After parting ways with Cen Sui at the exit of the antique market, Rong Mo headed to the parking lot to get his car.
He had barely sat down in the driver’s seat and had not even started the engine when he first called his university professor, Zhao Mingyuan.
The phone rang twice before it connected. Rong Mo spoke up and asked, “Professor Zhao, are you free right now? I have something here that I’d like to bring over for you to take a look at.”
Zhao Mingyuan was clearly in the middle of something. He briefly replied, “I’m still in the lab and haven’t left yet. Just come straight over.”
Rong Mo ended the call and drove to the archaeology laboratory at Su’an University.
The laboratory at Su’an University was fully equipped with advanced instruments and was the best archaeology lab in Su’an City.
Zhao Mingyuan was a professor in the archaeology department of Su’an University, the department head, and also the president of the Su’an City Antiquities Appraisal Association.
In short, within the territory of Su’an City, he was the authoritative figure in the field of archaeology.
When Rong Mo arrived at the laboratory, Zhao Mingyuan had just finished what he was working on.
Seeing Rong Mo, he did not immediately remove the gloves from his hands. With a kindly expression and gentle voice, he asked, “What good thing have you picked up again?”
Rong Mo handed over the box he was holding and teased, “Take a look first.”
Zhao Mingyuan’s expression remained ordinary, treating it as a routine appraisal. However, the moment he accepted the box and opened it, the expression on his face instantly froze, and even his breathing paused for a moment.
A fervent fascination flickered in his eyes as he whispered from the depths of his soul, “It is too beautiful.”
After a moment, he tightened his expression and lifted his head to look at Rong Mo, asking, “I have never seen porcelain like this before. Where did it come from?”
Rong Mo was much calmer now and said to Zhao Mingyuan, “This evening a young girl, about twenty or so, came to the shop. She said she had picked it up from a street stall. She was completely confident when she said this was a fragment of Chai ware and was absolutely certain about it.”
When the words “Chai ware” were spoken, Zhao Mingyuan’s hand holding the box involuntarily trembled.
Those two words shocked and awed him just as much as the porcelain shard in his hand. He lowered his head and examined it for a while longer, then furrowed his brows and said slowly, “Look at the depth and luster emanating from this shard. It is certainly not an ordinary item. Even Ru ware is not this stunning.”
Ru kilns were one of the five great kilns and also used sky-blue glaze as their main tone.
Therefore some people said that Chai ware was the predecessor of Ru ware.
Authentic Ru ware was itself extremely rare. The officially recognized number of surviving pieces of ancient Ru ware was only sixty-five, making it precious and scarce.
Yet what could drive porcelain collectors even more frantic than Ru ware was naturally Chai ware, which had no confirmed surviving pieces in existence.
Rong Mo agreed with Zhao Mingyuan’s assessment and echoed, “Based on my experience, whether it is the glaze color, the clay body, or the thinness, everything matches the descriptions in ancient texts. But I have never seen genuine Chai ware, so I did not dare draw any conclusions. That is why I brought it to you for appraisal.”
Zhao Mingyuan nodded. “Leave it to me. I have a meeting tomorrow and will put together an expert panel. You should come too.”
Rong Mo gave a small laugh. “What kind of expert am I? I am just someone who runs an antique shop.”
Zhao Mingyuan shot him a look. “Save the modesty. You may not be very old, but your experience is no less than that of those experts. Do not think I am unaware of the status your Rong family holds in the antique world of Wankou City.”
Wankou City was a first-tier metropolis, on a level Su’an City could not compare with in any aspect.
Rong Mo did not want to talk about the messy matters of his family and said directly, “If you trust me, Professor, I’ll come.”
Zhao Mingyuan patted him on the shoulder. “If we can ultimately confirm that this piece is genuine, it would be a monumental discovery that could shake the entire world. For now, do not spread the news. Wait until we have a definitive conclusion.”
Rong Mo nodded. “Alright.”
*
Cen Sui relaxed the moment she got into the taxi and left Chenggu Road. Only then did she realize just how exhausted she was.
Her legs felt soft and weak like cotton swabs, and even her lower back was sore and stiff with a dull ache.
The taxi driver asked where she was headed, and she directly gave him the name of the villa district where her family lived.
