“Why is it so noisy?” A stern voice echoed through the room.
An elderly man in his fifties or sixties slowly descended from the second floor.
“Boss, there’s a young man causing trouble in the shop. I’m trying to reason with him,” the shop assistant hurriedly explained, bowing and scraping.
“Causing trouble?” The old man narrowed his eyes. “Young man, Wangu Antiques is not a place where you can just stir up trouble.”
“Hmph!” Lin Hai was visibly annoyed.
“Do you just take his word for it? Treating customers like this—your shop probably won’t last much longer.”
“Xinyue, let’s go. We’ll find another shop. It’s not like Tang Bohu’s paintings are hard to sell,” Lin Hai said, taking Liu Xinyue’s hand and preparing to leave.
“Wait a moment,” the old man called out. “You’re saying you want to sell a Tang Bohu painting?”
Before Lin Hai could respond, the shop assistant interjected, “Boss, all of Tang Bohu’s existing works already have owners. For him to come here claiming to sell one—isn’t that just causing trouble? I think he’s probably a scammer.”
The old man’s face darkened.
“Young man, why not do something productive instead of trying to scam people? Do you think Wangu Antiques is an easy target?”
Lin Hai couldn’t help but laugh. This was ridiculous. He hadn’t even shown the painting yet, and he was already being labeled a fraud.
“That’s right, he’s definitely a scammer.”
At that moment, a mocking voice came from the entrance.
Hu Wei walked in, followed by Zhao Lei and Wang Ting.
“Lin Hai, stop pretending. A poor guy like you couldn’t possibly have anything valuable. What else could this be but a scam?” Wang Ting’s eyes were filled with disdain.
“Ah, Young Master Hu! Welcome!” The shop assistant immediately changed his demeanor, bowing and scraping to Hu Wei, a stark contrast to how he had treated Lin Hai.
“Xinyue, you’re here too,” Hu Wei said, completely ignoring the assistant and walking toward Liu Xinyue.
“Are we that close?” Liu Xinyue’s expression turned cold. With so many people calling Lin Hai a scammer, she was naturally upset.
“Let’s go,” Liu Xinyue said, taking Lin Hai’s arm and preparing to leave.
“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Hu Wei said, blocking their path. “Weren’t you here to sell a painting? A genuine Tang Bohu, no less. Why not show it to everyone and let us see for ourselves?”
Hu Wei’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.
By now, a crowd had gathered in the shop, and the mention of a Tang Bohu masterpiece caused an uproar.
“Good heavens, are young people these days really this full of themselves?”
“Tsk, trying to scam people without even doing their homework. All of Tang Bohu’s genuine works already have owners. How bold of him.”
“Trying to pull a fast one at Wangu Antiques? This kid’s in for a rough time.”
Hu Wei smirked at the crowd’s reactions. “Well? Do you dare to show it?”
Lin Hai shot Hu Wei a cold glare. It seemed the lesson he had given him in the practice room last time hadn’t been enough.
“I can show it to you, but if it’s genuine, what will you do?”
“Ha ha ha ha…” Hu Wei burst into exaggerated laughter. “Look at him, so serious, as if he really has a Tang Bohu masterpiece.”
The crowd joined in the laughter. Clearly, no one believed Lin Hai’s claim.
“Enough nonsense. If it’s genuine, what will you do?” Lin Hai pressed.
“Fine! If it’s real, I’ll take your surname!”
“No, no, absolutely not!” Lin Hai waved his hands dismissively. “If I had a son like you, my ancestors would probably rise from their graves to strangle me.”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Hu Wei’s face turned ashen, and he looked like he was about to spit blood.
“Damn it! If your painting is genuine, you can pick any item in Wangu Antiques, and I’ll pay for it!”
“Deal. And one more thing—you three will have to bark like dogs three times each, just like last time. No backing out this time,” Lin Hai said with a teasing smile.
“Fine. But if it’s fake, you’ll leave Xinyue and crawl out of here like a dog!”
“Deal!” Lin Hai snapped his fingers and walked to the long table in the center of the room with the painting case.
