Chapter Twenty-Six: Astonished—The Son-in-Law’s Perception Is Uncannily Sharp

Qin Yan and the other two girls from the Qin family were taken aback at the sight. What? Chen Yang had actually opened the door to the Number One Heavenly Villa. Where did he get the key? Could it be that he really bought the villa? But that was impossible.

The round-faced girl turned to Qin Yan and asked, "Yan, what's going on?"

"Probably borrowed the key from somewhere, just trying to show off," Qin Yan replied with disdain.

The girl with the long, slender face said, "Let's go inside and have a look. With someone like him, who knows, he might even steal something in such a high-end villa. We can help the owner keep an eye out. Maybe the villa owner is a prince charming."

Qin Yan rolled her eyes at her companion. "Qin Yan, stop fantasizing. Even if he is a prince charming, he wouldn’t be interested in you. He’d only have eyes for me."

Qin Yan punched Qin Yan’s arm without taking offense. They were close; such banter was common between them.

The three girls walked toward the Number One Heavenly Villa. Once inside, they were instantly captivated by the luxurious decor.

Chen Yang saw them enter and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Checking if you stole anything," Qin Yan said bluntly.

Chen Yang curled his lips and didn’t bother to explain. He had no interest in arguing with this group of women.

Just then, he finished inspecting the villa and headed to the door, urging the girls, "I'm leaving now. You should come out too."

"Hey, Chen Yang, where did you borrow the key from?" the round-faced girl asked mockingly.

Chen Yang glanced at her and said nothing.

He ushered the three girls out and slammed the door behind them. "Go home early," he said, then strode away.

In truth, when Qin Yan and Qin Yan mocked him, he could have retorted. But Chen Yang couldn't be bothered. Owning the Number One Heavenly Villa, was he supposed to go around boasting? He found such things tiresome.

Once Chen Yang left, Qin Yan began to complain. "See how he acts—just a guy who borrowed the key, yet he’s so arrogant."

Qin Yan sneered, "Let him be. When the real owner comes to live here, he’ll be exposed without us saying a word."

"Exactly," Qin Yan quickly agreed. "Anyone who can afford such a lavish villa must be a real heartthrob."

"Alright," Qin Yan rolled her eyes. "Stop daydreaming."

Qin Yan smiled awkwardly and said no more.

As for Chen Yang, after leaving the Imperial Pavilion neighborhood, he returned to Huading Company. He was quite satisfied with the Number One Heavenly Villa and even called Shen Donghua over to praise him.

Afterward, Chen Yang got to work.

Around four in the afternoon, his phone rang on the desk. To his surprise, it was his father-in-law, Qin Guoshan.

Seeing the caller ID, Chen Yang smiled slightly, murmuring, "Interesting."

Why did Chen Yang find Qin Guoshan's call amusing? Since marrying Qin Muxue, his father-in-law had called him less than five times.

He mused for a moment, smiled, and answered, "Dad, what’s up?"

Qin Guoshan asked in a serious tone, "Are you busy at work?"

"Not too much," Chen Yang shrugged.

"Then come to the Antique Market. I need to see you about something," Qin Guoshan said.

Hearing this, Chen Yang had a pretty good idea of what his father-in-law wanted—most likely something to do with appraising antiques.

Thinking that work wasn’t too busy, he decided to join his father-in-law for a bit, and agreed, "Alright, Dad."

"Good, hurry over," Qin Guoshan said seriously.

"No problem," Chen Yang replied with a smile.

After hanging up, Chen Yang took a cab to the Antique Market.

The Antique Market was essentially a long street lined with shops selling antiques. Of course, some shops sold genuine old items; others sold fakes. Buying from here required a professional eye.

After speaking with Qin Guoshan, Chen Yang learned he was in a porcelain shop, so he headed there.

Inside, Chen Yang saw Qin Guoshan, dressed in a traditional tunic, hesitating over two blue-and-white porcelain vases—one tall, one short, each with different patterns, both exquisite and old-fashioned.

The shop owner, with neatly parted hair, noticed Chen Yang and said to Qin Guoshan, "Mr. Qin, your son-in-law is here."

