Murong Jie threw his head back and laughed. His arrogance echoed across the polished marble mezzanine of the Imperial Jade Pavilion. He pulled out a black-and-gold titanium charge card, waving it between two fingers for all thirty wealthy antique collectors to see.
“Look at this, everyone!” Murong Jie shouted, puffing out his silk-clad chest. “This is the Murong Clan’s supreme corporate credit line! Unlimited overdraft! Zero spending restrictions in any banking district in the country!”
He turned toward his girlfriend Lili, pinching her heavily powdered cheek with a greasy grin.
“Go ahead, baby,” Murong Jie purred loudly. “Pick out whatever you want from the master cabinet. Show this small-town upstart what real provincial wealth looks like.”
Lili squealed in delight, tossing her dyed chinchilla fur over her bare shoulders. She sashayed over to the central glass pedestal, pointing her long, crimson-polished fingernail at an exquisite antique ornament.
Inside the velvet-lined case rested a Han Dynasty dragon belt-hook carved from translucent white nephrite jade. The gold price tag beside it read: ¥30,000,000 RMB.
“I want this dragon belt-hook, Jie!” Lili cried, clapping her hands. “It will look magnificent pinned to my evening gown at tomorrow’s provincial film gala! Every actress on the red carpet will turn green with envy!”
