Asked you to write a book, not to confess your criminal record!

Lin Chuan turned his head to the side.

Here it comes.

Liu Qing had laid the groundwork for so long, just for this moment.

The Little Landlady pursed her lips, a hint of guilt in her voice as she said, "Aunt Liu, that bracelet was bought by a friend of mine."

Old Zhang's face changed, and he couldn't help but say, "Zhang, how could you sell the bracelet your Aunt Liu gave you..."

"Old Zhang, it's just a bracelet. I'll give Zhang another one later," Liu Qing said with a smile, stopping Old Zhang, "How much did you sell that bracelet for? We can't let people swindle us in the antiques circle."

"One... one hundred and twenty thousand." The Little Landlady said.

"I got it a few years ago for seventy thousand, and you just made fifty thousand with one sale," Liu Qing said, her eyes lighting up as she complimented the Little Landlady to Old Zhang, "Look at Zhang, she's naturally suited for the antiques business. There won't be any problems with putting her in charge of the antique shop."

"This Zhang..."

Old Zhang muttered something and then said with a smile, "I will discuss the antique shop business with Zhang."

"Take your time to think it over, no rush," Liu Qing said with a smile, "Zhang, let's go choose another bracelet!"

Liu Qing took Zhang by the hand, and off they went to look at bracelets again.

Old Zhang watched them in harmony, chuckling happily, but then his good mood faltered as he caught a glimpse of Lin Chuan from the corner of his eye.

Ah... his precious daughter was bewitched by this lad!

Such a goddamn mess!

However, Old Zhang knew that his daughter had her heart set on Lin Chuan. After a moment of thought, he reminded, "Lin Chuan, later on you should learn something from your Aunt Liu, you'll have to deal with these things in the future."

"Old Zhang, are you sure you want to enter into the antiques circle?"

Lin Chuan was slightly taken aback.

Old Zhang nodded, "Always collecting rent isn't interesting. While your Aunt Liu is building up the antique market, I plan to invest in opening an antique shop. It's just a matter of a million or two. Stop writing novels, you won't earn much from that. In the future, you'll help me and Zhang manage it."

Lin Chuan's brow furrowed slightly, "Investing in an antique shop, where will you get the goods?"

Old Zhang held his head high, looking towards Liu Qing, "Your Aunt Liu will soon be family, and as an expert in antiques, getting goods from her will be no problem. You just need to learn well."

"Mhm, learn well."

Lin Chuan responded nonchalantly, fairly certain of Liu Qing's strategy.

This was a common yet highly effective Antique Scam.

Lin Chuan could anticipate Liu Qing's next move would be to supply goods to Old Zhang, then send in 'shills' to the shop to buy a few items at high prices, letting Old Zhang get an initial taste of success.

Gradually, they would lure Old Zhang deeper in, the prices of the goods escalating, until ultimately all of Old Zhang's assets would be tightly locked in, with no escape.

It operated on similar principles to a pig-butchering scam, exploiting human curiosity, greed, discontent, and the desire to gamble, until one's wealth was annihilated.

By the time the victim realized it was a scam, it was already too late.

Having experienced 'swindler' 'fraud' 'Antique Forgery', Lin Chuan was intimately familiar with the techniques of the Cheating Sect and their Eight Generals.

If he wanted, with just a step into the gray area, money would flow like it was being printed.

But his conscience was nagging at him.

It's the same old saying, those with a conscience can't make a lot of money, and those who earn a lot of money... can't all be tarred with the same brush, perhaps 99.9 percent of them.

Lin Chuan watched Liu Qing guiding the Little Landlady through bracelet selections, and it was time for him to start his own performance.

"Xinxin, Aunt Liu, I'm going to look around downstairs to see if I can find a small gift for you," Lin Chuan called the Little Landlady 'Xinxin' for the first time, which felt quite awkward.

"Chuan, go ahead."

The Little Landlady, a perfect actress, managed not to burst into laughter.

"Lin, be careful with those small vendors," Liu Qing warned.

Lin Chuan scratched his head with a naive look and said with some embarrassment, "Aunt Liu, the stuff here is too expensive, and I'm a bit short on money..."

"Aunt Liu will help you."

"I want to buy a gift for Xinxin with my own money," Lin Chuan said with sincere determination.

"It's rare for you to be so thoughtful," Liu Qing said with a smile.

Afterward.

Lin Chuan went downstairs and started browsing the small vendors' stalls.

"Boss, how much is this coin?"

"Young man, you've got an eye for quality! This is a 'Fengtian One Tael,' one of a kind, no other branch stores, a flat price of three million!"

"Thirty, I'll take it."

"Thirty thousand, deal!"

"Uncle, what dream are you having in broad daylight? This is a high-quality replica; the quality just barely passes. But the patina, wear and tear, and the casting process are far from accurate. Twenty-five yuan should do," Lin Chuan said.'

"Young man, you just said thirty yuan, deal!"

Lin Chuan bought a coin and moved on to the next stall.

"Boss, this furnace..."

"You must be new to collecting antiques, let me tell you about this Xuande Furnace..."

"Mass-produced, soaked in diluted Hydrofluoric Acid for 48 hours, then brushed with Potassium Permanganate, fresh from the factory for ten yuan. I'll give thirteen yuan, you earn three!" Lin Chuan offered.

"Buddy, three yuan is just enough for my bus fare. I won't make a penny after going back and forth!" the vendor replied.

"Fifteen, and I can't go any higher!"

"Alright, I'll wrap it up for you!"

Soon enough, Lin Chuan had visited over a dozen stalls, acquiring several 'antiques.'

Clearly, all of them were fakes.

"Chairman, you bought so much!?"

When Lin Chuan met up with the Little Landlady, Liu Qing, and Old Zhang, the Little Landlady approached with a look of surprise.

"Xinxin, do you think this hairpin is pretty? It's said to have been worn by a talented woman during the Republic of China," Lin Chuan took out a silver hairpin engraved with butterflies and handed it to the Little Landlady.

"It's pretty," the Little Landlady said with a smile brimming on her face.

As long as it was from Lin Chuan, she found it beautiful, regardless of its authenticity.