"Just you?"
The beautiful woman appraised Yang Chen from head to toe. Disappointment flickered in her eyes, which then slowly turned into displeasure. She said coldly, "Go and call Li Yu out!"
Yang Chen knew she doubted his abilities and didn't trust him. He didn't want to say too much, fearing it would backfire, so he dialed Li Yu's number.
A moment later, Li Yu came downstairs with a smile.
"Chu Xiang, you're here!"
"Little Yu Jie, what's going on?"
Chu Xiang pointed at Yang Chen, her face full of dissatisfaction.
"We agreed that Zhang Chi would accompany me to the auction to view the items. Why did you arrange for him to come instead?"
"Chu Xiang, please don't rush."
Li Yu, with a placating smile, introduced, "This is our company's new appraisal master—Yang Chen. You can absolutely trust his character; he's extremely loyal..."
"What's the use of just loyalty? Don't I have loyal people working for me? I need an appraisal master. The item I'm going to bid on is worth tens of millions!"
Chu Xiang said unhappily, "Little Yu Jie, I chose your company's Zhang Chi based on my trust in you. The auction starts tonight, and I am determined to get that item. You can't be playing a trick on me now. Don't waste any more time, quickly go and call Zhang Chi out."
"Zhang... Zhang Chi has a family emergency and cannot accompany you to the auction tonight."
Li Yu dared not explain Zhang Chi's embezzlement to Chu Xiang; it would only make Chu Xiang lose confidence in the company.
"But don't worry, Yang Chen's treasure appraisal skills are even better than Zhang Chi's. He will definitely not disappoint you."
"Really?"
Chu Xiang re-examined Yang Chen, finally shaking her head silently.
"Little Yu Jie, he's quite handsome, but appraising treasures isn't about looks; it's about skill."
"Judging by his appearance, he's barely older than me. He probably hasn't even finished his apprenticeship."
"Forget it!"
"The item I've set my sights on is worth tens of millions. I dare not risk it with him."
With that, Chu Xiang turned to leave.
"Miss Chu, wait!"
Chu Xiang stopped, turned back, and said displeasured, "You don't need to say anything. I won't use you!"
"Miss Chu, whether you use me is up to you; I won't force you. However, if you question my abilities, then I have something to say."
"Oh?"
At this moment, Chu Xiang finally showed a smile, though it was a cold one.
"I appreciate your confidence. Prove yourself to me. If you can satisfy me, I might consider you on a smaller scale."
"Then I won't be polite."
Yang Chen pointed at the pearl earrings she was wearing and said confidently, "If I'm not mistaken, the pearls in this pair of earrings are South Sea pearls, and they're quite old!"
"That's it?"
Chu Xiang shook her head, disappointed. "If this is all you're capable of, you've disappointed me immensely!"
She turned to leave again.
"Qianlong Emperor's imperial helmet!"
Chu Xiang stopped once more and nodded. "Continue."
"The pearls in your pair of earrings come from the black lacquer inlaid gold imperial helmet used by Emperor Qianlong. This helmet originally had twenty-eight South Sea pearls of varying sizes. They were auctioned at the Christie's Spring Sale for a staggering price of 5.8 million."
"Impressive!"
Chu Xiang's gaze towards Yang Chen lost its previous contempt. She nodded and said, "But if you want me to use you, just identifying a pair of pearl earrings isn't enough!"
After all, the Chu family's acquisition of the helmet had been reported in the news. It wouldn't be difficult for Yang Chen to guess the origin of her earrings if he put in a little effort.
Yang Chen's gaze fell upon the jade bracelet on her wrist, as white as condensed fat. He first shook his head silently, then let out a sigh.
Chu Xiang frowned, displeased. "What do you mean by that? If you have something to say, say it. Don't feign surprise!"
"I was thinking that someone of Miss Chu's status would not stoop to wearing fakes. It seems you've been deceived."
"What do you mean?!"
"Then I'll be direct."
Yang Chen pointed at the jade bracelet and said, "This ice-jadeite carved phoenix jade bracelet you're wearing is a fake!"