The Tycoon's Enchanted Mermaid

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Private Message Explosion

Ah Da looked at the live stream screen that had turned to gray. Out of the three items today, only the Jade Ring had its price inquired about. She did not understand why the host declared her little bronze tripod to be fake in the end.

Her phone suddenly vibrated, and a private message popped up.

Host Ming Tao: “Sister, that bronze tripod of yours is quite extraordinary. If word gets out, it might cause you a lot of trouble in your life. That’s why I specifically said it was fake, and I hope you don’t mind.”

Ah Da’s furrowed brows relaxed—so it had been intentional. It seemed she had not misunderstood his intentions. Her pale fingers pinched the phone as she typed a reply, “No worries, thank you.”

Ming Tao sat in the lounge chair, his mind still filled with anxiety as he thought about the explosive popularity of the live stream just then.

“No need to thank me. The treasures you brought tonight were quite an eye-opener for me, be it the Jade Ring or the bronze tripod. I want to know, are you truly interested in selling them?”

Ah Da replied, “Yes, I’d like to exchange them for cash.”

Ming Tao was puzzled. Someone who could casually bring out such rare artifacts should not be short of money.

Ming Tao hurriedly typed, fearing he might miss a thing, “Sister, if you really want to sell, then how about selling to me? We can negotiate a good price. I can offer a hundred million for both. I hope you’ll give it some thought.”

“You don’t need to worry. We, Longquan Treasure Appraisal, do business transparently and live stream for a broad audience. We definitely won’t deceive you. If you’re interested, you can contact me directly, and we can meet offline to discuss.”

Ah Da looked at the telephone number he sent over. Without agreeing, she replied, “Thank you, I’ll consider it carefully.”

Seeing the young lady’s high level of caution, Ming Tao hesitated a bit but, unable to give up, sent another message.

“The price is negotiable; you can name your own.”

Ah Da did not reply this time because her private messages were exploding. Some were asking for the price, others were offering one right away, and there were those who sent contact details and business cards. Of course, there were also people laughing at her for using fake items to deceive others, calling her a plant in the Longquan stream, and even some comments about her items’ shady provenance.

There were even threats of reporting her to the police.

After a quick scan, Ah Da noticed that the offers in the private messages were all very high, much higher than what Ming Tao had offered, with some doubling the price. She wasn’t sure if they were just joining in on the buzz.

With an overwhelming number of private messages, Ah Da looked for a while but couldn’t keep up. She then stopped and made a video call to Bronze Sword on Douyin to tell her about what had happened.

Su Qingtong was lying on the sofa with a face mask on when she suddenly sat up after hearing about the offer of one hundred million.

“It’s really worth a lot of money, isn’t it, little incense burner? This looks like your chance to strike it rich.”

Ah Da, too, was in a good mood, her lips curving up slightly. “I didn’t expect it either.”

Su Qingtong lay back down on the sofa, sighing deeply. “Look at me; I work my butt off every day for a pittance. It makes me want to sell myself. After all, I’m an ancient sword—should be worth tens of millions at least.”

“Selling yourself? Only you could come up with something like that,” Ah Da said, resting her chin in her hand while her fingers fidgeted with a pearl on the table. “There are so many people messaging me privately. Bronze Sword, whom do you think I should trust?”

Su Qingtong stuffed a piece of apple in her mouth with a fork, “Listen to me, trust no one. The internet is a mixed bag, and those bosses who can bring out tens of millions won’t privately message you. Just wait, someone sincere will definitely come knocking.”

“I just checked, and the Longquan stream was really hot tonight. Don’t mind the controversy; the wider the broadcast spreads, the better for you. Compare multiple offers, and there’s no need to rush the sale. If you’re going to sell, pick the highest bidder.”

Ah Da wondered, “But I didn’t leave any contact information. How will the buyers find me?”

Su Qingtong gave a mysterious smile. “That’s not something you need to worry about. Whoever can afford such treasures is certainly no ordinary person. Just sit tight and wait.”

Although Ah Da didn’t quite get it, she trusted Bronze Sword unconditionally. She would wait; she too hoped that things would go smoothly as she had a lot more in her treasure trove.

The future stretches long before us.

With a spring in her step, Miss Ade finished her conversation with Su Qingtong and then hurried off to the bathroom.

By the time she had taken her bath and come out, it was almost ten o’clock. Miss Ade, with bare feet pitter-pattering, ran to the table and sat down. An idea had suddenly popped into her head while she was soaking in the tub.

In the tranquil bedroom, the young girl was dressed in a sea-green camisole nightgown, her bushy, jet-black hair cascading down her back, spilling onto the carpet. Her face was small and exquisitely delicate, with skin that, nourished by the clear water, was as luminous and white as snow.

Miss Ade was focused and earnestly threaded each pearl one by one.

The rope she created using her Spiritual Power was not only flexible but also extraordinarily tough, much stronger than any ordinary material.

After half an hour, she had made two strands. Miss Ade tried one on her wrist, lifting it to the light. The pearls, though pale pink, glittered and shimmered in the light.

Miss Ade took out her phone and snapped a photo, which she then sent via WeChat to Bronze Sword, telling her she would give it to her next time they met. Su Qingtong replied that it was pretty, followed by a kissing emoji.

Receiving praise for something she made herself filled Miss Ade with immense satisfaction. Before tonight, she had never thought of making anything else from pearls. The words of the host that evening had inspired her.

Planning to give the remaining strand to Qin Yu, who had helped her greatly that day, Miss Ade wondered if he had calmed down from his apparent anger during their phone call.

Glancing at the time, Miss Ade picked up the pearl bracelet, got up, and went out the door. Leaning over the railing to look down, she saw Song Ma instructing the maid to clean up the things on the coffee table. There was a faint odor in the air, hard to pinpoint, but slightly pungent.

“Miss Ade, why haven’t you gone to bed yet?” Song Ma looked up at the young girl upstairs and asked.

Clenching the pearl bracelet behind her back, Miss Ade replied with a soft, gentle voice, “I was just about to go to sleep. Has Qin Yu returned?”

Song Ma said, “The young master has returned. He’s upstairs. Miss Ade, are you looking for the young master for something?”

“Yes, I’ll go find him myself.” After saying this, Miss Ade turned and ran. Qin Yu had gone upstairs but not to his room, which likely meant he was in the study, as he often worked late there.

Trusting her memory, Miss Ade walked toward the study. The hall was still, bright, and lavish, adorned with various paintings on either side, extending in all directions, solemn and stately, inviting a lighter breath.

When she reached a white door, Miss Ade raised her hand then let it fall, eventually choosing to press her ear against it to eavesdrop.

Why was there no sound?

Could it be that he wasn’t in the study?

Puzzlement filled Miss Ade’s small face; she muttered softly to herself while reaching for the doorknob. She had come this far; she had to go in to see if he was there.

“What are you doing?”

The crisp, cold voice came from behind her, startling Miss Ade, who quickly withdrew her hand and stiffened, not daring to turn around.

The nervous young girl nearly plastered herself against the door, looking every bit the picture of guilt. Qin Yu’s dark eyes narrowed slightly.

Miss Ade bit her lip, her hand unconsciously tightening. She did not know where to put it and was annoyed that Qin Yu made no sound when he walked just as she was annoyed at herself for feeling guilty when she had done nothing wrong!

It wasn’t until Miss Ade collected her emotions and mustered the courage to turn around and face Qin Yu that she suddenly felt the press of a solid wall behind her.