The phone connected.
"Xiao Fan, you're truly amazing!"
"I was just about to call you!"
Zhou Yi's excited voice came from the receiver.
Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Sister Zhou, why did you come without a word?"
"I missed you!" Zhou Yi's tone was very affectionate.
"Stop joking, you must need something from me."
Lin Fan held the phone away and said to Xia Xue, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to the clinic for a bit. She needs me."
"Okay, go ahead." Xia Xue was reluctant to let Lin Fan leave, but with Zhou Yi coming in person, it was impossible not to see her.
***
Outside the clinic.
As soon as Lin Fan appeared, Zhou Yi greeted him with a smile and gave him a big hug.
"Xiao Fan, I've missed you so much!"
"Why haven't you come to see me for so long?"
Zhou Yi hugged Lin Fan and refused to let go.
Lin Fan was extremely awkward. He didn't know whether to push her away or not.
If the villagers saw this, who knew what rumors would spread.
"Sister Zhou, I've been busy," Lin Fan said, releasing his spiritual energy and shaking it off. He managed to break free from her embrace and took two steps back.
Zhou Yi's hands went numb, and she instinctively let go.
She was amazed. Lin Fan was indeed extraordinary!
"Sister Zhou, let's go inside to talk, don't stand at the door," Lin Fan said, pushing open the door and ushering her in.
They walked into the living room.
They both took their seats, and hot tea was quickly prepared.
Zhou Yi picked up a teacup and took a sip, nodding with satisfaction.
Lin Fan couldn't help but chuckle.
The "tea" was made from fried jujube buds from the mountains. Strictly speaking, it wasn't tea at all.
The taste was...
It wasn't good, to say the least. Its only advantage was its calming effect. It could be considered medicinal.
"Sister Zhou, you've graced my humble establishment. What brings you here?" Lin Fan cupped his hands.
"Can't I come see you if I have nothing else to do?" Zhou Yi put down her teacup and smiled at Lin Fan.
"You're a busy person. How could you possibly come to this poor mountain village for no reason?" Lin Fan asked tentatively.
"No matter how busy I am, I can't forget about you."
After a bit of playful banter, Zhou Yi got down to business.
"Xiao Fan, are you free today?"
"Doing what?"
"I want to ask you to accompany me somewhere to look at something..."
Zhou Yi explained her request in detail.
Apparently, a few days ago, an antique shop owner in Shimen County had approached her, saying he had a rare treasure and asking if she was interested.
The price was extremely high!
Zhou Yi, believing she lacked the ability to appraise treasures, had come to ask Lin Fan for his expert eye.
"Sister Zhou, you've come to the wrong person."
Lin Fan politely declined. "I can treat illnesses, but I know nothing about antiques."
"This item is different," Zhou Yi whispered, leaning closer to Lin Fan mysteriously.
Lin Fan was puzzled. Was there some hidden secret behind this?
"He told me the treasure is called the Water Condensing Bead. Of course, that name might not be accurate; they found it by consulting ancient texts."
"It's quite magical, apparently. The bead looks like an ordinary glass bead, but when placed in a dry place, it automatically generates water vapor after a while. If left long enough, even the paper underneath gets wet. Isn't that strange?"
Zhou Yi's tone was excited, clearly tempted.
"Sister Zhou, from what you've said, it just exudes water. It doesn't seem very useful," Lin Fan expressed his doubts. This was likely an elaborate trinket designed to trick her out of her money.
"It's fun!" Zhou Yi genuinely liked it and wanted to buy it.
"How much?" Lin Fan thought that if it were tens of thousands, or even a hundred thousand, he'd let her buy it.
After all, it wasn't a huge sum, and it would be like buying happiness.
Zhou Yi held up her palm and wiggled her fingers.
"Fifty thousand? That's acceptable," Lin Fan nodded. This amount wasn't much to him, and even less to Zhou Yi.
