Chapter Sixty-Nine: Black Tortoise (Part Three)

If it were only Zhang Can, Tang Yuan might still be able to force him into submission with his authority. But it was obvious that Zhang Can had Wang Qian backing him—a figure Tang Yuan could never afford to offend, no matter what. So even if Tang Yuan wanted the bronze turtle, he would have to negotiate a peaceful transaction.

What vexed him was that he had just sold the piece for a million, feeling lucky when Zhang Can had unexpectedly raised his offer by another million. He thought he’d made a tidy profit, but now it seemed his loss was far greater—unless, of course, he could walk away from the turtle altogether.

But Tang Yuan was determined to buy it back at all costs. He hadn’t realized its true value before, only understanding after Zhang Can pointed it out that the item he’d pawned off as a cheap trinket was actually a priceless treasure. How could he feel any satisfaction now?

To make matters worse, the youth who looked almost implausibly young was shrewd and cunning. Tang Yuan frowned deeply, pondering for a long moment before finally speaking. “How about... ten million? Ten million, all right?”

Even as he said it, Tang Yuan sounded reluctant. The others didn’t notice his embarrassment, too shocked by the turn of events instead. Zhang Can had bought it for a million only minutes ago, and now Tang Yuan was offering ten times that to buy it back. No rocket could propel a profit this fast.

It was clear this was no joke—especially with figures like Tang Yuan and Wang Qian involved. Who would dare jest in such company?

Zhang Can grinned slyly, neither agreeing nor refusing. “Boss Tang, let’s not discuss this any further. You should auction off your other items. As for this Black Tortoise, I think Mr. Wang can negotiate with the auction houses himself.”

His tone was casual, but the words cut Tang Yuan like a knife. Tang Yuan understood perfectly well: Wang Qian’s connections ran far deeper than his own. Should Wang Qian take the turtle to the market and present it to wealthier, more powerful collectors, the price would only climb higher. Zhang Can was too clever—he didn’t even bother countering Tang Yuan’s offer, simply urging him to move on, making it clear that the price was far too low for further discussion.

Tang Yuan knew the true worth of the item. His heart felt as if it were being clawed by a cat, leaving him in no mood to auction anything else. Gritting his teeth, he raised his right hand, eyes wide, and said, “How about this number?”

He was nearly gasping as he spoke.

Everyone present understood immediately; that upraised hand meant “five”—he’d just offered ten million, so now he was suggesting fifty million!

“Oh…”

“Hiss…”

A chorus of gasps and sharp intakes of breath filled the room.

Even Wang Qian was startled. Fifty million! He hadn’t expected that. Zhu Senlin’s jaw dropped—fifty million split three ways was nearly seventeen million apiece, more than the sum total of all his assets. And it was Zhang Can who had secured such a windfall for him!

If Zhang Can had named this price himself, it might have been negotiable. But with Tang Yuan, the buyer, stating it first, all that remained was for Zhang Can to agree, and the fifty million would be theirs.

Zhu Senlin was sweating nervously, eyes fixed on Zhang Can, terrified that any misstep would see the fifty million slip away.

Old Su, standing nearby, felt his heart seize painfully. That wretched Zhang Can—making him lose face was already difficult, let alone besting him altogether. What luck this was! Hundreds of thousands, even millions, fell into his lap with ease, and now, before the eyes of more than a dozen of the most experienced antiques giants in Jincheng, not one had seen through the turtle’s true worth. Zhang Can, who had only been learning the trade for two or three years, with such little experience—how could he possess such keen judgment?

As for the so-called Black Tortoise, Old Su couldn’t make heads or tails of it. How had Zhang Can recognized it? It was impossible—he himself couldn’t, nor could the expert appraisers present. Who did Zhang Can think he was?

Old Su was too wrapped up in Zhang Can’s impossible luck to consider any deeper cause—after all, he believed Zhang Can’s skills and experience were far inferior to his own, so he simply refused to see reason.

Only Zhang Can himself was not particularly surprised; he had only roughly estimated the turtle’s value. Tang Yuan’s reaction had already betrayed him: offering ten million as an opening bid meant Zhang Can had underestimated it by at least a factor of ten. Anyone in business starts by offering about a tenth of the real value, so Zhang Can was immediately certain the turtle was worth far more than he’d thought.

Sure enough, when Tang Yuan raised his offer to fifty million, Zhang Can knew if the bronze turtle were only worth fifty or sixty million, Tang Yuan would never have jumped to that price in a second round of bidding. Businessmen never act without profit—if there’s nothing to gain, why would he bother?

The answer was simple—he wouldn’t.

