when she returned. Now she was the one breaking the promise, and she naturally felt guilty.
But Hao Jian's thoughts were quite the opposite; hearing about her working overtime again made him feel tender affection for her.
It seems it's time to let Spice Ginger handle these things. If Shu Ya continues to be this busy, he really can't bear it.
Shu Ya said a few comforting words to Hao Jian and, before she could say much more, she hastily hung up because of her work.
Hao Jian lay on the sofa, tossed the phone aside, and had just turned on the TV when the phone rang again. He picked it up and saw it was a call from Liang Yuwei, instantly recalling something.
While he was in America, Liang Yuwei had called and told him to contact her as soon as he returned. But since coming back, he hadn't gotten in touch with her until now. It seemed she must have found out through some news that he had returned, so this call was definitely a bolt from the blue.
But there was no choice. If he didn't answer her call, given her temperament, she would certainly come to his door. He couldn't avoid it forever, so with a grimace, he finally picked up the phone.
As soon as the call connected, a deafening voice came through.
"Hao Jian! How dare you defy me? I told you to call me as soon as you got back, and you didn't! If I hadn't found out you'd returned, were you planning to keep hiding?" Liang Yuwei said angrily.
Hao Jian quickly covered his ears and only let go when Liang Yuwei finished speaking, then sincerely said, "How could I possibly hide from Miss Liang? I just got back and was too exhausted, so I hadn't had the chance to call you yet, and then you called me. You can't blame me for that!"
Having interacted with Hao Jian for a while, Liang Yuwei knew his personality well. After giving him a good scolding, she felt her anger subside and focused on business.
Liang Yuwei said, "Stop talking nonsense with me. I have business to discuss with you. I'm right outside your door now, and if you don't come out within three minutes, huh! Don't blame me for being merciless."
Hearing that Liang Yuwei was at his doorstep, Hao Jian felt awkward. When did she get to his door? Turning to look, sure enough, there was Liang Yuwei in casual clothes, standing at his door, peering inside. If it weren't for the living room blocking her view, she would have seen him.
This scared Hao Jian; she really does move like a whirlwind. He'd just returned and didn't even know when she appeared at his doorstep.
Recalling her deadline and the threat of being merciless, Hao Jian's face turned pale. Without grabbing a single thing, he quickly dashed outside.
Opening the door, Hao Jian ran towards Liang Yuwei. Seeing him panting, she nodded in satisfaction. She thought if he had come out slowly and also hadn't called her upon returning, she would have made him pay, or else people might think Liang Yuwei's words hold no weight.
Before Hao Jian could catch his breath, Liang Yuwei grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her car.
"Come, I need you to help me with something. If it's done well, there will be a nice reward for you," Liang Yuwei said.
After saying this, Liang Yuwei had already tugged Hao Jian into the car. Hao Jian sat in the passenger seat while Liang Yuwei sat in the driver's seat. Before giving Hao Jian a chance to speak, she started the car and quickly drove off in a certain direction.
Hao Jian asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Liang Yuwei kept her eyes on the road and replied, "Why do you care so much? Just come along."
Liang Yuwei's tone suggested that if Hao Jian asked one more question, she might get physical. It was clear that this was a professional habit, used to dealing with suspects. She found it hard to change her tone when speaking to Hao Jian, especially as she was still mad at him.
But Hao Jian, unfazed, said, "I don't care where you take me, but I haven't eaten yet, and I'm hungry. Since you're asking for my help, you can't let me go on an empty stomach."
Liang Yuwei abruptly slowed down, looked at Hao Jian, and said, "You sure have a lot of demands. Fine, fine, after we're done, I'll take you to eat."
Liang Yuwei spoke in such a way that Hao Jian couldn't find a reason to refute her, so he had no choice but to nod and agree.
After that, Liang Yuwei drove, twisting and turning all the way, until they arrived at a new place. After parking, she led Hao Jian out of the car.
