Chapter Thirty-Three: Upgrade

  "What's wrong, is there really a problem?"

  "Hehe, General Zhao, don't be impatient, can I take a look first?"

  After Zhao Qirui agreed, Chu Chen put on his gloves and took the bowl out of the gift box. As soon as the bowl was in his hands, it suddenly made his heart turn upside down. This wasn't because the bowl was too precious, but because something unexpected happened at this moment.

  It turned out that when the bowl was in Chuyan's hands, the heterodyne began to stir, and this point Chuyan didn't notice, it just meant that the bowl was an antique, but what happened next shocked him, because at this time, the heterodyne was completely out of his control, absorbing the spiritual energy inside the bowl.

  Although it was only a second, Chu Chen's heart was like a stormy sea! Today's spiritual energy absorption has already been used up, why can I still absorb it now? And the heterogeneity is not under my control! Is there something wrong with it?

  Chu Chen's achievements today can be attributed to the acquisition of his superpower, and it's no wonder he's shocked. Fortunately, nothing strange happened afterwards, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

  "Xiao Chu, Xiao Chu, what's wrong? Is there something on your mind?" Zhao Qirui asked as he noticed a change in his expression.

  Hearing the voice by his ear, Chu Chen hastily sat up and said with spirit: "Nothing's wrong, I'm just a bit surprised at this bowl."

  "Huh? Is there something fishy going on here?" Zhao Qirui asked with some interest.

  Chu Chen did not answer directly, but instead asked a question:

  "Director Zhao, this bowl must have been exchanged with you by that person for a Yue Kiln celadon, right? You've also been in contact with antiques for some time now. Didn't you initially think the color of this bowl was not quite right?"

  "Yes, I think this bowl is a masterpiece of Yue Kiln celadon in terms of glaze, body and workmanship, but the color is not quite right. Later on, it's hard to figure out whether this bowl is genuine or not." Zhao Qirui said with some doubt.

  Chu Chen smiled faintly and asked him another question: "I don't know if Director Zhao has heard of the mysterious color porcelain?"

  "Xiao Chu, are you talking about the poem 'Mi Se Yue Qi' by Tang Dynasty poet Lu Guimeng, which describes a kind of secret-colored porcelain?" asked Lu Changshun on the side.

  Chu Chen nodded, and Zhao Qirui asked in surprise: "Xiao Chu, you said this bowl is secret color porcelain?"

  Chu Chen smiled and nodded: "Right, this is a secret color porcelain. Before I talk about the secret color porcelain, let me tell you all about its origin."

  "Misty color porcelain is actually an improved version of ancient Yue kiln, a special ceramic ware for the imperial court in ancient times. It is said that at that time, there were regulations that ordinary people were not allowed to use this kind of ceramic ware. The formula and manufacturing process were strictly confidential, so "Misty Color Porcelain" was a type of porcelain with confidential glaze formula."

  "What kind of color is secret color? This question has been debated in our ceramic circle for a long time."

  Until 1987, thirteen pieces of Yue kiln celadon were unearthed from Famen Temple. In the inventory of imperial offerings at Famen Temple, these ceramics were indeed recorded as "Qīngsè" (secret color), which further revealed the understanding of Qīngsè porcelain and solved this ancient puzzle, clarifying many unclear interpretations at that time.

  The characteristics of secret color porcelain are that the body wall is relatively thin, the surface is smooth, the shape is regular, and the glaze is even. All these points can be reflected in this bowl. Moreover, from the perspective of glaze color, this bowl has a blue-green color with a yellow tone, and it has a moist luster, presenting a semi-transparent state. Looking at its packaging and other characteristics, it should be determined that it is a secret color porcelain bowl from the early Five Dynasties period.

  As soon as the words fell, Zhao Qirui hastily asked: "How much is this bowl worth?"

  Chu Chen hesitated and replied, "As for the Secret Color Porcelain, I was only lucky enough to see it once with Uncle Wu, and that person also got it by picking up a bargain. Among the major auction houses in China, I don't think I've ever heard of it being auctioned off, so it's really not easy to set a price. However, 600,000 to 700,000 yuan should be possible."

  Chu Chen said so, Zhao Qi Rui looked at this secret porcelain bowl at this time, his expression was a bit dazed, and then suddenly exclaimed: "Does this count as picking up a bargain?"

  The three people present couldn't help but smile, and Lu Changshun immediately flattered: "Director Zhao, you can even pick up leaks while sitting at home, it's really a blessing from the heavens."

  Director Zhao burst out laughing after hearing that, pointing at him and saying: "Old Lu, I didn't expect your flattering skills to be so good too! I like this kind of talk. Little Chu, you guys tell me, should I give that person some extra money?"

  Chu Chen thought for a moment before speaking: "Director Zhao, if we say that our line of work is based on intuition and experience, I've never heard of anyone who's picked up a bargain returning the item to the other party. At most, they might give them more business a few times. However, Director Zhao, you're not from our antique industry, so if you really can't accept it, we can offer some compensation."

