Chapter 50 Complicity in Corruption

"But... but this..."

Zhao Qiankun was still somewhat skeptical.

After all, he had spent eighty million!

"Boss Zhao, if you are still worried, we can invite a few more experts over to appraise it together."

Seeing that Zhao Qiankun's expression had softened somewhat, President Li quickly pressed his advantage.

"However, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. If word gets out, it wouldn't be very good for your reputation."

"Right, right, right, confidential! It must be kept confidential!"

Zhao Qiankun nodded repeatedly.

Right now, his greatest fear was for word of this to get out. If his peers found out he had spent eighty million on a fake, wouldn't they laugh their heads off?

Seeing that Zhao Qiankun had been temporarily placated, President Li exchanged a glance with Old Wang and President Zhang.

"Boss Zhao, we old fellows have a few things we'd like to discuss alone with this young brother here. If you wouldn't mind..."

Zhao Qiankun looked at Cheng Ziqiu, then at President Li. Though somewhat reluctant, he still nodded.

"Alright then, you chat. I'll go over there and smoke a cigarette."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Once Zhao Qiankun was out of earshot, President Li turned around and looked at Cheng Ziqiu with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Young brother, what a sharp eye you have! I didn't expect someone so young to have achieved such mastery. Truly, the younger generation is formidable!"

Cheng Ziqiu let out a cold laugh.

"You flatter me. I was merely speaking the truth."

"Heh, speaking the truth?"

President Zhang said with a sarcastic tone,

"Young brother, do you even know what you're saying? You are smashing our signboard and cutting off our livelihood!"

"Signboard? Livelihood?"

Cheng Ziqiu curled his lips in disdain.

"With your level of skill, you have the nerve to call yourselves experts? In my eyes, you're just a bunch of charlatans roaming the underworld!"

"You... you are insolent!"

Old Wang was trembling with rage, pointing at Cheng Ziqiu's nose and cursing,

"You wet-behind-the-ears brat, how dare you insult us like this! Believe it or not, we can make sure you won't survive another day in this circle!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Cheng Ziqiu looked at them with intrigued interest.

"I'd love to see how you plan to make it so I can't survive."

"Humph! Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Seeing that Cheng Ziqiu was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, President Li dropped his disguise and revealed his sinister nature.

"Kid, let me tell you the truth—today, you must give us an explanation for this! Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Explanation? What kind of explanation?"

Cheng Ziqiu asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's very simple,"

President Li said with a malicious glint in his eye.

"As long as you recant and admit that this piece of Yuan blue-and-white porcelain is genuine, not only will we let bygones be bygones, but we can also cut you in for a share. The price Boss Zhao paid is not low; with just a nod from you, you'll be set for food and drink for the rest of your life!"

"Oh? Such a good thing exists?"

Cheng Ziqiu put on a look of being tempted.

"And what if I don't agree?"

"You don't agree?"

President Li sneered.

"Then don't blame us for being ruthless! We've spent decades in this circle, what kind of storms haven't we seen? Ruining a person is as easy as lifting a finger. When the time comes, not only will your reputation be dragged through the mud, but you might even find yourself slapped with a lawsuit and rotting in a prison cell!"

Looking at President Li's hypocritical, smiling face, Cheng Ziqiu felt a wave of nausea.

It seemed that if he really did recant, that would truly be the end of him in this circle.

However, if he refused, these old foxes definitely wouldn't let the matter rest.

"President Li, I understand everything you're saying."

Cheng Ziqiu pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking slowly.

"It's just that this matter requires a bit more consideration on my part."

Hearing that there was still hope, President Li's eyes instantly lit up, and the smile on his face grew even more brilliant.

"Understood, understood. After all, it's a major matter; being cautious is only right."

"Young man, you're still young and probably don't quite understand this circle yet."

Old Wang seized the opportunity to chime in, speaking in a profound and earnest tone.

"We've been rolling around in this industry for so many years, what haven't we seen? The real and the fake, the fake and the real—sometimes even we ourselves can't tell them apart. You just need to remember one thing: don't let yourself go against money."

President Zhang chimed in as well:

"That's right, young man. The waters in this circle run deep, and if you fight alone, you're bound to get hurt. Cooperating with us so everyone can make money together—isn't that much better?"

Cheng Ziqiu sneered inwardly in his heart.

Did these people really take him for some wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn?

Outwardly, he remained completely calm, saying merely:

"I appreciate the kind intentions of you seniors, but I truly need time to think it over."

Seeing that Cheng Ziqiu still refused to give a definitive answer, President Li and the others exchanged glances and decided to let him off the hook for now. After all, there was plenty of time ahead.

"Very well, take your time to think it through properly. Whenever you figure it out, just contact us."

President Li patted Cheng Ziqiu on the shoulder, speaking with deep significance.

"Young man, once you've spent a long time in this field, you'll find that this sort of thing is quite common. In this circle, having more friends is always better than having more enemies, wouldn't you say?"

Cheng Ziqiu sneered inwardly while keeping his expression entirely neutral.

He thought to himself: *These old fogies really think they've got me in the palm of their hand, don't they?*

The group returned to Zhao Qiankun's side.

Seeing them return chatting and laughing, Zhao Qiankun felt a wave of relief and asked with a smile, "What were you gentlemen talking about that made you so happy?"

"Haha, Boss Zhao, we old fellows just appreciate raw talent!"

President Li spoke up first.

"I see that this young Master Cheng is young, yet possesses such discerning eyes—he's a moldable piece of timber. The few of us discussed it and hope to collaborate more with him in the future so we can learn from each other!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qiankun beamed with delight.

"Oh? Well, that would be wonderful! Little Cheng, this is a great opportunity, you must seize it properly!"

Cheng Ziqiu knew the score crystal clear.

These old foxes were clearly trying to drag him down into the muddy waters with them.

"I appreciate the kindness of the senior gentlemen. However, Boss Zhao, I have a somewhat immature little suggestion."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Zhao Qiankun looked at him with great interest.

"Boss Zhao, rather than keeping this batch of treasures locked up at home, why not bring them out so more people can admire them?"

Cheng Ziqiu smiled as he offered his "little suggestion."

"I think it would be best if you placed these antiques with President Li's auction house and let them host a specialized auction for you. It would give everyone a chance to broaden their horizons. What do you think?"

As soon as Cheng Ziqiu uttered these words, the expressions of President Li, Old Wang, and President Zhang changed drastically.

President Li was instantly covered in cold sweat.

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Cheng Ziqiu to pull a stunt like this.

If these fake items were actually sent to an auction, the whole scam would be thoroughly exposed!

"This... this probably isn't very appropriate, is it?"

President Li stammered.

"Boss Zhao's collection consists of treasures among treasures, not something to be shown off lightly. Besides, our auction house's schedule is completely booked lately, I'm afraid..."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Cheng Ziqiu asked, feigning utter cluelessness.

"Could it be that there's... something wrong with this batch of goods? Surely... they aren't fakes, are they?"