novelraw Chapter 17 Life Requires Acting
Chapter 17 Life Requires Acting
"But what?" the country girl asked anxiously.
"It’s fake," the plump owner sighed. "These two characters were clearly written with a later generation’s brushwork. This isn’t the chessboard Li Shimin and Zhang San played on. It’s not very valuable; at most, it could sell for five hundred yuan."
"What?" The farm girl was stunned. "But this has been passed down in my family for generations! How could it be fake? Boss, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"
"A mistake? How could I have made a mistake?" The plump owner laughed. "Why don’t you go ask around and find out who I am? How could my eyes be wrong? Look, I can see it wasn’t easy for you to come all this way. How about this: one thousand yuan. I’ll take it. What do you think?"
The plump owner did indeed have a keen eye. In his view, the chessboard certainly wasn’t the one Li Shimin and Zhang San had played on. However, the board was a perfect cube, and when he had examined it moments ago, he realized it might be hollow. What could be inside? Besides, he recognized the calligraphy. It belonged to a warlord who had once roamed the country, robbing tombs. This is a real treasure! As a crooked merchant, he naturally hoped to acquire it for the lowest possible price.
"One thousand yuan? That... that seems a bit low, don’t you think? My trip here alone cost over thirty yuan," the girl said skeptically.
Hearing this, the plump owner feigned anger. Thumping his chest, he said, "You... you’re being unreasonable, girl! I added five hundred yuan out of the goodness of my heart! What did you think it was for? Are you expecting me to give you ten thousand yuan? Girl, now you’re just being greedy."
The farm girl, lacking worldly experience, was suddenly at a loss. Am I asking for too much? Am I being unreasonable?
The plump owner was a veteran of this trade. He had been observing the girl’s expression closely, and sensing her hesitation, he said, "How about this? I’ll add another hundred yuan, okay?"
The country girl sighed.
"Fine, another hundred," the plump owner also sighed. "I’ve already done my best, little lady. Don’t be so insatiable."
The country girl wavered.
Meanwhile, Wu Tian was gazing at the chessboard. Spiritual Power surged through his body and into his eyes. Suddenly, the contents of the board became crystal clear: there was a book inside. Snapping back to his senses, Wu Tian immediately walked over to the country girl and asked, "How much are you looking to sell it for?"
"Hmm?" Seeing this, a bad feeling welled up in the plump owner’s heart.
In the antiques world, the most famous saying is, "Three years without a sale, but one sale feeds you for three." Having finally stumbled upon a potentially valuable item, how could the plump owner possibly let it go?
He looked at Wu Tian and said, "Sir, didn’t you hear me? This chessboard is a fake. It’s not the one Li Shimin and Zhang San used for their game."
"I know," Wu Tian replied.
The plump owner’s expression relaxed slightly, but to his surprise, Wu Tian’s tone shifted. "But I still want to buy it."
"You... you..." The plump owner was at a loss for words.
The country girl, however, said sadly, "I want to have my own house in my village. A four-story building, with renovations... it would cost 700,000 or 800,000 yuan. I was hoping I could sell this for that much. But... I never expected it to be a fake."
"Seven hundred or eight hundred thousand yuan?"
Wu Tian fell into thought. He certainly didn’t have that kind of money. He turned to Liang Qingren, who was taken aback. Seven or eight hundred thousand yuan... Of course, she had it. It was the dowry her grandmother had given her, money she rarely touched.
"Trust me," Wu Tian said, looking at Liang Qingren.
At that moment, Wu Tian’s eyes were different. He seemed like a towering mountain, and his every word and action carried the weight of a mountain’s promise—unwavering and true, compelling belief.
Liang Qingren took a deep breath and looked at him. "Okay, but you’ll have to promise me one thing in the future. Can you do that?"
"I can," Wu Tian nodded. With his abilities, he was confident that nothing in this city could possibly pose a challenge to him.
Liang Qingren nodded. This way, I can take him home to meet Grandma. As for the money, I can just tell her Wu Tian is my boyfriend. It’s the only way for now.
"I’ll transfer it to your bank account," Liang Qingren said to the country girl.
The country girl was dumbfounded. Just when all hope seemed lost, a silver lining appeared. She had been on the verge of despair, never expecting such a turn of events.
"Thank you, thank you!" The country girl was overjoyed and immediately completed the transaction with Liang Qingren.
"You can’t do this!" The plump owner’s head buzzed. He nearly slapped himself several times. Why was I so cheap? Now the chessboard is gone!
After Liang Qingren and the country girl completed the transaction, the girl left the chessboard for Wu Tian and departed cheerfully.
Seeing this, the plump owner was filled with rage. "Are you two stupid?" he couldn’t stop himself from yelling at Wu Tian and Liang Qingren. "This thing is worthless! But since I’m a kind person, you can sell it to me! I... I’ll offer one million!"
The plump owner was now in a complete panic, his words losing all their earlier composure. His panicked offer was a dead giveaway.
Hearing the owner’s words, Liang Qingren knew there was more to the chessboard than met the eye and that they had scored. Instantly, her gaze toward Wu Tian filled with even deeper admiration.
Wu Tian chuckled. "Weiwei, let’s go."
Liang Qingren nodded. She took the chessboard and followed Wu Tian, eager to leave and discover its secret.
The plump owner panicked. His eyes hardened, and he suddenly bellowed, "Help! Robbery! Someone’s stealing from me!"
The surrounding crowd was immediately drawn in, blocking their path.
As a businessman, the owner knew acting was a necessary skill. Who said only actors had talent?
"Everyone, come and be the judge!" The owner scanned the crowd. Seeing no sign of the country girl, he assumed she had rushed home, which emboldened him to cry out with fake tears, "This chessboard is mine! They wanted to buy it, but I refused, so now they’re taking it by force!"
The owner’s performance was so convincing that it swayed the onlookers.
"Look at that couple! The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, but who knew they were such people?"
"With young people these days, you truly can’t judge a book by its cover."
"Young man, you should give that back to the owner right now!"
They began to clamor on the owner’s behalf.
This was the first time Liang Qingren had ever been in such a situation, and she didn’t know what to do. When she looked at Wu Tian, however, she saw he was perfectly calm and composed, as if this whole affair was nothing more than a squabble between chickens in his eyes. This frustrated her, yet at the same time, it gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
She was eager to see how Wu Tian would resolve this.
Wu Tian finally spoke, but his words stunned Liang Qingren. He roared, "All of you ignorant fools, shut your mouths!"