If this miniature carving is handled well on the international market, it wouldn't be surprising if it were auctioned off for over 200 million. Lin Shilong is in this industry, so of course he understands this.
The item is undoubtedly a good one. Micro-carving is different from antiques. It requires a lot of experience to identify and high-tech instruments to verify. Even with these, it is not guaranteed that the antique is genuine. Micro-carving is different. First of all, look at its micro-scale. People without experience and skills simply cannot do this. Therefore, in the micro-carving industry, there is no such thing as fake or counterfeit.
Lin Shilong took a few deep breaths, but calmly placed the miniature carving on the table with very gentle movements. He then looked at Zhou Xuan and Fang Dacheng.
Fang Dacheng was the most nervous. He was afraid that Lin Shilong would look down on this thing, and then all his efforts would be in vain, and he wouldn't earn a single penny.
Zhou Xuan, on the other hand, didn't care. If someone knew their stuff, this item would definitely catch his eye.
Sure enough, Lin Shilong's face inexplicably turned red, clearly nervous, and he said to Zhou Xuan in a deep voice, "Mr. Wei, could you transfer this miniature carving to me?"
Fang Dacheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Lin Shilong wanted it, that meant he had a 50% chance of getting his money, or maybe more. A big boss like Lin Shilong would definitely be willing to pay a high price for something. How many people could resist the temptation of money?
Zhou Xuan smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Lin, this miniature carving of mine is a rare piece, but it's not particularly special to me. I have quite a few similar items. If you really want it, Mr. Lin, I'm willing to sell it to you. However, I also enjoy collecting, so do you have any other rare pieces that you'd like to sell to me?"
Lin Shilong immediately agreed: "No problem, it's a piece of cake. I own an antique shop, so I naturally have some treasures. I also have other treasures at home. I can take Mr. Wei to my home right now to have a look. If there's anything you like, we can sell it to you if we agree, but there's one condition..."
Lin Shilong stared intently at Zhou Xuan and said, "That means Mr. Wei must transfer this miniature carving to me!"
Lin Shilong said this, but he was deeply shaken. He wondered if Mr. Wei was exaggerating or if it was really true. This micro-carving was no different from a rare treasure. It was precious because it was impossible to make. Some things are precious, but they always exist. As long as they exist, they are not particularly precious. Jade micro-carving is impossible to make. The number of graphics and words exceeded the limits of micro-carving. Technical bottlenecks and the limits of micro-carving—just based on these two factors, it was a legendary treasure!
But Zhou Xuan told him that he had quite a few of these things. If they were true, what a sensational thing that would be!
Whether Zhou Xuan was bragging or telling the truth, Lin Shilong didn't care. What he wanted was to get this treasure into his hands right now!
Zhou Xuan told Lin Shilong that he wanted to visit his collection at his home, which pleased him. If Lin Shilong was the owner of the largest antique shop in Jiangbei, then he must have some connection with the counterfeiters and dealers of antiques. Even if there was no connection, it would be easier to find clues from him. He might even be able to get his hands on that mysterious masked man. Zhou Xuan wouldn't be able to sleep or eat properly until he figured out the man's true identity!
“Sure, Mr. Lin, you can trade with me or buy from me, as long as we both think the price is right!” Zhou Xuan said nonchalantly, his expression relaxed.
However, his expression made Lin Shilong feel uneasy, so he quickly said, "Mr. Wei, that's another matter. I think we should settle this matter first. Since we're here, we should get one thing done first. If Mr. Wei is interested in my things later, we can talk about it later. It's easy to talk!"
“Alright, then what price is Mr. Lin going to offer?” Zhou Xuan asked Lin Shilong with a faint smile.
Lin Shilong hesitated for a moment, finding it difficult to speak, but seeing Zhou Xuan's faint smile, he stammered, "Thirty...thirty million, what does Mr. Wei think?"
The statement about thirty million immediately shocked Fang Dacheng, Lao Zhang, and several shop assistants including Fang Xiaolin. Even Wei Xiaoyu, who was sitting next to him, was somewhat surprised. She had no idea where Zhou Xuan got such a small item that was worth so much money!
Wei Xiaoyu knew that Zhou Xuan had special abilities, but she didn't know that his abilities could do these things, so she couldn't imagine it and thought that Zhou Xuan had brought them from the capital.
Lin Shilong is an old hand at this, very skilled at bargaining, but he still lost control a bit today, mainly because his mind was not calm. Of course, he could also see that the current situation was entirely beneficial to him. If it were an auction, with one opponent after another competing, he wouldn't have been able to negotiate prices with Zhou Xuan so easily. Now, there were plenty of wealthy people competing.
Now that he's all alone here, no one is bidding against him, good or bad. Zhou Xuan will agree to any price he deems reasonable without worrying about anyone deliberately trying to drive up the price. There are plenty of people who set up these kinds of schemes at auctions. Don't be fooled by the apparent liveliness of many auctions; they're rife with shady dealings. Many items are bought by the owners themselves, who hire bidders to inflate the price before buying it back. Something worth a million might be inflated to ten million, fifty million, or even a hundred million. All they need to do is pay the auction house's fees, run news and advertising to create a huge buzz, make it widely known, and attract public attention. Then they hold a second auction, where even wealthier people are likely to bid, and that's when they truly profit.
