Chapter 180: Liu’s Group!

The matter of Vanke Group inviting him to oversee things and offering him a 30 million yuan reward was something that Shen Fei hadn’t mentioned to Han Xinyan. He also didn’t inquire about it with Jiang Tiancheng.

A sleepless night passed.

The next morning, at 9:00 AM, Shen Fei drove to the agreed-upon Jian’an Hotel.

At the entrance, Vanke Group’s CEO, Huang Jing, along with a few appraisers who had previously met Shen Fei, were already waiting.

“Mr. Shen!”

Upon seeing Shen Fei, the appraisers, including Huang Jing, all respectfully greeted him.

The scene was quite unusual because, in the archaeology circle, people were usually addressed based on seniority. These appraisers, being older, naturally had the right to be proud. However, since they had personally gone through the entire process and confirmed the authenticity of the antiques, they no longer held onto their arrogance.

“Please, these esteemed gentlemen are really too kind. Just call me by my name! If others hear this, they’ll make fun of me!” Shen Fei said with a smile.

“Mr. Shen, you’re too humble! If it weren’t for the occasion, we would have called you ‘Master Shen’!” one of the antique experts joked.

Hearing this, Shen Fei was slightly surprised, but maintained his composure. He thought to himself, “Let them call me whatever they want!”

“Mr. Shen, originally, Chairman Shi was supposed to come today, but there were some matters in Southeast Asia, so he couldn’t make it. He asked me to apologize on his behalf. Please forgive him,” Huang Jing said politely.

“Yes, I understand. It’s no problem. We are just in an employment relationship. Whether Chairman Shi comes or not, I will give my best effort!” Shen Fei replied solemnly.

As for whether Shi Hongke would come or not, Shen Fei wasn’t bothered.

“Mr. Shen, you’re too humble! How can we call it just an employment relationship? You’re here to help us,” Huang Jing teased, then became serious and added, “Mr. Shen, shall we walk and talk? The exhibition is ongoing. Would you like to take a look?”

“Sure!”

With laughter, Shen Fei followed Huang Jing and the others to the top floor of the hotel.

It was a vast hall, specifically rented out as an exhibition and conference space. The decoration was luxurious and grand.

The hall was bustling with people.

As Shen Fei and Huang Jing entered the hall, a mocking voice rang out.

“Tsk, isn’t this CEO Huang? You’re here, unexpectedly!”

Shen Fei looked toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man in a suit walking toward them.

Huang Jing’s face immediately darkened.

He felt a surge of anger rising within him, because the person approaching was none other than their rival, Liu’s Group’s young master, Liu Rulie!

The reason Huang Jing felt such hatred was that Liu Rulie had previously publicly humiliated him, calling him nothing more than a lackey of Vanke Group. Huang Jing had been insulted in front of a large crowd, but due to Liu Rulie’s position, he couldn’t retort. The humiliation made him want to kill Liu Rulie on sight.

However, knowing that Liu Rulie was the young master of Liu’s Group, Huang Jing gritted his teeth and endured it.

Unexpectedly, they ran into each other here.

“Where’s Chairman Shi? Why didn’t he come? Is it because he looks down on the scale of this event, or… is he afraid to come?” Liu Rulie taunted.

Huang Jing, not speaking, replied sarcastically, “Look at Mr. Liu, the chairman of Liu’s Group isn’t here either. Could it be that he doesn’t dare come?”

Liu Rulie smirked, undeterred by Huang Jing’s words, and responded, “Tsk, CEO Huang, there’s no comparison between us. Your Vanke Group is the host of the Shenzhen market! Besides, isn’t it said that Chairman Shi has the ability to identify the authenticity of antiques with his ‘fire eyes’? But since he’s not here today, it does make one wonder.”

Liu Rulie didn’t let Huang Jing’s words anger him and continued with a smile, “I suppose it’s Liu’s Group that’s just too much to handle. After all, the industry leaders don’t have the time to care about others. Besides, Chairman Shi must have important matters at hand. It’s not worth bothering him with such trivialities!”

Huang Jing replied calmly, “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll leave it to you.”

Liu Rulie then chuckled and walked off, without sparing a single glance at Shen Fei.

To him, the people following Huang Jing were just lackeys of Vanke Group, no real experts among them.

“Mr. Shen, that person just now is from Liu’s Group…” Huang Jing began to introduce Liu Rulie to Shen Fei, but was immediately interrupted by Shen Fei.

“CEO Huang, as I said, I’m just employed by Vanke Group. The others are irrelevant and there’s no need for concern.”

“…” Huang Jing paused, then awkwardly laughed, “Alright, Mr. Shen, I understand.”

The small conflict was soon forgotten, and everyone resumed their tour of the exhibition.

Inside the hall, neatly arranged tables were divided into small sections, displaying various antiques such as porcelain, paintings, and calligraphy.

After walking around for a while, Huang Jing still couldn’t find any valuable antiques worth acquiring. It wasn’t that he didn’t have money; Vanke Group had money to spare! It was just that, even if he bought these items, no one would pay high prices for them.

“CEO Huang, I see you’ve finished your tour. Haven’t you found anything to purchase? Or is Vanke Group just here for fun?” Liu Rulie mocked again as they crossed paths.

“Naturally, we came to find some valuable items. But these goods… tsk tsk… Don’t tell me, is the antique exhibition organized by Liu’s Group really this low?” Huang Jing retorted, now on the offensive.

Liu Rulie, not angered, smirked and said, “How could that be? The upcoming auction will have some great items. It’s said that their value is far beyond these antiques!”

He pointed to a large red door.

“Then, Young Master Liu, shouldn’t we head there right away?” Huang Jing asked with a frown.

“Why the hurry, CEO Huang? Why not take another look? Doesn’t Vanke Group collect all sorts of junk? After all, at the last auction, you went around eight times! Hahaha. But since you’ve asked, I’ll graciously lead you there!”

Liu Rulie laughed, clearly in a good mood.

Seeing Huang Jing’s expression darken, Liu Rulie’s smile only grew wider.

Huang Jing, coldly snorting, politely said, “Well then, lead the way, Young Master Liu.”

“Alright, CEO Huang, let’s go!” Liu Rulie said.

Just then, Huang Jing noticed something and asked, “Where’s Mr. Shen?”

The appraisers behind him also looked confused.

Seeing this, Huang Jing quickly began searching the venue for Shen Fei, only to find him standing next to a regular businessman, examining something.