Inside the café beneath the School of Finance building.
Wang Jie, Zhao Zicheng, and Zhou Yimiao were playing cards with Wen Ting.
There was no music playing in the café. Every table had people talking, creating a noisy and bustling atmosphere.
Zhao Zicheng tossed two cards onto the table and casually asked, “How long has it been since Brother Yu last came to class?”
Sitting to his left, Wang Jie folded his cards and placed them face down on the table. He lifted his coffee for a sip and said, “Seems like almost two weeks. It is as if he vanished from the face of the earth.”
Zhou Yimiao chuckled. “He just crashed. Is it really that serious?”
Zhao Zicheng clicked his tongue. “I also think it is not that serious, but who knows what is going through his mind. I honestly thought he was only fooling around with Cen Sui. He never acted like he cared much about her anyway. Most of the time he left her hanging and ignored her, yet now that Cen Sui is done playing, he suddenly gets all worked up.”
Wen Ting held her cards with an expression that said she understood everything. “It is just habit,” she said. “Cen Sui has always been trailing after him, and he always thought he was the one doing the dumping. Who knew Cen Sui would suddenly change her attitude? The contrast is too big, and he cannot handle it. It is like…”
She placed down a card and thought for a moment. “It is like you raise a dog. It circles around you every day, wagging its tail to please you, tongue out and eyes blinking, with nothing in its heart or eyes except you. You kick it with your foot and it still wags its tail at you. Over time, you get used to it. Then one day, the little dog suddenly shows you a cold face and ignores you. No one circles at your feet anymore. Would you feel unaccustomed to that? And then you find out it has run off to wag its tail at someone else. It does not spare you a glance, and it even bares its teeth at you every now and then. Tell me, would you not feel terrible? Would your heart not feel empty?”
Wang Jie imagined the scene and nodded. “It really would.”
Wen Ting let out a short laugh. “I used to think Cen Sui was so devoted to Chen Yu that she could not live without him. Turns out that is all it was. The speed and thoroughness of the change, honestly, it is admirable. Oh, right. Do you all know why Cen Sui dumped Chen Yu?”
Zhou Yimiao answered without a second thought. “She stopped liking him.”
Wen Ting pressed further. “But things had been fine before. Why did she suddenly stop liking him?”
Wang Jie thought about it. “She came to her senses and realized Chen Yu is a cold, useless rock that cannot be warmed no matter how you hold it. She got tired of trying and stopped.”
Wen Ting slowly shook her head twice, as if she understood everything. “No.”
Her answer successfully hooked the interest of the three men. They no longer felt like playing cards and looked at her, asking, “Then what is it?”
Wen Ting set down the six cards in her hand and casually picked up the phone on the table.
After unlocking it, she scrolled a few times, opened an antique-style photograph, and placed it on the table for the three to see.
Wang Jie rotated the phone so the screen faced them. In the photo was an antique shop. The shop sign was an imitation of an old plaque, with three gilded characters reading “Treasure Pavilion.”
Inside the shop stood a long-haired girl with snow-white skin. It was Cen Sui.
Not understanding what this meant, Zhao Zicheng looked at Wen Ting and asked, “What is wrong with visiting an antique shop?”
Wen Ting retrieved the phone, scrolling through the photos with a smile. “She was not visiting an antique shop. She was working part-time there. A friend saw her and even went inside to confirm it.”
“Part-time work?” Wang Jie sounded doubtful. “She should not be lacking that little bit of money.”
“Exactly.” Wen Ting’s voice was crisp as she set the phone down again for the three of them.
A different photo appeared on the screen. It was the same shop as before, but the person inside had changed to a man.
After the three men finished examining it with puzzled expressions, Wen Ting said, “This is the owner of that shop.”
Still confused, the three looked at her and asked, “What about him?”
Wen Ting widened her eyes slightly, unable to understand. “Do you not think this owner is very handsome?”
The three of them exchanged glances, then answered in unison, “He is just average. Your girls’ standards are the problem.”
Wen Ting actually laughed, looking at the three of them. “Do you all seriously think that… you are the most handsome?”
The three looked at one another again, then cleared their throats and said, “Is that not obvious?”
Wen Ting, the pretty girl, was speechless.
