I don't really understand either

"Xiao Shuang, have you left yet, have you left yet, beep."

"Auntie, I'm about to set off."

In the garage, Ye Shuang, driving the company's Maybach, replied to Chen's Mother via voice message before driving out of the parking lot.

The journey would take about forty minutes. Fortunately, as today wasn't a workday, the roads were relatively clear—otherwise, at this hour, there would likely have been some traffic.

"Isn't this car very comfortable to sit in?" Ye Shuang asked.

"I like smaller ones," Bai Yuyou, hearing this, chimed in from the side.

"Why?"

"So I can sit closer to Ye Shuang," Bai Yuyou answered seriously.

"Is that so?" Ye Shuang gently patted the girl's head.

...

Arriving at the residential compound where Chen Qin's family lived, Ye Shuang exchanged a greeting with the security guard and drove right in. The residents here were all wealthy or distinguished, and with only nine estate villas in the entire compound, the guards rarely stopped or questioned familiar faces.

Besides, Chen Qin had probably informed them in advance.

"We're almost there." After driving a bit further and spotting the Chen family estate in the distance, Ye Shuang drove in and parked the car.

"Woof!!"

A bark was heard from afar. Ye Shuang looked over to see a large golden retriever bounding over, paws landing on Ye Shuang's clothes as it wagged its tail excitedly.

"Salted Egg, your paws are going to get my clothes dirty."

"Woof!"

After giving the dog's head a good rub, Ye Shuang saw Chen's Mother walking over from a distance. "Xiao Shuang, you're here. Salted Egg gets so excited whenever he sees you."

"Auntie." Ye Shuang greeted her with a smile and proceeded to take some gifts from the car—mostly things like dried fruits and snacks.

"I told you not to bring these! Just treat this like your own home!" Chen's Mother immediately said upon seeing this. "I practically see you as half my own son."

"Even if it's been a long time since coming home, one should still bring something, right?" Ye Shuang said with a laugh, holding the gifts. Bai Yuyou also got out of the car.

"Come here, come here, Rou Nü, it's been a long time since you've visited. Let Auntie have a look at you." Seeing Bai Yuyou, Chen's Mother immediately beamed, moving closer and taking the girl's hand.

"Auntie Chen." Bai Yuyou called out obediently, as Chen's Mother was a good friend of her own birth mother.

"Good, good. Have you lost weight? Not eating enough lately?"

"No, I'm full every day."

"Where's Chen Qin?" Ye Shuang asked at this point.

"She said she's taking a shower. She's been working since early morning, didn't even eat." Chen's Mother said.

"I see." Ye Shuang found this quite normal. Given Chen Qin's personality, getting up early to work was typical.

"She has it much easier now, thanks to your help at the company." Chen's Mother also said with a smile, her tone carrying a note of relief. "We trust you the most, after all, we've watched you grow up."

"And Chen Qin praises you every day, saying you handle things exceptionally well."

"That's too much praise. Honestly, I haven't really accomplished anything substantial." Ye Shuang chuckled modestly.

This humble demeanor made Chen's Mother like him even more.

After entering the house, Ye Shuang asked what Uncle Chen was up to.

"Him? He went fishing by the lake this morning for a while, then seems to have made an appointment with some master to look at antiques. He's in the living room." Chen's Mother said.

"Is that so."

Arriving at the living room, Ye Shuang indeed saw Chen's Father and a middle-aged man with a goatee discussing something. On the table in front of them sat an object that looked like an antique.

"Uncle Chen." Seeing Chen's Father so engrossed, Ye Shuang didn't dare speak too loudly and softly called out.

Chen's Father didn't respond to Ye Shuang, instead continuing to examine the antique before him with a magnifying glass—it was a blue-patterned vase. As for what exactly it was, Ye Shuang didn't know, as he never dabbled in such things.

"Hmm." Chen's Father suddenly furrowed his brow. "This piece... I can't quite make it out."

"It's old, a Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white plum blossom vase. Although it has a slight flaw, look at this base." The middle-aged man beside him flipped the vase over to show Chen's Father the bottom. "Look at this body clay. It's unmistakably authentic at first glance."

"That's true." Chen's Father nodded. "How much?"

"Eight hundred for you."

"Too expensive. It's flawed."

"Not expensive at all. Where can you find such a fine piece?" As the man spoke, he noticed Ye Shuang and the others standing to the side. "Oh, and these are..."

Perhaps hearing the man's words, Chen's Father finally looked up and noticed Ye Shuang and the others.

"Oh, Xiao Shuang, when did you arrive?"

"We just got here. Seeing you seemed busy, we didn't want to disturb." Ye Shuang smiled.

"Rou Mei, come, sit down quickly. Uncle was just too focused and didn't notice you." Chen's Father also greeted Bai Yuyou.

"Hello, Uncle."

At this point, Ye Shuang smoothly joined the conversation. "Uncle Chen, are you planning to buy this?"

"Yes, this is Master Zhou. He's quite knowledgeable about antiques." Uncle Chen introduced him. Perhaps noticing Ye Shuang staring at the vase, he smiled slightly,

"What do you think? Isn't this vase beautiful?"

"It is beautiful, but..." Ye Shuang stared at the vase, his tone hesitant.

[Item: Yuan Dynasty Blue-and-White Vase

High-quality imitation craftwork, welded old base, new, indisputably new]

"Oh, does this young brother understand such things?" The master beside them, perhaps seeing Ye Shuang's expression, gave a faint smile.

"Me?" Ye Shuang shook his head. "I don't understand these things. But I just have a feeling this vase looks a bit like the kind you see in supermarkets."

"Hahaha, of course not. This is Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white," Master Zhou said cheerfully. "It's nothing like those market stall goods."

"Mm." Chen's Father also nodded, though he felt it was a pity Ye Shuang didn't delve into this area. Otherwise, they'd have a shared hobby to discuss.

"No, that's not it." Ye Shuang shook his head. "I've seen an identical one, but this vase feels different."

Master Zhou's face stiffened slightly, and he began to explain, "How could that be? If that's true, then the vase you saw must have been a new one... Look at this base, look at these patterns..."

"Oh? Really? But I saw it in a museum. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me." Ye Shuang also smiled.

This statement, however, was extremely suggestive. Uncle Chen, being a shrewd man himself, seemed to sense something. He picked up the vase and showed Ye Shuang the bottom. "Xiao Shuang, look. At first glance, I don't see any major issues either. What do you think is different from the one in the museum?"

"I'm not very knowledgeable about this either, but this base... could it be attached? Is there such a technique?" Ye Shuang asked in a curious tone.

Chen's Father, whose own knowledge of antiques was limited, seemed to half-understand. "Oh, there is indeed a technique of attaching an old base."

At this moment, Master Zhou beside them could no longer sit still. "You're talking nonsense!"