Chapter 42
Shen You decided to grab dinner with Wen Zhi at a nearby restaurant since he mentioned a century-old establishment that served excellent cuisine.
At this time, many auction attendees were already wandering around the area, skillfully searching for restaurants, while others had checked directly into the lakeside hotel.
The dining location was close by, and since re-parking would be troublesome, Shen You and Wen Zhi simply walked over.
The antique-style street lamps had already illuminated, and several withered leaves scattered across the ground while lights from the ancient buildings on one side cast shadows on the old walls and bamboo branches.
Although they maintained some distance between them, when the wind blew, the swaying hem of her mermaid-tail dress created shadows on the ground that occasionally intertwined with the black trench coat beside her.
Looking only at the shadows under the lamplight, this scene possessed an absolutely beautiful atmosphere.
Shen You never imagined they would dine on a cruise boat.
This perfectly illustrated how one couldn’t fathom the world of wealthy people and what their lifestyle might entail.
She had lived in Jiang City for quite some time and had visited South Lake before, yet she never knew about these places.
Before their dishes arrived, Shen You suddenly received a message from Xu Jiayan, informing her that he and the old man were staying at the nearby hotel, along with two influential figures from the collectors’ association.
One of them had just returned from the imperial capital and wanted someone to restore an ancestral item, and since Professor Li was busy restoring artifacts and could not spare time, he had recommended her instead.
If she had anything she wanted to present, tomorrow’s auction conclusion would provide an excellent opportunity.
Alternatively, she could stay overnight in the area, and he could help arrange a room, which would be more convenient since the hotel had safety deposit boxes.
Shen You researched the hotel online and discovered it offered exceptional privacy, with certain rooms requiring specific credentials for access – money alone wouldn’t suffice.
Shen You thanked him but declined his hotel arrangement offer, saying she would handle her own accommodation.
Then she messaged Professor Li, initially to express gratitude, but the elderly gentleman replied:
“I truly have no time, which is why I asked you to help. What is there to thank me for?”
Shen You smiled and put away her phone to continue eating.
They had ordered an old-style copper hot pot, which differed from the modern dual-flavor pots she usually ate. This was her first time trying this type, and even the clear broth possessed its own distinctive flavor.
However, before they finished their meal, rain began falling outside.
“Great, now we have no umbrella.” Shen You sighed while looking through the glass.
She had a spare umbrella and jacket in her car, but the vehicle wasn’t parked nearby.
“It’s fine.” Wen Zhi noticed her troubled expression and glanced at the seasonal limited osmanthus wine. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to drive back later to get some things, then find a nearby hotel, so I can’t consume anything with alcohol, but not eating it would be wasteful.”
This wine cost 88 yuan per serving in the restaurant.
Money wasn’t the issue, it was just that she couldn’t bear such waste. She considered taking it to go, although the server had mentioned earlier that this dish would lose its taste if left too long.
While she was contemplating, the distinct-fingered hand across from her reached over. “Give it to me.”
Shen You was stunned for a moment. Although she hadn’t touched it, some people would still mind, especially those who were particular about food, housing, and transportation.
She passed the bowl over, and Wen Zhi began eating it quite naturally.
“You mentioned finding a hotel nearby earlier. Is it with that afternoon person?”
He seemed to suddenly remember something and paused his movements.
Shen You replied, “He offered to help arrange it, but I politely declined.”
Staying at the same hotel as Old Master Xu and several industry bigwigs would mean constantly encountering them, which would require her to maintain a socializing demeanor at all times, which would be quite uncomfortable.
“You are familiar with this area. Can you recommend a place to stay?”
If she didn’t stay here, there wouldn’t be enough time to return and collect things after tomorrow afternoon’s auction session ended.
Moreover, she wanted to observe the morning auction’s special session, as ancient coins always held strong market value in collecting circles and were worth viewing.
Wen Zhi nodded slightly. “I will send it to you now.”
He picked up his phone, only then realized that they hadn’t added each other as friends, so he scanned the code to add her.
Wen Zhi paid for the dinner they’d just had, so Shen You planned to treat him next time, or perhaps charge him less for silver coins when he visited her shop in the future.
