Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

"What?"

"Is this for real?"

"Damn it, An Zhidong, don't spout nonsense!"

The first to erupt were the Family Heads from Sui City. At this moment, they were utterly stunned.

They had mocked Xu Ke, not so much because he had bet against Master Jintong, but because he had spent six million on a piece of junk. Unlike the profligate heirs of wealthy families, these self-made, first-generation tycoons usually considered such an act to be walking right into a trap.

But now, An Zhidong was telling them—

Xu Ke spent a mere six million on a genuine antique?

Doesn't that mean we suffered a colossal loss?

Shi Hongda and the Yin-Yang Elders' faces turned ashen, as if Xu Ke was standing right there, slapping them again and again...

Bai Qian'er and Xie Jiancheng's expressions also changed drastically. The former was in disbelief. Xu Ke actually bought a genuine piece.

The latter was dumbfounded. That prominent figure from Haojing... the antique he gave me is real? At that moment, Xie Jiancheng was so sick with regret it felt like his guts were turning green. If this thing is real, a goblet that passed through that man's hands would command a starting price of tens of millions...

"I am not spouting nonsense. In a moment, I will... I will display the appraisal certificate on the big screen for everyone to see for themselves," An Zhidong replied, his lips still trembling. He was trembling because he was terrified by Master Jintong's appraisal...

"This is a Crescent Moon Flat-Bottomed Tri-Footed Bronze Goblet. If I am not mistaken, it is from the Tang Dynasty. The patterns on its surface are exceptionally fluid, a masterpiece of national treasure-grade..." An Zhidong stammered through the appraisal.

With every sentence he read, the crowd below grew more stupefied.

The Tang Dynasty? National treasure-grade?

They were completely gobsmacked.

"As this item is on par with collections in national museums, its price is temporarily undetermined. The recommendation is to keep it for collection and not for sale," An Zhidong finally read the last sentence.

At this, the entire hall fell silent.

The price was unknown.

Doesn't that mean it's priceless?

One by one, they stared at the dusty Bronze Wine Chalice on the red cloth. It wasn't just their guts turning green with regret; their faces were, too. In their position, they all knew that the price of antiques was incredibly difficult to determine. A similar bronze goblet circulating on the open market might cost a hundred-thousand or so at most.

But...

After Master Jintong gave such a shocking appraisal, the Bronze Wine Chalice in Xu Ke's hands was transformed. It had class. It had historical depth. It had immense collector's value! At this point, forget its market value being only a hundred-thousand-odd yuan; even if it were only worth a few bucks, they would have gladly spent far more than six million to buy it!

But now, they had lost their chance.

"Damn, he really hit the jackpot..." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Fuck! How did I not realize Xie Jiancheng would present something this good?"

"Damn it, is the Xie Family trying to send a signal that currying favor with them brings great rewards?"

After An Zhidong finished reading the appraisal, the minds of the various Sui City families were a whirlwind of complex thoughts. Of course, there was one thing on which they tacitly agreed: they still refused to believe that someone as young as Xu Ke could have correctly identified the Bronze Wine Chalice as a genuine Tang Dynasty artifact. They clung to the belief that he was just a blind cat who had stumbled upon a dead mouse.

After An Zhidong finished, Master Jintong looked at Xu Ke quietly and took a deep breath. He had wanted to see if Xu Ke would look surprised when his appraisal was announced. A surprised reaction would have confirmed that Xu Ke's judgment was also a lucky guess. But what made Master Jintong's pupils shrink was that Xu Ke had no reaction at all. He remained perfectly calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.

This gave Master Jintong an ominous premonition.

Am I actually going to fall this time?

As the thought crossed Master Jintong's mind, Shi Hongda, who had been stewing in jealousy, suddenly lashed out. "An Zhidong, read what Xu Ke wrote! If his judgment is incorrect, make him kneel and apologize to Master Jintong! He must beg for the Master's forgiveness for his offense."

He couldn't stand it. Xu Ke stealing the spotlight was a direct humiliation to him. He was determined to see Xu Ke fail.

The other Family Heads from Sui City said nothing, but their cold smiles showed their agreement with Shi Hongda. So what if he has to lose a little face? The kid got a national treasure for six million! The only reason they didn't attack Xu Ke themselves was their fear of offending the Xie Family and Bai Qian'er, both of whom had good relations with him. Now that Shi Hongda from Tianhai was making a move, they were more than happy to watch Xu Ke get embarrassed. Mocking the have-nots and hating the haves was human nature. It was no different here.

An Zhidong's expression changed at the demand, and he instinctively glanced at Xie Jiancheng. He, too, believed Xu Ke had simply gotten lucky, so he didn't dare read the paper... After all, he was convinced Xu Ke had only bid on the Bronze Wine Chalice to save the Xie Family's face. How could he possibly know it was a national treasure?

Xie Jiancheng gritted his teeth. His heart was already bleeding from having lost a national treasure-grade artifact for nothing. But it had been his own decision, and he knew he couldn't blame Xu Ke. In fact, he had to thank Xu Ke for preserving what little dignity he had left. So, despite having failed to save the situation four times, Xie Jiancheng stood up once more to speak...

But Xu Ke interrupted him again. "Go ahead and read it. I'm sure Master Jintong is also very curious about what I wrote."

Xie Jiancheng sat back down, tears welling in his eyes. To be interrupted so many times... How pathetic for the prospective head of the great Xie Family...

Master Jintong's face was dark. "Read it!"

"Alright." Seeing no other choice, An Zhidong tremblingly picked up the paper. When he saw what was written inside, his eyes went wide. "Wh-What?!"

A wave of suspicion washed over the audience.

What now?

Bai Qian'er, who was already thoroughly baffled by Xu Ke's series of actions, was even more lost. "Elder Tang, what... what is going on?"

Tang Yingchang, knowing nothing, simply shook his head. "I cannot say!"

Bai Qian'er: "..."

Shi Hongda piped up again. "An Zhidong, if you can't read it, then show us the paper! Don't even think about covering for Xu Ke." Does he take us for fools? Can't we all see his repeated attempts to help Xu Ke?

This time, however, An Zhidong completely ignored him. Instead, he handed the note to Master Jintong. "Master, please, take a look."

Master Jintong was startled. He subconsciously took the note, and then he, too, froze.

On it was written: "This item is genuine. As for the reason, please come closer, Master Jintong. I will prove it to you alone."

He frowned. What kind of appraisal is this?

He looked up and saw Xu Ke smiling as he held up the wine chalice. "Master, please, have a look."

Master Jintong was taken aback. "What trick are you trying to play?"

"You'll know once you see," Xu Ke replied with a smile.

Although Master Jintong didn't understand what was happening, he complied. The two men immediately used their bodies to shield the wine chalice from view. Now, even An Zhidong and Lin Fang couldn't see a thing.

Just as they blocked the view, Xu Ke leaned in and whispered something in Master Jintong's ear.

The crowd stared, confused.

What are they doing? What secrets are they sharing?

And in the next moment, they were once again shocked by the scene unfolding before them.

What was happening?

What did Xu Ke do?!

After less than ten seconds of conversation, Master Jintong suddenly stumbled back in disbelief. Then, like a collapsing mountain, he dropped to his knees before Xu Ke, bellowing, "Master! Please forgive my impudence!"

THUD.

His knees hit the ground.

This time, it wasn't just the audience who was dumbfounded. Even the instigator, Xu Ke, was completely bewildered, with only one thought running through his mind—

What the hell? What is he doing? What did I even do?!