In the boys’ dormitory, Zhao Zicheng’s lower back was hurting, so instead of sitting he lay in the rocking chair on the balcony.
Wang Jie and Zhou Yimiao sat side by side on stools, sitting with Zhao Zicheng on one side and facing Chen Yu on the other.
The atmosphere was nearly solidifying.
Chen Yu swept his gaze over the three of them and asked again, “What did you guys do to Cen Sui? Are you going to say it or not?”
Wang Jie cleared his throat and glanced at Zhou Yimiao beside him.
Zhou Yimiao silently looked toward Zhao Zicheng. Zhao Zicheng lay on the chair, his gaze drifting upward as if floating off into the sky.
After another stiff moment, it was still Wang Jie who inhaled deeply and spoke first. He said, “Just… we found out she was working at an antique shop, so we wanted to tease her a little and vent some anger on your behalf, so we took a fake antique to look for her… and then… well…”
Chen Yu stared at Wang Jie, waiting for him to continue, yet Wang Jie simply could not force the words out.
Judging from what he had said so far, Cen Sui had definitely been teased and messed with, but it was obviously Zhao Zicheng who had been furious today to the point of blowing up, so Chen Yu could not figure out what had happened in between.
Seeing Wang Jie stammering, Zhou Yimiao grew anxious too. With a look of steeling himself and throwing aside his pride, he continued, “Cheng’er brought an incense burner from home. He heard his dad say it was an imitation Xuande burner, not a real Xuande one, so he wanted to use it to trick Cen Sui. But who knew we’d be the ones tricked by her instead? Cheng’er sold it to her for one hundred thousand, and she turned around and sold it on the spot for two million.”
Chen Yu did not fully understand and looked at Zhou Yimiao. “Explain it in detail.”
Wang Jie reached out at this moment to press him down and said, “Forget it, let me explain.”
He then launched into a detailed account, describing how they had taken the burner to the shop, how they attempted to fool Cen Sui, how she in turn fooled them back, and how they ended up losing an incense burner worth two million.
Chen Yu finally understood. He looked at Wang Jie and Zhou Yimiao, then turned his gaze toward the reclining Zhao Zicheng.
Zhao Zicheng’s gaze was still drifting, deliberately avoiding Chen Yu and staring up at the blue sky instead.
After hearing the whole thing once through, his face burned.
It was so damn embarrassing. Listening to it himself made him want to curse. Idiot.
Chen Yu looked at him and said, “So you actually know how to feel embarrassed?”
Zhao Zicheng tried to cover the awkwardness on his face and looked at Chen Yu. “How the hell was I supposed to know she understood everything, like some damn old professor.” His voice weakened as he spoke.
Chen Yu stared at him speechlessly. “Even if she didn’t know anything and you successfully tricked her, you would still be the one losing out.”
Zhao Zicheng choked for a moment, then stammered, “If she really didn’t know, she definitely wouldn’t dare to buy anything recklessly, so she wouldn’t have bought it. We were just trying to tease her a little.”
Chen Yu’s eyes darkened. “If I were you guys, after doing something this stupid, I would not even have the face to come back to school. You three really have no shame. You even stormed over to demand your things back, acting like you’re bullies. What were you thinking?”
As he spoke, he paused and swept a glance at Wang Jie and Zhou Yimiao. “And who told you two to go looking for her?”
Wang Jie and Zhou Yimiao exchanged a look but remained silent.
Chen Yu then turned to the reclining Zhao Zicheng. “Who told you to vent anger on my behalf?”
Zhao Zicheng swallowed and then tried to muster some bravado. “Chen Yu, what exactly do you mean? How come we never saw you care about her this much before? And what is this now, trying to crawl back to her? But will she even bother with you?”
Saying this, he picked up his phone, unlocked it, opened the photo album, tapped on a picture, and held it in front of Chen Yu. He was visibly emotional as he said, “Take a look for yourself. This man is the owner of that antique shop. Wen Ting said he is very handsome and more mature and refined than you.”
Chen Yu lowered his gaze and looked at the photo on the screen. A minute later, he raised his head.
