Chapter 10: Meet the Beautiful School Girl Again

Treasure appraiser Ah Cheng replied truthfully: "No!"

"Mr. Lin brought a pair of worn-out lacquer wine glasses. They looked like old items from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. I made mistakes after appraising them. This has brought shame to our Treasure Pavilion."

Zhou Zhongdang asked in confusion: "Ah Cheng, you have been an appraiser for many years. How could you have fooled a pair of relatively recent lacquerware wine cups?"

Treasure appraiser Ah Cheng replied with an exaggerated expression: "Mr. Lin brought this pair of shabby-looking lacquerware wine glasses, but inside they are actually disguised, antique rhinoceros horn cups from a very long time ago. It's amazing!"

"This is quite novel." Zhou Zhongdang put down the brush in his hand.

Treasure appraiser Acheng continued, "There is a layer of oil paper attached to the surface of the rhino horn cup, and the oil paper is painted with camouflage red paint, which perfectly hides the priceless rhino horn cup inside the lacquerware wine cup. How could the owner of the pair of rhino horn cups have such a magical operation?"

Zhou Zhongdang replied: "Never doubt the wisdom of the ancients!"

"In ancient times, there were frequent wars and many nobles feared that their treasures would be robbed or stolen, so they would take great pains to disguise their precious cultural relics as low-value objects and pass them down to their descendants so that they would not be targeted by thieves."

Treasure appraiser Ah Cheng exclaimed: "So that's it!"

"I guess the owner of this pair of rhino horn cups in ancient times must have been afraid of being stolen or robbed, so he hid the valuable rhino horn cups in lacquerware wine glasses."

Zhou Mengyao's eyes lit up after hearing this, and she smiled beautifully, "Dad, as the daughter of a treasure appraiser, this is the first time I've heard of such a strange thing."

Treasure appraiser Ah Cheng said respectfully, "Mr. Zhou, we'll have to trouble you to come to the VIP room in person to appraise and value the rare treasures Mr. Lin brought."

"Let's go!" Zhou Zhongdang set off.

"Dad, I'll go to the VIP room with you to see where my high school classmate Lin Lang found this rare treasure."

Zhou Zhongdang walked with his hands behind his back and teased, "Daughter, do you want to go and watch the fun, or do you want to see your male classmate Lin Lang?"

"Of course I went to watch the fun!" Zhou Mengyao raised her beautiful little face.

Zhou Zhongdang smiled and said, "I remember when you were in high school, your mother told me that you had a crush on your deskmate, the school hunk, and it affected your academic performance to some extent."

"Today, I found out that this Lin Lang was your deskmate for three years in high school. Could it be that the school hunk you had a crush on during high school was Lin Lang?"

The sweet and cool motorcycle goddess Zhou Mengyao's beautiful face suddenly turned red, like a little pufferfish, and she said angrily: "Did my mother peek at my diary?"

Zhou Zhongdang realized that he had let something slip and quickly replied, "I didn't betray your mother. Just treat me as if I hadn't said anything just now."

Zhou Mengyao, who looked unhappy, walked down the stairs with her father Zhou Zhongdang, pouting and complaining: "My mother's behavior of peeking at my diary has violated my privacy."

"My mother used bad means to pry into my privacy when I was in high school, which is an illegal act."

Zhou Zhongdang laughed loudly and said, "My daughter, you are too kind. Your mother secretly read your diary because she cared about you. She was afraid that your premature love would affect your studies, so she wanted to help you solve the troubles of growing up."

"Tsk~ What you parents say sounds nice, but I protest against it!"

"My mother's behavior of peeking at my diary is wrong. She has no sense of boundaries and is extremely wrong. I express my strong dissatisfaction with her wrong behavior and firmly oppose and condemn it!"

Zhou Mengyao pouted playfully, looking sweet, cute and beautiful like a mystery.

Zhou Zhongdang replied lovingly: "Okay, okay!"

"Dad will join you in condemning your mom for her wrongdoings many years ago. I will apologize to you on your mom's behalf, okay?"

"Tsk! If an apology is useful, why do we need the police? Some actual compensation is better than anything else!"

"You damn girl, it seems you want to take this opportunity to blackmail your father. Tell me! What do you want this time?"

Zhou Mengyao replied with a smile: "I've taken a fancy to a convertible sports car with a dung fork logo. It only costs more than 500 million yuan if imported into China. Hehe..."

Zhou Zhongdang asked: "What brand is this convertible sports car with a dung fork logo?"

Treasure appraiser Acheng reminded: "It's a Maserati."

Zhou Zhongdang laughed and said, "You know what, the Maserati logo really does look like a dung fork."

"But my daughter, you already have seven or eight luxury cars in your name, including several convertible sports cars. Can you drive all these luxury cars?"

"Dad, you're reluctant to buy this for your precious daughter?!"

Zhou Zhongdang replied lovingly: "Buy, buy, buy!"

