Ye Fan could hardly believe it. Despite his lack of regular exercise, he had somehow managed to dodge the attack of two security guards with such speed. These guards might not have had formal training, but they were street thugs, experienced fighters with quick hands, accurate strikes, and ferocious power.
In the melee, he had knocked down one guard in a single move, and dodged the attacks of the other two. Ye Fan could scarcely believe it was real.
Wang Qi was instantly stunned. Not long ago, when Huo Zilong had brought people to teach Ye Fan a lesson, it took only one person to easily handle him. But now, three guards had not only failed to subdue Ye Fan, but had been beaten by him instead.
Wang Qi turned his head and shot the chief security guard a cold look, followed by a cold snort to express his dissatisfaction.
Seeing Wang Qi angry, the chief security guard gritted his teeth. These bastards usually bragged about being able to fight five or eight men alone. But at the crucial moment, three of them couldn't even handle one man. It was truly embarrassing. The infuriated chief security guard yelled, "Stop dawdling, all of you! Get him now. If you can't even subdue this brat today, all of you can get lost!"
Holding the hammer, Ye Fan took two subconscious steps back, panting and watching the approaching guards. Although his performance had been impressive moments before, he didn't dare to be overconfident against so many security guards.
Just then, a deep cough came from the crowd outside, and people parted to make a path; a solemn-faced elder with his hands behind his back walked through.
The elder coughed twice and spoke slowly yet authoritatively, "What's all this commotion?"
The chief security guard was already on a short fuse. Hearing this, flames of anger shot out from his eyes. He was about to spew out curses when he turned and saw the elder. The foul words he was about to utter were forcibly swallowed, and he instantly put on a fawning smile.
Before the chief security guard could speak, the elder gently waved his hand to silence him, then sternly said, "Leave!"
Wang Qi, who didn't recognize the elder, frowned and said impatiently, "Old man, you're quite bold. Daring to interrupt my affairs, I think you ..."
Before Wang Qi could finish, the chief security guard was almost scared out of his wits. He hurriedly covered Wang Qi's mouth, whispering urgently in his ear, "Are you insane? Don't you want to stay in Ninghai anymore?" At that moment, the chief wished he could slap Wang Qi to death for his reckless bravado, which was tantamount to seeking one's own doom.
Seeing the elder as a stranger, Wang Qi thought little of him, but noticing how nervous the chief security guard was, his eyes darted around, realizing that the man must be an important figure.
"Good day, elder sir!" Wang Qi, adept at flattery, immediately put on a smiling face, wanting to get to know this significant figure.
The elder glanced indifferently at Wang Qi, then told the chief security guard, "Take him and leave at once."
The chief security guard grabbed Wang Qi's arm and ran out as if mad, afraid the elder would change his mind.
Turning his head, the elder kindly said to Ye Fan, "Young man, I didn't expect you to be quite skillful."
Ye Fan recognized the elder; he had just helped him appraise a piece of bronze ware. What Ye Fan hadn't expected was for the unassuming elder to be no ordinary person; with just a word, he had sent the arrogant chief security guard packing. It seemed the elder was undoubtedly an influential figure.
"Elder sir, I never thought we would meet again," said Ye Fan, somewhat shyly.
Seeing Ye Fan a bit uneasy, the elder smiled and said, "Young man, was I wrong? You are truly an expert to have found such a treasure."
Encouraged by the elder's approachable manner, Ye Fan relaxed and smiled back, "I'm hardly an expert; just lucky, that's all."
The elder smiled, then turned to look at Ellor and said, "Young lady, if you are willing, I'd like to offer one hundred and fifty thousand for the treasure in your hand. Of course, if you feel the price isn't right, we can continue negotiating."
One hundred fifty thousand!
Ellor thought she had misheard. She knew the Agate Cup was valuable, but estimated it to be worth between fifty to one hundred thousand. Now, the offer was one hundred fifty thousand, a clear overvalue. Without hesitation, Ellor nodded in agreement.
Ellor had come to Antique City that day to find bargains and make money.
"No problem," said Ellor, beaming with joy as she unhesitatingly handed over the Agate Cup to the elder.
After receiving the Jue cup, a burly man emerged from the crowd. He took out a check from his bag and handed it to Ellor.
The elder, who seemed quite interested in Ye Fan, was about to speak when a muscular man came over with a phone, whispering in the elder's ear. The elder nodded, then with a slight smile to Ye Fan, said, "Young man, I have to leave now. Hopefully, we'll meet again another time."