Zhao Zicheng turned off the screen and tossed the phone onto the small tea table beside him. He no longer avoided Chen Yu’s gaze as he continued, “Barely two days after breaking up with you, she went to work at that shop. Is she someone who lacks money? Think about it carefully. Even if what we did was wrong, weren’t we doing it for you, for our brother? And what about you now? Are you even thinking straight? You disappeared for more than ten days without a trace. We thought you went off to become a monk. Then you suddenly show up and give us this?”
Chen Yu’s expression was dark as he remained silent, simply staring at Zhao Zicheng.
Zhao Zicheng, fired up by anger, was no longer afraid of him. He looked straight at Chen Yu and added, “What? You want to hit me?”
Chen Yu’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he lowered his gaze. After a long moment, he said, “Whatever is between her and me, none of you are to interfere anymore. No one is allowed to get involved again.”
Still stubborn, Zhao Zicheng muttered, “Like anyone actually wants to interfere. Fine, we won’t.”
After speaking, both his tone and expression softened at once. He looked at Chen Yu and asked, “Then… what about my incense burner?”
The moment Chen Yu heard the words incense burner, his mind buzzed. Then, wearing an expression of utter speechlessness, he kicked Zhao Zicheng hard in the calf and said through gritted teeth, “If you mention that incense burner again, I’ll cripple you myself.”
Zhao Zicheng yelped, grabbing his calf. “How am I supposed to explain it when I go home?”
Chen Yu truly could not bear to look at him anymore. He stood up to leave. “First kowtow three times to your dad, nice and loud. Then offer him the feather duster with both hands. After that, pull your pants down yourself, bare your butt and lie across the long bench…”
Hearing those words, Zhao Zicheng felt as if his backside had been struck hard twice.
He gritted his teeth slightly and said, “I really am…”
Damn it…
*
After finishing her class, Cen Sui did not linger at school and went straight to Chenggu Road.
As usual, after unlocking the door she lit a stick of plain incense, played some random popular songs from the charts on her phone, wiped the shelves and counter with a cloth, then polished the antiques using deer hide.
Once everything was tidied up, she sat down to read, occasionally lifting her gaze to look outside and relax her eyes.
Around noon, when her stomach growled, she locked the door and went out for a walk, finding a small restaurant near the antique market for lunch.
After finishing her meal and returning to the antique market, Cen Sui did not immediately go back to watch over the shop.
Thinking that it had been a while since she last browsed the stalls for hidden treasures, she went straight to wander around and relax.
She was still the same as always. If she could not spot anything good at first glance while passing by, she would not waste time stepping closer to check.
She continued walking and scanning, walking and scanning, when suddenly her gaze swept over something and froze.
Her eyes remained fixed on one stall for a moment, then she immediately quickened her pace and walked over.
Well, look at that. After more than half a month, the stall owner who had tricked her out of fifty thousand yuan had finally reappeared in the antique market with his stall.
Cen Sui stopped in front of his stall, standing still.
The old man was idly scrolling on his phone without lifting his head. He only saw a pair of black leather shoes appear in his field of vision, the uppers adorned with a double G buckle, so he spoke directly. “Feel free to look at whatever you like.”
Cen Sui did not look at the goods. She looked straight at the old man and cleared her throat.
Hearing her voice, the old man finally lifted his head. The moment he saw Cen Sui, the expression in his eyes was a whole performance in itself, shifting from confusion and bewilderment to panic and nervousness, then to sudden understanding and calm.
In the end, he smiled and said, “Young lady, it is you.”
Cen Sui was amused. “So you remember me. Then why did you not run away this time?”
The old man chuckled lightly. “Please do not tease me. They already told me you knew that vase was a counterfeit.”
Cen Sui thought about it and realized that was true. When she and Rong Mo had come back to look for him, she had indeed said that to the people nearby.
Since that was the case, there was no need to intimidate him.
She asked the old man for a small folding stool, sat down, and with a serious expression said, “I am not teasing you. That fifty thousand was something I willingly gave you. I am here for something else. Help me recall where this porcelain shard came from.”
