Chapter 181: How Much Is It?

The moment Huang Jing spotted Shen Fei, Liu Rulie, who was standing beside him, naturally noticed as well. However, when he saw Shen Fei standing next to a small table, flipping through an ignored antique, his brows raised slightly.

“Mr. Huang, didn’t I tell you? Isn’t your Vanke Group willing to collect anything? Also, doesn’t your company have anyone else? You even sent a young lad to fool around like this!”

At this moment, Liu Rulie felt utterly pleased with himself. The Vanke Group and the Liu Group were sworn rivals, especially considering that Vanke had always been suppressing the Liu Group.

Had it been Shi Hongke, Liu Rulie wouldn’t have dared to be so audacious. But since it was Huang Jing, he saw the opportunity to mock him mercilessly.

However, Huang Jing had already become immune to such provocations after multiple attempts. After a brief pause, he walked toward Shen Fei.

Meanwhile, Shen Fei was carefully examining the item on the table—a seemingly worn piece, but the intricate patterns and royal aura on it were undeniable. The golden satin lining was exquisite, with scriptures painted on it that were hard to understand. As he touched the fabric, his emotions began to stir.

In his past life, Shen Fei had kept this very fabric, and by sheer coincidence, he had discovered the historical secret hidden within it—a secret that historians had speculated about but never fully confirmed.

In that instant, Shen Fei felt an impact similar to the moment of his rebirth when he first saw Han Xinyan and Shen Jiayue.

“Boss, are you interested in buying this fabric?” The antique dealer, who was standing next to the table, eagerly asked, his heart filled with anticipation.

Given his status, attending this antiques fair was a stretch for him. But when he learned that the Liu Group was hosting it, he scrambled to get a ticket through connections. Only antique items could grant access to the event. He had brought along this fabric, which he had purchased years ago for a hefty sum, hoping to simply take a look at the high-end auction and maybe sell it if someone was interested.

Since purchasing it, his business had deteriorated, and his family relationships had grown tense. He even wondered if it was the fabric’s curse. Though he had considered selling it before, he had never found a buyer. But with this event, he hoped someone might finally take it off his hands.

Seeing Shen Fei eyeing the fabric, the dealer tried to hide his excitement.

“How much is it?” Shen Fei asked.

“How much would you offer, boss?” the dealer tentatively replied.

Both were excited inside.

“Boss, let me tell you, this is a Ming Dynasty piece…” The dealer began enthusiastically, but before he could finish, Shen Fei interrupted.

“Stop talking nonsense! This is a high-end antiques exhibition. Don’t use your typical tricks here!” Shen Fei said sternly.

Hearing this, the dealer froze, realizing his mistake. He had let his guard down too much.

“Fine! 500,000!” The dealer cleared his throat and quoted a price.

Given the prestige of the event, the price was unusually high. If it had been in the market or at another venue, the price would have been 100,000 to 200,000 at most. But at such a high-class event, with many big bosses in attendance, it was reasonable for him to raise the price several times.

Before Shen Fei could respond, Huang Jing led a group of experts in antiques appraisal over, including Liu Rulie and others.

“Mr. Shen, what brings you here?” Huang Jing asked with a wry smile. He had almost forgotten about Shen Fei.

“Mr. Shen, are you interested in this fabric?” One of the old experts gasped when he saw what Shen Fei was holding.

At this point, the antique dealer’s face showed signs of panic. Anyone who was in the antique business in Shenzhen knew who Huang Jing was, the president of Vanke Group. The professional antique appraisers behind him were well-known experts.

When he thought about the price he had quoted, he froze, unsure of what to do next.

“Looking at the fabric’s patterns and color, along with the design, it’s likely a Ming Dynasty piece. However, it’s not really worth collecting,” a relatively young expert said with a frown.

“I think if Mr. Shen is interested, 120,000 would be a fair price. After all, this fabric doesn’t have much collectible value,” another expert added.

Even though they hadn’t touched or inspected the fabric in detail, just one glance was enough for them to assess its worth.

“I don’t mind. The seller is clearly eager to sell!” Shen Fei said calmly.

Just then, Liu Rulie, who had followed along, sneered and laughed loudly.

Looking at Shen Fei with disdain, he mocked, “Young man, are you really that naive? With all these antique experts around, haven’t you learned anything? You really think you’ve found something rare, a piece worth two billion? Ridiculous! Don’t you know this ‘deathbed fabric’ was only used by the Qing Dynasty’s royal family? You’re such a fool!”

Although Liu Rulie was surprised by the respect Shen Fei received from Huang Jing and the experts, he still looked down on him. Seeing the opportunity, he continued to mock him.

Huang Jing, however, felt complicated. Liu Rulie’s words, though harsh, were factual—the fabric wasn’t used in the Ming Dynasty, and its collectible value was indeed low. But Shen Fei had uncovered secrets about the Golden Bowl of Shen Wansan, the jade pig-dragon of the Warring States, and a Song Dynasty vase. There was no way he would miss something with historical significance just because it was a “deathbed fabric.”

Thinking about this, Huang Jing felt somewhat perplexed.

Shen Fei, however, was unfazed by Liu Rulie’s mockery. He simply shook his head.

This person, relying on his status as a rich second generation, looked down on everything. Shen Fei didn’t care about that, but he couldn’t stand the way Liu Rulie insulted others just because of his status.

If this person followed him around, Shen Fei would definitely teach him a lesson!

“You were asking for how much?” Shen Fei turned to the antique dealer.

“Five…” The dealer instinctively started to say “500,000” again, but with Huang Jing and the experts present, he dared not continue.

“Mr. Shen, if you’re interested, 120,000 will do! Special price!” The dealer quickly adjusted.

The fabric that was originally priced at 500,000 was now being offered for just 120,000. The dealer didn’t feel the slightest embarrassment.

If Shen Fei continued to haggle, he’d even drop the price further to 100,000!