Chapter 189: The Most Expensive Collection!

He even suspected that Lin Fan had bribed the waiter to team up and scam him.

Having spent time in elite circles, he knew that some wealthy individuals harbored rather peculiar hobbies—much like the woman in the qipao beside him!

In truth, the real reason he targeted Lin Fan was because Lin Fan had hit the nail right on the head: he was indeed a spare tire cleaning up after another man!

Now, being toyed with so effortlessly by Lin Fan, he suspected that Lin Fan might be indulging in some malicious whim to take revenge on him.

"No need to rush! If a professional appraisal proves it's genuine, I'll buy it. If it's fake, you buy it. Fair enough, right? If you don't have the stomach to gamble, just surrender, admit defeat, and apologize to me publicly, and we'll call it a day," Lin Fan said with a light chuckle.

Originally, there was no real conflict between them; it was merely the usual prejudice of locals from the capital looking down on outsiders.

Yet this fellow just had to keep prying and making a scene.

How could Fang Jinyuan ever surrender and admit defeat? Saving face meant far more to him than money!

A mere seventy million was nothing more than pocket change to him!

Before long, the museum manager arrived at the black jade elephant carving alongside the waiter.

The manager, however, was clearly no expert, merely a businessman tasked with overseeing the estate's operations.

After several specialists examined the piece, they confirmed that something was indeed amiss with the black jade elephant carving. They had no choice but to summon Professor Wu himself to make a final judgment, but since Professor Wu would take half an hour to arrive, the crowd dispersed in the meantime.

Everyone else assumed this was nothing more than a tedious farce orchestrated by two bored men.

Even Fang Jinyuan wanted to slip away unnoticed. The moment the manager called Professor Wu, he realized Lin Fan had guessed correctly once again. There was a strong chance he might actually end up paying a fortune for a counterfeit.

He was far too smart to fall for such a brainless stunt!

However, this time it was Lin Fan's turn to hold his ground. Seeing him try to sneak away, Lin Fan stepped forward to block his path.

"Well, well, you're not planning to run away, are you? Professor Wu will be here shortly—why don't you stick around and hear what he has to say?"

To no one's surprise, Fang Jinyuan reverted to playing dead and refusing to honor the agreement.

"Whether Professor Wu can actually make it remains to be seen—what are you so excited about? It's getting late, and I have to work tomorrow! I don't have the time to waste on your manufactured drama here. Besides, we still need to show Professor Wu some basic respect. Surely you wouldn't dare treat Professor Wu with such utter disregard!"

Seeing him resort to provocation once again, Lin Fan sneered without a shred of politeness: "Is stirring up trouble the only thing you're good at? You sure know how to whip up a narrative, but do you have the guts to foot the bill? What, did you come here just to drink the northwest wind?"

"So what if I'm stirring things up? What can you possibly do to me? This is the capital, and an outsider like you doesn't get to run wild here! There are plenty of people far more formidable than you—don't think a little loose change makes you hot stuff!"

Pushed to the brink of fury by the insults, Fang Jinyuan steadily lost his composure.

"If you've got the guts, buy the most expensive item in this place! Then I'll call you master! Looking at you, your bank account probably tops out at one or two hundred million at most... Every wealthy person here easily commands assets worth over a billion! What gives you the right to act so arrogant?"

Once he finished his tirade, Lin Fan looked at him with an amused, mocking gaze.

"I originally had no intention of showing off, but since you insisted on latching onto me, I suppose I have no choice but to broaden your horizons and show you that there's always someone better, and a heaven beyond the heavens!"

With that, he turned to the waiter standing behind him and asked, "What is the most expensive collectible here?"

The waiter pointed toward a glass display case in the center of the hall and replied, "The Nine-Dragon Nine-Phoenix Crown, valued at half a billion!"

Guided by the waiter, Lin Fan walked up to the glass case.

Inside rested a resplendent, dazzling, and breathtakingly ornate phoenix crown, shimmering with brilliant gems!