As Cen Sui spoke, she took out her phone, opened her photo album, and showed the stall owner all the photos and videos inside.
The old man examined them carefully. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It is just an ordinary shard of porcelain. I really might not remember where it came from.”
Cen Sui widened her eyes slightly. “What kind of eyesight do you have? How is this ordinary? It is such a beautiful shard. Think carefully.”
The stall owner sat on his small stool, raised his head, pinched his chin, and looked up at the sky, genuinely trying to recall.
After a moment, he lowered his hand and looked at Cen Sui. “I think I remember. It was collected together with the pieces in this tray of mine, all from the same small village. Did not cost much. The village is called Longshu Village.”
Cen Sui held her breath slightly and looked at the old man. “Do you remember which household it came from?”
The old man thought again. “I remember it was from the sixth neighborhood group of that village. There are four rows of houses in total. I got the porcelain pieces from a few households in the last two rows. As for which family that shard came from, I honestly cannot remember.”
Cen Sui focused for a moment, then quickly pulled a palm-sized notebook from her bag.
She uncapped her pen and confirmed the detailed address with the old stall owner again, writing everything carefully in the notebook.
After finishing, she took a photo of the notes with her phone.
Seeing how serious she looked, the old man asked, “Young lady, what do you need this for?”
Cen Sui smiled and was just about to speak when one of the nearby stall owners who had been leaning over to watch suddenly said, “Could it be… it is really Chai ware?”
Cen Sui had not expected them to remember what she had said back then.
She put the pen cap back on and tucked the notebook into her bag, smiling. “You all do not believe it anyway. No matter what I say, it will not matter.”
The old stall owner in front of her thought for a moment. His imitation eight-sided vase with looped handles had been crafted quite well. Anyone who was not an expert would not notice the flaws, which meant this young girl truly had some skill.
Seeing how certain she sounded, the old man suddenly began to believe her a little. He stared at Cen Sui and asked, “Is it really Chai ware?”
Cen Sui was still smiling. “I already sent it for authentication. We will talk after the results come out.”
The old man’s eyes widened slightly. Looking at her, he asked, “If it really is Chai ware, just that one small shard, how much would it be worth?”
Cen Sui did not hide anything and replied honestly, “The market price would be around twenty million, but if you encounter a porcelain enthusiast who is determined to get that shard and drives the price up, thirty or forty million is not impossible.”
The old man and a few nearby stall owners who had been watching were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out.
The old man slapped his mostly bald head hard and said to Cen Sui, “Young lady, if the authentication says it is real, would you consider giving it back to me? I will return the fifty thousand to you.”
Cen Sui shook her head. “Of course not. You understand the rules of the antique trade better than I do.”
The more the old stall owner thought about it, the more painful it felt. Thinking about a chance to get rich slipping through his fingers made him want to stand up and stomp his feet a few times. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing for a long while, yet he still could not calm down.
A nearby stall owner drawled, “Old Xu, stop regretting it. In the antique trade it all depends on one’s eye and on fate. You had no fate with that shard. Even if it had been placed right in front of you, you would not have been able to tell whether it was good or bad. Nothing you can do, you just have to accept it.”
Sitting on the small stool, Cen Sui took a breath and stood up. “Thank you for your time. I will be leaving now.”
But she had only turned halfway when her sleeve was pulled by Old Xu.
Cen Sui turned back in confusion and looked at him.
Old Xu said, “That is a national treasure level item. I let several tens of millions slip to you for nothing. I cannot let you leave.”
Cen Sui wondered what he meant. In broad daylight, was he trying to cause a scene?
If he caused trouble, he would not have any justification at all. If someone called the police station, he would only end up receiving criticism and a lecture.
Cen Sui watched the old man warily. “What are you trying to do?”
Old Xu still did not release her sleeve. He looked at her and said, “This past half month, I have gone around and collected quite a few more things…” His tone softened as he continued, “Could you take a look for me and see if there are any treasures among them, hehe…”
Cen Sui: “…”
Good grief, he scared her for nothing…