But she did not roll her eyes. She simply pretended she had not heard anything.
Returning to the main topic, she put her phone away and said, “If my guess is not wrong, Cen Sui must have had a change of heart. She probably fell for the owner of that antique shop, which is why she dumped Chen Yu. Then she immediately went to that shop to work part-time. You three know her better than I do. If she likes someone, working part-time is nothing.”
After hearing Wen Ting’s words, the three men fell silent for a moment.
A short while later, all three nodded, agreeing with her reasoning.
Cen Sui had a romance-driven mind. Once she liked someone, her head became filled entirely with that man and nothing else.
She did not lack money. The only reason she would spend all her free time working part-time would be that she had fallen for that man.
Once she liked someone, she would do anything for him and give without expecting anything in return.
Wen Ting took her phone back. “I heard her boss is not around these days. Should we go to the shop and tease her a little? Help Chen Yu vent his frustration. Maybe that knot in his heart will finally loosen up. What do you think?”
Wang Jie leaned back against the sofa, lifting an arm to rest behind his head as he looked at Zhao Zicheng and Zhou Yimiao.
Zhao Zicheng and Zhou Yimiao exchanged a glance. Then Zhou Yimiao looked at Wang Jie and said, “We are idle anyway, bored to the point of growing mold. Let’s go have some fun. I have never been to an antique shop before. Sounds fancy as hell.”
Wen Ting chuckled. “We are not going there to buy antiques. We are indeed going as customers, going as gods, but we are definitely not there to give her money.”
That made sense. Then Zhao Zicheng suddenly thought of something, straightened up, and said, “If we are not buying antiques, then let’s go sell antiques. My dad happened to acquire a replica recently. We can take it over and mess with her. She does not know anything anyway.”
Wang Jie, still resting both hands behind his head, said, “She definitely will not buy it.”
Wen Ting continued, “Who cares whether she buys it? We are just going to tease her. She is the one who went to work as a shop attendant. If she buys it, great. If she doesn’t, we do not lose anything. We are just having some fun.”
Wang Jie dropped his hands and looked at Wen Ting, Zhao Zicheng, and Zhou Yimiao. “The lot of you, each one more bored and more wicked than the last. Teasing a little girl who does not know anything, do you not have any conscience?”
Wen Ting immediately rolled her eyes at him. “What nonsense are you spouting? Are you going or not?”
“Of course we are going.”
Wang Jie grinned. “I am worse than all of you.”
Wen Ting laughed and rolled her eyes again. “Truly bored.”
*
After Rong Mo left on his business trip, Cen Sui spent her free time alone watching over his shop.
The closing time depended on how focused she was on her reading. Sometimes, if she was absorbed, she would close the shop a bit later.
Today was Sunday, and like Saturday, there were slightly more people coming and going.
With Rong Mo absent, everyone who came in had to be greeted by her alone, so she was not as focused on reading as usual.
There were fewer people at noon, but with the weather growing warmer, she grew sleepy and did not read much.
In the afternoon she went out to buy a cup of coffee, perked herself up, and sat down on the rose-colored chair. She managed to read attentively for more than half an hour.
While she was engrossed in her book, customers suddenly came in again.
Hearing someone at the entrance deliberately clear their throat twice, Cen Sui lifted her head. The greeting she was about to say got swallowed back down.
Because she recognized every one of the people who had come in, she naturally knew they were not here to buy antiques at all.
Judging from their expressions, they were here to watch her make a fool of herself and amuse themselves at her expense.
Seeing that she did not speak, Wen Ting put on a clumsy performance of surprise. “Huh? Is that Cen Sui?”
Cen Sui lowered her head with a faint smile, slowly closed the book on the desk, set it aside, then stood up and said, “It is me. Are you here to buy something? Everything in our shop is guaranteed authentic. Would you like to take a look?”
Wen Ting turned her head and glanced around casually, yet could not see what was so special about the items.
Still wearing an exaggeratedly astonished expression, fake enough to resemble a beginner’s acting class, she asked Cen Sui, “Why are you working here? Are you short on money lately?”
Cen Sui smiled lightly. “Just experiencing life.”
Wen Ting acted as if she were close to her. “I knew it. How could Miss Cen possibly lack money?”