“Does anyone here have expertise in Tang Bohu’s works and can help authenticate this?” Lin Hai asked the crowd.
“Boss Du of Wangu Antiques is an expert. He can authenticate it,” someone suggested.
“Him?” Lin Hai glanced at the old man, who arrogantly lifted his chin. “Don’t worry, I can certainly tell the difference between real and fake.”
“Tch!” Lin Hai scoffed. “I trust Boss Du’s expertise, but I’m not so sure about his integrity.”
“You!” Boss Du trembled with anger. “Fine! If this turns out to be fake, you won’t leave Wangu Antiques in one piece!”
“Tch!” Lin Hai couldn’t care less. After taking the Foundation Establishment Pill, he had no fear of Wangu Antiques.
“Does anyone else here have the expertise to authenticate this?” Lin Hai asked again.
“I’ll help you authenticate it,” a voice came from the entrance.
“Ah, isn’t that Elder Wang?”
“With Elder Wang here, there’s no doubt about the authenticity.”
“Indeed, Elder Wang’s expertise is among the best in the country.”
Lin Hai turned to see a sprightly old man in his seventies entering, accompanied by a young man in his thirties.
“Young Master Ye, you’re here too,” Hu Wei said, scurrying over to the young man like a lapdog, his face plastered with a fawning smile.
“Hello, Young Master Hu,” Ye Ziyu nodded politely, which made Hu Wei even more obsequious.
“Elder Wang, your presence honors our humble shop,” Boss Du said, dropping his arrogant demeanor to greet the old man.
Clearly, Elder Wang was someone of great importance.
After exchanging pleasantries with the crowd, Elder Wang smiled at Lin Hai.
“Young man, please open your painting. I have some experience in authenticating Tang Bohu’s works.”
“May I ask who you are?” Lin Hai asked respectfully, given Elder Wang’s polite tone.
“Elder Wang is the vice chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association. He has authenticated three of Tang Bohu’s existing works,” Ye Ziyu explained before Elder Wang could respond.
“Wow, this old man is impressive. He’s authenticated three of Tang Bohu’s works?” Lin Hai felt reassured.
“In that case, please take a look, Elder Wang,” Lin Hai said, opening the wooden case and carefully unrolling the painting on the long table.
The crowd fell silent, craning their necks to get a better look.
“Pfft! Ha ha ha! This is hilarious. What kind of Tang Bohu masterpiece is this? It’s clearly a pornographic painting!” Zhao Lei was the first to burst out laughing.
“This is just too inappropriate.”
“Tsk, young people these days are so vulgar.”
Liu Xinyue was also examining the painting closely. She trusted Lin Hai completely and couldn’t believe he would try to pass off a fake. But when she saw the content of the painting, her face turned bright red.
“Lin Hai, you’re really going too far,” Liu Xinyue whispered, pinching his arm.
Elder Wang, however, remained unfazed by the commotion. He put on his glasses and leaned in close, meticulously examining the painting.
Those paying attention noticed that Elder Wang’s expression kept changing, growing more and more astonished.
After a long while, Elder Wang straightened up and removed his glasses.
“Elder Wang, don’t be upset. Young people these days are always looking for shortcuts to get rich quick.”
“That’s right, don’t bother with him. Just have Boss Du throw him out.”
Everyone seemed convinced that the painting was a fake.
“Ha! Lin Hai, what do you have to say for yourself now? Get ready to crawl out of here like a dog!” Hu Wei and Zhao Lei laughed uproariously, while Wang Ting wore a sinister smile.
Boss Du signaled to the assistant, ready to have Lin Hai thrown out as soon as Elder Wang declared the painting fake.
Lin Hai ignored the crowd, simply smiling at Elder Wang.
“Ah,” Elder Wang sighed after a long pause, and the room fell silent.
“Young man, name your price. I’ll take this painting.”
“What?!” Elder Wang’s words were like a thunderclap, leaving everyone in the room stunned.
“Elder Wang, you…”
“I said, I’ll take this painting!”