Liang Yuwei brought Hao Jian to none other than the Antique Market in Hua City, where ceramics, calligraphy and paintings, jadeite, and antiques were all readily available. Every day, visitors flocked here in an endless stream—not just tourists, but mostly treasure hunters. Some would squander all their wealth here without obtaining a single good piece, while others would, in their poverty, suddenly strike it rich and jump to wealth.
Every day, the drama of the poor becoming rich and the rich turning poor played out here. Yet, despite this, the number of people attracted here only increased, with a massive daily flow of people.
If this had been in the past, Hao Jian might have been interested in these things, but now he had more money than he could ever spend. Moreover, with his experience, these gems and antiques could no longer catch his eye.
As they got out of the car, Hao Jian saw that Liang Yuwei had brought him to the Antique Market, and he looked at her with a face full of confusion, then said, "Why did you bring me here? Are you buying some antique or painting and need my appraisal?"
Liang Yuwei didn't directly answer Hao Jian's question but pulled him along, saying, "Don't ask so many questions, just follow me, and you'll see soon enough."
Liang Yuwei was dressed casually instead of in uniform, which showed her figure quite well. She wore a plaid shirt on top and a pink lace skirt on the bottom, looking just like a female college student. In fact, she'd only graduated a few years ago.
Liang Yuwei's sudden appearance in the Antique Market didn't cause much of a stir, but she still managed to catch some eyes, while Hao Jian was intensely stared at by a group of single middle-aged men.
Halfway through, Liang Yuwei remembered she forgot something, so she dragged Hao Jian back and took a bag from the car before turning back again.
Hao Jian could only roll his eyes at this, with a face full of helplessness.
Subsequently, Liang Yuwei led Hao Jian down another street. For planning and management, the Antique Market generally operated one industry per street. For example, Calligraphy and Painting Street dealt with calligraphy and paintings, while Pearl and Gemstone Street focused on pearls and gemstones.
This made management more convenient, while also benefitting buyers and tourists, who didn't have to walk across the entire Antique Market just to pick a specific item—they could simply stroll down the appropriate street and compare the options, saving them a lot of hassle and trouble.
This method of management was well-received and liked by the shop owners and customers alike, and thus has been in use since its implementation.
The place where Liang Yuwei finally brought Hao Jian was none other than Gambling Stone Street.
As the name implies, the focus of stone gambling is on the gamble. The shopkeepers place the stones there with price tags, and of course, you can haggle. Antiques inherently lack a fixed market or specific value, which is something everyone knows, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people going broke over misjudgments, nor would there be so many people striking sudden wealth by accident.
Being stone gambling, once you place your bet, there's no going back. If the jade inside turns out bad, the customer can't trouble the shopkeeper, and if it turns out to be excellent, the shopkeeper can't regret selling it to the customer.
This is a market rule that everyone follows honestly; whoever doesn't comply will be expelled from the Antique Market and the industry.
There was once a buyer who spent a significant amount of money on a stone, which, upon cutting, yielded a rare, exceptional jade. The shopkeeper regretted selling it and refused to part with the stone, but in the end, not only did they sell the stone to the customer, but they also compensated the buyer for lacking integrity. Due to the dent in credibility, the shop was eventually sealed off, with consequences unknown thereafter.
There's also another example where a customer bought a high-priced stone from a shopkeeper. From the exterior, the stone appeared of high quality in every way, but after purchasing and cutting it, the stone was entirely cut with no good jade emerging.
That stone was basically a waste stone, just cleverly disguised. Seeing this outcome, the customer clamored for a refund.
But in stone gambling, there are wins and losses; once you shell out the money and buy the stone, you can't expect the shopkeeper to refund you because you lost the gamble—that's not how it works.
As a result, the customer couldn't secure a refund and was blacklisted instead; henceforth, the entire Antique Market refused to do business with him.
Since then, practically no one dared to break the rules of the Antique Market anymore. Playing with antiques requires the appropriate mindset, a well-known principle in this industry.