Antiques are not like cabbages and vegetables, readily available.
Even for Bo Gu Zhai, with its thriving business, receiving a treasure every three to five days was already rare.
In a full month, more than a dozen fakes were delivered to Bo Gu Zhai, bringing in over one hundred million yuan in revenue.
Of course, this did not include Ye Fan's two million yuan commission.
Every time an item was brought over, Bo Gu Zhai was informed that it had been appraised by Ye Fan. The appraisers at Bo Gu Zhai, after careful examination, found no flaws, so they had to settle the accounts according to the rules.
It could be said that what Bo Gu Zhai had earned in the previous period was lost in this month.
Seeing the increasing smiles on Shen Tianyin's face, Ye Fan also felt a sense of satisfaction.
It was a win-win situation, punishing Sun Yi Lang while helping Shen Tianyin.
"Those fakes have all been sold. What do we do next? Currently, Tian Yin Pavilion's business is still stagnant. Relying on the profits from these dozen fakes, it's a world of difference from what my grandfather stipulated."
In its heyday, Tian Yin Pavilion earned billions annually, so saying it was a world of difference was no exaggeration.
After all, antiques had huge profits. A single stroke of luck in picking up a rare item could bring in millions, even tens of millions.
Ye Fan was unhurried and confident, "Naturally, we wait for Bo Gu Zhai to hold an auction, and we'll go and disrupt it."
Bo Gu Zhai, having obtained so many treasures, would not keep them idle. Holding an auction was the best choice.
The highest bidder wins, allowing them to maximize their profits.
Shen Tianyin looked at Ye Fan in surprise, her beautiful eyes flickering.
At the same time, she secretly marveled, "It's truly terrifying to become Ye Fan's enemy. He will find every way possible to destroy his opponents..."
Indeed, at noon that day, news spread that Bo Gu Zhai would be holding an auction.
For this auction, Bo Gu Zhai specially produced large posters, emphasizing that the auction would feature numerous exquisite items, creating considerable hype.
Furthermore, to maximize profits, Sun Yi Lang sent out invitations widely. Almost everyone of note in Jiang City received one.
Even many people from the neighboring province, Haicheng, received invitations.
Looking at the invitation in his hand, Ye Fan's lips curved into a smile, "The fish have taken the bait, and this time, it's a big one."
Seeing Ye Fan's sinister expression, Shen Tianyin and Ji Nan Shan exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a clear message: Fortunately, we are on Ye Fan's side, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!
The auction was scheduled to be held in three days, so Ye Fan was quite idle before then.
After lunch, he saw Jiang Zhitao arriving, his face showing urgency.
"What's wrong?"
As a direct descendant of the Jiang family, although Jiang Zhitao was a bit arrogant, years of experience had long since tempered him from being reckless.
Such an expression surely indicated that something significant had happened.
"Brother Ye, Doctor Hao is in trouble."
Jiang Zhitao said urgently.
"What happened?"
Ye Fan sat up abruptly. Doctor Hao had saved his sister. Although their relationship was one of mutual utilization, he still owed him a favor.
Moreover, given his character, nothing major should have happened to him.
Jiang Zhitao sighed, "Brother Ye, do you remember Hu Xiao Fei?"
Ye Fan frowned, recalling in his mind, "The one who bet with me at the appraisal fair and chopped off a finger?"
Jiang Zhitao nodded, "That's right, that scoundrel. He somehow got a batch of raw jade and invited Doctor Hao to appraise them. As a result, Doctor Hao got addicted to opening stones and wagered all his assets. Not only did he not profit, but he also borrowed tens of millions from Hu Xiao Fei. Now he's being held captive. I went to demand his release personally, but Hu Xiao Fei refused to let him go. He had the moral high ground, so it was difficult for me to act forcefully."
Ye Fan's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Doctor Hao to be a gambler.
However, gambling on stones was not something anyone could master. Without absolute insight, one would only end up bankrupt.
"Tens of millions, just pay it for him. I'll cover the money. You go and redeem him immediately."
Ye Fan said coldly, clearly suspecting that Doctor Hao had been tricked by Hu Xiao Fei.
However, Jiang Zhitao shook his head, "Hu Xiao Fei said he has his own rules. If you want to redeem Doctor Hao, you can only use the money earned from gambling on stones. I just looked, and there are at least several hundred stones there. If we take all of them, it will probably cost at least several hundred million. I can't gather such a large sum of money on short notice."
It was clear that Hu Xiao Fei was doing this deliberately, but what was her purpose?
If it was because of him, he and Doctor Hao had only met once, and they didn't have much of a relationship.
Besides this, Ye Fan couldn't figure out anything else.
"Let's go and see. Since Hu Xiao Fei is making things so difficult, she must have a purpose. If we don't see it for ourselves, we won't understand the situation."
Shen Tianyin said softly from the side, "I'll go with you."
Ye Fan glanced at her and finally nodded.
...
The Hu family could be considered a third-rate family in Jiang City. Over the years, they had earned some money through the jade and gemstone business. Although they couldn't compare to major families like the Shen or Jiang families, they were somewhat well-known in the jade circle.
Several kilometers away from the antique street, the Hu family had a warehouse where those raw stones were stored.
As Ye Fan and the other two entered the warehouse, they saw dozens of people observing the stones.
Nearby, there were professional cutting masters.
Upon seeing Ye Fan and the others enter, a hint of malice flashed deep in Hu Xiao Fei's eyes.
"Oh, I wonder who it is. It turns out to be Mr. Ye, what a rare visitor."
Recalling the humiliation Ye Fan had inflicted on him at the appraisal fair, Hu Xiao Fei's anger burned like a wildfire, wishing he could devour Ye Fan alive.
Ye Fan gave him a cold glance. The finger was still wrapped in gauze, indicating the wound had not yet healed.
"Tell me, how much does Doctor Hao owe you?"
Getting straight to the point, Ye Fan really didn't want to waste time with a defeated opponent.
If something could be resolved with money, in Ye Fan's opinion, it wasn't a problem!
However, he knew in his heart that Hu Xiao Fei probably wouldn't let Doctor Hao go easily, but he still had to say what needed to be said!
Hu Xiao Fei sneered and slowly extended a hand, "Fifty million. What? Mr. Ye wants to help him pay? But we have our own rules here. I believe Mr. Ye already knows them, right?"
He cast a disdainful look at Jiang Zhitao.
In his opinion, Ye Fan might be skilled in antiques, but jade was different from antiques. To find good stones, one needed not only excellent eyesight but also sufficient meticulousness and experience.
This was because each raw stone had its own characteristics, and different characteristics represented different qualities of jade inside.