So Lin Shilong knew he had the upper hand; no one was competing with him, and Zhou Xuan didn't seem to care. Lin Shilong himself also estimated the true value of the miniature carving, so he hesitated to say 30 million. If Zhou Xuan understood, then this price would be a waste of time.
While the others were surprised, Fang Dacheng was different. If Lin Shilong had paid more than ten million for this miniature carving, he would only have received one million, which would have been half of what he was entitled to. How could he not feel the pain? Lin Shilong had asked for thirty million, so there was no question about it!
Fang Xiaolin and Lao Zhang really didn't expect this thing to be worth so much money. Lao Zhang knew a little about it, but he still didn't expect it to be worth so much more than he had estimated.
Zhou Xuan simply looked at Lin Shilong with a faint smile and didn't say anything.
Lin Shilong immediately felt embarrassed, his face flushed, and he held out one palm, saying, "Fifty...fifty million!"
Zhou Xuan didn't say a word, but Lin Shilong raised the price himself, almost doubling it to an astonishing 50 million!
Fang Xiaolin and the other female shopkeeper almost had their eyes pop out of their sockets. They never expected that this unremarkable guy would have something so valuable, fifty million, half a hundred million. What does that mean?
Fang Dacheng is now the most regretful person. Let's not even talk about why Lin Shilong would ask for such a high price. It was all his own idea. That guy surnamed Wei didn't say a word. If he had known earlier that this micro-carving was so valuable, he would have tried to persuade Zhou Xuan to lower the price. Maybe he could have gotten it for a few million. Looking at him now, he must have been scared silly by the price Lin Shilong asked for.
This guy surnamed Wei got it for nothing. Besides, Fang Dacheng's income was only one million. If he hadn't been greedy for that one million from Lin Shilong, and had asked for 10%, or even just 5%, that would have far exceeded one million. He wouldn't have even been able to keep his initial investment of two million. What a huge loss!
Fang Dacheng was feeling sorry for himself, while Lao Zhang and Fang Xiaolin, along with several other shop assistants, were surprised. Zhou Xuan smiled but remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Lin Shilong knew that if this miniature carving were to be auctioned, he could sell it for at least 100 million. So if Zhou Xuan was unwilling now, there was still room for growth. Even if he only made 10 million, it was still a profit!
So Lin Shilong hesitated for a moment, and was about to raise the price again, but Zhou Xuan spoke first!
"Mr. Lin, forget it, let's just consider this a friendship. Fifty million it is!"
Zhou Xuan knew very well that as long as he didn't speak up, Lin Shilong's price would keep rising, at least to 80 or 90 million. However, when the profit margin dropped to a very low level, it would be difficult for him to get closer to Lin Shilong. It would be better to give him a larger profit margin now so that it would be easier to speak up later.
Volume 1, Chapter 354: Nine Dragons Playing with a Pearl (First Lotus Buds)
Lin Shilong was both surprised and delighted, and also somewhat astonished. Based on his impression of Zhou Xuan just now, he thought that although Zhou Xuan seemed unremarkable, he was definitely not a simple person. However, when he made his offer, he was a bit too hasty. Anyone with eyes could see that if he had just held back a little, he would have definitely raised the price, and by at least several million. But Zhou Xuan took the initiative to say that the deal was done at that moment!
This wasn't because Zhou Xuan didn't understand the value of raising the price; he said it was to make Lin Shilong a friend, which shows he definitely understood the true value of the miniature carving. ()
This made Lin Shilong somewhat curious about Zhou Xuan, but his joy was obvious; this was exactly the result he wanted. In order to leave Zhou Xuan no room to back out, Lin Shilong quickly took out a check and signed a check for fifty million on the spot.
Fang Dacheng, Lao Zhang, Fang Xiaolin and the others present all looked on with extreme envy. Fifty million! Just like that, it was in their hands!
Zhou Xuan didn't care much. He casually took the check, stuffed it into his pocket, and treated it like a piece of paper, without even glancing at it.
In fact, Zhou Xuan didn't care much about this matter, but he wouldn't be too casual about it either. He just used ice energy to detect it, and the numbers were correct.
Lin Shilong thought for a moment, then filled out a check for one million and handed it to Fang Dacheng. This was a condition they had just agreed on, and there was no need to hide it from Zhou Xuan. The price had nothing to do with Fang Dacheng's reward.
Although the transaction was completed, Lin Shilong still remembered inviting Zhou Xuan to his home to take a look. He had heard Zhou Xuan say that he had several other miniature carvings like the one he bought, which made Lin Shilong very excited. If the negotiations went well, he could handle the transactions and make a fortune. This man was his lucky star, and he had to keep him firmly in his grasp!
"Mr. Wei, please come to my home so we can talk!"
While inviting Zhou Xuan, Lin Shilong asked Fang Xiaolin to get him a small brocade box, then put the miniature carving inside. He then got up and invited Zhou Xuan to his home.
Fang Dacheng said awkwardly, "Boss Lin, look at me... I..."
Lin Shilong pondered for a moment. Although he disliked Fang Dacheng, he had to admit that Fang Dacheng was a good mediator. Although his character was despicable, he could sometimes ease the tension. He wasn't familiar with Wei Xiao, so having him act as a go-between was a good idea. As long as he could close a few big deals, he could just throw some more money at him. This guy was easy to deal with.
"Alright, you can come along too, you'll have something to say to Mr. Wei!"