The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong calmly repeated, "I want to invest in your Eastern Entertainment!"

This time, the words registered clearly in Qin Yun's mind, and her heart fluttered in a panic. 'Did Chen Dong sell the Divine Artifact just for me? Does he like me?'

'Yes, he must have fallen for me. Why else would he choose to sell such a priceless treasure now, right after learning the Qin Family was short on money?'

At this thought, Qin Yun started to feel shy. 'Chen Dong is a good man, and being with him gives me such a strong sense of security.'

But then, her brow furrowed. 'But Chen Dong is already married. What if he confesses to me? Should I reject him or accept him?'

While Qin Yun was lost in her frantic thoughts, a crowd began to gather around an old farmer's stall not far away, growing larger by the second.

Chen Dong also caught a peculiar medicinal aroma. His brow tensed, and he moved toward the crowd.

An old farmer in his sixties or seventies had a tattered cloth spread out on the ground. On top of it sat an open, yellowed wooden box. Inside, nestled on fine, unfolded red silk, was a purple ginseng. The ginseng was about the size of a carrot and was tied with a red string; with its color, it looked almost identical to a carrot.

"Old man, are you selling a carrot?" someone asked.

"Don't bother asking. The old man says it's ginseng. It kind of looks like one, but the color is just too weird," said one of the first onlookers.

"Yeah, what kind of ginseng looks like this!"

"Heh heh, you must be new here! See where we are? This is the entrance to the Wanluo Auction. A lot of people bring things to sell, but the auction house rejects them. So, they set up stalls out here instead. But most of this stuff is fake. They're just looking for suckers, so whatever you do, don't buy anything."

"You can tell there's something wrong with this ginseng just by looking at it. It's perfectly normal for the auction house to reject it. It'd be stranger if they'd actually accepted it!"

The old farmer looked flustered and exasperated. "My ancestors were genuine Ginseng Gatherers! This is a family heirloom my grandfather left me! If my son didn't need money for his wedding, I'd never take it out to sell!"

Qin Yun, who had readjusted her disguise, squeezed through the crowd to Chen Dong's side. "Will this herb be useful for my father?" she asked.

Chen Dong nodded. Just as he was about to ask the price, someone else spoke up first. "Old man, even if that is a ginseng, how much are you asking for it?"

"Three hundred thousand."

"Three hundred thousand? You might as well just rob someone! You're trying to sell a carrot for three hundred thousand."

"Ten thousand. I'll take it," said the man who had asked the price.

"Buddy, I'd advise against it! I saw it with my own eyes this morning. That fox-faced manager from the auction house personally threw this old man out. There's definitely something wrong with that thing, don't get ripped off!"

"I'll take it for three hundred thousand!"

The crowd looked at Chen Dong indignantly, their expressions strange. Some even began to whisper among themselves.

"He can't be in cahoots with the old man, can he?"

"I think so too. The kid is obviously a shill!"

Even the old farmer gave Chen Dong a strange look.

Chen Dong took out his phone and asked for the old man's bank account number to transfer the money. Only then did the farmer realize Chen Dong wasn't joking.

After a moment of thought, the old man re-wrapped the ginseng in the red silk and blurted out, "I'm not selling it anymore!"

The crowd erupted again. "See? I knew they were in it together."

"That kid's too young. He overacted and blew their cover! Who in their right mind would bid three hundred thousand!"

Chen Dong raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "How much are you looking for, then?"

He could see the old man's greed swelling.

The old man's demeanor changed, and he said with newfound confidence, "Two million!"

Chen Dong nodded. "Fine."

Hearing Chen Dong's decisive reply, the old man's face flushed with excitement.

"Actually, on second thought, I'm still not selling."

A wave of boos came from the crowd.

"Look at them, they're still keeping up the act."

"Their cover's blown and they're still going. Are scammers really this dedicated to their craft nowadays?"

Chen Dong frowned and asked again, "What's the price you're willing to sell it for?"

The old man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Twenty million!"

Qin Yun grew anxious when she heard the price. How could this old man be so shameless? He had clearly agreed to the sale, only to instantly go back on his word, and now he was quoting an astronomical price like twenty million.

Chen Dong closed his eyes and said calmly, "Alright. Sir, you should learn to quit while you're ahead."

But when the old man heard Chen Dong agree to even twenty million, he was instantly ecstatic. A crazed look came over his face as he shouted, "Haha! My grandfather really did leave me a family treasure, and I'm only finding out now! I'm not selling! I'm not selling! I'm going to find the most professional appraiser to value it, and then I'll take it to auction! You agreed to twenty million without even thinking. My treasure must be worth hundreds of millions, maybe even tens of billions!"

Chen Dong scoffed. "An eighty-year-old Red Xuan Ginseng. You really think it's some priceless treasure? A Red Xuan Ginseng that's less than a hundred years old is hardly different from an ordinary ginseng. Even if you found an expert who recognized it, the price would be a few hundred thousand at most. The only reason I offered twenty million is because I happen to need this specific herb. I'll ask you one last time: are you going to sell it or not?"

The old man's initial anxiety was completely gone, replaced by a crazed arrogance. "Kid, are you trying to bluff me? This old man has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice! This is an absolute treasure of immense value! You can save your breath. I'm not selling!"

With that, the old man packed up the Red Ginseng and headed back toward the auction house.

As she watched the old man walk away, Qin Yun turned to Chen Dong and asked urgently, "What do we do now?"

Chen Dong chuckled. "Just wait. That old man is going to regret this."