Qi Yuanhao’s face was stern. Without lifting his head, his voice was filled with chill.
Hearing this, the old man quickly replied, “I’ve already sent people to investigate. The Zhou family will participate in this appraisal meeting, and it will be led by the Zhou family’s eldest young master, Zhou Youde. They seem to be taking this appraisal meeting very seriously.”
Upon hearing the old man’s words, Qi Yuanhao slowly looked up.
“Zhou Youde is leading the team personally? That’s rather interesting.”
In Haicheng, he and Zhou Youde were equally renowned, neither willing to concede to the other.
Previously in Jiangcheng, Zhou Youde had suffered a great loss. The business he jointly operated with Miss Shen Shiyun of the Shen family was also destroyed by Ye Fan. It could be said that the Zhou family suffered heavy losses because of this.
But for some reason, after that incident, Zhou Youde not only did not resent Ye Fan, but instead treated Ye Fan with great respect.
The reason behind this was something that even the most astute Qi Yuanhao could not understand.
“Since the eldest young master Zhou is personally leading the team, if our Qi family does not participate, wouldn’t we be ridiculed? Go and inform the family, prepare a batch of items, and also a substantial amount of cash. I want to compete with Zhou Youde at this appraisal meeting.”
The old man quickly shook his head, “Young Master, the situation is unclear at the moment. We should not be so high-profile. If we attract attention, it might put you in danger.”
Although the old man was advanced in age, his mind was also more cautious.
It is truly said that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. With the old man around, the Qi family could always receive some crucial advice at critical moments.
But this time, Qi Yuanhao smiled and said, “Fu Bo, Zhou Youde and I are equally famous. If we were to keep a low profile now, it would only arouse suspicion. On the contrary, the more high-profile we are, the less people will suspect us, because that is my personality.”
As the saying goes, if things are abnormal, there must be a ghost. If I were to act unusually at this time, it would only attract people’s attention, and that would be putting myself in danger.
The old man hesitated slightly and was about to retort, but Qi Yuanhao waved his hand, “Fu Bo, just go and prepare. This matter has been decided by this young master, and there’s no need to say more.”
Seeing the firmness in Qi Yuanhao’s tone, the old man could only obediently shut his mouth, swallowing the words that were about to be spoken.
“Ye Fan, since you have set up the plan, I, Qi Yuanhao, will naturally see it through to the end. If this matter is indeed your doing, then this appraisal meeting will be a good opportunity for me to test you. If it is not your doing, then this appraisal meeting will be the most glorious moment of your life. You must cherish it.”
…
Time flew by, and the week passed quickly.
During these seven days, Ye Fan had been working with Shen Tianyin to prepare for the appraisal meeting.
Of course, this was merely the surface. Ye Fan only needed to prepare a batch of items, while all other matters were handled by Shen Tianyin herself.
He spent more time with Liu Piaoxu, planning together how to deal with Qi Yuanhao.
Until that morning, the appraisal meeting finally began.
As it was jointly organized by Boguzhai and Tianyin Pavilion, the appraisal meeting was grand in scale, and many people had already gathered at the entrance of Boguzhai early on.
As the doors of Boguzhai were opened, the crowd surged in, nearly knocking over the shop assistant who opened the door.
With hundreds of people attending, the scene shocked everyone.
Ye Fan and Shen Tianyin, as the organizers of this event, naturally would not personally greet guests at the entrance.
However, they would stand up to welcome distinguished guests.
“Young Master Zhou traveling all the way from Haicheng makes me, Ye, extremely grateful. I hope that Young Master Zhou will be satisfied with this appraisal meeting.”
Seeing Zhou Youde enter with a smile, Ye Fan stood up and said.
Zhou Youde dared not accept Ye Fan’s gratitude and quickly waved his hand.
“Brother Ye, please don’t tease me. Who in Jiangcheng doesn’t know that Brother Ye is a leader in the antique business? A master of appraisal? As long as an item is examined by Brother Ye, there will never be any mistakes. This is known to all.”
Zhou Youde’s unbridled flattery made Ye Fan’s back tingle with goosebumps.
But in front of so many people, he couldn’t refute Zhou Youde, especially since he was being flattered.
“Thank you for your praise, Young Master Zhou. I, Ye, am ashamed.”
Afterward, he had a shop assistant lead Zhou Youde to a private room.
The scene here naturally attracted the attention of many. Because of Ye Fan’s reputation, any matter related to the antique circle would make him the focus of everyone’s attention.
Moreover, as the organizer of this event, everyone’s eyes were constantly focused on him.
“Did you see that? The person just now was the eldest young master of the Zhou family from Haicheng. He was so respectful to Mr. Ye. This is truly a rare sight in a century.”
“Yes, people from Haicheng have always looked down on people from our Jiangcheng. I didn’t expect Mr. Ye to have such strength. It’s truly inspiring.”
“Don’t you guys know? Young Master Zhou was severely taught a lesson by Mr. Ye back then. How dare he not be respectful?”
People were discussing animatedly, all praising Ye Fan and excited that Jiangcheng people had gained face.
Just then, Qi Yuanhao entered with the steward, the old man.
Qi Yuanhao maintained his usual smile, showing no signs of any issues.
The old man’s cloudy eyes scanned the surroundings, clearly observing the environment to ensure Qi Yuanhao’s safety.
He had disagreed with Qi Yuanhao coming here, but since his young master had made the decision, he could only fulfill his duty and ensure his young master left safely.
“Haha, Brother Ye, in just a few months, you’ve become a celebrity in Jiangcheng’s antique circle. You truly impress me, your elder brother.”
Seeing Ye Fan walk over, Qi Yuanhao quickly congratulated him with a smile.
Ye Fan, however, wore a humble smile, “Brother Qi, I dare not accept such words. Jiangcheng is so vast, and there are so many intricacies in the antique circle. I merely have a superficial understanding. How can I presume to be arrogant?”
Both of them intended to probe each other, so their words were not entirely truthful.
“Although this appraisal meeting is not as grand as those in Haicheng, there are still a few treasures here. I hope Brother Qi can bid generously then.”
As he spoke, Ye Fan lowered his voice and leaned close to Qi Yuanhao’s ear.
“Brother Qi, the quality has been inspected by me. I guarantee that Brother Qi will be satisfied.”
Such intimacy and sincere advice made Qi Yuanhao even happier.
“Thank you, Brother Ye. Today, let your elder brother show his dominance.”
With a casual greeting, Qi Yuanhao followed the shop assistant to the private room.
The fact that both prodigies from Haicheng were so friendly towards Ye Fan caused quite a stir among many people.
If they were already excited by Zhou Youde’s respect for Ye Fan earlier, then seeing Qi Yuanhao also so close to Ye Fan at this moment had already caused an earth-shattering shock in their hearts.
The end of one era is the beginning of another. Right now, Ye Fan is the absolute king of this new generation.