Qin Guoshan turned and waved Chen Yang over. "You’re here, come quickly."

Smiling, Chen Yang walked to Qin Guoshan's side.

Qin Guoshan immediately said, "I think both vases are quite good, but I can only choose one. Take a look and tell me which one."

Chen Yang joked, "Dad, how much are these vases?"

"Fifty thousand each," Qin Guoshan replied.

Chen Yang laughed, "Dad, you’re rich. Why not buy both if you like them?"

Qin Guoshan gave Chen Yang a piercing look and then scolded, "Don’t joke around, I’m serious."

"Alright, since you’re serious, I’d say don’t buy either. Neither is genuine," Chen Yang said confidently.

His words stunned Qin Guoshan and the shop owner.

The owner, of course, knew both vases were not true antiques, but he couldn’t admit it. If he did, how could he do business? He quickly retorted, "Young man, you’re mistaken. Both vases were excavated from tombs and date to the Ming dynasty. Are you saying they’re fake?"

Chen Yang smiled, "Regardless of their authenticity, we’re not interested."

The shop owner’s expression soured.

Qin Guoshan eyed Chen Yang suspiciously, half believing, half doubting his words.

Chen Yang glanced at the counter behind the owner and pointed to a small white vase with a chipped mouth and spiderweb-like cracks on its body. "If you really want to do business, that little white vase is worth buying."

Qin Guoshan immediately scolded, "Are your eyes defective? Didn’t you see that vase is broken?"

"Broken is good; there’s beauty in imperfection," Chen Yang replied calmly.

He wasn’t ignorant—he could clearly see the vase was damaged. But with his professional eye, he knew that among all the items in the shop, only that small white vase was a true antique.

The owner had long wanted to sell the damaged vase, which he had picked up from another antique market, thinking it looked nice. But not long after buying it, cracks appeared—whether from weathering or high temperature, he didn’t know.

Once a vase is cracked, it’s hard to sell for much. Even selling it at all is difficult.

Seeing someone interested, the owner was eager to sell, though he pretended to be reluctant. "Don’t let its damage fool you. It’s still an antique..."

"Enough, no need to explain. Six thousand yuan. I’ll make the decision for Dad. If you won’t sell, we won’t buy anything," Chen Yang said.

The owner had originally bought the vase for five thousand yuan. Now, with the cracks, he figured it was worth at most a thousand. If someone wanted it, he’d be grateful.

Now, someone offered six thousand. He was delighted, though he put on a show of painful parting. "Alright, since you like it, it’s yours for six thousand."

"Dad, pay him," Chen Yang said to Qin Guoshan.

Qin Guoshan looked at Chen Yang, uneasy. Spending six thousand on a cracked vase—was he out of his mind?

He didn’t want to pay.

Chen Yang simply pulled out his phone and paid the owner, then took the vase.

He and Qin Guoshan left the shop together. Qin Guoshan frowned, "You must be loaded, buying this thing for six thousand."

"Dad, you don’t understand. This vase is valuable, probably over five hundred years old," Chen Yang said.

Qin Guoshan was shocked, but soon doubted, "Are you serious? I called you here to help me pick a vase, yet you bought one yourself."

"How about we go to a professional appraisal agency and have it checked?" Chen Yang suggested.

He wanted his father-in-law to see for himself whether his judgment was correct.

"Let’s do that," Qin Guoshan agreed, eager to see if the little broken vase really had centuries of history.

"Alright," Chen Yang said. With Qin Guoshan’s agreement, there was no reason not to go.

"Let’s go," Qin Guoshan said.

They headed to the appraisal agency together.

There was a professional appraisal agency in the Antique Market, staffed by three authoritative experts.

They could provide professional evaluations, though there was a fee.

Chen Yang and Qin Guoshan entered the agency. A staff member led them to the office of an elderly expert.

Chen Yang handed over the vase for appraisal. The expert examined it carefully with a magnifying glass, then spoke slowly, "This is a white jade vase from Ding Kiln, mid-Song dynasty. It’s a treasure."

The source: "The Most Unruly Son-in-law in History"