Chapter 7 The Great Miscarriage of Justice_1

The young lady's voice remained soft and sweet, but her tone had turned cold and commanding, leaving no room for doubt. Evidently, she was accustomed to giving orders, but thankfully, her upbringing was good, and she was not unreasonable.

Xiao Ming smiled, shaking the book in his hand, "It's not yours, and it's not mine, the only one who has the right to set its price at the moment is the owner of the Study Room."

"I had already chosen that book, and it was I who placed it where you picked it up from, I was simply planning to pick a few more to check out together."

"Still, the same goes, you didn't spend money to buy it, so it's not yours."

The young lady narrowed her eyes, "One thousand! Give it to me, and I'll give you one thousand!"

Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow, wondering if the young lady was so insistent because she had already discovered the secret hidden within the book cover's compartment?

After some thought, he revealed a curious expression, "Under normal circumstances, shouldn't you wait until I buy it and then offer to purchase it from me?"

"How do I know if you'd be willing to sell it then? One thousand for the right to buy it seems like a good deal to me."

This was typical businessman thinking! It seemed the rumors about Miss Yun of Yun Family of the Provincial City being a "rising star in the business world" weren't unfounded.

Of course, Xiao Ming knew the young lady's identity.

Yun Shi Yu, Miss Yun of Yun Family of the Provincial City, with family assets in the tens of billions. In an era where the wealth of the nation's richest didn't exceed two hundred billion, she could definitely be considered a wealthy heiress.

Smacking his lips, he casually flipped through the pages, "While the year printed on this book is the twenty-third year of the Republic of China, the paper quality, handwriting, ink color, and layout do not match the printing traits of that period.

Meaning, it's a counterfeit made later, possibly even in modern times, and it's worth at most a couple hundred."

Yun Shi Yu paused, nodding with a surprised look, "I know."

"Then why are you willing to spend nearly ten times its worth to buy it?"

"Because I like it."

Xiao Ming was at a loss for words.

This was indeed a powerful reason, the very essence of how capricious rich folks shop.

Not wanting to waste any more words, he headed straight for the counter and asked the owner, "How much for this book?"

The owner glanced up, smiling warmly, "The twenty-third year of the Republic of China sole edition of 'Strange Tales', young man, you have a good eye, and it's clear you're a book lover.

Five thousand—not to make a profit, but to make a friend."

"Cut the crap!"

Xiao Ming scoffed, "Such a shoddy imitation that didn't even put in the effort, calling it a 'counterfeit' would be an insult to the word.

I'll give you two hundred, now that's what I call making a friend."

The antique business is the only one where selling fakes outright isn't illegal. If a shop has about ten percent genuine items, you could say the owner is quite generous.

Having his scam exposed didn't embarrass the bookstore owner one bit; his smile remained unchanged, but his gaze shifted to behind Xiao Ming.

In the antique trade, it's usually not about who comes first but who pays more, so Xiao Ming immediately understood his implication.

Indeed, before he could react, he heard the soft sweet voice from behind him, "I'll give five hundred."

The owner immediately moved his gaze back to Xiao Ming, his originally friendly smile now full of cunning.

Obviously, he had heard the previous conversation between Xiao Ming and Yun Shi Yu and now aimed to take advantage of them, treating them like big suckers.

Xiao Ming turned around, looking at Yun Shi Yu with irritation, "Miss, let's be reasonable here."

Yun Shi Yu with her face as fair as white jade looked up, "Don't you find it ironic for you to say that?"

"Let's put whether it's ironic aside, all you're doing by this is paying a high price without any additional benefit."

"As long as I can buy what I want, how much I spend doesn't matter."

Xiao Ming finally frowned.

With his wit, there were plenty of ways to solve this matter, but Yun Shi Yu could still be useful in the future, and he didn't want to ruin their relationship over this.

Just then, the shop door was pushed open, and in came a handsome guy with slicked-back hair, designer clothes, and sunglasses.

Seeing him, Xiao Ming's lips curled slightly upwards.

"Yu, I got the thing you liked…"

Before finishing his sentence, the handsome guy with the sunglasses keenly sensed the tension in the room, quickened his pace, protected Yun Shi Yu behind him, and eyed Xiao Ming with hostility.

"Yu, has this guy been bothering you?"

Far from being pleased by his arrival, Yun Shi Yu's face turned even colder.

"No, don't cause a scene, just wait for me outside."

The handsome guy wouldn't listen, removed his sunglasses, and pointed the arm at Xiao Ming's chest, "Kid, you've got guts messing around in Longyin's territory! Do you know who I am?"

Xiao Ming kept smiling, "Do I need to know?"

"Heh! You've got nerve!"

The handsome guy sneered with a nod, turned around, his expression immediately softened, even becoming somewhat placating.

"Yu, don't worry, no matter how this little bastard has upset you, I guarantee you I'll make him pay a hundredfold!"

But Yun Shi Yu was not appeased, her tone even colder than when she spoke to Xiao Ming, "Shen Siyi, did I not tell you not to meddle in my affairs?"

Shen Siyi immediately became flustered, "Yu, don't be mad, I didn't mean to meddle, but since you're out with me, if I let outsiders bully you, my dad would kill me."

"No one is bullying me, we just happen to like the same book, that's all."

Shen Siyi glanced at the book on the counter, and directly asked the owner, "How much?"

The owner was still beaming, "Currently, the young lady has offered five hundred, and this gentleman hasn't made an offer yet."

Shen Siyi snorted disdainfully, "I'll give ten thousand! Issue the receipt."

Dealers in antiques certainly know when to seize an opportunity. The owner, discerning that this lavishly dressed young man wasn't to be trifled with, was about to agree, nodding his head, when suddenly, with a bang, a hand slapped down on the book, giving him quite a start.