I Become The Richest Man With A monthly Salary of Twenty Thousand Yuan-Chapter 528 - 434: Don’t Believe

"Young man, you can’t just say things like that," Luo Bupan retorted bluntly. "I’ve been doing business here for many years. How could I possibly sell fakes to Miss Fang? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, you should keep your mouth shut, lest you bring trouble on yourself!"

"Mister Xia, are all these items fake?" Fang Youxue asked blankly, flipping through the photos on her phone.

She was fond of antiques but didn’t know how to tell if they were authentic. On second thought, Luo Bupan had been the one to recommend all these items to her, and she had never sought a professional appraisal. If they were really fakes, she would have no idea.

"The real can’t be faked, and the fake can’t be made real," Xia Liang said coolly. "Once or twice is one thing. But to fleece one person dry like this is outrageous."

"You! What gives you the right to say these are fakes? You’ve only seen a few pictures. Even the most expert appraisers couldn’t determine they were fake just by looking at photos!"

"I’m not like them." Taking Fang Youxue’s phone, Xia Liang pointed to several porcelain pieces on the screen and explained, "These items, although forgeries, are so finely crafted they could easily be mistaken for the real thing. This pottery teapot and the Jingde Porcelain are both patched-up fakes, aren’t they? They were made no more than six months ago."

So-called patched-up forgeries were made by taking fragments of genuine antique ceramics and combining them with newly made fake fragments to create a complete piece. The items Luo Bupan had sold to Fang Youxue were all this type of patched-up porcelain, and the craftsmanship was quite sophisticated. Even professional appraisers sometimes couldn’t tell the difference.

Xia Liang then picked up the jade pendant from Fang Youxue’s hand and continued, "This jade is even more obvious. While the material is Hetian jade, it’s the lowest quality, full of cracks. The craftsman you hired was skilled, I’ll give you that; he cleverly carved most of the cracks and inclusions into the design. But that doesn’t change the fact that this piece is worthless. Plus, there are quite a few scratches. It must have been carved just last month, right?"

"You’re talking nonsense!"

Seeing Xia Liang reveal the truth, Luo Bupan was stunned. A cold sweat broke out on his back. Xia Liang had gotten everything right. Still, he couldn’t admit it now. He knew perfectly well who Fang Youxue was—she had the Fang Family behind her. If he wasn’t planning to leave town in a few days, he would never have dared to sell her so many fakes. If the Fang Family found out, he would be in for a world of hurt.

But Xia Liang had already used the System on Luo Bupan moments before and knew his intentions. He just sneered.

Although Fang Youxue couldn’t distinguish real antiques from fakes, she could tell from Luo Bupan’s expression that something was very wrong.

The items he sold me are probably all fake!

"You bastard! How dare you sell me fakes! Aren’t you afraid of our Fang Family?" Fang Youxue’s anger flared. She had chosen this shop precisely because the owner had guaranteed he would never sell her forgeries. She had even told him her identity, assuming he wouldn’t dare deceive her. Yet, Luo Bupan had sold her fakes anyway.

"Well, Shop Owner Luo, still not admitting it? Your items might be convincing, but that doesn’t mean no one can see through them. Should I call the Fang Family and have them come take a look?"

"No, that won’t be necessary!"

Only now did Luo Bupan realize he had encountered a true expert. Xia Liang could determine authenticity from a single photograph. Moreover, he could identify the counterfeiting techniques and pinpoint the creation date with flawless accuracy. Not even a top-level appraisal expert could have known when these pieces were made!

Beads of sweat dripped from Luo Bupan’s forehead. He shot Xia Liang a resentful glance, his mind reeling. Who on earth is this young man?

"So, how do you plan to resolve this?" Xia Liang said, pulling over two chairs. He sat down, and Fang Youxue took the other, her face a mask of fury.

Luo Bupan’s eyes darted about as if he’d just thought of a plan. "How about this?" he said with a grin. "Since the items are fake, I’ll just gift them to Miss Fang. As for the money she spent, I’ll return all of it. However, I can’t gather that much cash right now. How about you two come back in a couple of days?"

"Alright," Xia Liang nodded, a strange smirk playing on his lips as he continued. "But in two days, we’ll have to go to Jianghai City to find you. Let me think... that would be No. 58, San Yan Street, right? That place is quite a long way from Qingyun City!"

A rush of blood flooded Luo Bupan’s brain, blurring his vision as a ringing filled his ears. He froze on the spot. Only Xia Liang’s last words echoed in his mind.

No. 58, San Yan Street.

His knees buckled, and Luo Bupan collapsed, kneeling before them. In an instant, his entire back was drenched in cold sweat.

It took several minutes for Luo Bupan to collect himself. He looked at Xia Liang, who still maintained a faint smile, and felt as if he’d been plunged into an ice cave. His lips turned pale, and his whole body trembled.

A few months ago, he had started preparing to move his shop. It was a secret he hadn’t even told his own staff. He had handled all the arrangements by himself. Even when he went to a new city to scout locations, he did so in disguise. Apart from himself, absolutely no one knew he was closing his shop to reopen in another city, much less the exact address.