Before Zhou Xuan could answer, Fu Ying said calmly, "I am not Zhou Xuan's girlfriend!"
Zhou Xuan, Li Wei, and Wei Haihong were all stunned, thinking that Fu Ying was really angry. But Fu Ying continued, "I am not Zhou Xuan's girlfriend, I am his fiancée. February 18th is our wedding day. If Miss Shangguan is free, please come and drink our wedding wine."
Shangguan Mingyue was truly stunned. She hadn't expected that Zhou Xuan and Fu Ying were not only engaged to two wives, but that they had even set a wedding date!
Zhou Xuan was also somewhat surprised. Who decided on the date February 18th? How come he didn't know? Could it be that Fu Ying was just making things up out of jealousy?
"Congratulations!" Shangguan Mingyue paused for a moment, then added, "I'll definitely come."
Shangguan Mingyue's words carried a faint hint of disappointment, though it wasn't obvious, but Fu Ying sensed it. Girls are very sensitive.
Indeed, Shangguan Mingyue wasn't in love with Zhou Xuan. But who wouldn't fall for a girl as beautiful, so aloof, like a princess surrounded by admirers? Yet Zhou Xuan was cold and indifferent to her from the very beginning. At first, Shangguan Mingyue thought Zhou Xuan was playing hard to get, putting on an act.
But later, she increasingly realized Zhou Xuan's profound nature, and it didn't seem like he was faking it. Instead, she became more and more curious about Zhou Xuan and wanted to understand him better.
It wasn't until she met Fu Ying today that Shangguan Mingyue suddenly realized, for the first time, that she felt unable to conquer anyone. This seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary woman—it was a feeling that should never exist in anyone else. Yet, it all seemed to be present in Zhou Xuan. This man completely disregarded her, as if her beauty held no appeal whatsoever.
People in this world are driven by nothing more than fame, fortune, and lust. Shangguan Mingyue possesses almost all three; marrying her would essentially grant one all of them. Yet, Zhou Xuan still treats her with disdain. So what kind of person does he actually prefer?
Now, Shangguan Mingyue finally understood that Fu Ying's temperament and beauty were no less than hers, and in some aspects even surpassed hers!
What an awkward, extremely awkward situation!
Just then, Li Wei spotted Wu Jianguo swaggering in through the entrance!
This guy actually came too?
Wu Jianguo had actually arranged for spies to keep an eye on Shangguan Mingyue's movements. As soon as Shangguan Mingyue went out, he received the news and quickly brought his men to follow her.
Wu Jianguo had the right to be arrogant. He had also received the news. He heard that she was the only one who had met with Li Wei later. Just the two of them, Wu Jianguo didn't seem to have much fear or defensiveness. He brought his men and followed closely behind.
However, once inside the hall, his gaze swept over Zhou Xuan and Wei Haihong, and he immediately paused in surprise!
Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, he was unfazed. He had originally intended to cause trouble for Zhou Xuan, and had even had someone investigate Zhou Xuan's background. It turned out that Zhou Xuan was just an ordinary rural family that had moved from Hubei, with no powerful connections. Perhaps he had made a fortune, which was why he moved to Beijing. Reassured, he immediately began to plot his revenge. How could he swallow this grudge if he didn't seek retribution?
But now Wu Jianguo was surprised to see Wei Haihong and Zhou Xuan standing together so intimately!
How could Wu Jianguo not recognize Wei Haihong? If it were just a minor squabble with Li Wei, that wouldn't be a big deal. The older generation would just see it as a childish squabble. As long as nothing serious happened, they wouldn't interfere. But Wu Jianguo wouldn't dare to easily lay a hand on Wei Haihong.
Wei Haihong was a generation older than him, and much older as well, although he wasn't part of the system. But within their circle, Wei Haihong wielded far more influence than these young princelings!
"Third Uncle, what brings you here?"
Wu Jianguo was taken aback for a moment. Then he came over with a smile and greeted him.
"Hey, I'm just a little guy who likes collecting things, just came over to take a look." Wei Haihong and Wu Jianguo had no dealings, and the Wu family and their Wei family had never gotten along. There are always factions in the circle, no matter where or where, but when they met outside, they always greeted each other politely.
Wei Haihong's relationship with Li Weijia was quite close, so he wouldn't hold back in scolding or getting angry with him. But even if he was very angry with Wu Jianguo, he wouldn't say it to his face. He had to be careful; in a family like theirs, a small misbehavior could lead to a major conflict.
Volume 1, Chapter 224: Folk Treasure Appraisal (3)
Wu Jianguo saw Fu Ying again, and his expression clearly froze once more!
When he first saw Shangguan Mingyue, he was amazed by her beauty and had a mind that he would not give up until he got her. Now that he saw another beauty who was no less stunning than Shangguan Mingyue, he was both surprised and delighted. He looked her up and down, wishing he could hold her in his arms and cherish her!