"This phoenix crown was acquired from a collection in Taiwan and is said to have been used exclusively by an empress of the Ming Dynasty. Phoenix crowns were strictly categorized by rank; above the Nine-Dragon Nine-Phoenix crown was the Twelve-Dragon Nine-Phoenix crown, reserved exclusively for the Empress Dowager. The Twelve-Dragon Twelve-Phoenix crown belonged solely to the Grand Empress Dowager, symbolizing supreme imperial majesty."

"Look at the smaller crown beside it—it has two fewer dragons on top, making it a Six-Dragon Six-Phoenix crown, worth a little over two hundred million. All of these crowns are adorned and embellished with precious materials, crafted entirely from gold and silver. Take this Nine-Dragon Nine-Phoenix crown, for instance: it is inlaid with over five thousand grams of pearls, more than four hundred various gemstones, and features gold chains on both sides. The entire crown weighs a staggering six thousand grams. The heavier the weight, the greater its value..."

The waiter took the opportunity to enlighten everyone on the origins and value of the phoenix crowns.

Upon hearing this, a gleam of delight flashed in Lin Fan's eyes.

Since it was made exclusively for an empress, if he bought it and gifted it to Zhang Yi, she would undoubtedly adore it.

This was the ultimate symbol of imperial status; how many girls dreamed of wearing such a unique and magnificent phoenix crown on their wedding day?

Even the waiter noted that virtually every female visitor who came here was captivated by this crown, almost always lingering before the glass case for a long time.

"I'll take this phoenix crown!" Lin Fan dropped the bombshell.

As soon as those words fell, everyone present turned to stare at him.

The waiter froze for a moment before speaking in a solemn tone, "Sir, you aren't joking, are you? This is a collectible worth half a billion, quite unlike any ordinary piece."

The unspoken implication was a blunt question: did Lin Fan actually possess half a billion?

If he was just blowing hot air, he would be nothing more than a complete clown.

"It's only half a billion. Draw up the paperwork right now, and I'll transfer the funds on the spot," Lin Fan said casually.

Yet, upon hearing this, the crowd could not shake the suspicion that he was merely putting on a pretentious act.

"This is a half-billion-yuan phoenix crown! Even at domestic formal auction houses, cultural relics worth over half a billion have never been auctioned off; they only appear in private auctions and museums like this! Isn't this guy bragging way too much? Does he think he's the richest man in the country?"

"Let's not judge a book by its cover. What if he's actually from a professional collection institution? Didn't he just identify that agate black jade elephant carving as a fake? For someone in the acquisition business, having a billion or two in assets is perfectly normal."

"Fair enough. This phoenix crown has been on display here for years without a single buyer, kept purely for public viewing. If he actually intends to buy it, they'll likely have to invite Professor Wu to receive him personally. After all, this is a genuine cultural relic with profound historical weight—not just some ordinary collectible you can casually handle..."

At that moment, Fang Jinyuan resumed his taunts with a sneer: "You really are a world-class windbag, aren't you? A half-billion-yuan phoenix crown—do you think it's just cheap cabbage that you can buy on a whim? Setting aside how complicated large bank transfers are, what use is this crown to you once you buy it? This is a cultural relic! In the hands of someone ignorant like you, it's nothing short of a terrible waste. If you damage it, you'll go down as an eternal sinner against the nation!"

Hearing him elevate the situation all the way to the level of a national sinner, Lin Fan found himself torn between laughter and tears.

This fellow's talent for stirring up a frenzy was truly on par with Wang Minglou.

Deciding to fight fire with fire, Lin Fan adopted Fang Jinyuan's exact tone to retort: "If you don't have the money, stop whining and babbling here. If you've got the capability, buy it and let me see."

"I'm not buying it as a gift for anyone, so why would I? With half a billion, wouldn't it be better for me to buy a villa? What a moron!" Fang Jinyuan scoffed with utter disdain.

Ignoring him entirely, Lin Fan turned back to the waiter and asked, "This isn't a non-sale item, is it? Then draw up the paperwork. Half a billion—I'll transfer the money right now."