"It's just over 500 million yuan. I don't feel bad at all as a father for spending a little money to make my daughter happy!"

"Dad is still the best to me. I forgive my mom for reading my diary." Zhou Mengyao smiled sweetly and happily.

Zhou Zhongdang shook his head and laughed, "It's all my fault for saying something wrong. That's why you, a girl, used the past to blackmail a Maserati convertible sports car."

"Hehe..." Zhou Mengyao laughed secretly with success.

As they were talking, Zhou Mengyao and treasure appraiser Acheng, who were surrounding Zhou Zhongdang who was walking in front in the C position, went downstairs and entered the VIP reception room, where they saw Lin Lang and Gu Keqing who were tasting tea.

The female tea artist wearing Hanfu greeted respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Zhou!"

Zhou Zhongdang looked at the younger Lin Lang and greeted him with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Lin!"

Lin Lang stood up politely and said, "Hello, Uncle Zhou!"

"Once again, I trouble you to personally appraise the treasure for me. Thank you for your help!"

"Mr. Lin is taking care of the business of our Treasure Pavilion. It is an honor for our humble pawnshop and we couldn't be more grateful for your presence!" Zhou Zhongdang said with a smile.

Gu Keqing stood up, nodded with a smile, and greeted Lin Lang's female classmate Zhou Mengyao.

Zhou Mengyao greeted sweetly, "Hello, cousin Keqing!"

Then, Zhou Mengyao looked at the handsome Lin Lang and said with a sweet smile: "Old classmate, I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon!"

Lin Lang smiled and replied: "Yes!"

"After I started investing in the antique industry, I often had business dealings with Treasure Pavilion and your father. It seems that we will have more opportunities to meet as classmates in the future."

Zhou Mengyao asked curiously, "Lin Lang, didn't you study finance in college? How come you are so proficient in antique collection and treasure appraisal?"

Lin Lang replied modestly: "I am just a beginner in the antique industry and I only know a little bit about it."

Zhou Zhongdang set his eyes on the treasure appraisal table and saw a tea knife with a lot of lacquerware fragments scattered around it, a worn lacquerware wine glass, and an antique rhino horn cup that had been stripped of its oil paper and lacquer shell camouflage and was now exposed to the light of day with a lustrous and perfect appearance.

"This is a really rare antique rhino horn cup!"

Zhou Zhongdang carefully picked up the rhino horn cup and, under the light of the VIP room, he examined it as if it were a treasure. He couldn't put it down and couldn't help but marvel at the precious and rare antique rhino horn cup and praise it highly.

"This rhino horn cup has a folded lip, a deep belly, a ring foot, and the foot wall is cut inwards obliquely."

"The bone is hard, yellow, fine and smooth, with a slightly translucent amber color. It is carved in the round, with a lustrous luster, like solidified fat. The carving is delicate, the craftsmanship is complex and very exquisite."

"This vessel has a stable and generous shape, a rounded hand, and an excellent polish. The artist spared no effort in using the materials, which is quite good."

"Most of the rhino horn carvings that exist today were made in my country during the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are treasured by countries around the world and are collected by major museums in Europe, America and my country. They are also coveted by private collectors."

"The shape and workmanship of this rhino horn cup show that it is a royal rhino horn cup that was sent as tribute from abroad during the Tang Dynasty. It has obvious characteristics of the era and is very rare. It is definitely a fine antique rhino horn cup!"

"Mr. Lin, can you tell me whether this pair of lacquerware wine cups, which contain a Tang Dynasty rhinoceros horn cup, is a family heirloom?"

"Or was it purchased at a high price?" Zhou Zhongdang asked curiously.

Lin Lang replied truthfully: "To be honest, this pair of lacquerware wine cups with a hidden Tang Dynasty rhino horn cup was bought by me at an antique stall outside just now for 385 yuan."

"Because I am starting my own business, I need a lot of start-up capital, so I reluctantly gave up and bought this pair of rare antique rhino horn cups from the Treasure Pavilion."

Zhou Zhongdang was shocked and said, "Mr. Lin has a good eye!"

"It has been many years since anyone has found such a big bargain in Jing'an Temple Jewelry and Antiques City in Jinhai City. It seems that Mr. Lin has profound attainments in antique collection and appraisal!"

"Uncle Zhou, that's great!"

“I have just entered the antique business, and I just got lucky and found a bargain.” Lin Lang was very low-key.

After hearing this, treasure appraiser Ah Cheng was shocked and exclaimed with envy: "Mr. Lin is truly a god with great luck. I admire you! I admire you!!!"

Zhou Mengyao blinked her charming eyes and exclaimed, "Lin Lang, your luck is too good, isn't it?"

"Just strolling around the antique market, you found a pair of antique rhino horn cups hidden inside lacquerware wine glasses. Wouldn't that mean you saved 30 years of hard work and became rich overnight?!"