Gui Bunian's expression changed drastically. He wanted to stop them, but Huang Bai was the one in charge. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Kid surnamed Li, you're ruthless! I'll move out then!"
"Boss Gui, don't speak nonsense and blame others. This matter has nothing to do with Boss Li; it's purely your own fault!" Huang Bai said coldly. "Please!"
"Hmph, I'll remember you, President Huang!" Gui Bunian glared at him with a dark face, then said to his employees, "What are you standing around for? You bunch of useless things! Hurry up and move!"
"Yes, boss!" The employees' faces turned pale. They immediately lowered their heads, packed their things, and walked out of the venue.
Many people saw this and found it strange. "What's going on? When did Boss Gui offend President Huang?"
"Heh, I'm afraid Boss Gui won't let this go. There will be good shows to watch later!"
Only a few smart people connected the "performance" they had just witnessed and realized that Gui Bunian was likely driven away by President Huang because he had done something despicable and underhanded.
Gui Bunian snorted and unhappily yelled at the crowd, "Get out of my way, all of you!"
"This guy hasn't changed his ways. Boss Li, you'll have to be more careful in the future. He failed this time, but he definitely won't stop here," Huang Bai said.
Li Yang smiled and said, "It's nothing to me, but President Huang, you've helped me get justice. I'm afraid he'll hold a grudge against you too."
"Hmph, I'm not afraid of him," Huang Bai sneered, clearly having his own confidence. "Boss Li, I've known your esteemed name for a long time. Is it convenient for you to come to my office for a while?"
"Alright." Li Yang glanced at him and nodded with a smile. He suspected Huang Bai had something to discuss with him.
As expected, after they had been in his office for a while, Huang Bai took a sandalwood box from the bookshelf and placed it with a smile in front of Li Yang. "Boss Li, this is a treasure I acquired when I was feeling restless recently. Could you take a look?"
"Let me see." Li Yang smiled, opened the box, and saw a jade hairpin inlaid with gold flowers. Its design was very ornate, giving the impression of fine craftsmanship and great expense.
However, Li Yang's brow furrowed slightly, and he asked, "How much did President Huang spend on this hairpin?"
"This much." Huang Bai held up five fingers.
"Five thousand or fifty thousand?"
"Neither, it was five hundred thousand." Huang Bai said with a smile, "Boss Li, this hairpin was worn by an empress during the Ming Dynasty. Look at the phoenix motif within the gold flowers; in ancient times, only empresses could use it, or they would be beheaded."
"Generally speaking, five hundred thousand would never be enough to buy this hairpin. I was just lucky to encounter a seller who urgently needed money, so I got a good deal. Do you think it's not bad?"
"This..." Li Yang opened his mouth, looked at Huang Bai, and said, "I can't judge it."
"Boss Li, you're too modest. If someone like you can't judge it, then who in Jiangcheng can? No, no, what do you mean by 'can't judge it'?" Suddenly, Huang Bai realized that Li Yang's words were not modesty but jargon in the antique appraisal circle.
Li Yang looked at him and said, "There's a saying in the antique appraisal circle: 'A thousand pieces of gold cannot buy what one likes.' If President Huang really likes this hairpin, then let alone five hundred thousand, even adding a few more zeros would be worth it. After all, money is just a damn thing; there's no regret in spending it."
"If I bought it for too much, I would definitely be unhappy," Huang Bai said immediately. "Please be direct, Boss Li."
"Since you've asked, I'll tell you the truth without reservation." Li Yang no longer concealed anything. "From what I see, this hairpin of yours is likely a modern artifact with signs of artificial aging. It's a replica from the last century."
"Because it has had decades to settle, it's even harder to detect the hairpin's flaws."
"But the patina is fine, isn't it?" Huang Bai picked up the jade hairpin and touched it. The patina was indeed smooth, full, and lustrous, unlike a fake.
Instead, Li Yang shook his head and said, "Even the more realistic antiques nowadays can almost perfectly replicate the patina. So, this doesn't prove anything."
"If you don't believe me, President Huang, you can hold the jade hairpin up to the sunlight."
"What can that show?" Huang Bai's fingers trembled slightly. He looked at the sun outside the office window, worried that if it was really fake, he would have lost a lot of money.
Li Yang said, "You'll know if you hold it up. If the patina formed naturally, its translucency will be a bit lower under sunlight, as it has formed over many years."
"However, if the patina was formed by current forgery techniques, its translucency will be higher and look a bit fake."
Although he explained it clearly, it was not easy for ordinary people to perceive the subtle differences.
This required a relatively deep understanding of antiques, at least having seen many genuine items to develop a comparative awareness.
Otherwise, no matter how many principles are explained, you will still find it difficult to sense the subtle differences.
However, as an experienced antique player, Huang Bai naturally possessed rich experience. He held the hairpin up to the sunlight by the window and immediately sensed the falseness of the artificial patina.
He couldn't describe it, but he could clearly feel that this item was indeed fake.
"Damn it!" He couldn't help but curse. "I've been playing with antiques for so many years, and I've actually been fooled by someone today!"
"It's normal to make a mistake; it's abnormal not to," Li Yang comforted him.
Throughout history, even the most formidable appraisers have made mistakes. Even some rare treasures that have been famous for centuries have been re-evaluated with the advent of more scientific appraisal methods.
This is like being at a gambling table; if you want to avoid losing, you must not gamble. Once you're at the table, you're bound to lose at some point.
Antiques are the same.
Either don't play, or if you play, you'll eventually fall into a trap. It's just a matter of sooner or later.
Huang Bai said with a wry smile, "I originally wanted to let Boss Li play with it, but I didn't expect to lose face in front of you."
"President Huang, your words are too humble. You invited me here precisely because you also felt there was something wrong with this hairpin but didn't want to admit it yourself, so you asked me to look at it?" Li Yang said with a smile.
Huang Bai laughed. "No wonder they say Boss Li is exceptionally intelligent; it's true. My intentions cannot escape your eyes at all."
"However, there's one point you haven't fully explained. I invited you to my office for another important matter, and I'd like to ask for your help."