Chapter Seven: The Wind-listening Vase of Song Dynasty Shadow Porcelain

In one breath, Zhao Fan spent one million six hundred thousand, not feeling the slightest bit of pain. The crowd’s gaze toward him changed; this was no penniless loser, but rather a hidden magnate, wealthy beyond measure.

“Rich people dress so modestly, truly a master of the city; we’re impressed!”

“Haha, now that nouveau riche has been slapped in the face—let’s see what he does next!”

Li Hao looked ashen, his mouth tightly shut, not daring to show off his golden tooth anymore. He had a bit of money, but nowhere near enough to be a guest of honor at President Mu’s table. Compared to Zhao Fan, he was utterly eclipsed.

Having offended President Mu’s important client, how could he ever make a name for himself in Yang City again?

Zhao Fan glanced at Li Hao, half smiling. “I seem to recall you said earlier that if I could afford a place here, you’d call me ‘father’?”

“I…” Li Hao stiffened his neck, his face flushed red with embarrassment.

“A bet is a bet—come on, call me father!”

“We all heard it. Come on, don’t try to weasel out!”

Li Hao’s lips quivered, his expression torn.

Zhao Fan swept him a disdainful look. “Forget it, I don’t care to suddenly gain a son as big as you.”

He understood well enough the principle of mercy.

At this, Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly, enraged, he slapped Wang Ying across the face. “It’s all your fault, you blind fool! President Zhao is clearly a major client of President Mu—how could he possibly be a beggar? If not for you, how would I have ruined things with President Zhao?”

“I…” Wang Ying covered her face, stunned, tears filling her beautiful eyes.

Li Hao cursed, “Buying a house? Buy what, huh! If you weren’t half decent looking, I’d never waste time entertaining you. Get lost—don’t let me see you again!”

Wang Ying cast a resentful glance at Zhao Fan, then ran off in tears, unwilling to accept defeat.

Li Hao turned to Zhao Fan with a smile. “President Zhao, please don’t hold a grudge against me. Consider me nothing—a fart! That woman’s gone, so she won’t annoy you anymore.”

“I’ll definitely come to your place someday to apologize—definitely!”

Zhao Fan found it amusing; Li Hao was quite the character, flexible and quick to adapt, never hesitating. But he had little liking for such double-faced types, and dismissed him with a light laugh.

The saleswoman Dong Feifei, who’d looked down on him with dogged eyes, couldn’t help but step forward, bowing timidly in apology. “Mr. Zhao, I was rude before; please don’t take it to heart…”

Zhao Fan replied, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t serve people like me?”

Dong Feifei’s face paled, then flushed. Xu An immediately chimed in, “The customer is always right—you must treat them with equality. How do I usually teach you?”

“Our company doesn’t keep snobbish employees like you. Settle your wages and leave!”

Dong Feifei was on the verge of tears; she never imagined Zhao Fan was a multimillionaire.

Xu An gave a sycophantic smile. “President Zhao, are you satisfied with how I handled this?”

Zhao Fan laughed. When it came to snobbery, no one could match Manager Xu. He had never intended to fuss with a mere salesperson, so he said, “It’s a minor matter, I haven’t given it a second thought. No need to punish her so harshly; let it serve as a warning.”

Xu An promptly flattered, “President Zhao, your generosity is admirable. You’re right. Three months’ bonus will be docked, and don’t let this happen again!”

Dong Feifei nodded repeatedly, gratitude filling her heart. She suddenly noticed that although Zhao Fan was dressed sloppily, he was handsome, and her heart fluttered with excitement.

Yet Zhao Fan didn’t spare her a single glance, leaving with Xu An and Mu Tianrong. Dong Feifei felt disappointed, but then thought, if she could somehow win Zhao Fan as a husband, she’d never have to worry again…

Xu An, eager to win over Mu Tianrong and Zhao Fan as investors, insisted they stay for lunch. After leaving the sales office, Zhao Fan didn’t idle—he tidied up, bought a newspaper, and began to study it.

He remembered that during this period, Yang City would host a grand auction. One antique vase, misidentified due to a flawed appraisal, was mistaken for a later reproduction and sold for just two hundred thousand.

About a month later, the vase was properly identified as a rare Song Dynasty shadow porcelain “Listening Wind Vase”—one of the earliest blue-and-white porcelains, with immense historical and collectible value. It was resold at Christie’s for a staggering one hundred and twenty million.

Such a windfall—how could Zhao Fan let it slip by?

He carefully searched the newspaper and found news of the auction. As expected, it was to be held the next afternoon.

Zhao Fan slept soundly, all the way till noon the next day. After a quick wash, he hopped onto his little electric scooter and headed for the auction.

As he rode, he thought to himself—he really needed to buy a car someday, getting around like this was far too slow!

Suddenly, a harsh screech of brakes rang out, followed by an angry shout: “What the hell are you doing? Didn’t you see you scratched my car?”