After finishing speaking, the elder hurriedly left with a few people.
Ellor approached, gently tugging at Ye Fan's arm, and whispered, "I didn't expect you to know such an important figure. No wonder you weren't afraid of Wang Qi and the security guards. You really are a dark horse."
Teased by Ellor, Ye Fan smiled somewhat awkwardly and asked, "Do you know that elder?"
Ellor shook her head, indicating that she didn't.
Ye Fan asked curiously, "If you don't know him, how do you know the other party is an important figure?"
Ellor said earnestly, "First, it's not just anyone who can intimidate the security guards and Wang Qi here; secondly, only a true important figure has the power to play with collecting. There's a saying in the antique world that the real important figures are not those who deal in antiques, but those who collect them."
Hearing Ellor's explanation, Ye Fan felt that it made a lot of sense. The prices of antiques were very high; those who dealt in antiques were looking to profit from them, while only those wealthy and powerful figures had sufficient funds to engage in collecting.
"You helped me out with such a big favor, so the 150,000, let's split it between us." Ellor said with a smile, feeling quite happy.
Ye Fan quickly waved his hand and said, "You spent the money to buy it, so the money you've made should belong to you."
Ellor said, "Without your help, let alone making money, I might have even lost money. So, it's decided, we each take half."
Before Ye Fan could respond, Ellor suddenly said, "I heard Huo Zilong harassed a beauty in Zhang Dahhu's company, and someone played the hero to save her. As a result, not only did he get fired by Zhang Dahhu, but he also got severely beaten by Huo Zilong. That person wouldn't happen to be you, would it?" Ellor had gotten some information from the conversation between Wang Qi and Ye Fan, leading to her speculation.
Ye Fan nodded and said self-mockingly, "That's right, it's me. Now I've lost my job and even the landlord took back my apartment. I can only roam the streets now."
Ellor blinked her expressive eyes and immediately said, "Why don't you join me? My company isn't big, but it has potential. I'm just worried that the temple may be too small to accommodate a great deity like you." After saying that, Ellor looked at Ye Fan with hopeful big eyes.
The extraordinary abilities that Ye Fan had just displayed had truly moved Ellor. With Ye Fan on board, her company could quickly get out of trouble and might even grow rapidly. In the antique business, capital and connections aren't the most important; what's crucial is having someone with the eye for spotting treasures.
As the saying goes, "a business may not open for three years, but when it does, it profits for three years." With antique companies, it's not about the quantity, but the quality.
If Ye Fan, the great deity, were to join, it would truly achieve the principle of not opening for three years but profiting immensely when they do.
Ye Fan hesitated for a moment. With his clairvoyance ability, Ye Fan no longer wanted to be just an ordinary worker; he preferred some freedom. So he said, "I'm sorry, but I may have to decline your kindness. However, if you need anything, just let me know. I will definitely do my best to help."
A trace of disappointment flickered across Ellor's face, but it quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, "That's fine too. But you just mentioned you don't have a place to stay. Why don't you come with me? I'm living alone now, we could live together and take care of each other, and I could also learn some treasure appraisal knowledge from you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Fan and Ellor looked at each other and almost simultaneously blushed and looked down.
A man and a woman living under one roof... It's easy for people to get the wrong idea.
Ellor's face turned as red as an apple, embarrassed by her own initiative and suggestive words. She felt like dying of shame...
Ye Fan chuckled awkwardly and said, "Alright, I'll bother you for a few days." Ye Fan agreed, not because he wanted to develop a further relationship with Ellor but because he wanted to find a place to stay temporarily until he found a suitable house. Of course, he also saw this as an opportunity to learn more about antiques from Ellor.
Seeing Ye Fan agree, Ellor almost jumped for joy. She clasped her little fists and whispered a soft "Yay!"
Such an adorable demeanor made Ye Fan smile wryly and also made his heartbeat quicken. As a poor worker, he had never been in close proximity to a beauty like Ellor, let alone about to live in the same house... The thought was quite exciting.
"It's settled then, let's go back now," Ellor said with a cheerful shout, not wanting the great deity Ye Fan to suddenly change his mind. Hence, she planned to take Ye Fan back immediately and get him settled in so that he would feel too embarrassed to back out later.
"I will pay rent," Ye Fan said seriously. "I won't take advantage of you."
I won't take advantage of you!
That sounded so awkward, especially coming from a man to a woman, and when the two were about to live together in the same house...