While Sun Zhi was smashing cars and cursing Lin Yi, over there Lin Yi was already sitting with Elder Wang in Boss Zhuang's office, drinking tea.
"Come, come, Brother Lin, try my tea. I got this top-grade Dragon Well through some connections, the taste is quite authentic."
Looking at the small cup of amber tea in front of him, Lin Yi wasn't particularly interested. What he really wanted was to quickly turn the porcelain cup in his backpack into a pile of cash.
Though his father loved drinking tea, Lin Yi never inherited that calm demeanor.
Drinking tea is fine, making a cup is easy enough, but spending an hour fiddling with tea leaves — that was something Lin Yi could never do.
Even though he didn't like brewing tea in detail, he could still tell good tea from bad.
He took a sip, mimicking his father's actions, and immediately felt that this tea was a lot better than what his father usually drank, at least it was truly fragrant.
"Oh, I didn't expect you, young friend, to have such insights about tea. Haha, it's rare to see someone your age with such knowledge, truly rare."
Seeing Lin Yi's very standard actions, Elder Wang's eyes lit up, and in his heart, he thought even more highly of Lin Yi.
"Haha, Elder Wang, you flatter me. I don't really know tea culture, just showing off a bit in front of an expert like you. But Brother Zhuang's tea is indeed good, leaving a pleasant aftertaste, haha. If I get used to this tea, I won't be able to drink anything else."
As they chatted and joked around, no matter the topic, Lin Yi always had something to say. This was undoubtedly thanks to his father's grooming from a young age, being a shrewd little leader in a state-owned enterprise.
Without Lin Yi noticing, Elder Wang and Boss Zhuang exchanged a glance, both recognizing the admiration for Lin Yi in each other's eyes.
So young, with handsome, sunny looks to boot, knowledgeable about antiques, understanding of tea culture, and above all, calm and composed.
Since he arrived, half an hour had already passed, and he hadn't even brought up the porcelain cup, which clearly showed that he wasn't a child raised by an ordinary family.
After exchanging that look, Boss Zhuang gently put down his teacup, finally addressing the day's main topic:
"Haha, Brother Lin, you have to go to classes this afternoon, right? Let's get down to business quickly. Once your college entrance exams are over, let's get together. For now, let's talk about the price of that porcelain cup. If Brother Lin trusts us, let's have Elder Wang suggest a price."
After speaking, Boss Zhuang looked directly at Elder Wang and continued:
"Uncle Wang, I have a good rapport with Brother Lin, so let's skip the business antics. Just say what the actual value of the item is, and if Brother Lin agrees, we'll take it immediately."
In the business world, Boss Zhuang absolutely shouldn't speak like this. In situations where the other party hasn't asked, he should first listen to Lin Yi's asking price. If Lin Yi's price was low, they could take advantage of it.
However, as Boss Zhuang said, he felt a good connection with Lin Yi. Moreover, his main source of income wasn't from Xuanrui Studio.
Which is why he said what he did.
Hearing Boss Zhuang's words, Elder Wang also chuckled bitterly. This wasn't the first time Boss Zhuang acted this way; many times, he even wondered how someone like this could thrive in the antique business.
"Then I'll say it straight. In 2009, Shanghai Brind Auction House auctioned a similar Yuan blue and white porcelain cup. I was present at the time, and it went for 2.71 million.
Just three months ago, the owner of that Yuan blue and white cup transferred it to the Treasure Pavilion at Panjiayuan for 4.3 million. However, Lin Xiaoyou's item is more authentic, with much better quality.
So, I estimate that if this porcelain goes to auction, the final price should be around 4.8 million. Of course, if it meets the right buyer, a price exceeding 5 million isn't impossible."
After listening to Elder Wang, Lin Yi nodded secretly. Although he didn't know about the recent 4.3 million transaction, he had seen the 2.71 million auction price from 2009 online.
After a decade, this item would surely have appreciated significantly.
Based on his calculations, his target price was just over 4 million, considering auction fees would cut into that amount, leaving him with about the same in the end.
Plus, given that he had a system, there was no need for him to spend months waiting for an auction.
Upon hearing this, Boss Zhuang immediately nodded and responded:
"Alright, we'll offer 5 million. If Brother Lin agrees, I'll transfer the money to you now!"
Lin Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, surprised by the immediate offer of 5 million.
But then he realized Boss Zhuang was casting a long line to catch big fish. He had mentioned that he had several items, after all.
Although Lin Yi didn't understand why the other party trusted him to have more antiques.
"Haha, since Brother Zhuang is so straightforward, let's set it that way. But Brother Zhuang, do you have cash? Give me 50,000 in cash, and the remaining 4.95 million can be transferred."
During the following time, Boss Zhuang asked for Lin Yi's bank account number and then used the office computer to transfer the money to him.
After completing the operation, Boss Zhuang laughed heartily:
"Haha, 4.95 million; the money's already sent, brother. You can check. And here's 50,000 in cash."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi took the 50,000 in cash while waving his hand:
"Oh, from our earlier interaction, I really trust Brother Zhuang. There's no need to check. Well, I have to head back to school for classes, so I won't stay longer. I also need to handle some things with your President Sun downstairs."
Trust? It doesn't exist. In the adult world, there's no such thing as absolute trust. The reason Lin Yi didn't check was simply that he didn't have a phone on him.
Besides, he was watching during the transfer, so he intentionally acted nonchalant.
Seeing how Lin Yi didn't care about the 5 million at all made Boss Zhuang and Elder Wang regard him even more highly.
Feeling the weight of the stacks of cash in his hand, Lin Yi smiled. Now that the antique was sold, it was time to settle things with Sun Zhi.
[To be continued....]