Chapter 131: Intact

The young man, not quite understanding, scratched his head and asked with a suspicious look, "Beauty, what do you mean by that? Aren't you a jewelry appraiser? And you offer free appraisals, so why are you telling us to go somewhere else? Are you trying to bully us because we aren't well-educated?"

The beautiful young woman smiled helplessly. She had made her point quite clearly, but this greenhorn was either truly oblivious or pretending to be. She figured she had run into someone intentionally looking for trouble today. Smiling, she said, "I am truly sorry. Perhaps I didn't express myself clearly enough."

The young man waved his hand impatiently. "Just say it quickly. Don't think you can bully us just because we haven't read many books."

The woman shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. "Sir, since you want it spelled out, I will be blunt. This heirloom jade bracelet of yours is an inferior piece. It has been artificially bleached and injected with chemicals. While it may look beautiful on the surface, its internal structure has been destroyed."

"What kind of nonsense is that? I don't understand you. Speak in a way we can understand!" The young man tapped the glass table impatiently.

The woman smiled elegantly, packing up her tools as she spoke. "To put it plainly, your bracelet is worthless. Its market value is around one hundred yuan, perhaps even less. Do you understand now?"

"One hundred yuan?" The young man grabbed the appraiser's delicate hand and shouted, "Nonsense! I got this on the street... I mean, this is my grandmother's heirloom! How could it be fake? I see what you're doing—you're trying to trick me so you can lowball the price!"

The elegant woman was startled by the young man's crude behavior. She quickly pulled her hand back and stepped away. "Sir, please stay calm. If you believe my appraisal is incorrect, you are welcome to seek a third-party evaluation. If you continue to act aggressively, I will have security escort you out."

Ling Tian, who had been wandering around looking at jade, strolled over. He glanced at the scene, thinking to himself: These scammers have no class; to act so aggressively toward such a beautiful woman.

"I want you to test it again. We will accept whatever the result is," the young man said, calming his temper and speaking in a level tone to the woman.

The woman shook her head decisively. "Sir, no matter how many times you test it, the result will be the same. You have likely been scammed. I suggest you call the police. That is all I have to say." With that, she picked up her small toolkit, ready to leave.

The young man immediately blocked her way. "Beauty, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let's talk more."

"I am warning you, you had better show some respect. We have security cameras here; your every move is being recorded. If you continue to be insolent, I will call the police." The woman had clearly had enough. Her expression turned serious, and her soft tone took on a hint of chill.

The young man shrugged, acting indifferent. "Don't be angry, beauty. If you won't appraise it, fine. We'll leave, won't we?" As he spoke, he reached out to grab the jade bracelet. He tried a few times but failed to pick it up. In reality, it wasn't that he couldn't reach it; he was doing it on purpose to lay the groundwork for his next move.

The shop assistant, also annoyed by these scammers, picked up the bracelet with a look of disgust and handed it to the young man. "Hurry up and leave. We don't welcome troublemakers like you here."

Just as the young man took the bracelet, he deliberately flicked his wrist. The assistant lost her grip, and the jade bracelet fell onto the glass counter. With a sharp crack, it bounced off the glass, hit the floor, and shattered into several pieces.

The young man immediately flew into a rage, grabbing the assistant's arm and shouting, "You dared to shatter my ancestral jade bracelet! I won't let this go!" His two cronies chimed in immediately: "Pay up! Give us one hundred thousand yuan and we'll call it even, otherwise, this isn't over!"

"Everyone, look clearly! You can't try to deny this!" the young man continued to yell, clearly wanting to make a scene. Based on his experience with scams, as long as he made enough noise, the other party would usually pay up to avoid a scandal and minimize negative publicity. Then, once he got the money, he would just move on to the next shop.

The terrified assistant stammered, "I didn't drop it! You nudged my hand, that's why it fell! You're trying to frame me!"

The young man shouted, "Cut the crap! The bracelet fell from your hands, so you are responsible. I'm telling you, if you don't pay me today, I'm not leaving. I'll chase away every customer who comes in and make sure you can't do business!"

The assistant was on the verge of tears, choking out, "You are bullying me!"

"Stop your whining! I'm not falling for that. Pay up!" The young man wasn't about to let such a perfect opportunity slip by. Knowing the assistant couldn't make the decision, he yelled, "Get your boss out here! I want to talk to her about the compensation!"