Zhou Xuan could tell from Wu Jianguo's eyes that the kid had ulterior motives. If Fu Ying and Shangguan Mingyue weren't there, he would definitely have pulled down Wu Jianguo's pants and embarrassed him! But he couldn't let him get away with it so easily, letting him brazenly stare at Fu Ying. So, he secretly channeled his icy energy and absorbed the fusion between the soles and the uppers of Wu Jianguo's shoes.
Wu Jianguo was standing still and didn't move, so he didn't feel anything. Wei Haihong didn't pay much attention to him either. Since the experts and organizers were all well-off and had taken their seats on the appraisal table, he called Zhou Xuan and the others to move to the front.
Wu Jianguo followed, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he cried out "Ouch!" His feet dragged on a layer of leather, and the soles of his shoes fell behind. On his exposed feet, there was a large hole in the socks where the big toes of both feet were exposed.
When Wu Jianguo cried out "Ouch!", most people turned to look at him.
Wu Jianguo immediately realized what was happening and quickly shut his mouth. But the people he was most concerned about all turned their heads to stare at him.
Wei Haihong was surprised and laughed, while Li Wei laughed heartily. When Wu Jianguo made such a fool of himself, he would not hold back!
Shangguan Mingyue couldn't help but chuckle, keeping her lips closed. Only Fu Ying understood. Looking at Wu Jianguo dressed in designer clothes, there was no way he would wear worn-out shoes and socks, right?
That must have been Zhou Xuan's doing. Could it be that this man had some kind of grudge against Zhou Xuan? Fu Ying knew in her heart that it was Zhou Xuan who did it, but she didn't know Wu Jianguo. However, she knew that Zhou Xuan wasn't ruthless enough. Unless someone had seriously offended him or someone he hated intensely, he would never have done something like this!
Wu Jianguo stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet, his face red and his neck bulging. Several of his men quickly stepped forward, one of them taking off his shoes and saying, "Brother Wu, put on my shoes!"
Wu Jianguo kicked the shoes off and said angrily, "Go downstairs and buy a pair, and a pair of socks too!" He then sat down on the side in a huff.
Wei Haihong shook his head, smiled, and then tucked Zhou Xuan to the front.
Wu Jianguo stared at Zhou Xuan's retreating figure, his eyes narrowed into slits. According to the information his men had gathered, Zhou Xuan had no background whatsoever; he was just a country bumpkin who had moved to the capital. This seemed highly suspicious now, especially considering Zhou Xuan's association with Li Wei. While it was possible that Li Wei was unreliable, they might have known each other in the underworld, but it was unlikely that Wei Haihong would have known him so easily. Moreover, the way the two of them treated Zhou Xuan suggested a very casual acquaintance.
It seems that we need to thoroughly investigate Zhou Xuan's background. Although he is very annoying, Wu Jianguo doesn't want to fight him without knowing why. It's much more effective to scheme against someone and use underhanded tactics than to fight him to the death openly.
Buchaqian and several experts sat in front of their respective signs. After announcing the start of the event, Buchaqian introduced the experts before allowing the collectors to bring their collectibles for appraisal.
However, these experts only provide free appraisals and cannot issue genuine certificates of authenticity. But the collectors who come here only want to clarify the authenticity and true value of their collections and do not have any higher demands.
Those who have collectibles that need to be appraised must first register at the designated area and then proceed to the front of the line for appraisal in order. This is to prevent chaos, as there are at least 150 people present. This only includes those who have registered online for appraisal; many more collectors are there to participate in the event, not for appraisal.
The first item to be appraised was a painting. It had an antique style, and the paper, binding, and colors appeared worn when opened.
The person appraising the ancient calligraphy and painting was Li Xuezhong, who was second in line. Zhou Xuan was about four meters away from the appraisal table. When the collector opened the painting, Zhou Xuan saw it, but only for a short time, and he couldn't see it clearly. In his observation, it looked like an ancient painting, but he lacked knowledge of calligraphy and painting. Even if he looked closely, he might not be able to see anything, let alone after such a brief glance.
Li Xuezhong stared intently at the painting for a while before saying, "Your painting looks antique in style, and the patina and wrapping are very well done. But in fact, it's all faked and imitative. Furthermore, the brushstrokes are not smooth enough, and upon closer inspection, there are traces of modern painting techniques. This indicates that it's just a modern craft piece that has been artificially aged."
Zhou Xuan tested the ice with his breath and, as Li Xuezhong said, it was indeed a modern imitation, and from the last few years.
The second item is a jade seal, about two inches long, with a square face about two centimeters in diameter. The front half of the seal is a rectangular pillar, and the back half is shaped like auspicious clouds. The tail of the clouds connects to the square pillar, and the color is golden yellow, which is very similar to the yellow robe worn by ancient emperors. The golden dragon symbolizes good fortune.
The seal was appraised by Professor Zhang Zhisen, who is ranked third and is an expert specializing in appraising jade and other miscellaneous items.