Last night, I posted a question, but after more than ten hours, there were only a few people who responded — about eight or nine.
Li Shi carefully read each response.
"Relax, you're overthinking it. Most auction houses don't solicit items from the public, and if they do have a quota, it's usually monopolized by their employees. If you really have something good, you better bring it to an antique shop, or try your luck on Xianyu."
"I even doubt anyone checks the collection mailbox of those auction houses at all. If you have something to sell, it's probably best to find a reliable intermediary company for consignment."
"I don't know much about this, but be warned, companies asking for fees before a transaction are scams!"
"May I remind you to be realistic? Unless your collectible is of remarkable value, very rare kind, otherwise they may not even bother to take a look. Good stuff is plentiful, especially for renowned auction houses. They are not short of common items."
"Thanks for the invitation, but how can I answer without a picture? Please upload the images first."
...
Having read through each answer carefully, Li Shi found himself hesitant about his plan of selling diamonds or jade at auction houses.
"Did I really overthink it?"
Previously, Li Shi had discovered through research that there's a lot of risks involved with auction houses, that he needs to be cautious.
But contrary to what netizens said about auction corporations not soliciting collections from the public, the value of the item actually matters more.
"The rare is precious. Auction companies profit from commissions. If the profit is large enough, they will be eager to find me."
"At least I can give it a shot — but I should think more about it, and thoroughly consider everything."
"First of all, it has to be a well-known and reputable auction house to minimize risks, and then there's legal issues…"
Having read the answers from netizens, he thought a lot and also did a lot of online research regarding legal issues concerning consignment auction contracts.
Finally, he focused his research on his targeted auction company - the Dejia Auction House, and followed their official account.
Around noon, Li Shi returned to the Qin Yuan Resettlement Community.
After only two days, seeing the small room he had lived in for almost a year gave him an unreal feeling. He stared blankly for a while before pulling out his phone to tell the landlord on WeChat that he wouldn't renew his lease after the coming month.
Then he ordered beef noodle soup with fresh coriander on Meituan, took out his tablet, and started studying while waiting for the delivery.
Soon, there was a notification on WeChat. Li Shi thought it was from the landlord, but when he looked, it turned out to be a friend request from someone called "Autumn Leaves" along with a message: "Hello, thank you for helping me find my cell phone this morning."
Li Shi immediately pictured a beautiful figure in his mind.
So it was her.
He smiled and chose to accept the request.
Shortly after, "Autumn Leaves" messaged: "Thank you for this morning. I had a very important call to answer, you helped me a lot."
Li Shi thought to himself, that's why she tried to add him as a friend twice. The call in the morning must have been crucial for her.
"You're welcome. It was no trouble at all."
"My name is Chen Qiu Ye…"
Li Shi chatted with her for a while and learned that her name was Chen Qiu Ye, she was from Ice City in the Long Hei Jiang Province, and worked in Yang Cheng.
In the meantime, the landlord - who had settled in another province - responded to Li Shi, saying that he would have the previous agent help with renting out the place for the remaining month. He might bring people to view the room so he asked Li Shi to clean up and help open the door.
Li Shi replied simply with a "okay".
He looked around; the place was quite clean. It should be fine with just a light cleaning before moving out.
While he was sporadically chatting with Chen Qiu Ye on WeChat, he finished his rice noodles. After taking out the trash, he unplugged his fully charged tablet and sent a message, "Sorry, I have to study now. We'll chat next time."
Far away in Yang Cheng, Chen Qiu Ye saw Li Shi's message, fluttered her long eyelashes, and responded, "Okay, we'll chat next time."
Studying?
Is he still in school? Is he a graduate student?
Or, he is studying for work?
This guy seems unique, quite different from ordinary boys.
Li Shi only studied for two minutes before he received a WeChat message from the housing agent. He had no choice but to pick up his phone and communicate with the rather chubby male agent.
"Mr. Li, you're not going to renew your lease, right?"
"Yes, did the landlord tell you?"
"He did. The thing is, I'm no longer in this line of work in Tan Zhou. Can I pass your contact on to a former colleague of mine?"
At this point, Li Shi was a bit annoyed, however considering that everyone was just trying to make a living, he said: "Alright, let him add me."
Shortly after, a new friend request came in, this time from a female agent. After accepting, they chatted for a while. Li Shi straightforwardly said that she could contact him anytime within the half-month before the lease expires if she wanted to show the room to potential tenants.
Then, he set his phone to silent and started studying.
With the tablet, he wasn't hunched over the folding table to study anymore. He was lying on his bed. However, it wasn't comfortable to lie down for too long. When he went out for dinner in the evening, he started thinking about whether he should rent a better place soon.
"Apart from upgrading to a better studying environment, at least one with a desk ... I need to prepare for the diamond or jade exchange. The security environment should be much better. The resettlement area I'm living in now has too much random foot traffic."
On his way back after dinner, he found the agent he had added in the afternoon on WeChat.
"Miss, are you there? I want to rent a room from you, my requirements…"
After hearing his requirements, the agent responded immediately: "Alright, Mr. Li, I'll find a suitable place for you right away, and send you the information later."
Back in his room, this time Li Shi didn't start studying immediately. Instead, he opened the notes app on his phone and started listing the necessary supplies. Once he's exchanged for the diamond or jade, he'll need to prepare the documents for the auction.
Safe deposit box, jewelry box, vernier caliper, hardness tester, magnifying glass, mobile phone shooting stand…
Having made the list, he ordered everything online. Since the camera on his new phone was ample, he didn't bother buying extra photography equipment.
This new female agent seemed to be more efficient than the previous chubby male one. Shortly after Li Shi had placed his orders, she sent information about five properties.
After looking over the information, Li Shi found two of them rather suitable.
"Mr. Li, if you're available now, we can go have a look. These two units are in good neighborhoods with great interiors, exactly the kind that are very popular. If we don't make a decision soon, chances are that my colleagues will rent them out to someone else tomorrow."
Such an obvious sales tactic.
That said, the two units are not far from where he currently resides, and given his plans to improve his living conditions, sooner is better than later. Besides, he's not strapped for cash now.
Half an hour later, Li Shi came downstairs. In a while, a female agent wearing professional attire and riding an electric bicycle came from afar.
Upon a closer look, he was somewhat dazzled by her beauty, he hadn't expected this new agent to be so pleasant-looking.