  Zhao Qirui shook his head and said: "I don't have any sympathy for that person, I just think his family is a bit pitiful."

  Lu Changshun laughed and said: "Director Zhao, you're being very considerate of his family." He especially emphasized the words "having feelings and intentions".

  "Hmm, you're overthinking again. I just think the mother and daughter are quite pitiful, living a bit too hard, so I want to help them out."

  Chu Chen heard this and thought to herself, "So they're preparing for a mother-daughter joint attack. I didn't expect Director Zhao to have another trick up his sleeve."

  Zhao Qirui saw their "men you understand" expression, and laughed scolded: "You guys, your thoughts are really dirty, it's simply like playing the zither to a cow."

  Then he immediately changed the subject and asked Chuxuan: "Xiao Chu, thank you this time. I don't know how your appraisal fee is calculated?"

  Chu Chen waved his hand repeatedly and said: "Today, letting Mr. Zhao treat us to a meal has already cost him a lot, if we still want an appraisal fee, it's a bit too much."

  "Alright, I understand."

  Zhao Qirui waved his hand and then called over the hall manager: "Help this gentleman get a gold card later."

  Chu Chen immediately declined repeatedly, this private restaurant also has various membership cards, among which he knows there are diamond cards, gold cards, silver cards, and ordinary membership cards. However, the ordinary membership card requires a consumption of at least 100,000 yuan to apply for it, and can only get a 95% discount, while the gold card can get a 50% discount, how can this make him feel at ease?

  "Xiao Chu, don't worry about it, I'll come bother you again when I encounter something I don't understand about antiques in the future."

  Lu Changshun also advised on the side: "Xiao Chu, just accept it, I have this card too. In fact, if you think about it from a different perspective, this is also our contribution to Zhao's wallet."

  Zhao Qirui scolded with a smile: "I said the old way, how come you say it like I'm a profiteer? Can't make much money even at half price?"

  "Look, since Director Zhao said so, it's definitely profitable, it's just a matter of how much." Lu Changshun said with a hearty laugh.

  Everyone burst out laughing. After Chu Chen reported his identity information to the manager, he curiously asked Zhao Qirui: "Director Zhao, aren't you often looking for Old Dong?"

  Zhao Qirui's expression changed slightly upon hearing Dong Lao, and he replied: "He's climbed to a higher branch, hasn't he? For small roles like us, who has the time to bother with him?"

  Chu Chen immediately knew that the two must have had some conflict, Zhao Qi Rui was very dissatisfied with him, but he wasn't familiar with this old Dong either, and didn't say much, just nodded his head and said:

  "As long as you don't mind my youth and impulsiveness, Mr. Zhao, if there's anything I can help with, just give me a call."

  "Alright then"

  Zhao Qirui said happily: "In that case, you don't have to always call me Director Zhao either. If you're willing, just call me Brother Zhao."

  Upon hearing this request, Chu Chen was naturally very happy, but he couldn't immediately agree to it, as that would seem somewhat impulsive. So after some hesitation on the surface, he nodded in agreement.

  Lu Changshun, on the other hand, felt extremely envious upon seeing this. He and Zhao Qirui had known each other for quite some time, yet their forms of address were still not as intimate as this. Unexpectedly, Chu Chuanming seemed to have known Zhao Qirui for a relatively short period of time, yet they could already use such affectionate terms with each other. It seems that Zhao Qirui must be extremely fond of Chu Chuanming.

  This point made Lu Changshun secretly remember in his heart, after returning, he would instruct the people below that if Chu Chen went to the store to gamble on stones again, whether it was the selling price or the purchasing price, they must be more favorable, otherwise he might still be a closer bridge between himself and Zhao Qirui.

  After that, everyone chatted for a while. Chu Chen had a talent for remembering everything he saw, so he remembered some news and messages he had seen online before. In the conversation, he could usually join in on general topics, which made Zhao Qirui and others look at him with new eyes.

  And this kind of performance also made Zhao Qirui appreciate him more, with some sighs in his heart. If Chu Chen hadn't already achieved something in antiques, he would have pulled him to his own company by now, and at that time, he would definitely be another one of his trusted men.

  After the manager who had gone before returned with the gold card, Zhao Qirui looked at his watch and said to everyone:

  "Alright, let's call it a day for now. The bank should be open by now, let's go and complete the transaction."

  After saying goodbye to Director Zhao and the others, Chu Chen ran back home directly. The biggest confusion in his mind right now is what exactly happened with his ability just now.

  After returning home, Chu Chen sat down on the sofa with a plop and began to think about the information that suddenly appeared in his mind after the change in his abilities. Before this, he hadn't even looked at it because he was with Zhao Qirui and the others, so as not to add to their troubles, and also because he didn't want to arouse their suspicion due to his unusual behavior.

  Only after carefully finishing this piece of information did Chu Chen know what had happened to himself before.

  It turned out that the unexpected event just now was only a natural phenomenon that occurred when the heteropathy reached the critical point of upgrading.