Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 285 The Only Man_1

However, Xiao Ming was neither flustered nor hurried, even his smile did not change in the slightest as he looked at Guan Qingchang and said, "The Taisho Period was from 1912 to 1926."

At that time, the war had not yet erupted, and commercial exchanges between the two countries were frequent, a period which also saw a serious outflow of Qing dynasty artifacts."

The Furukawa family, by auctioning off the bronze hairpin tonight with a starting bid of only 20,000 yuan, clearly didn’t know its true value."

This indicates that they had absolutely no reason to lie about its era."

The most critical point is that the hairpin was plated with a layer of bronze, even covering up the kingfisher feathers, which was clearly intended to prevent people from discovering its real origin."

Therefore, I speculate that the person who took it to Fusang back in the day was unaware of its value and lied about it being the work of a great craftsman in order to sell it at a good price."

The former lady of the Furukawa family was also a victim."

Upon these words, not only did the people of the Furukawa family show smiles of relief, but the prominent figures from Lingnan present couldn’t help but admire inwardly.

Sure enough, no one’s success is a pie falling from the sky; Xiao Ming’s achievements at a young age are no fluke."

"Additionally,"

Just as everyone thought the issue had been settled, Xiao Ming spoke up again.

"Additionally, Mr. Guan, if I may be so bold, you should learn more from your nephew, Mr. Guan Ruiming.

He even knows about such obscure Fusang knowledge as ’Jade Beetle Elytra,’ yet you are completely ignorant of the entire Taisho Period in Fusang, which is utterly unbecoming of your status and position."

Hisss...

Many people involuntarily gasped, and their gaze towards Xiao Ming turned complex.

It was bold enough to bid against the Guan family for something they wanted, but to publicly accuse Guan Qingchang of ignorance and unworthiness was even more outrageous than a slap in the face.

Was he looking to make a deadly enemy?

Did he not want to get along in Lingnan anymore?

Guan Qingchang, being the person he was, remained composed upon hearing this and nodded to Xiao Ming in acknowledgment, "I see, I have learned something new, thank you!"

"You’re welcome."

Xiao Ming turned his face and smiled at Furukawa Shizuka, "As Mr. Guan Ruiming said earlier, the cloisonné and the name ’Xing Zhen,’ even together with ’Thousand Autumn Pavilion,’ are not enough to prove that it belonged to the Empress Dowager Cixi."

Luckily, the old lady left behind quite a few calligraphic treasures, so it would be easy for experts to verify the handwriting."

However, I am a bit lazy and don’t lack the money from selling antiques, and considering the profound friendship I established with Miss Shizuka before the banquet began."

Therefore, I would like to invite Miss Shizuka to join me, in both our names, to donate this hairpin to the National Museum."

Miss Shizuka, would you be willing?"

All the faces that had been thrown to the ground were instantly picked up; only an idiot would be unwilling.

Furukawa Shizuka stood up excitedly, bowing to Xiao Ming, "Mr. Xiao, you are profoundly benevolent. It is an honor for Shizuka to become close friends with you!"

The banquet hall burst into applause.

Anyone with a brain knew the so-called friendship was nonsense; what they admired was Xiao Ming’s masterful final move.

No matter how arrogant and obnoxious Xiao Ming was at the beginning, that last statement about "jointly donating with the Furukawa family" made all previous grievances seem nonexistent.

In the end, he was merely recognizing the origin of the bronze hairpin and aiming to set things right; it was the Guan family and that Mi Shan with their disagreeable attitudes and rude remarks that forced him to retaliate.

Meanwhile, the Furukawa family went from the ridicule of selling a treasure cheaply to being hailed as righteous heroes willing to return cultural relics for the sake of international friendship.

What does it mean to have the best of both worlds?

This is the textbook answer.

From start to finish, the clowns were only Guan and his nephew.

In full control of the situation, turning his hands into clouds and covering his hands into rain, such emotional intelligence, it is simply demonic.

It is worth mentioning that among those clapping, two people were especially vigorous.

One was Ding Jianwei, and the other was Lu Lichun.

When a man is in the spotlight for his excellence, it’s naturally when he’s most charismatic.

For those who already harbored "improper" thoughts, Xiao Ming was the only man in the room that evening.

After smiling and nodding to everyone, Xiao Ming put the bronze hairpin back into its wooden box and carried it down to Furukawa Shizuka, leaning in to whisper low, "Now, do you believe in my sincerity, Shizuka?"

Furukawa Shizuka maintained a smile that was just right, but her words were, "As long as you’re not interested in my body, we’ll definitely become very good friends."

Xiao Ming laughed heartily, "Good friends aren’t enough, we need to be close."

Furukawa Shizuka’s expression stiffened, her eyes annoyed yet seemed to carry a hint of helplessness and grudge.

"Alright, now, I’d like to accept Mr. Mi Shan’s apology up close. Please bear witness for me, Shizuka."

Furukawa Shizuka, not knowing what he had up his sleeve, gestured with her hand, "This way, please."

Xiao Ming followed her to the middle of the banquet hall, where the man surnamed Mi Shan had already stood up, still looking unsatisfied.

"Mr. Mi Shan, according to our prior agreement, please apologize to Mr. Xiao for your rudeness," said Furukawa Shizuka.

Mr. Mi Shan’s chubby face trembled, as if he had swallowed a fly, and he bowed slightly, "Mr. Xiao, I’m very sorry for the disrespect earlier..."

Slap!

Xiao Ming swung his hand and landed a slap on his face, causing his head to crash against the table with a clang, then sliding to the floor.

The guests at the scene were shocked again, and not one could accurately describe their feelings.

Xiao Ming, sure enough, was good at causing a sensation.

This guy really doesn’t play by the rules.

"Bakayaro!"

Mr. Mi Shan got up angrily, only to receive another slap that sent him back to the ground.

"How dare you..."

"Mr. Mi Shan!"

Furukawa Shizuka timely called out a halt, then waved over the waitstaff to take Mr. Mi Shan away to rest.

"Mr. Xiao, that was too much!" she said, trying to hold back her anger.

Xiao Ming’s smile was unchanged, "What do you plan to do then?

According to the law, both our countries have jurisdiction, but it’d probably be hard to get me tried in Fusang. Why not just call the police?

With so many witnesses here, I’d get at least six months."

Furukawa Shizuka huffed for a while, finally saying, "You must leave immediately, or I won’t be able to explain this to my superiors."

"For you, of course, that’s no problem. Remember to attend the donation ceremony, little Shizuka!"

Winking at her, Xiao Ming turned to Ding Jianwei and bending his right arm, he said, "I’ve caused trouble again; they’re driving me out!"

Ding Jianwei linked her arm with his, smiling sweetly, "Perfect, I’m hungry too. You can accompany me to have wonton noodles!"

"That’s fine, but don’t you think waltzing into a small noodle shop dressed like this will make other customers think we’re idiots?"

"Then let’s go to a fancy restaurant."

"That seems even more idiotic. Let’s stick to the small noodle shop."

"Tch! I think you just don’t want to spend money, you cheapskate."

"What do you mean? I’m accompanying you for dinner, and you still want me to pay? No way, we’re going back to the hotel for instant noodles."

"I’m a patient, and you expect me to eat instant noodles? Is there no respect left for a superior? I’ll strangle you!"

"Ow..."

And so, under the astonished gaze of everyone in the banquet hall, Xiao Ming exited the doors with a woeful scream.