He then realized something was wrong. If it were only fifty thousand, why would she come to him for help?
"It's five hundred thousand, isn't it?"
He asked, guessing.
"Five million," Zhou Yi replied.
Lin Fan was shocked and stood up abruptly.
A small bead that could condense water vapor, and its authenticity was even questionable, cost five million?
"No way, I'm going with you. Isn't this daylight robbery!"
Lin Fan immediately made up his mind. He absolutely could not let her be swindled.
***
After informing Xia Xue, Lin Fan got into the Rolls-Royce and set off for the county town with Zhou Yi.
"Xiao Fan, five million isn't a small amount, nor is it insignificant."
"The key is, I'm afraid he'll take advantage of our familiarity and conspire with outsiders to trick me."
Zhou Yi's expression turned stern. "I don't mind losing money, but I hate being treated like a fool!"
"Don't worry, with me here, no one can cheat you." Lin Fan was full of confidence. He had the Purple Extreme Spiritual Eyes. Although he didn't understand antiques, he could see through the internal structure of that bead.
Then, he would know what mechanisms were inside!
"I wasn't interested in any other items, just that little bead. I fell in love with it at first sight," Zhou Yi said gleefully.
"Do you have a photo? Let me see it first," Lin Fan's curiosity was piqued.
Zhou Yi shook her head gently and said in a low voice, "Those things have dubious origins. You don't know the ins and outs."
Seeing that Lin Fan truly didn't understand, she elaborated on the insider story.
"Items from museums can be resold?" Lin Fan was extremely surprised, almost having his worldview shattered.
According to Zhou Yi, she, as a wealthy individual, wasn't interested in items worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. For her to be interested, the item had to be worth at least five hundred thousand.
And there weren't many such precious antiques circulating in the market.
Later, as her network expanded, she came into contact with some influential figures in the antique world.
Items that were freshly dug from the ground, after changing hands a few times and successfully being laundered, became legitimately acquired antiques.
Zhou Yi sighed as if it were a common occurrence, "The world bustles, all for gain; the world crowds, all for profit."
"Heh heh." Lin Fan didn't agree with this viewpoint.
"Xiao Fan, the world isn't black and white. There are many things that can't see the light of day. Just like in our real estate industry, some things, if spoken, would be terrifying!" Zhou Yi said earnestly.
"Sister Zhou, that bead you mentioned, it's not from a museum, is it?" Lin Fan was a little worried. He hoped it wasn't an illegal transaction.
Zhou Yi shook her head. "I heard they excavated an ancient tomb last year. They only dared to bring it out for sale after the rumors died down."
Lin Fan sighed.
China was vast and rich, with a history of five thousand years. Countless treasures were buried underground.
Even with strict laws, the greed of tomb robbers could not be curbed.
After a long while, they arrived at an inconspicuous hotel in the city.
Zhou Yi made a phone call and patiently waited for the contact.
Soon, a short, middle-aged man approached them.
"Qian Xiangrong is here. He's doing quite well in the antique world, often dealing with people from the northwest and central plains. He can get a lot of good stuff," Zhou Yi introduced.
They got out of the car.
"Manager Zhou, hello." Qian Xiangrong greeted them enthusiastically, then his gaze fell on Lin Fan. "And who is this..."
Having been involved in shady dealings for a long time, he instinctively became wary of strangers.
"Didn't I say I invited someone to help me with the appraisal? This is him."
"Xiao Fan, this is Mr. Qian from Rong Bao Zhai."
"Mr. Qian, Lin Fan is my best friend, a reclusive master."
Zhou Yi introduced them to each other.
Hearing the words "best friend," Qian Xiangrong was a bit perplexed.
Zhou Yi was arrogant and high-minded, not to mention overbearing.
Few people could earn her favor.
Lin Fan, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed, his eyes clear, with no trace of sycophancy on his face. He was unlikely to be a kept man. Could he truly be some reclusive master?
But he was so young!