Chapter 1: The Bet
The night before my wedding, my fiancé put me on the gambling table. We were in a private club at the top of a tower, playing the antique world's favorite drinking game: bet on authenticity. A Song-dynasty brush washer, a damaged scroll, an old seal of unknown origin. Whoever guessed wrong paid a forfeit. Whoever won set the next stake. When it was Su Yan's turn, she rested her fingers on the seal and smiled at my fiancé, Lu Chengjun. "Brother Chengjun, if I win, you owe me one thing." He swirled his glass without looking up. "Fine. We are all friends here. If you cannot afford to play, do not sit at the table." I sat beside him, my fingers curling. Su Yan lifted the cloth and said, "I bet this seal is genuine, from the Old Collection." Several faces changed. The Old Collection was the centerpiece of the exhibition we were opening after the wedding. It was also the foundation of Lu Chengjun's reputation. Everyone thought she was insane. Lu Chengjun looked at the seal and smiled. "You win." The room went silent. Su Yan set down her glass and turned to me. "Then my request is simple. Cancel tomorrow's wedding. Give me the position of chief curator." I stared at Lu Chengjun. He did not look at me. He tucked a strand of hair behind Su Yan's ear and said, "A bet is a bet." Three years ago he had told me that the one thing he would never gamble was me. I understood now. He would not gamble me. He would simply use me as a chip when the pot was large enough. My phone buzzed. A man who almost never messaged me had sent one line: "Shen Jibai: If you do not marry anyone else before you turn twenty-eight, marry me."