As an ancient capital of many dynasties, Ningjiang City possessed an exceptionally rich historical and cultural atmosphere. Antique Street was a must-visit destination for many tourists who came to Jiangcheng, where they would stop to take photos.
Although Ye Muqing had grown up in Ningjiang City, this was her first time here as well.
The bluestone road stretched all the way to the end of the street. On both sides stood all kinds of shops, while numerous vendors called out loudly, doing their utmost to invite passing tourists over and promote the items on their stalls.
As the saying went, antique dealers could go three years without making a sale, then live off a single sale for three years. That was precisely what these antique vendors did.
When one of the vendors saw that she was a young woman, he greeted her with a beaming smile.
“Beautiful lady, come take a look at this bird-pattern famille-rose vase of mine. It’s absolutely genuine.”
Ye Muqing stopped and glanced at it before casually asking, “A genuine piece from last week?”
The tourists who had originally intended to stop by the stall and look at the goods immediately took two steps backward when they heard her.
The vendor’s expression changed, and he glared at her with an unfriendly look.
Faced with the vendor’s astonishing ability to change faces, Ye Muqing could not help wanting to applaud him.
The female vendor beside him could not hold back her laughter. She picked up a bracelet from her own stall and showed it to Ye Muqing.
“Girl, this one definitely isn’t from last week. Want to take a look?”
Ye Muqing waved her hand and politely declined before continuing forward along the stone road.
When she was almost at the end of the street, she stopped in front of an inconspicuous shop.
The storefront was small, and the name on its sign was different from those of the other shops, such as Antique Study and Gold-and-Jade Hall.
One Antique Shop.
Ye Muqing quietly read the name once, then curiously pushed open the door. The wind chime at the entrance immediately rang out with a crisp, pleasant sound, alerting the owner that a customer had arrived.
The modest shop was spotlessly clean. The items on the counter and antique shelves were equally immaculate, creating a sight that made people feel comfortable both physically and mentally.
The curtain leading to the back was lifted, and a man dressed in a black long gown walked out. His gentle brows and eyes held a smile. Most eye-catching of all were his long, fair hands and the sandalwood prayer beads hanging from one of them.
Ye Muqing was surprised that the shop’s owner was a man who appeared to be around the same age as her. He, too, seemed somewhat surprised by the visit from such a young woman.
“Hello, welcome to One Antique Shop.”
The shopkeeper’s voice was unexpectedly clear and pure.
Ye Muqing took the ordinary-looking scroll from her canvas bag and placed it on the counter.
“I saw the sign outside saying that you can authenticate calligraphy and paintings here?”
The shopkeeper nodded. “Yes, but there’s an authentication fee. Even if it’s fake, you still have to pay.”
“Fine.”
Seeing that she agreed without the slightest hesitation, the shopkeeper raised his eyebrows slightly. He then took out a pair of white cotton gloves and put them on. After first gesturing for Ye Muqing’s permission, he slowly opened the scroll.
The moment he saw the handwriting, he had practically confirmed who had written it, to say nothing of the highly distinctive, impossible-to-forge seal and name in the lower-left corner.
The shopkeeper picked up a magnifying glass and held it over the seal. After examining it carefully, his expression grew somewhat serious.
Ye Muqing took in every one of his reactions. Realizing that something might be wrong, she could not help clenching her fingers.
The shopkeeper studied it for a long while. After setting down the scroll, he removed his glasses and looked up at her, his tone sincere and earnest.
“This is an authentic work. The last time a work by the same artist appeared was at an auction in Xiangjiang, where it sold for five million. The mounting on this piece has some issues, and compared to that one, the workmanship is also rather immature. If you’re willing to sell it, I can offer you three million.”
Three million!
Hesitating for even one more second would be disrespectful to three million!
Ye Muqing nodded decisively. “All right.”
Ten minutes later.
With an extra string of digits on her bank card and a sandalwood bracelet generously gifted by the shopkeeper, Ye Muqing walked out of the shop.
Today had brought one of the rare warm winter suns to Ningjiang City. Ye Muqing narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked up at the deep-blue sky, her mood more relaxed than it had ever been.
The shopkeeper stood behind her and held out a business card.
A faint smile filled his eyes. “Please come again.”
Yu Songjin.
Looking at the name on the business card, Ye Muqing smiled as well.
“Thank you. My name is Ye Muqing.”
Since the other party was willing to take the initiative and show goodwill, it was advantageous to Ye Muqing, and of course she was willing to accept it.
Yu Songjin watched her leave, silently repeating her name in his heart.
Ye Muqing…
Before he could sort out the sudden thoughts stirring in his heart, a red supercar stopped in front of him.
A young man leaned his head out, whistled at Yu Songjin, and asked with a mischievous grin, “Which beauty are you looking at?”
Yu Songjin’s expression did not change. He gave him a flat glance. “Three million.”
“Huh?”
“You found the birthday gift you wanted for your old man. Three million. Remember to transfer it to my account.”
The young man was instantly thrilled and hurriedly opened the car door before rushing out.
“Holy crap! Bro! No, big bro! You’re my actual big bro!”
“Get lost.”
After leaving Antique Street, Ye Muqing went straight to find a real-estate agent. Moving out of the rented apartment could not be delayed; she had to cut off any possibility of Liu Yang finding her again.
After looking through most of the properties the agent provided, Ye Muqing chose a high-end apartment not far from there.
Fully furnished and ready for immediate move-in.
Most importantly, the residential complex offered an extremely high degree of privacy!
Ye Muqing decisively paid the money and completed the transfer. She spent 1.2 million without even blinking.
Looking at the keys to her new home, now in her hand, Ye Muqing could not help sighing emotionally.
As expected, having money really did make things easier.
By the time Ye Muqing returned to the rented apartment after all this running around, it was already deep into the night.
She had no intention of resting and immediately began packing.
After all, the longer the night, the more things could go wrong. Who knew whether Liu Yang might go crazy and come looking for her again the next day?
Ye Muqing did not have many belongings. Not even two suitcases were completely full.
She glanced at the spotless apartment, then left without looking back.
When she received a call from the landlord the next day, Ye Muqing felt extremely fortunate that she had made that decision.
Because Liu Yang had indeed gone there again. When knocking on the door produced no response, she had found someone to break in by force, alarming both the landlord and the police.
Lying on the comfortable large bed, a trace of mockery flashed through Ye Muqing’s eyes.
Believing her once had been enough. There was no way she would foolishly believe Liu Yang twice.
【Exchange mission locked. Host, please check it in a timely manner.】
The system’s voice suddenly rang out. Ye Muqing came back to herself and looked at the translucent screen floating in the air before her, resting her head on her arm.
However, after reading the current mission, she felt somewhat speechless. “System, you’d better not be joking with me.”
【The system has not loaded a joke module, Host. However, if you require one, the system can connect to the internet and download it at any time.】
Ye Muqing hurriedly refused. There was no need for that.
But Ye Muqing glanced at the screen again. Vegetables in exchange for holographic technology—wasn’t that the biggest joke of all?