Zhang Can hesitated for a moment. Tang Yuan truly wanted the turtle; that much was obvious. But how high should he set the price? He needed to think carefully.

He glanced at Wang Qian and Zhu Senlin. Wang Qian smiled wordlessly, leaving the decision to Zhang Can, but Zhu Senlin, face flushed, muttered under his breath, “Sell it, sell it…”

Zhang Can turned and smiled faintly at Tang Yuan. “Boss Tang, I think… if you really want this, I don’t want to make things difficult. But honestly, if Mr. Wang takes this to market himself, I’m sure you understand the implications. I’ll be frank: if you genuinely want it, let’s make it a round figure—one hundred million.”

He spoke the astronomical price with newfound confidence, his courage bolstered by his newfound ability to see through things with his “black and white eyes.” Even uttering the sum of one hundred million brought barely a tremor to his heart.

Wang Qian narrowed his eyes; by his estimation, the price could perhaps be pushed even higher. Judging by Tang Yuan’s anxious expression, it was clear the turtle was something truly special. In Jincheng, Wang Qian considered Tang Yuan the most composed of men—never before had he seen him look so desperate. Given Tang Yuan’s wealth, even a hundred million shouldn’t have made him reveal so much emotion. Evidently, this item was of extraordinary importance. Though Wang Qian wasn’t familiar with the bronze turtle, he suspected even one hundred fifty or two hundred million might be attainable. Zhang Can was still a bit green, but Wang Qian couldn’t fault him; Zhang Can had already done remarkably well.

After all, if not for Zhang Can’s extraordinary skill and discerning eye, who else would have noticed the turtle’s true marvel? Not a single person present could match him.

Wang Qian brought no appraisers with him—only two bodyguards—because he knew with Zhang Can, he needed no one else. Zhang Can alone was worth ten experts.

Old Su was so shocked by the hundred million price that he no longer even felt his earlier frustration—this sum was beyond his wildest imaginings.

Tang Yuan, meanwhile, was stunned, his facial muscles twitching. A hundred million—he couldn’t help but hesitate. If the piece was properly marketed, it should fetch even more; he had relatives in England, and it was one of them who had mentioned the Azure Dragon. Tang Yuan knew that if this turtle was authenticated, it could be worth several hundred million. The British collector who owned the Azure Dragon would be fanatical to acquire it, which was why Tang Yuan was so confident.

But to part with a hundred million now was still incredibly painful. Yet when he saw Wang Qian’s contemplative expression, Tang Yuan shuddered inwardly—he’d almost forgotten about Wang Qian’s immense influence. Quickly, he said, “All right, a hundred million. Consider it the beginning of a friendship, Little Zhang!”

He dared not delay any longer. If Wang Qian were to step in, a hundred million might not be enough; the price could double, or Wang Qian might take it overseas, where it would fetch an even higher sum. Besides, their original investment had been a mere one million.

People had thought Zhang Can was just a reckless rich kid, but now it was clear the item was worth far more than he’d ever imagined.

A hundred million—an instant hundredfold increase. Who could have dreamed of such profit? And it had all begun with the seller himself, only for him to buy it back at an astronomical price. Such a thing was unheard of.

Tang Yuan was both elated and heartsick, his emotions mingled. He opened his laptop, logged into his bank’s website, and asked Zhang Can for an account number.

Zhang Can immediately turned and asked Zhu Senlin and Wang Qian for their account numbers as well. The bronze turtle belonged to all three; the proceeds should be shared.

Wang Qian had no objection and smiled. “Let’s do it this way, Old Zhu: you and I each take thirty million, and Little Zhang gets forty million. What do you say?”

Zhu Senlin blinked, then nodded eagerly. “Of course, that’s fine! Let’s do it that way.” He wasn’t foolish—Wang Qian was playing the good guy, and he had no reason to object. Besides, this enormous windfall was all thanks to Zhang Can’s skills. Without Zhang Can, forget an unimaginable hundred million, he might not have made a hundred yuan. In this room, everyone else was stronger than him.

The key was that Zhang Can earned his fortune differently from others—he invested the least and reaped the greatest rewards. That was what both he and Wang Qian admired most.

All three handed over their account numbers, and Tang Yuan, wasting no time, made the transfers immediately to avoid any complications.

Zhang Can accepted his extra share without fuss, taking his forty million with composure. All the while, he discreetly observed Old Su’s expression.

Old Su was utterly dumbfounded, his face openly displaying envy, jealousy, and resentment. Zhang Can might as well have been stabbing him with a knife. In the blink of an eye, what had seemed like a foolish million-yuan loss had turned into a profit of a hundred million. How could he possibly bear such a blow?