Chapter 17: Real Antiques

*Mia* Locas was getting on my nerves and I decided that he was the person I hated the most right now. He looked at me with that condescending look like I was an idiot. "I don't think you need to participate in that exchange meeting. It's just a meeting set up by swindlers. It's worthless other than swindling money from some ignorant people." Locas's hands were in his pockets as if he was some important figure, but his words cut like a knife. What did he mean? Was he implying that I was an idiot? Look at how sarcastic he sounded! Who would have thought that such words would come from the elegant Locas? "You... How could you slander me like this? I've learned a lot about antiques these past few days. I even went to classes when I was free. Willard accompanied me to these classes." If I was wrong, Willard would have stopped me. "Willard, tell him, didn't you go to the classes with me? You even accompanied me to the meeting, right?" I could really use some backup. Willard smiled at me. "Yes, Mia." He then said to Locas, "I went to the classes with Mia. She's doing great and she even got an A. Hey, Locas, relax. If Mia likes it, just let her do it. Don't make a fuss over it." Locas sneered. "This is the first time I've heard of someone appreciating antiques by attending classes. How ridiculous. Willard, you gotta have a bottom line. Don't you understand these things? I know that your grandfather's ancient castle contains thousand-year-old antiques. And now, you're letting her buy those fakes just to temporarily please Mia?" I was stunned and looked into Willard's eyes. "Is that true?" Willard did not answer my question. He only smiled and patted my head. "It's not important. Go and do whatever you like. Some things are fake, and some things are just relatively new. In fact, the value of many things can't be measured by money. If it's meaningful to you, it's precious. Otherwise, it's useless no matter how much money it's worth." Willard's words indeed convinced me. They made me feel much better. This was the difference between those two. Willard was a very loving person, but Locas was money-oriented. Although Locas was my benefactor and I had taken his money, I really couldn't agree with his values about money. All I could do to show him my manners was hide my disdainful gaze. *** *Locas* I was speechless, torn between love and hate because of this woman in front of me. I had long discovered that she rushed to a place every day after work. It turned out that it was a civil society organization called the Antique Sharing Exchange. The organizers inside never appeared. Instead, they only had different people pretending to be participants. They encouraged people to bring their antiques to the meeting for evaluation. If the organization was interested in a certain item, they would try their best to slander it, saying that it was worthless or even fake. When the owner of an antique was at a loss, someone would say that they wanted to buy it. Although the antique was not very valuable, it could still be used as a handicraft. Therefore, this organization often bought truly precious antiques at a very low price. They also had people selling worthless things. If someone saw through their tricks, they would pretend to be people who thought they were selling a valuable family heirloom. They pretended not to know that it was fake. That way, they could get away without any charges. The crimes of this organization had already been noticed by the police and some famous antique collectors. Unexpectedly, Mia also had the folly of being tricked into joining the organization. Seeing that I was silent, she thought that I was in the wrong and stood up to leave. I caught up with her. "If I'm not mistaken, the artifact on your desk cost 200 dollars." Mia was shocked. "How did you know that?" "The receipt fell out of your coat." "Yes... so what? Like Willard said, what we like matters the most." Mia didn't sound so confident now. I couldn't help but mock her. "It's obviously a fake. Don't tell me you didn't know. Anyone with some common sense can tell that thee's a problem. Like you said, what you like matters the most. I don't think you'd be so fond of an item like that cuz that color is so vulgar. It's not even your style, so stop saying you like it." Mia blushed. "But Monica said her brother didn't have the money to go to school, so he had to sell his family heirloom... She didn't know it was fake. I was just helping her. What's wrong with that?" Seeing that she was getting angrier, Willard patted her back and comforted her gently, "Mia, don't be angry." Willard was doing whatever he could to make Mia happy. But I couldn't stand this. I was so angry that I scolded Willard, "She didn't know better, but are you stupid too? Did you buy it with her?" When Mia heard this, she ran up to me, fuming. "How could you be so arrogant! You are a heartless and selfish man!" I laughed at her furious look. "Why should I argue with her? What attracted me most to her was her innocence and kindness." Mia seemed to want to scold me again, but I actually laughed. She was a little at a loss. "You... what are you laughing at?" "Do you want to see real antiques?" I asked Mia. I had to show this naive girl what a professional was. "Yes." Sure enough, Mia was interested, but she didn't sound as happy as I'd expected. She was still angry with me. It seemed that I needed to work harder on this. I led Mia into the room, turned on the computer, and showed her many antique photos that I had collected over the years. They were all top-notch. Even the most experienced appraisers would be impressed by them. Mia would definitely be in awe. "Wow!" Mia's eyes were glowing. Clearly, her admiration for me had replaced her anger. "There's an auction in two days. I didn't want to go, but now I've decided to show you around. Maybe I'll even run into some top-notch ones like the ones in the photos," I said, not missing a beat. "Alright, alright!" Mia looked at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She looked eager to go to the auction. Mia was really an interesting girl. She would throw a tantrum like a child, but she would also return to her good mood for something simple. But to be honest, there were too many people around Mia. Most of them were calculative. I scarcely had any opportunities to be with her, just the two of us. This was an opportunity. "I'll tell Willard we're closed for the weekend." Mia practically skipped out, but fortunately, I was quick enough to pull her back. "You can't tell others. It's a secret between us." I put my index finger on her lips. I was just going to make a shushing gesture, but when I touched her skin, the sensation from my finger made me change my mind. As my fingers moved upwards, I felt a tender and smooth sensation, my playfulness slowly changing into something different. My expression became serious as I softly called out, "Mia." Mia's expression was a little dazed as she replied to me, "Huh?" I felt a slight change in my body. It was an experience I'd never had with other women. I glanced at Willard, who was still waiting outside. I cursed secretly, calmed myself down, and said to Mia, "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning." On the weekend, I arrived early at Mia's house and waited for a while before she came out. It was cold today. She was wearing a beige knee-length coat and black boots. Her brown chestnut hair was blowing in the wind. Her face was red from the cold for a moment and she looked around for me. When she saw me open the car window and wave at her, Mia ran over, opened the car door, and sat beside me. She rubbed her hands and only shouted that it was cold. I shouted, "Buckle up." "Oh," she said. She had just reached for her seat belt and hadn't fastened it. I smiled playfully. "Mia, sit tight." As I stepped on the gas pedal to the bottom, Mia screamed, "Are you crazy? Locas, slow down!" My speed had already hit 190. What a rush! Mia was screaming hysterically beside me. She gripped the handle of the car roof tightly and kept screaming with her eyes closed. It wasn't until I heard sirens behind me that I hastily changed routes, lost the cops, and slowed down. There was a long silence. I turned to look at Mia and saw that her face was pale. She looked at me sinisterly. "Locas, I'm going to kill you." Every time I teased her, I wouldn't stop until she was exasperated. I just loved watching her become angry. "F*ck, life is too tedious. We need something fresh and new!" Mia glared at me and looked out the window. "I must be crazy to agree to come out with you."