When they left the restaurant, the rain had lightened, and the staff provided them with an umbrella.
Since the hotel location was nearby, Shen You decided to check in first before returning to her shop to collect items.
Hotels near South Lake typically accommodated many auction attendees, so ensuring item security was fundamental.
Wen Zhi was also heading toward this hotel, so Shen You thought for a moment before speaking, “Don’t tell me this is also your business.”
The hotel building was newly constructed, however the gardens behind it connecting to South Lake were not.
“This one isn’t mine, I just know the owner.” He said with an upward curve of his mouth.
The front desk registered using Shen You’s identification card then asked, “Should this be charged to Mr. Wen’s account?”
“No, I will pay myself.” Shen You raised her phone for them to scan the code.
“Very well.”
The receptionist displayed a standard smile and handed her the room key.
The room was also located in Building 6, which had the best scenic views.
Afterward, Shen You parted ways with Wen Zhi. Then she drove back to her shop, selected a piece of porcelain that could sell well and would be presentable before the collecting circle’s influential figures, and placed it in the safety deposit box.
Then she gathered her change of clothes and returned to the hotel.
This round trip consumed considerable time.
Originally, she hadn’t anticipated that this autumn auction would coincidentally align with an influential figure needing ancestral artifact restoration, creating another gathering at South Lake.
Otherwise, she would have prepared in advance and avoided this extra trip.
Xu Jiayan mentioned that this influential figure held significant influence in both Hai City and the imperial capital’s collecting circles.
If she could handle this matter well, she would establish her footing within the circle.
She swiped her card to open the door, then after she entered the room, immediately engaged the security lock, located the safe, and placed both her box and luggage inside.
She checked twice to ensure everything was secure.
Then she collapsed onto the bed for a moment, abandoning all pretense, resting for several minutes before going to the balcony to view the scenery she had paid six thousand yuan to enjoy.
Since she was already staying at such an expensive hotel anyway, the extra one or two thousand did not matter much, so she had directly chosen the premium option.
The night passed without incident, and the next day, she ate breakfast at the buffet restaurant before heading to the auction.
This session proved quite lively indeed, featuring everything from copper coins to gold bars, gold leaves, and silver ingots.
The most valuable item was a specially shaped silver ingot cast in the ancient imperial palace.
Just that one piece had the same starting bid as gold bars, yet attracted numerous competitors.
The afternoon jewelry session clearly drew more female attendees.
The hair ornament set she had consigned started at 200,000 yuan and was bid up to 800,000 yuan.
Two elegantly dignified wealthy ladies and one capable rich woman sister competed for several rounds, while Gu Yue had given up during the earlier rounds when the price reached 700,000 yuan.
Previously, Gu Shaoyu had asked Shen You about the estimated value of this item. Although auction house rules prohibited revealing personal information of buyers and sellers, Shen You didn’t deceive him, honestly stating 650,000 to 700,000 yuan.
So Gu Shaoyu had probably reminded Gu Yue accordingly.
She didn’t care who won the bid as long as she earned money.
All the items she had consigned performed well at the auction, requiring several rounds of bidding before being secured.
After the conclusion, she calculated her earnings from these two days.
Yesterday brought over 4 million yuan, and today, 1.65 million yuan. Even after deducting hundreds of thousands in commission fees, the amount remained substantial.
The key point was that these items had very low costs for her.
**
After receiving Xu Jiayan’s message, Shen You returned to collect her safety deposit box then headed to the appointed location.
The evening gathering took place in the hotel where Old Master Xu was staying, in their finest private room.
Before entering, she stated upfront, “I can’t guarantee that I can repair whatever the collector has brought without examining it first.”
These were ancestral items belonging to an industry heavyweight, which meant no mistakes could be tolerated.
So to say she wasn’t worried or nervous would be dishonest.
Xu Jiayan smiled, “It is a dowry left by Mr. Zhang’s grandmother. Don’t worry, I asked Professor Li, and he said you handling it would be no problem.”
He wouldn’t have arranged for her to come without confirmation.