The commotion in the shop had already alerted management. Before long, An Qi, accompanied by the female appraiser and two other assistants, came downstairs. She walked slowly to the counter, smiled faintly, and said, "Sir, regarding our clerk's accidental breaking of your bracelet, we will certainly provide you with a satisfactory response."

The young man stared lustfully at An Qi, who was even more breathtaking than the appraiser, his eyes glued to her.

"Don't give me that talk. I just want compensation," the young man said, though he couldn't bring himself to yell at such a beauty—she looked like a holy angel. But, tempted by the money, he braced himself and shouted.

An Qi smiled. "Then let's discuss the compensation. Our appraiser will evaluate your bracelet, and we will determine the amount based on the results. Does that sound satisfactory?"

"Get a different appraiser! This one said my bracelet was fake and worth at most a hundred yuan. This is an ancestral piece, Burmese jade! You'd better cough up at least one hundred thousand, or this isn't over. I've got plenty of time to waste here; let's see who lasts longer." The young man leaned against the glass counter, acting like a thug, his gaze fixed lecherously on An Qi.

An Qi frowned and asked the appraiser, "What was the result of the appraisal?"

The appraiser replied immediately, "It barely qualifies as inferior-grade jade. At current market prices, it is worth at most one hundred yuan, perhaps even less. Furthermore, based on the surveillance footage, it is obvious he intentionally knocked the jade off. My recommendation is to call the police immediately."

An Qi shook her head. Calling the police would have a significant negative impact on the shop; resolving it peacefully would be best.

"You've heard the appraisal results. We'll give you one hundred yuan, and you leave," An Qi said coolly. "If you aren't satisfied, we will call the police and let them determine the liability. I think you're a smart person; you should know that you may be committing fraud," she added calmly.

The young man hadn't expected them to have surveillance footage that recorded the entire incident. If the police were called, he wouldn't get a single cent. But giving up now felt like such a waste.

After a fierce internal struggle, he gritted his teeth and decided to see it through. "I don't care what the appraisal says! I spent one hundred thousand yuan on this bracelet. Even if it were made of glass, it's worth one hundred thousand to me! I don't care about the police. If I leave today, I'll come back tomorrow. I have plenty of time. I'll camp out at your door every day until I wear you down!"

An Qi sighed. She had intended to give him a chance to avoid making things worse, but since he was determined to court disaster, she had no choice. "Prepare to call the police," she told her assistant.

"Wait!" Ling Tian walked up to An Qi and said, "Calling the police isn't very effective against these kinds of hoodlums. Leave this to me."

Seeing that it was Ling Tian, An Qi looked visibly excited. A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks as she said softly, "It's been a long time since we parted at the Nangong residence."

Ling Tian laughed. "Indeed. I didn't expect to run into you here. Is this shop yours?"

"Yes! In a way," An Qi said, gazing at him with excitement. From the first time they met, Ling Tian had left a deep impression on her—he felt incredibly safe and mysterious. Moreover, the amulet he had given her had saved her life. Somewhere deep down, An Qi felt a growing sense of reliance on him.

Ling Tian chatted with An Qi for a moment before turning to the young man. "When I saw you earlier, you seemed to be planning to buy a bracelet, and you even invited me to join you. Why are you selling one now? And you said it was an heirloom, yet just now you said you bought it for one hundred thousand yuan. Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

The young man glared at Ling Tian. "What? You want to be a hero? Why don't you look in a mirror and see what kind of pathetic wretch you are?"

*I'll deal with you later,* Ling Tian thought to himself. For scum like this, violence was the best solution.

Ling Tian bent down, picked up the shards of the bracelet, and placed them on the counter. He carefully aligned the pieces, first casting a glamour to hide the cracks, then using his internal energy to fuse the fissures together, and finally channeling his inner fire to seal the fractures. On the surface, the bracelet looked perfect, though it remained broken on the inside.

When Ling Tian dispelled the glamour, he handed the bracelet to the young man and said, "Isn't this perfectly fine? Why were you saying it was broken?"

The young man was about to continue his extortion, but he was left dumbstruck when he saw the intact bracelet. *This isn't right,* he thought. *Everyone clearly saw it shatter just a moment ago. How did it recover in this guy's hands? And there isn't even a single crack!*

The young man wasn't the only one confused; the onlookers were equally bewildered. They had clearly seen fragments, yet now, it was whole again.