The final three days were here, asking for monthly votes. Everyone please support Wang Guan as he heads back. Regrettably, even though the open auction had concluded, the afterglow of the consigned auction lingered.

Because the results of the private bids still needed to be announced one by one over the next few days.

He had placed bids too, so leaving now was naturally impossible.

With a sigh, Wang Guan followed Boss Yang and the others to congratulate An Shengxian for winning the title of 'Bid King.' It was a happy occasion, at least serving as publicity for the An family's jewelry business.

An Shengxian was exceedingly humble despite everyone's congratulations, though his face was certainly beaming.

After completing the winning bid procedures, he invited everyone to the hotel for a sumptuous feast.

What followed was waiting. The day after the open auction ended, the public auction management department released the first batch of successful bidders.

The scene truly resembled the posting of examination results in ancient times—some rejoiced, others worried.

However, the successful bidders were ultimately the minority; most people fell into the latter category.

"How was it? Did you win anything?" "Don't even mention it. We were only tens of thousands short. If only I had known earlier..." Instantly, conversations filled with regret echoed from every corner.

If there were a regret-curing medicine in the world, it would surely be explosively popular here.

"Brother Yang, I remember you bid on over a dozen lots on the first day. How many did you win?" "Two, by sheer luck!" Boss Yang replied, his expression a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Naturally, winning was cause for happiness, but only winning two out of more than ten bids left him unable to feel truly elated; instead, a faint melancholy lingered.

"Congratulations!" a bystander sighed, looking utterly dejected, realizing his entire effort had been wiped out.

Boss Yang, in turn, offered comfort. After a brief chat, he received a broadcast prompt and headed to the management office to finalize his winning bids.

It was then that Boss Yang was astonished to find Wang Guan among the successful bidders.

Considering that the public auction brought together merchants from various nations, the announced results listed only bidder numbers and the final amounts won.

Boss Yang naturally didn't know Wang Guan had won anything, so his shock upon seeing him in the office was immense.

Though he knew he shouldn't pry, Boss Yang couldn't resist. He walked over and whispered, "Brother Wang, you won a bid too?" "Just lucky."

Wang Guan smiled brightly. "You must have won as well. Congratulations!" "Same to you..." Boss Yang replied, but inwardly he suspected Wang Guan must have offered an extremely high price to secure his win, meaning it might not be good news but rather a significant loss.

Of course, even with such thoughts, Boss Yang wouldn't voice them, to avoid creating awkwardness.

This sentiment wasn't unique to Boss Yang. On the second day, another colleague won a bid and encountered Wang Guan in the office with the same thought. Then the third day... Secrets couldn't be kept forever. People noticed Wang Guan running to the public auction management department every couple of days, handling winning bid procedures daily.

Boss Yang and the others couldn't help but talk amongst themselves, inevitably sighing repeatedly.

They concluded that being a 'second generation' meant something; usually silent, yet willing to splash cash when it mattered most.

Naturally, they assumed he had incurred heavy losses.

No one thought well of Wang Guan's prospects; they unanimously believed he was definitely ruined financially.

However, since their acquaintance was still shallow, they couldn't discuss the topic openly in front of him. Nevertheless, the way they looked at him carried a distinct strangeness—the gaze reserved for a big spender being fleeced.

Wang Guan noticed the looks, but since no one brought up the subject directly to him, he was happy to play ignorant. He spent two or three days finalizing all the paperwork, finally ready to return to the capital.

As for the raw jade material he had secured, specialized companies would handle the shipping to his designated location.

Since they had traveled together, they naturally departed together.

Regardless of whether this trip had met their expected goals, their mood upon returning was remarkably similar—faces filled with relief and ease.

When the plane landed at the Capital Airport, despite a touch of excitement, everyone was overwhelmed by the fatigue of travel. After bidding each other farewell, they headed home separately.

Upon returning to the grand manor, Wang Guan lacked the energy for pleasantries. He briefly greeted Elder Qian and the others before collapsing into bed. He slept until the sun was high in the sky the next day before finally waking up refreshed, ready to distribute the gifts purchased in Myanmar one by one.

For Bei Ye, he presented a uniquely Burmese cosmetic: Thanaka powder. Danakha is a species of tree exclusive to Myanmar. Its dried branches are ground into a powder, mixed with water, and applied to the face. It is rumored to have cosmetic benefits and treat pimples and acne.

Women, no matter how naturally beautiful, still require upkeep. At least the Thanaka was a purely natural plant product, not a synthetic chemical, and thus trustworthy.

For Elder Qian, he brought Burmese sand paintings and lacquerware.

Lacquerware might be easier to understand, but sand paintings were known to fewer people.

