031 Telling lies with your eyes open

Zhang Ziwen chuckled inwardly, seeing that Liu Zhan clearly couldn't discern the value of the watch. This watch had been passed down for two generations starting from his grandfather. It was indeed a Patek Philippe mechanical watch made during World War II, extremely accurate with an error margin of less than 1 second. It was a top-tier brand, something valuable left to him by the older generation.

But even if collectors took interest, its value wouldn't exceed 30,000 RMB. Unlike what Liu Zhan imagined, who often thought of collector's watches fetching hundreds of millions of dollars, those were meticulously handmade limited editions crafted over three years. This Patek Philippe was a mass-produced model from the World War II era, yet its age and reputation were enough to bluff this second-generation rich kid.

Zhang Ziwen put the returned watch back on, smiling as he asked, "So, Mr. Liu, can you make anything of this watch? If it weren't for its precise timekeeping, I'd be used to wearing it. This old thing really shouldn't be shown off."

As Zhang Ziwen expected, Liu Zhan couldn't accurately judge the true value of this antique watch. He awkwardly smiled, "Maybe I have poor eyes. I can't see anything special, but this watch looks like it's been around for a while. Its value shouldn't be low."

Yang Qian sneered on the side, "Wearing such an inconspicuous watch, aren't you afraid it'll lose its value?" Her tone was mocking, feeling unsatisfied when Liu Zhan suggested it might not be valuable.

Zhang Ziwen nodded with a smile, "True, this old watch loses value when worn. Can't help it, a friend pawned it to me, can't toss it anywhere else. If it gets lost, it's hard to say. It's worth a few bucks anyway."

"A few bucks? He Li, really? Aren't you always saying your boyfriend's remarkable? Getting all worked up over just a few bucks?" Yang Qian couldn't wait to provoke He Li directly, thinking Zhang Ziwen was nothing special.

He Li smiled without saying a word, just gazing at Zhang Ziwen with those beautiful eyes, waiting to see how he'd respond. She started feeling nervous, squeezing his waist hard, signaling him to handle it well and not mess up.

Zhang Ziwen felt a sharp pain around his waist, cursing inwardly. His expression had to stay smiling, though he felt a bit indignant. He pinched He Li's soft waist a bit too, not daring to use much force. Even so, He Li was secretly resentful and increased her grip.

Seeing both of them smile and remain silent, Yang Qian disdainfully said, "What's the matter? Feeling embarrassed? Even a few bucks are money. Let us help estimate it, so you don't get taken advantage of by your so-called friend."

With both Zhang Ziwen and He Li constantly making subtle movements around each other's waists, Zhang Ziwen ended up suffering. Amidst the waves of pain, he finally gave in. He dared not retaliate hard, maintaining a smile to deal with Yang Qian's provocation.

"That's right, just a few bucks, maybe a couple hundred thousand. It's embarrassing to say. But it's a beloved item of a friend, so it needs to be kept safe for a while," he managed to say, albeit attacked by He Li's fierce grip behind his waist. It hurt, burning like fire, and Zhang Ziwen silently lamented.

Seeing Zhang Ziwen's eyes, Yang Qian's contempt grew. She knew her fiancé's Rolex Oyster Perpetual gold watch from the limited edition of 2005 was worth 2.8 million RMB.

She heard Zhang Ziwen say the watch was only worth a couple hundred thousand, feeling pleased. Mocking He Li, she said, "He Li, your boyfriend isn't that great after all. You talk about him so highly, like he's some big shot. Turns out he's just like this, getting worked up over a couple hundred thousand. If it were me, I wouldn't even blink throwing it in the water. Talking about safeguarding it for a friend, what's there to safeguard?"

When Yang Qian said this, even several old classmates nearby thought she was disrespecting He Li too much. Many of these old classmates knew a bit about Yang Qian and He Li's past grievances, but this remark was a bit too much. You invited someone, even if you're dissatisfied with He Li, you shouldn't embarrass her boyfriend.

Liu Zhan, on the other hand, had a sinister smile, watching his fiancée's performance from the side. It seemed he also wanted to embarrass He Li. He still regretted not getting her back then and was jealous seeing her so intimate with Zhang Ziwen. Yang Qian's mockery suited his intentions perfectly.

