As soon as Wang Bin spoke, the expressions of the other three people in the room varied. Shopkeeper Liu, naturally, was overjoyed at the prospect of earning an extra million in less than a minute. Of course, a businessman like Shopkeeper Liu wouldn't be satisfied with immediate gains; he wanted to maximize profits. So after the initial excitement, he looked over at Officer Li, as if to suggest he should make another offer.
The waiter, on the other hand, was thinking, "Fuck, I can earn several thousand more in commission this time."
"You bastard, I saw it first!"
The one who shouted this was, of course, Officer Li, or more accurately, he roared it out in anger.
As soon as Wang Bin said those words, Officer Li slammed the table in fury and stood up.
Wang Bin was startled by Officer Li's outburst but quickly regained his composure, shrugging helplessly. After all, he was determined to get this painting.
Seeing that Wang Bin wouldn't budge, Officer Li quickly turned to Shopkeeper Liu.
Shopkeeper Liu felt a bit uneasy under Officer Li's gaze, but ultimately, his business instincts overcame his fear, and he whispered, "I promised earlier that under the same price conditions, I'd prioritize selling the painting you wanted to you."
The meaning was clear: out of respect for their long acquaintance, if Officer Li offered eight million, the painting would be his.
Officer Li really needed this painting, and genuine works by Zheng Banqiao were hard to come by. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Alright, I'll offer eight million and fifty thousand!"
As soon as she shouted this price, she regretted it a bit. With her years of experience as a police officer, this seemed like a scam. Maybe the person sitting next to her and Shopkeeper Liu were in cahoots, trying to raise the price.
Thinking of this possibility, Officer Li stared intently at Wang Bin.
At this moment, she felt very conflicted, hoping Wang Bin wouldn't bid, but also hoping he would.
If he didn't bid, she could get the Zheng Banqiao painting she wanted. If he did, and they were indeed working together, she could back out.
Wang Bin felt like he was being stared at by a wolf, or rather, a she-wolf!
But Wang Bin didn't back down. Without thinking, he immediately shouted another price.
"Ten million!"
As soon as Wang Bin announced this price, the three of them were stunned.
Shopkeeper Liu and the waiter were, needless to say, extremely excited. In less than a minute, they had earned another one and a half million!
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Officer Li was quite furious, wanting to say, "So what if you're rich?" But then she remembered her own family was quite wealthy too, so she didn't say it. It's just that she couldn't access that money; at most, she could get a small allowance each month. The eight million and fifty thousand she just offered was already two years' worth of her allowance.
Officer Li didn't bid again. Instead, she took out her phone, quickly opened the camera, and snapped a photo of Wang Bin.
"I hope this isn't a setup by you guys, or I won't let you off!"
After saying this, Officer Li stood up and headed for the stairs. Shopkeeper Liu panicked and quickly followed, saying, "Officer Li, you've misunderstood. I don't know him, and we didn't set this up to scam you!"
"Whether it's a setup or not, I'll find out!"
With that, Officer Li ignored Shopkeeper Liu and strode downstairs.
Seeing Officer Li's harsh words as she left, Wang Bin thought she was quite impressive.
Actually, he was also wondering if this was a setup by the three of them. If it was, their acting skills were Oscar-worthy. Of course, if Shopkeeper Liu dared to scam him, he wouldn't mind taking some time to deal with him.
"Who is she?" Wang Bin couldn't help but ask.
"She's someone neither of us can afford to mess with. Her uncle is a high-ranking official in the city, her father is a well-known figure in the military, and her third uncle is the CEO of a conglomerate worth billions!"
Hearing Shopkeeper Liu's words, Wang Bin couldn't help but gasp. Wow, he had run into a true second-generation wealthy, or rather, a second-generation official, or maybe both.
However, Wang Bin thought it over and found the situation suspicious.
"Shopkeeper Liu, with such a deep background, why would she become a police officer?"
"I have no idea what these rich people are thinking. Instead of staying at home or going out to pick up girls, she chooses to be a cop! No, she can't pick up girls; she's fishing for handsome guys!"
Wang Bin was quite skeptical of Shopkeeper Liu's words. However, he didn't know much about paintings and couldn't tell if they were setting him up, so he couldn't act rashly.
"I plan to give this painting as a gift. Could you package it in a nice gift box for me?"
"No problem!"
The final price was ten million, and Shopkeeper Liu made a profit of over five million from the difference. Wang Bin's small request was nothing to him.
Soon, Shopkeeper Liu took out a beautiful gift box and helped Wang Bin package the painting. Wang Bin paid and didn't linger, heading downstairs.
Shopkeeper Liu and the waiter enthusiastically saw him to the door, waving until he was far away before returning inside.
The more Wang Bin thought about it, the more something felt off. He walked a distance along the street and saw another shop selling paintings and antiques. After some thought, he went inside.
"Sir, are you looking to buy something?"
As soon as Wang Bin entered, a waiter greeted him.
"I'm not here to buy. I have a Zheng Banqiao painting I'd like you to take a look at."
"Oh, you're here to sell a painting? Please, upstairs!"
The waiter's eyes lit up upon hearing about the Zheng Banqiao painting and immediately led Wang Bin upstairs.
The shopkeeper was sipping tea on the second floor. Seeing the waiter bring a guest up, he quickly stood up with a smile.
Not just anyone could come to the second floor, and those who did were usually not ordinary people. So the shopkeeper didn't mind Wang Bin's casual attire and greeted him warmly.
"Sir, please have a seat and try some of my treasured Longjing tea!"
"Thank you! I have a Zheng Banqiao painting. Could you take a look?"
"A Zheng Banqiao painting? Ah, Agui, tidy up the table. Don't let this gentleman's painting get dirty!"
"Yes, boss!"
The waiter carefully wiped the table with a dry cloth before letting Wang Bin take out the painting.
Wang Bin took the painting out of the box, and the shopkeeper put on a pair of gloves to examine it closely.
As he examined it, the shopkeeper couldn't help but praise it. After a few minutes, he let Wang Bin put the painting away.
"Sir, may I have your name?"
"My surname is Wang."
"Oh, Mr. Wang, please have some tea, and we'll chat."
"No need for tea. I just want to know if this painting is genuine." Hearing the shopkeeper's words, Wang Bin felt a bit impatient. It seemed like all these antique dealers liked to take their time before getting to the point. The shopkeeper might have time, but he didn't; he had many things to do.
"Based on my assessment, this painting is indeed by Zheng Banqiao. Are you interested in selling it, Mr. Wang?"
"No."
Hearing that the painting was genuine, Wang Bin felt relieved. If he gave it to his master for his birthday and it turned out to be fake, it would be embarrassing for him and awkward for his master.
Now that he knew the painting was real, he didn't want to stay any longer and was ready to leave.
The shopkeeper was taken aback by Wang Bin's straightforward refusal. He was about to make an offer but quickly realized that Wang Bin might be playing hard to get, so he closed his mouth and pretended to be indifferent, sipping his tea.
But Wang Bin packed up the painting, thanked him, and headed for the stairs.
At this point, the shopkeeper was still betting that Wang Bin was playing hard to get, counting in his head: 1, 2, 3, turn back!
"Mr. Wang, wait, I'll offer three million for your painting!"
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