While Cen Sui and Wen Ting were talking, Wang Jie and the other two had already found a place to sit down.
All three looked as if they were important lords. Zhao Zicheng looked at Cen Sui and said, “A shop like this must have some fine tea, right? Brew some for us. It is been unusually warm these days.”
Cen Sui looked at him. She could not be bothered to argue, so she smiled and said, “Our fine tea is only served to distinguished guests. If you want tea, you may need to buy a few items first. Although everything in our shop is very expensive, so you may not be able to afford it.”
Hearing her words, Zhao Zicheng became displeased. He looked at Cen Sui and said, “Who told you we cannot afford it?”
Cen Sui was still smiling. “Then how many pieces will you be buying?”
Zhao Zicheng opened and closed his mouth a few times but could not produce a word.
Wang Jie cleared his throat, reminding him why they had come, telling him not to get tangled up after only a few sentences.
Zhao Zicheng forced himself to calm down. He looked at Cen Sui and said, “We did not come today to buy antiques. We came to sell antiques. It is a pity you do not know anything. Otherwise you might have learned something.”
Of course Cen Sui knew they had come on purpose to tease her. But she was genuinely curious as well. She wanted to see what treasure Zhao Zicheng was hiding in his bag, so she looked at him and said, “The boss has been teaching me some appraisal techniques lately, and I have learned quite a bit. Why not take it out and let me have a look?”
Zhao Zicheng still acted like he did not want to show her.
It was just a small trick, relying on common psychology: the more you refuse to show me, the more I want to see. The more you treat it like a precious item you will not take out, the more valuable it must be.
With a show of reluctant generosity, he walked over to the counter, set down his bag, and said as he rummaged inside, “We were friends once, at least. I will let you take a look. But if you want to buy it, I will not lower the price by even a single cent.”
Cen Sui said nothing and watched him take out a box.
He placed the box on the counter and said, “Open it yourself. Be careful. It is very precious.”
Cen Sui deliberately opened the box with an expression full of anticipation. The moment the lid lifted, her expression gradually froze.
Inside the box was a tripod incense burner. The shape was simple and dignified, made of bronze, and its body was covered with irregular patches of gleaming gold.
Seeing her wide-eyed, inexperienced look, Zhao Zicheng smiled and said, “Well? Quite the treasure, right?”
Catching his expression, doubt flickered through Cen Sui’s eyes. She picked up a magnifying glass to examine the details, then touched the surface with her hand. Finally, she looked up at Zhao Zicheng and said in a tone of admiration, “Is this the famous Xuande censer?”
Zhao Zicheng’s eyes lit up. “Did not expect you to know your stuff after all.”
Cen Sui smiled. “The Xuande incense burner is extremely famous. The boss specifically taught me about it, so of course I know. It truly is a remarkable treasure, one our shop does not even have.”
Both Zhao Zicheng and Wen Ting watched her expression. It was clear she was genuinely astonished.
The two exchanged a look and naturally mocked her in their hearts. Seeing someone with only half-baked knowledge mistake a replica for a world-class treasure was simply too amusing.
There was nothing funnier than watching someone think they understood something and then act seriously while making a fool of themselves.
Wang Jie and Zhou Yimiao were laughing too, finding the situation entertaining.
They all knew this incense burner was a replica Zhao Zicheng’s father had picked up. No matter how well crafted a replica was, no matter how detailed or exquisite, it was still a fake.
Watching her gaze at a fake with such admiration was genuinely hilarious.
Cen Sui carefully observed the smiles on their faces.
From their eyes and their smiles, she confirmed one thing. Zhao Zicheng had deliberately brought a fake to fool her.
Seeing her get fooled, they were delighted, almost unable to hide the curve of their lips.
Since that was the case…
Cen Sui put on an even more enamored expression, looked at Zhao Zicheng, and said, “You only understand how irresistible these treasures are once you enter the field. This Xuande censer of yours, I truly like it so much. Since you plan to sell it, and since we were friends once, why don’t you give it to me?”
Not expecting things to go this smoothly, Zhao Zicheng froze for a moment.
Of course, he did not immediately celebrate. He hid the corner of his mouth and continued acting. “I do not give discounts based on who the buyer is. If you really like it, I can give it to you, but as I said, the price cannot be reduced by even a single cent.”