Zhang Ziwen was annoyed. He hadn't interacted with many wealthy people before. Most portrayals of wealthy heirs and heiresses in movies and TV are negative, with sharp and snarky attitudes, strong class consciousness. They act all arrogant as if they own the world. But those are just portrayals. Zhang Ziwen didn't believe in them much. Today, he finally encountered a real live one. This rich fiancée before him had shallow knowledge and spoke in a sharp, snarky manner. Insulting himself wasn't a big deal, but he couldn't tolerate this woman mocking He Li in front of everyone.

Zhang Ziwen disdainfully smiled at Yang Qian, "Miss Yang is quite something, casually throwing away things worth a couple hundred thousand into the water. I can't do that. The older generation often taught me, you can do anything, just don't become a wastrel. But I'd like to see Miss Yang's extravagance." Zhang Ziwen took off the watch and said to her, "This watch isn't very valuable, about 800,000 RMB. I'll give you a discount, 600,000 euros just to play with it. The discounted price of over 200,000, consider it my entertainment fee."

Zhang Ziwen handed the watch to Yang Qian with a mocking look, cursing in his heart, "So much money, huh? Damn! Look how I'll outsmart you."

Yang Qian froze. Did he say it was tens of thousands in euros? This unassuming watch in front of her was worth over 800,000 euros? Converted to RMB, wasn't that over 8 million? Was this for real? Yang Qian started feeling a bit flustered, looking to Liu Zhan for help with her eyes.

Liu Zhan cursed Yang Qian inwardly for being shallow. Couldn't she say something nicer? Saying she'd throw money into the water wasn't very tactful. But as her fiancé, he couldn't just stay silent. He chuckled awkwardly and said to Zhang Ziwen, "Mr. Zhang, it would be a shame to toss such a good item away. Little Qian was just joking. You didn't take it seriously, right? Mr. Zhang is right, though. Whatever you do, never become a spendthrift."

The richer someone is, the less likely they are to joke about money. Liu Zhan might be a second-generation rich kid, but throwing away millions was beyond him. Besides, he wasn't sure if the watch was really worth that much, and he couldn't bring himself to confirm it, losing face. Yang Qian was immature, but he couldn't afford to be shallow like her.

Zhang Ziwen took back the watch, smiled, and said, "Oh, just kidding? I wondered who in the world would casually throw money away. Isn't that just being foolish?"

That was harsh enough. He enjoyed teasing Yang Qian, seeing her embarrassed and angry face, feeling satisfied.

On the side, He Li gazed at Zhang Ziwen with seemingly affectionate eyes. Normally scolded by her like a little lamb, he was now blabbering nonsense to tease others. Was this still her naive little brother? He Li murmured in her heart as her jade hand unconsciously gently rubbed the place where she had pinched him fiercely earlier. The burning pain turned into a gentle caress. Zhang Ziwen was so relieved from the pain that he almost sighed in relief.

Liu Zhan secretly resented Zhang Ziwen's sarcasm but maintained a poker face. Smiling superficially, he said, "Mr. Zhang, you're quite humorous. Those who do big things are indeed different. I wonder, Mr. Zhang, where did you make your fortune? Maybe we have a chance to cooperate in business and make a fortune together."

Liu Zhan seemed slippery, subtly steering the conversation back to Zhang Ziwen. This maneuver relieved the previous awkwardness and allowed him to probe a bit.

Zhang Ziwen felt a headache coming on. He pretended to ponder for a moment and said, "Cooperation? Well, there might not be such an opportunity. Making money like this may not be something we could do together." Zhang Ziwen quickly searched for a profitable industry.

His pretense annoyed Liu Zhan, who itched to find out more. "Mr. Zhang, in the business world, the more friends, the more paths. Since we are both businessmen, saying there's no chance to cooperate, isn't that underestimating our Liu Group?"

"I didn't mean that. It's just that my business may not suit you well. Hehe, Mr. Liu, you're exaggerating," Zhang Ziwen thought of something and prepared to scare him.

"Not suitable? Mr. Zhang, you're really joking. There are many industries that our Liu Group is involved in. I don't know of any industry that wouldn't suit us. Even if it's a new industry, as long as it has a future, our group might be interested in investing. Money isn't a problem. We can easily bring out several billion," Liu Zhan boasted proudly.

Liu Zhan's words were quite grand, almost showing off. The Liu Group lacked nothing but money, dealing with millions or even billions was indeed impressive.

"Well, my business might not be something you can handle, hehe," Zhang Ziwen chuckled. "Mr. Liu, let's forget about it."

Zhang Ziwen found it amusing. "Kid, wait and see how I show you the ropes in my marine business."