Colored sand murals are a major specialty of Myanmar, created by painting with natural sandstone pigments. The process involves first sketching the pattern lines onto cloth, then applying glue, sprinkling a layer of fine sand, and once the sand is dry, coloring directly onto the sand itself. This completes a sand painting.

The subjects mainly featured motifs from ancient Buddhist murals and stories from local Burmese legends, such as Buddhist guardian deities, stories from the Buddha's life, celestial maidens scattering flowers, etc., all highly representative of the national style.

Sand paintings were not highly valued because they did not preserve well; hanging for long periods often caused them to deteriorate.

However, Elder Qian appreciated them, immediately asking Wang Guan to hang one in the hall as decoration.

"Right."

At the same time, Wang Guan took out the Eighteen Arhat prayer beads, smiling broadly. "While I was busy with other matters in Myanmar, I managed to procure a rather fine set of prayer beads. Elder Qian, please take a look and tell me how they are."

"Arhat strand?" Elder Qian glanced at them, somewhat surprised. "Prayer beads this large are indeed quite rare."

As he spoke, Elder Qian took the beads. As they settled in his hand, his expression subtly shifted, as if sensing something amiss, and he began to examine them very closely.

A moment later, he suddenly held the beads high, observing them under the bright sunlight, a knowing smile briefly touching the corner of his mouth.

"The older the ginger, the spicier it is," Wang Guan couldn't help but sigh upon seeing this. "Elder Qian, your reaction was too fast. I studied these beads for quite some time after acquiring them before noticing a slight anomaly."

"What, testing me again?" Elder Qian chuckled. "There was no need to study these beads at all. I could tell there was an issue at a glance."

"Oh?" Wang Guan paused, deferentially seeking instruction. "Elder Qian, please tell me what the problem is. I only felt the weight and feel were off; without studying them, I couldn't see any other issues."

"The holes in the center of the beads are too small."

Elder Qian smiled. "Look for yourself. Each bead is larger than an egg, but the stringing holes and the cord are too small and thin. It looks very disproportionate."

"Generally, beads this large should have holes the size of a pinky finger to be properly matched, but these beads have holes as thin as a toothpick. It naturally raises suspicion."

If anyone else had said this, it might have sounded like hindsight.

But Elder Qian sensed something was wrong the moment he touched the beads, clearly discovering the problem first before dissecting the beads' secret—that was the difference.

"That's why I say you are truly remarkable, Elder."

Wang Guan expressed his admiration. Thinking about it, the beads had likely been with Wu Gang for some years, yet he treated them as ordinary antique crafts, leaving them casually on a shelf without truly examining them, which explained why he never noticed their abnormality.

"Stop flattering me," Elder Qian casually rubbed one of the beads and then asked with a smile, "Since you noticed the anomaly, why didn't you break one open to look inside?"

"Being in a foreign country, it wasn't wise to act rashly," Wang Guan chuckled. "If there were some rare treasure hidden inside, it might not pass security checks."

"Your consideration is quite thorough," Elder Qian said happily. "But after uncovering the mystery, don't be too disappointed. As you mentioned, the beads feel slightly light, so they probably don't hold anything valuable—perhaps just some letters or something similar."

"I doubt it. When I weighed them individually, they felt somewhat solid."

"Perhaps they are filled with other materials."

As he spoke, Elder Qian signaled. "Let's stop guessing. Breaking one open will make everything clear."

"Alright."

Wang Guan nodded, took the prayer beads, and held them high against the light.

Under the bright sunlight, if observed closely, one could notice an anomaly in nine of the eighteen large beads.

Although all eighteen beads were coated in red lacquer, careful observation revealed clear seams where they were joined beneath the lacquer on nine of the beads.

This meant that nine of the beads were hollow, and the other nine were solid.

The alternating pattern of one hollow and one solid bead created a balance. Coupled with the possibility of something hidden inside the hollow beads, it made it easy to overlook the difference in weight between them.

At this point, Wang Guan took a small knife and gently scraped away the red lacquer on a hollow bead. The lacquer itself had already cracked slightly due to weathering, and the small knife made the pieces flake off, revealing the glued seams.

Wang Guan didn't intend to use brute force to crack the bead open. Instead, he scraped the lacquer off the other eight beads, then placed the entire string into a basin, and poured boiling water over them.

After soaking the beads in the high-temperature water for about ten minutes, Wang Guan fished them out. The seams on the hollow beads had softened, indicating that the adhesive had partially melted.

Seeing this, Wang Guan hesitated no longer. He picked up one hollow bead between two fingers and squeezed slightly. The hollow bead immediately cracked open, revealing a dull, unpretentious bead inside, about the size of a thumb tip.

"Huh?" Wang Guan muttered, looking inside. "Why is there another bead inside the bead?"