She had barely finished speaking when she received a call from Tao Miner. Chirping excitedly through the phone, she said, “Sui Sui, everything’s ready. You can just come over. I’ll send the address to you on WeChat.”
It took Cen Sui a moment to remember that Tao Miner had mentioned at noon that she wanted to organize a gathering to celebrate Cen Sui finally being able to stand again.
She had wandered around the antique market the entire afternoon. Her phone’s step counter showed more than twenty thousand steps, and she had looked at countless antiques. Her mind had been filled over and over with things like pixiu and jade Buddhas. She had completely forgotten about the gathering.
Now that she remembered, she quickly pulled herself together, showed the driver the address on her phone, and changed the destination. “Please go here. Thank you, sir.”
The taxi driver responded cheerfully, “No problem.”
To host the gathering, Tao Miner and the others had booked a large suite at the Wengerlai Hotel.
The suite faced the river on its southern side, and the living room and bedroom walls along that side were entirely made of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a full view of the river scenery outside.
When Cen Sui arrived at the hotel, everything inside had already been arranged.
The table was covered with various drinks and alcohol. Girls dressed brightly with striking makeup were sitting by the bar counter. The sound system and lighting had all been set up, ready for the group to start partying at any moment.
Cen Sui was truly exhausted. After greeting everyone when she walked in, she immediately turned around and drank half a glass of fruit wine.
Sitting down by the sofa, she looked left and right, then said to Tao Miner, “Not bad at all. This actually looks pretty legit.”
Tao Miner flipped her hair lightly. “We’re celebrating you, so of course we put in our best effort.”
Although the purpose was to have fun, Cen Sui still took a moment to rest first.
It was not until the second half of the party that she fully joined in the excitement, laughing and messing around with the other girls.
After their playful chaos, she went to the table to drink and rest. Chen Danuan came over to sit beside her.
Still catching her breath as she laughed, she suddenly remembered something. Chen Danuan quickly grabbed her phone and said to Cen Sui, “Right, I managed to find a senior from the Jewelry Institute for you. I’ll send you his WeChat contact. You can talk to him directly.”
Hearing this, Cen Sui hurriedly set down her wine glass and picked up her own phone.
Seeing the contact card that Chen Danuan had forwarded to her, she tapped it and added him as a friend. The note she filled in read: 【Graduate Entrance Exam Junior Cen Sui】
The friend request was not accepted immediately. Cen Sui did not bother holding onto her phone, tossed it aside, and began swaying lightly to the rhythm of the music.
*
Bowling alley.
Chen Yu and a few of his buddies, including Wang Jie, had just finished a round and were sitting by the table to rest.
They had barely exchanged a few words when a girl came over, slightly out of breath.
Her name was Wen Ting. She had her hair tied up in a neat ponytail. She squeezed in beside Wang Jie, grabbed his juice and took a sip, then asked him, “How did I do?”
Wang Jie pulled her into his arms and laughed as he said, “Not bad. Comparable to how you are in bed.”
Wen Ting shot him a glare, scolding playfully, “Ugh, you’re impossible. Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth. How would you know what I’m like in bed?”
Wang Jie teased again, “Why don’t you let me find out?”
Wen Ting slapped his hand away, but most of her attention and interest shifted toward Chen Yu.
She smiled as she asked Chen Yu, “You never bring Cen Sui along when you come out to play. She really doesn’t get angry?”
Chen Yu set down the cup in his hand and said indifferently, “So what if she does?”
Wen Ting’s smile was sweet and sticky, and her voice grew soft and delicate. “Break up then. I heard that today at school, in front of a bunch of students from your department, she said she wanted to break up. Is that true?”
At the mention of this, Chen Yu immediately felt his pride take a hit.
A shadow flickered in his eyes, and his tone carried a hint of coldness. “So what if she did?”
Wen Ting still wore her sweet, syrupy smile. “True enough. You don’t care anyway.”
Wang Jie chimed in from beside them, “It’s not like she actually wants to break up. She’s just acting temperamental. She won’t last even half a day before crying and coming back to patch things up. Never once has it been any different.”
At that point, Zhou Yimiao’s curiosity for gossip was stirred. He looked at Chen Yu and asked, “Has she contacted you?”
