Chapter 65: Calling You a Pig Is an Insult to Pigs

Nalan Fangya was momentarily stunned. She felt her professional skills were being questioned. After all, besides being the head manager of the Myriad Treasures Hall, she held another title: a high-level appraiser.

Over the years, she had appraised no fewer than eight or ten thousand treasures. And now, a young noble was telling her she didn’t know what she was talking about? Ridiculous!

Nalan Fangya was so indignant that she almost laughed. Let alone Xiao Yang, who had no right to speak; even Zhang Weixian, the chief appraiser of the Myriad Treasures Hall, would never dare to make such a claim.

She merely let out a cold chuckle. Inwardly, she resolved to make Xiao Yang feel utterly ashamed in just a moment. Every item in this auction had passed through her hands; she knew exactly which pieces were truly valuable. She checked the time— the first real treasure hadn’t even appeared yet.

Before long, there was a knock at the door. Xiao Yang, already impatient, hurried to open it. He flung the door wide, startling even the servant delivering the luminous pearl. In a flash, the box holding the night pearl vanished from the servant’s hands. Halfway through a protest, the servant seemed to realize something, clapped a hand over his mouth, and hurried away.

Xiao Yang cradled the brocade box carefully, setting it gently on the table before finally sitting down with a sense of relief.

Nalan Fangya noticed the box at once. She immediately guessed what was inside—she had personally appraised it, after all. If she recalled correctly, it was a rather unusual white night pearl. She’d thought it curious when she examined it, but after trying every method, it had still turned out to be an ordinary night pearl, so she’d priced it fairly, at a moderate sum. Since it was a white night pearl—a rare find—she’d marked it at ten thousand taels.

“Heh! So that’s all it is, just this little night pearl?” she said with a touch of disdain. She’d almost thought she’d missed something, but now it was clear: Xiao Yang didn’t know a thing. Just another spoiled rich boy, thinking anything that catches his eye is a treasure.

“You really made a fool of yourself, Young Master Xiao. Serves you right! I wonder if you paid ten thousand or twenty thousand for it—if it was twenty, you really took a loss.”

Her tone was indifferent as she mocked Xiao Yang. At most, this night pearl might fetch fifteen thousand taels—and that only if it found a true enthusiast.

“You madwoman, what do you know? You may have a pretty face, but in every other respect, you’re utterly useless,” Xiao Yang replied coolly, though inwardly he was scheming. If he could get on her good side, he could come to Myriad Treasures Hall often and pick up bargains.

Once, being called a vase would have enraged Nalan Fangya, but for some reason, now she found she couldn’t muster any anger. Still, she put on a show of annoyance.

“Heh. So, how much did you pay for this night pearl?” she asked.

Xiao Yang said nothing, merely raised two fingers.

A look of deep scorn flashed in Nalan Fangya’s eyes as she sneered inwardly. Just as she thought—another trust-fund brat throwing money around. Paying twenty thousand for a common night pearl.

To prove her professionalism, Nalan Fangya spoke slowly, “A white night pearl, starting bid ten thousand taels, maximum estimate fifteen thousand taels. Young Master Xiao, you really are something—lost five thousand taels and still bought yourself a night pearl. I’m truly impressed!”

The smile on her face showed not the slightest trace of admiration; she might as well have had “I’m laughing at you” written across her brow.

Xiao Yang's expression became somewhat odd. “What are you thinking? Do you really think I got it for twenty thousand?”

At these words, Nalan Fangya’s smile faded. She asked with a frown, “Then how much did you pay?”

“Add a zero after the twenty thousand,” Xiao Yang replied calmly.

Nalan Fangya was briefly taken aback, muttering, “Add a zero…?”

The next moment, her pupils dilated, and her face turned ashen with shock. “You—you spent two hundred thousand?”

She was stunned. To spend two hundred thousand taels on an ordinary night pearl—this wasn’t just extravagant, it was sheer wastefulness.

She swallowed hard, then burst into peals of silvery laughter. As someone from Myriad Treasures Hall, she had every reason to be delighted—a common night pearl sold for two hundred thousand; they were making a fortune!

For a fleeting instant, Nalan Fangya almost hoped this Young Master Xiao would buy a few more things; whatever he touched would surely soar in value.

She laughed all the harder. “Hahaha! This is hilarious! You paid two hundred thousand for a night pearl worth ten thousand. You really are a pig!”

As she continued to mock him, a trace of sorrow flashed in Xiao Yang’s eyes. Poor woman. She has no idea what she’s lost.

He wondered whether he ought to tell her the truth. They’d just sold something worth three million for a mere ten thousand. But if he said it, would this woman lose her mind?

“Never mind. Ignorance is bliss,” he decided. He couldn’t bring himself to let such a beautiful woman break down from the shock.

“Pig, do you have any thoughts to share?” Nalan Fangya asked sweetly, clearly enjoying herself.

“Watch your tongue, girl,” Xiao Yang warned, his brow twitching—he was nearly at his limit.

“Sorry! I apologize to all the pigs out there. Compared to you, they’re much smarter. So calling you a pig is the greatest insult to pigs everywhere.”

Xiao Yang didn’t want to shatter her illusion, but Nalan Fangya just wouldn’t let up. She seemed determined to use this incident to mock him endlessly.

“Young Master Xiao, I have two more night pearls. You don’t need to pay much—just fifty thousand each will do,” she quipped again.

That finally pushed Xiao Yang to the edge. “You madwoman! I say you’re ignorant, and you don’t believe me. Do you even know what this is?” he shouted.

Nalan Fangya was stunned into silence for a long moment before she recovered.

“Heh! Just a worthless night pearl. As if I couldn’t appraise it?” she scoffed.

Xiao Yang nearly laughed. “A worthless night pearl? That so-called worthless night pearl is worth at least three million.”

Nalan Fangya merely gazed at him coolly.