Lu Qi had reminded his big brother many times, but the latter was reluctant to believe him. So Lu Qi simply asked how much money he wanted.
The migrant worker brother immediately held up his index finger and made an outrageous demand. "I want 10 million!"
This price would be an astronomical figure if it were for other cultural relics, but it was just a drop in the bucket for the vase the big brother had brought.
Lu Qi could even double the price and resell it, so he agreed.
The migrant worker brother didn't expect Lu Qi to make a decision so quickly. He urged Lu Qi to pay up right away.
Lu Qi readily gave the migrant worker brother a check for 10 million. Then that night, he called the other appraisers in the antique shop and asked them to come for an appraisal.
When the appraisers arrived grudgingly, the three of them took turns and all came to the same conclusion.
The vase Lu Qi had bought didn't come from the Hualan Ruins. It was just an ordinary Qing Dynasty vase with some artificial patterns added to its shape.
But Lu Qi was so blind that he just didn't want to believe it. He went to other well - known appraisers, and they all claimed that he had made a misjudgment.
The successive blows made Lu Qi start to doubt if he had really bought a fake.
Lu Qi had intended to call Xu Qingqing, but then he remembered that she was still traveling on Penglang Island and even living with Qi Pingwei.
He was worried that Qi Pingwei would find out about his misjudgment, which would make Qi Pingwei look down on him even more. So he decided to handle it on his own.
Lu Qi froze the 10 million on the check. This move made the migrant worker who sold the vase to him storm over angrily.
The migrant worker couldn't withdraw the money, so he was naturally very angry. He came to question Lu Qi why he had deceived him.
But Lu Qi thought it was the migrant worker who had deceived him. He wanted to negotiate with the migrant worker and only pay the price that the Qing Dynasty vase was really worth.
The migrant worker refused. He even took out the recording he had prepared long ago, his face cold and sarcastic.
"Boss Lu, I emphasized to you several times back then that this was just an ordinary Qing Dynasty vase. It was you who were willing to give me 10 million."
"Now you even want to go back on your word. If you dare to short me a single cent, I'll take this recording to the police station and sue you!"
Lu Qi didn't expect the migrant worker to be so scheming. The other side had evidence while he had none. He had no choice but to give the 10 million back.
It just so happened that it was time for the year - end summary. When Lu Qi first opened the antique shop, he needed a huge amount of money to buy cultural relics. Since Qi Pingwei didn't support him, he invited others to be shareholders and invest.
Lu Qi promised the shareholders that the profit this year could reach 60 million. But because of his misjudgment, he lost 10 million, resulting in a turnover of only 50 million.
This made the shareholders very unhappy. One of the shareholders surnamed Wang took the opportunity to propose that his son be put in as the deputy store manager on the grounds that Lu Qi's eyesight was not good enough.
When Lu Qi said this, he became even more dejected. His eyebrows drooped, and he seemed to have lost all his energy.
When Xu Qingqing heard Lu Qi mention the shareholder Wang, a middle - aged man with a hint of evil in his aura immediately came to her mind. There was always a shrewd and calculating look in his eyes.
"Don't tell me you're talking about Wang Yong?" Xu Qingqing asked subconsciously.
Lu Qi nodded dejectedly, his tone gritted with anger.
"Who else could it be? Among all the shareholders, he's the most troublesome one. He not only values profit but also always interferes in my acquisition of cultural relics." Lu Qi got angrier as he spoke.
Wang Yong was as shrewd as they come. While other shareholders only came to the store once during the dividend period, Wang Yong came almost every month.
He not only took away the new items Lu Qi had bought but also criticized Lu Qi.
Fortunately, Lu Qi was highly capable. He managed the antique shop in an orderly manner, and the turnover was rising steadily. He was a well - known figure in the field of appraisal and restoration, attracting big customers.
Wang Yong eyed the profitability of the antique shop and wanted to send his good - for - nothing youngest son, Wang Jiexi, in as the deputy store manager.
In the past, Lu Qi had always pushed him back by saying that the store didn't need more people. But now that Wang Yong had caught Lu Qi's mistake, he couldn't wait to send Wang Jiexi to Lu Qi's side.
"He insisted on sending Wang Jiexi in as the deputy store manager in front of so many shareholders, and I disagreed."
"Then he added fuel to the fire and claimed that if I could make up for the loss, he would drop the idea."
As Lu Qi said this, he wearily raised his hand to rub his forehead. He looked even more haggard and sank deeper into the sofa.
"I had a big fight with him. That old guy had bad intentions. He just wanted to take advantage of the situation to get me!"
Only then did Xu Qingqing and Lu Chuanbai understand why the room was in such a mess. It must have been caused by the fight between Lu Qi and those shareholders.
"Then let's find a way to make up for the loss," Xu Qingqing said, smiling to comfort Lu Qi. She couldn't bear to see the once - high - spirited Lu Qi become so decadent and at others' mercy.
"But how can we make it up? I'd be grateful if I could sell that lousy Qing Dynasty vase for a million. I'd even kowtow and burn incense," Lu Qi said. As a businessman, he knew very well the price of Qing Dynasty vases. There was no light in his eyes.
Xu Qingqing thought Lu Qi had a point. Then she remembered the hairpin she had bought on Penglang Island at a bargain price.
Even if she restored it, she wouldn't wear it on her head all day. It would be better to give it to Lu Qi to help out.
"I bought a nice hairpin on Penglang Island. After I restore it, you can find a buyer..."
Just as Xu Qingqing finished speaking, there was another loud noise of the sliding door being pushed open. It startled the three of them, and they all looked up involuntarily.
The sliding door of the antique shop was hard to slide because it lacked oil, so it made a very loud noise when opened.
The person who came was a middle - aged man with his hair heavily greased, looking as if it had been licked by a cow.
There was a malicious smile on his face as he looked down at the three people in the room.
There was also a reporter behind the man, holding a small video recorder and a microphone.
When the man with the shiny hair saw Lu Qi slumping on the sofa listlessly, there was a hint of smugness and sarcasm in his eyes. He spoke loudly.
"Brother Lu Qi, I heard you've run into some trouble. I've come here especially to help you."
Xu Qingqing had met this middle - aged man a few times before. He was Ye Shipu, the boss of the Golden Jade Pavilion opposite. He was also in the business of appraising, restoring, and reselling cultural relics.
If Lu Qi's shop was considered the number one in the industry, then the Golden Jade Pavilion was the second. The two shops were on the same antique street and were always competing with each other.
Although the difference between the first and the second seemed small, the profits they made were worlds apart.
People who played with antiques were rich. They all hoped that their antiques could be perfectly restored, so they would voluntarily send their antiques to Lu Qi's shop.
This was why the business of the second - ranked Golden Jade Pavilion was much worse than Lu Qi's shop.
In the past, whenever Ye Shipu saw people from Lu Qi's shop, he would turn his head and avoid them, showing his disgust openly.
But now that Lu Qi was in trouble, he swaggered in with a reporter. He must be trying to take the opportunity to mock Lu Qi and ruin his reputation through the reporter.