Han Lie really used a purple clay teapot from Master Gu Jingzhou to slowly brew a pot of tea for Pan Dajun.

In terms of tea artistry, he wasn't worthy of the teapot, but Pan Dajun, being a relatively knowledgeable person, was already mesmerized upon seeing the complete tea set.

"Teacher Han, this set of tea utensils is truly extraordinary!"

Pan Dajun quietly switched his way of addressing Han Lie to "Teacher Han" and using a more respectful "you," not because of the tea set, but because of the conciliatory attitude Han Lie had demonstrated.

Since there was a great opportunity to truly resolve the hidden troubles, Pan Dajun naturally was willing to lower his stance and hold Han Lie in high regard.

Why hadn't he lowered his stance before?

Because before Han Lie had made his position clear, he had to stand firm.

Peace and respect are not begged for; thus, he could only prove his confidence and courage by maintaining his dignity.

Now that he had been promised peace and the respect he deserved, he could naturally soften his approach.

The delicate mastery of the situation was simply astounding.

Han Lie was inwardly moved, yet his conversation didn't lag, and he asked with interest, "Oh? I only know it's a work by Master Gu Jingzhou, and the friend who gave it to me doesn't really understand either. So, is it valuable?"

Pan Dajun's smile suddenly stiffened; he felt this was completely outrageous.

Valuable?! You're asking me if Master Gu Jingzhou's full Nine-Piece Chanting Plum tea set is valuable?! To tea lovers and purple clay pot collectors, it's not a question of being valuable or not—it's more important than life itself!

Huaxia's tea culture has a long and storied history. Tea collecting might seem like a niche circle, but in reality, it's the opposite; its market is far larger than those for red wine, walnuts, bead strings, Western art, and the like.

Truly high-end individuals spend far less time entertaining with alcohol than they do with tea.

Therefore, business leaders of even a slightly higher echelon are highly likely to be fond of tea.

It's elegant, healthy, and possesses cultural charm. Furthermore, it aligns with the spiritual core of the nation's people, leading directly to the high demand for premium tea and high-end tea utensils.

A purple clay pot by Gu Jingzhou, to put it simply, could fetch a price as high as one hundred million RMB, and most of the time, you can't even buy one, even if you have the money.

Such objects also increase in value over time. They can be passed down for three to five hundred years without being affected by external factors, far more resilient to the test of time than the Star of Romance Han Lie had bought.

And this Nine-Piece Chanting Plum tea set is also a gem among Mister Gu's works.

How can this be just about being rare or not? This is a collector essentially giving you their lifeblood! Don't understand? Listen to his nonsense! Someone who doesn't understand would never possibly receive such a set! Without a sufficiently impressive identity, status, and a solid circle of fellow collectors, why would anyone give such a complete set of treasures to your friend?! Impossible, you understand?!

Pan Dajun could see that Han Lie wasn't lying, and this made it all the more astounding.

What kind of relationship or benefit must it take for a collector to insist on giving you a master's artwork and still pretend not to know its value or feel the pain of parting with it? Good grief, could it be that they need your help with a business deal worth tens of billions?!

At this moment, Pan Dajun had clearly let his imagination run wild.

In fact, the giver, Pan Ge, really didn't understand its value. However, the one who did, Panzi, was truly gutted—more than just gutted; his spleen, lungs, stomach, liver, gallbladder, gums, lymph nodes, and duodenum were all aching!

Just today, when Panzi woke up, he found blisters on his tongue and his urine was dark yellow!

The thought of his precious collection being carelessly used by Han Lie, who knew nothing about tea, to brew some nonsensical loose-leaf tea, left him so drained of energy that he had no strength even to eat porridge, sighing all the while.

"Act normal! How is this such a big deal?!" Zhao Anni scolded sharply.

Panzi, looking listless, lifted his head and gave his wife a glance. With a weak retort, he stunned her into silence, "You have a carbuncle on your forehead..."

Zhao Anni was shocked. Forgetting her meal, she hurried to the vanity mirror to check thoroughly.

Within seconds, she furiously grabbed a duster and stormed up to the second floor of the villa...

SMACK!

OW!!!

"What time is it, and you're still not out of bed? You're so lazy! Don't you know we have to pay respects to Grandpa and Grandma today?!"

...

Poor Pan Ge received a baffling beatdown; neither acting spoiled nor cute helped her case.

It was also her fault for being too carefree. Not only did she mess with Panzi's treasure, but she even dared to touch a prized possession that Queen Zhao Anni herself was reluctant to wear.

In the midst of the chaos, all the blame landed on Han Lie's shoulders.

Well now, the entire family of three was filled with grievances against Han Lie, just waiting to go to his place and give him a piece of their mind.

Tsk, interesting.

...

At the Han Family's residence, Pan Dajun's attitude had become even more earnest and respectful.

It wasn't that he hadn't been sufficiently earnest and respectful before; rather, Pan Dajun had revised his estimation of Han Lie's capabilities, influence, and authority, causing a few more notches of wariness to grow in his heart.

Putting himself in their shoes, Pan Dajun thought simply: If I owned this tea set, to whom would I be willing to give it? Someone who could definitely help me overcome a difficult situation. The top dogs in Dream City's various major enterprises? No way, directly giving money is much simpler, and they can't do anything right now anyway; they're powerless to help. The big boss of Dream City's Chamber of Commerce? If I could borrow 2 billion RMB at a low interest rate, it might not be out of the question...

With such comparisons, the extent of Han Lie's power became quite obvious.

Absolutely preposterous!

As Pan Dajun marveled, he started today's conversation, beginning with the purple clay pot.

The trivial and uninformative small talk went on for about half an hour. During this time, Pan Dajun did not neglect Han Yong. He appropriately poured tea, offered a cigarette, and cracked a joke, yet without waiting for Han Yong's response, allowing Old Han to feel very comfortable.