Chapter 14 The Antique Fair

• That gave Leo a shudder as though he had been bitten by a viper. His eyes glowed in terror.
• But he soon managed to repress it forcibly as he tried to retain the last bit of his dignity by not appearing fearful in front of Casper.
• “Take this as a warning. I don't care how you bully others in BU but you had better get lost and stay away as far as you can when you see me and whoever I am with, especially Lillian.”
• As he said that, Casper paced slowly toward Leo, hunkered down, and picked up the baton from the ground. He swung it in one hand and caught the other end of the baton with his other hand.
• “Otherwise, you'll end up just like this.”
• Crack!
• Before he even finished speaking, Casper exerted considerable force on both his arms and snapped the baton into two. Leo, together with his followers, stared at Casper in horror. Casper then tossed the broken baton pieces to the ground and left the alley.
• He went back to the dorm and as soon as he stepped in, Felix and the others surrounded him in a second and looked at him with a playful grin. They were eagerly waiting for him to spill the juicy details.
• “Casper, how's it? How close are you now?”
• “Did you confess your love?”
• “Did you hold hands?”
• “Did you kiss?”
• Cough, cough. ”Have you slept together?”
• Not knowing how to react, Casper rubbed his nose rather helplessly and resorted to a wry smile.
• “Can't you guys have purer thoughts?” Casper rolled his eyes and answered wearily.
• “Hey, Casper, we're nice enough to you, aren't we? Hehe, you don't need to thank us; that's what buddies are for. Anyway, Casper, you were incredible today!” Felix said in excitement.
• “You must have missed how godawful Leo looked when you shoved cash worth two hundred thousand at him, haha! Leo has always been the campus bully; I guess it was the first time that things went so badly for him. Casper, you're a real man! I bet you'll soon make a name for yourself on campus, don't you think?”
• Casper smiled wryly, but he could feel a current of warmth coming from within himself.
• The one year he spent at Business University was the most desolate time throughout Casper's life.
• In the eyes of others, Casper was just a penniless and pathetic boy unworthy of befriending. He was treated with either indifference or derision.
• Only the three people in front of him had stayed by his side even when he was in abject misery. They were always there to share whatever fortune or misfortune with him.
• It had been that way in the past, and it was still true now.
• “Oh, right, Casper!” It was then that Remy was reminded about something, so he called out to Casper rather sternly.
• “When we returned just now, someone came to our dorm looking for you.”
• “Someone was looking for me?” Casper was a little puzzled.
• “Oh, yes, that's right!” Felix and Colton added as they seemed to have remembered something, too.
• “We've almost forgotten about that. When we came back to the dorm just now, two people were standing outside waiting; they said they've come to see you. We told them you were occupied with some other things and wouldn't be back so soon, so they left a contact number and told us to remind you to call them when you're back.”
• With that, Colton took out his phone, scrolled for a number in his contacts, and showed it to Casper.
• “That's the one.”
• As Casper's gaze fell on the series of unfamiliar digits, the bewilderment within him grew even stronger.
• “What do the two people look like? Do you remember?”
• “Both were in suits and have crew-cuts. One of them was tall and slim with a hooked nose while the other appeared sturdier, wearing a pair of sunglasses and didn't speak a word throughout,” Colton described.
• Casper pondered for a while but shook his head in the end.
• He had totally no impression of the two men Colton described to him. Apparently, he had never met them.
• Nevertheless, he was perplexed to know that someone was looking for him. After all, he had been living in obscurity as a nobody for a year in Horington under the horribly restricting training program of his old man.
• Hold on, something isn't right...
• Thinking of that, a familiar figure flashed across Casper's mind.
• “Colton, send me the number,” said Casper as he reached into his pocket and drew out his phone.
• “Sure!” Colton answered.
• As soon as Casper unlocked his phone, he saw the text message sent by Colton. He copied the number and made a call at once.
• “Beep... Beep...”
• The phone rang twice before it was picked up on the other end.
• “Hello?” Casper started tentatively.
• “Hehehe...”
• A light-spirited yet seductive laugh came from the other side. The voice alone was enough to make Casper's hair stand on end and render him speechless.
• “It's really you, young man. My subordinates told me that you won't be able to return the call so soon. But here you are, calling back in no time. You miss me, don't you? Hahaha...”
• He listened to the sultry voice that could tingle one's bones and smiled wryly, feeling blood stirring in his veins.
