C4 Liar Zhou!

After hearing the quoted price, Ye Tingyu nodded and turned to Gao Zheng, seeking his opinion.

Gao Zheng nodded with confidence, signaling that they should proceed with the deal.

"Mr. Zhou... three million seems a bit steep. Could we consider a lower figure?" Ye Tingyu asked with a smile that belied her youthful appearance, making her seem far more seasoned than her mid-twenties would suggest.

Gao Zheng, observing the exchange, felt a pang of frustration. Her tone suggested reluctance to make the purchase. Did she not trust his judgment?

"Haha, I've always heard that Ms. Ye is a young business prodigy, outdoing us seasoned men in the art of trade!" Zhou Ziqiang feigned contemplation before responding with a chuckle, "Since Ms. Ye has spoken, how about I knock off a hundred thousand? Let's say two million nine hundred thousand, and we'll call it a deal among friends!"

Ye Tingyu shook her head. Despite her extensive background in antiques, she wasn't entirely confident about making a risk-free profit on this particular snuff bottle. She spoke calmly, "Mr. Zhou, what I'm trying to say is..."

She paused, seemingly searching for the right words to politely decline the offer, not wanting to take the item.

"Hey, what was the price you mentioned for this?" Lee Wen interjected, approaching the coffee table and lifting the translucent snuff bottle with a grin. "Two million nine hundred thousand? Is it really worth that much?"

"Put that snuff bottle down before you break it! Can you afford to pay for it?" Gao Zheng stood up abruptly, his voice stern. "You don't understand the value of things. Do you think this is some cheap trinket? Put it down now!"

Ye Tingyu's expression of surprise was fleeting, and she made no move to intervene, instead watching the unfolding drama with interest.

"Wow, Gao Zheng, are you implying this item is actually worth millions?" Lee Wen asked mockingly.

"Yes, what else? If it's not, I, Gao Zheng, will bow my head in apology!" Gao Zheng retorted, his eyes flashing with defiance. "If it's truly valuable, then you might as well pack your bags and leave! I'm sure Ms. Ye would grant me the authority to dismiss a laborer for such carelessness!"

"Alright, you said it!" Lee Wen snapped his fingers, pivoted, and fixed Zhou Ziqiang with a piercing stare, scoffing, "Mr. Zhou, why do I see you everywhere? Surely you haven't swindled every single person in Oklark, have you?"

At these words, not only was Zhou Ziqiang taken aback, but Ye Tingyu and Gao Zheng were also visibly confused.

"You are..." Zhou Ziqiang struggled to recall who Lee Wen was.

"I'm the one you should be calling Uncle Lee. Just yesterday, you tried to swindle our landlord out of a four-hundred-year-old copper censer for a mere ten thousand yuan, until I caught you red-handed..."

"It's you!" Zhou Ziqiang's eyes narrowed sharply. "You little scoundrel, you messed up my deal yesterday! And today..."

"What about today? Ruined another one of your shady deals, have I?" Lee Wen said with a cold laugh. "That so-called high-quality snuff bottle is nothing but a twenty-year-old imitation. And you, Zhou, had the audacity to try and con my boss out of three million? You might as well be a highway robber!"

"You... Shut your mouth!" Zhou Ziqiang, exposed, was shaking all over.

"Hmph, and who do you think you are?" Gao Zheng couldn't stand it any longer and retorted with a sneer, "I, Gao Zheng, have never misidentified an item. This is a genuine Qing Dynasty treasure. Do you really expect us to believe your tall tales?"

"Oh, what's this? Are you getting flustered and angry now?" Lee Wen quipped, giving Gao Zheng a mocking look. "Master Gao, surely you're not in cahoots with this conman Zhou, trying to fleece my boss?"

"You..." Gao Zheng was livid, itching to rip Lee Wen's mouth off. He turned to Ye Tingyu and said, "Boss, you see what we're dealing with here. Is there any point in keeping someone like him at Tingyu House? I'd say it's time to..."

"Enough! Let's have no more bickering," Ye Tingyu interjected, standing up with a weary sigh. She took the chance to gracefully bow out, adding calmly, "This squabbling has killed my interest in the deal. Mr. Zhou, perhaps you should take your business elsewhere."

With that, Ye Tingyu paid them no further attention and made her way to her private workspace on the second floor of Tingyu House.

As Zhou Ziqiang left, he cast a venomous glance back at Lee Wen.

Lee Wen was unfazed by the accusation; he was convinced that the broken vase was a setup by Gao Zheng to frame him.

In every deal, appraisers earned a commission—the larger the deal, the heftier the commission. Lee Wen was more than willing to disrupt Gao Zheng's plans if it meant spoiling his day.

After getting the better of Gao Zheng and leaving him embarrassed, Lee Wen reveled in his triumph. He didn't even care about their wager anymore. Humming a tune, he tidied up, when suddenly, his phone buzzed with a new message. It was from his boss, Ye Tingyu. The message was brief—just a "thank you"—but to him, it signified the first step in closing the gap between him and the woman he admired.

As the workday came to an end, the late autumn evening had already set in by six o'clock, with darkness enveloping the sky and a fine drizzle beginning to fall. Lee Wen finished up and took a shortcut through a secluded alley, heading briskly towards the bus stop outside the gates of Antique City.

Walking along, Lee Wen sensed someone trailing him. He glanced back to see four young men with a menacing air, clearly up to no good.

"Damn!" With no time to waste, Lee Wen was ready to bolt, but as he turned, he spotted another group of four youths ahead of him, two of them wielding hefty baseball bats. It was clear they had planned this ambush.

"What do you want? I've just started my shift; I don't have any money. If you're looking to rob someone, go find someone wealthy!" Lee Wen, having never been in such a predicament before, felt his heart rate accelerate as he crouched, scanning for an escape route.

"We know you're broke," sneered the ringleader, a twenty-something with bleached hair, as he aggressively chewed his gum. "Who's going to take him on?"

"Third Brother, I've got this!" one of the thugs, brandishing a baseball bat, charged at Lee Wen.

"It's do or die!" Realizing escape was not an option, Lee Wen braced himself for a brawl. Seeing that only one attacker approached, weapon in hand, he knew that if he could muster the courage to seize the baseball bat, he might just avoid a terrible fate today.

With this thought, Lee Wen didn't back down; instead, he charged at the thug with a fierce growl.

"Boom!"

A shadow flickered. Before the thugs could grasp what was happening, a deep thud echoed in their ears. Their comrade was hurled through the air, his condition unknown, as he didn't even have time to let out a cry.

The onlookers instinctively stepped back, swallowing hard, sensing the situation was becoming quite challenging.

"Stop!" In this urgent moment, a pleasant female voice rang out. "What are you doing? Leave now, or I'm calling the police! Lee Wen, are you okay? Who are these people?"

Everyone turned to see a young woman in a simple, belted long dress standing not far away, phone in hand, eyeing the scene warily. Her lovely face was more angry than frightened.

"Ye Tingyu, run!" Recognizing her, Lee Wen yelled desperately, "Run! Don't worry about me!"

"Get him!" Hu San, the gang leader, gestured broadly, and two thugs charged with menacing ferocity.