Liu Ziqing arrived quickly, accompanied by an elderly man with white hair, sharp eyes, and wearing wide, gold-rimmed glasses.
Huang Xuan, imitating his mother's manner, stood at the door to greet them. Lou Ping promptly served two cups of tea and introduced the guests, "This is Mr. Liu Ziqing, a well-known figure in the industry with extensive connections. And this is Mr. Shen Bingde, a renowned art appraiser."
"Thank you both for coming," Huang Xuan said with a smile. "I don't know many people, and I'm just helping out a friend..." He explained briefly and then produced a confidentiality agreement from the desk, saying, "The stamps have a high face value, so, well…"
"Of course," Liu Ziqing, a man in his forties with a lively demeanor, spoke calmly and appropriately. He reviewed the confidentiality agreement seriously before signing his name, showing no sign of surprise or condescension despite Huang Xuan's youth—possibly due to the grandeur of the office and Huang Xuan's family background.
The butler sat far away in the corner, reading a newspaper. Huang Xuan had a screen set up in the middle of the room to ensure privacy. Once Shen Bingde had also signed his name, Lou Ping discreetly left the office, and Huang Xuan carefully took out the stamp album.
"Wow—" Both men, despite having seen countless treasures, were taken aback by the sight of an entire sheet of "All China is Red" stamps. Before arriving, they had speculated on what kind of stamps the young master of the Huang family might present. They had considered the possibility of "All China is Red" stamps, or even more valuable ones like the "Large All China is Red" or Qing Dynasty dragon stamps, or even the one-dollar revenue stamps. But they hadn't expected a complete sheet of "All China is Red." It wasn't necessarily that this set was more valuable, but rather the sheer visual impact of the entire sheet.
"I'd like Mr. Shen Bingde to authenticate them first," Huang Xuan said, pleased with the reaction.
"Of course." Shen Bingde adjusted his glasses, took a deep breath, and began examining the stamps, starting with the paper and color.
Meanwhile, Huang Xuan observed Liu Ziqing. On the surface, he appeared to be a very composed middle-aged man. After overcoming his initial shock, he didn't show any particular excitement at the potential windfall. Based on Huang Xuan's calculations, 5% of 15 million dollars would roughly equal a year's salary for these two men.
Liu Ziqing seemed unconcerned about the gaze of a 15-year-old, leisurely sipping his tea. Seeing that Shen Bingde was already halfway through the examination, checking the perforations and gum, he finally asked, "Mr. Huang, what price are you looking to sell this sheet of stamps for?"
"What's your appraisal?" Huang Xuan replied with a shrug.
Liu Ziqing thought for a moment before saying, "As far as I know, there are only three blocks of four 'All China is Red' stamps. In 2005, we auctioned one for 1.1 million dollars, which was the highest price at the time. So a complete sheet should be worth even more. However, a sheet was exhibited a few years ago…"
Huang Xuan, understanding the implication, immediately said, "My sheet has nothing to do with that one. Just give me your appraisal."
"15 million dollars," Liu Ziqing confidently stated. "Actually, if it were placed in our auction house, it could fetch an even higher price, possibly even set a new record." Although Huang Xuan had offered a 5% commission, which would net them over 300,000 dollars, bringing the stamps to auction could yield even greater benefits.
Huang Xuan remained unmoved, shaking his head, "My friend's preference is for as few people as possible to know about this. The price can be a bit lower." He paused before adding, "Let's try to close the deal in the next few days. Please help me find a few serious buyers."
"No problem." Seeing that Huang Xuan had made up his mind, Liu Ziqing resigned himself to earning the commission. After all, the one with the goods held the power.
Within just three days, a collector named Zhang offered 17.5 million dollars. Huang Xuan accepted without hesitation, completing the transaction through the family lawyer. At this point, there was no need to hide anything—his bank account had gained over 10 million dollars, and his mother was bound to find out sooner or later. Even if she didn't check, the family accountant would catch it during the monthly audit.
Naturally, Zhang Xinyi was the first to receive the lawyer's notification, and Huang Xuan soon received a call from the butler.
His mother sat sternly in the study's large armchair, with Huang Qunsheng, frowning, seated beside her. He had been in the middle of an experiment when he was interrupted by the call to return home. Compared to his research, he had little interest in disciplining his son.
Huang Xuan sat across from them, grinning ingratiatingly. He wasn't worried at all—after all, this was his mother, and the money was his own hard-earned income. These days, logistics was booming, and he had simply taken his logistics a bit further than most. Besides, every Huang family member, except for his father, who was solely focused on becoming the next Einstein, had millions in their accounts. He had just gotten his a bit earlier and in a unique way.
While he was thinking this, Huang Qunsheng couldn't hold back anymore. "Son, tell your mother and me where you got those stamps."
"I found them."
"You found an entire sheet of 'All China is Red'?" Zhang Xinyi's face was almost black with anger.
"The process was a bit convoluted, but that's the end result," Huang Xuan replied honestly.
"Where did you find them?"
"At Fuzimiao."
"You found a complete sheet of 'All China is Red' at Fuzimiao?" Zhang Xinyi's face darkened completely. Even though she wasn't a stamp collector, she knew the reputation of the "All China is Red" stamps. Finding a complete sheet in a stamp market was beyond absurd. Unfortunately, this was her son, or she would have fired him on the spot…
Huang Xuan had long anticipated that hiding this much money would be too difficult for him. But enduring the current "intense interrogation" was just like taking an extra final exam—something he was well-practiced in.
After a long silence, Huang Qunsheng coughed and said, "Xiao Xuan, 16 million is no small amount. If we don't clarify this, what will we do when outsiders come to investigate?"
"There's nothing to investigate," Huang Xuan muttered, then raised his voice, "The money may seem unusual, but it's perfectly legitimate."
"Then explain it clearly," Huang Qunsheng said, trying to sound stern.
Huang Xuan shook his head firmly, "No."
Hearing his tone, Zhang Xinyi became furious, "If you won't, then hand it over and let us handle it."
Huang Xuan slyly smiled and said, "This account was given to me by Grandpa. If you want the money, you'll have to ask him for it."