• “Ms. Stalling, what's the matter?” Casper took the initiative to ask why she was looking for him. He could not imagine what Victoria would say if he continued to let her speak her mind.
• “Why? So you're of the opinion that something must have happened for me to contact you?”
• Victoria's reproachful and questioning tone could be heard over the phone. From sensually alluring to tearfully pitiable, she could really melt someone's heart.
• Cough. ”Ms. Stalling, stop joking.”
• “Oh, you're such a heartless boy. I asked around specifically for your whereabouts and finally got in touch with you. We've only chatted for a while and you're already impatient!”
• At that moment, Victoria was comfortably leaning her hourglass-shaped body against the rocking chair. Her fair gams were hidden under her gown and her legs were crossed at the ankles. Her slightly sorrowful pout was fascinating and graceful but no one had the honor to appreciate such beauty with his eyes.
• Ahem.
• Casper coughed dryly and didn't know how to answer her. Victoria is such a vixen; I bet very few men could subdue her.
• “Hahaha... All right, all right! In fact, I have something to ask you about.” As if she could sense Casper's emotion, Victoria giggled and eventually stopped teasing Casper. She went straight to the point.
• “Haha, Ms. Stalling, you must be kidding. You're the owner of Victoria's Chamber and I'm only an ordinary university student. If even you can't resolve something, how could I?” Casper answered tactfully as he chuckled.
• “Don't turn me down so fast! I'm not asking you to help solve a problem,” Victoria replied casually. “I'm inviting you to attend an event together with me.”
• “What event is that?” Casper asked curiously.
• “The antique fair.” Victoria lowered her voice and enunciated each syllable as though she was whispering and releasing her tender breath right into Casper's ear.
• A gleam flashed across Casper's eyes and he squinted.
• As one of the potential successors of the Simpson family, Casper certainly knew what an antique fair was.
• Not only did he know what it was, but he had also attended one with his grandfather in Yaleview two years ago. Normally held once a year, the fair was a function that gathered countless antique lovers, collectors, and dealers. There was also an independent market within the fair where people could trade and browse through the items.
• In fact, the highlight of the fair was its auction.
• Horington was just a fringe city of Vertsilver; it wasn't even the administrative center. Regardless of the scale of Horington's antique fair, the number of attendees there could never rival the one Casper had visited in Yaleview.
• Nevertheless, Casper had been given a test by his family whereby he had to generate an income of a billion in a year.
• That meant that Casper not only had to acquire assets in the shortest time possible, but he also had to build his own network of connections.
• The antique fair would be a great opportunity for him to get acquainted with some influential figures and the upper class of Horington. Meanwhile, he could also take advantage of this chance to venture into the local antique market and make something of himself. That would certainly help him succeed in his test.
• “So? Are you interested?” Victoria's voice, coated with an ambiguous laugh, rang from the other end again.
• “I've specially invited you. You won't turn me down, will you?”
• “When is it?” Casper took in a deep breath and asked.
• “A month later.”
• “Sure!” Casper agreed without a second thought.
• “Hahaha! Well, I shall see you then!”
• Beep—
• As soon as she finished speaking, the call ended from the other side.
• “Casper.” Victoria lay back in her rocking chair and rested her head on her palm. She then ran her other hand up from the tip of her fair and tender toes along the curve of her body, whispering Casper's name with a widened smile.
• “A sophomore at Horington's Business University with nothing else in his profile before that. What an interesting young man.”
• “Wow! Ca-Casper, could it be... Could it be Victoria over the phone just now? The owner of Victoria's Chamber?”
• As Casper hung up the call, Colton asked in awe from the side.
• “Yep.” Casper nodded.
• “Oh, my! That woman actually took the initiative to contact you?” Felix's eyes widened in amazement as well. “What did I tell you! She's interested in you, isn't she?”
• “You're thinking too much.” Casper gave Felix a helpless smile, after which a peculiar glint flashed across his own eyes. “That woman isn't as simple as you'd think.”
• Felix scratched his head in perplexity. He could feel that the Casper with whom he had lived for a year seemed to have grown overnight into someone he hardly knew.
• Well, I guess it's normal. Anybody would have to take some time to adjust if his dormmate for a year suddenly turns into a billionaire.
• Just then, the phone Casper had just put back into his pocket vibrated. He took it out and glanced at it. It was a notification from one of the applications on his phone, which Casper would normally ignore.
• Nonetheless, his eyes brightened up as he saw it.
• It was a notification from the live stream application which he had just installed, notifying him of his goddess' live stream!