They had made a bet that morning. Zhou Yimiao had said that Cen Sui would not last until nighttime before reaching out to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu took out his phone, unlocked it, and glanced at the screen. Cen Sui had not sent him any messages.
Their chat history was still stuck at the conversation from early that morning. The three messages he had sent from last night to this morning had all gone unanswered.
Zhou Yimiao glanced at Chen Yu’s screen. Seeing no messages from Cen Sui, he said instinctively, “She’s actually holding back this time? That’s not like her.”
Wang Jie chuckled casually. “Who knows which corner she’s hiding in to cry. Either way, she won’t escape Brother Yu’s palm.”
“It doesn’t seem like she’s crying.”
Wang Jie had barely finished speaking when they heard Zhao Zicheng say this.
Then, under the group’s puzzled gazes, he placed his phone on the table.
On the screen, a carefully edited short video was playing. Every clip featured Cen Sui as the main focus, surrounded by beautiful and well-dressed girls. The whole group was having an incredibly good time.
At the end of the video, the girls even crowned Cen Sui and celebrated her “happy breakup.”
After watching it, Chen Yu’s eyes darkened to the color of thick, foul ink.
Wang Jie, Zhao Zicheng, and Zhou Yimiao exchanged looks, each feeling their throats go dry.
They had just finished saying she was probably hiding somewhere crying, only to be slapped in the face instantly by a video showing the exact opposite.
The atmosphere grew extremely awkward. It was Wang Jie who first recovered, forcing a laugh to ease the tension as he said, “This is obviously staged. Clearly fake hype. Her goal is obvious too. She just wants to get Brother Yu’s attention. Classic old trick.”
The awkwardness in the air dissolved by more than half. Emboldened, Wang Jie continued talking and said, “If you don’t believe me, have Brother Yu call her over right now. She’ll definitely come running happily, showing up the moment he says the word.”
After saying this, he looked at Chen Yu with great confidence and swagger.
Zhao Zicheng, Zhou Yimiao, and Wen Ting all looked at Chen Yu as well, waiting for him to regain his pride.
Chen Yu did not feel the need to hesitate. Everything Wang Jie said was indeed true in the past. So he let out a quiet breath, picked up his phone, opened the chat with Cen Sui, and directly sent her the location.
But the moment the message was sent, a red exclamation mark immediately appeared beside the chat bubble.
Below the message that failed to send were several lines of white text: 【Cen Sui has enabled friend verification. You are not yet on his (her) friend list. Please send a friend verification request. You can chat after the other party approves. Send friend verification.】
Chen Yu stared at the phone screen, his brows drawing together slightly. He could hardly believe his eyes.
At the same time, Wang Jie and the others also widened their eyes, staring at Chen Yu’s phone screen in stunned silence. “???”
Chen Yu really was rattled this time. Without needing any prodding from Wang Jie and the others, he suppressed the surge of emotion in his chest, exited WeChat, found Cen Sui’s number, and called her directly with a cold expression.
After a few rings, the call connected. From the receiver came Cen Sui’s soft, slightly drunken voice. “Hello?”
Chen Yu took a deep breath, his voice as cold as solid ice. “You deleted me on WeChat?”
Cen Sui sounded hazy and unfocused. “Who are you?”
Chen Yu forced down his emotions and said straight out, “Your man, Chen Yu.”
Cen Sui seemed to take a moment to register who he was. When she spoke again, it was, “Chen Yu? I already dumped you. What’s wrong with deleting you? You scumbag, bleh!”
After saying that, she hung up without giving Chen Yu even a sliver of a chance to respond.
“…”
Wang Jie, Zhao Zicheng, Zhou Yimiao, and Wen Ting all held their breath. The table instantly fell into a deathly silence, the awkwardness so overwhelming they each wanted to crawl into a hole.
Chen Yu’s expression had already darkened to an extremely ugly shade. Fueled by emotion, he called her again.
This time, it only rang twice before being hung up. He tried calling once more, but an automated voice informed him that he had been blocked.
“…”
Wang Jie, Zhao Zicheng, Zhou Yimiao, and Wen Ting all avoided looking at him. They lowered their heads, grabbed their juice, and bit down on their straws, drinking desperately…
Gulp… gulp…