24: Chapter 24 Got Sniped_1 24: Chapter 24 Got Sniped_1 Editor: Henyee Translations Liu Chao on this side.
After hanging up the phone, his face looked incredibly ugly.
“Liu Chao, what’s wrong?” Chen Yuting asked.
“Damn it, that guy…” Liu Chao burst into a string of curses, about to spill the beans, when he realized sothing, stopped in ti, looked around, and took Chen Yuting to a corner.
Only when he was sure no one was around did he explain the situation.
“Is this how you make money?” Chen Yuting asked in shock.
She had never imagined that such trickery could be a part of the art appraisal event.
The so-called experts were deliberately identifying real items as fakes, and then having soone buy them to make money.
This was nothing less than taking people for fools.
“The world is just like this, many people are born to be mowed down, people like my grandfather and , we’re the ones doing the mowing.”
“It’s just that this ti, I don’t know which bastard bought the painting and took off; it’s infuriating.”
Shen Dong was truly enraged.
Thirty million!
Even though his family was wealthy, earning thirty million was no easy feat.
Money was earned bit by bit.
Moreover, with the recent surge in gold prices, his father had lost quite a lot by shorting gold.
“Did the other side say that the person who bought the painting was a young man who was pretty handso and spirited?” Chen Yuting inquired.
In her mind, she envisioned the figure of Shen Dong.
That description seed to fit Shen Dong perfectly.
Back when she and Shen Dong were a couple, that’s how so older people liked to describe him.
“That’s what the guy said, but how does that help find him?” Liu Chao was inwardly exasperated.
Handso and spirited—how was he supposed to find anyone with that?
There was simply no way to do it!
“We can’t find the person,” Chen Yuting was unwilling to believe that Shen Dong had bought the painting, so she didn’t share her guess.
Shen Dong didn’t know anything about antiques; it was impossible for him to have stumbled upon such a deal.
“I was thinking of bringing you in on this deal, offering you a ten percent share of the profits, but now there’s no chance,” Liu Chao sighed.
Hearing this, Chen Yuting felt a pang in her heart.
According to Liu Chao, the painting was worth at least thirty million.
If she were to get a ten percent cut, that would be three million.
If she invested those three million into Yaolai Technology stocks, as Liu Chao ntioned, and it increased tenfold, she could earn thirty million.
What a pity, all ruined by so unknown jerk.
However, this incident only solidified her determination to break into high society.
Only by getting into high society could she avoid being ‘mowed down’.
“Sigh, I’ll call Grandpa and tell him what happened,” Liu Chao sighed again, dialing Zhao Anhua’s number.
The call connected shortly afterwards.
“Xiaochao, how’s it going?” Zhao Anhua was resting in the lounge, drinking tea and smoking by himself.
Just him, alone.
“Grandpa, the painting was snatched away by soone else,” Liu Chao said bitterly.
“What!” Upon hearing this, Zhao Anhua imdiately flew into a rage.
He had finally co across a painting worth tens of millions, had risked ruining his reputation by deliberately misidentifying it as a fake.
He could have made at least thirty million from this sche.
But now, soone else had swooped in and snatched it away.
Was all his hard work done for soone else’s benefit?
“Grandpa, I called that Wu Feng, and he said…” Liu Chao briefly described the situation.
“Son of a bitch, if I find out who it is, I swear I’ll skin them alive,” raged Zhao Anhua, his expression twisted grotesquely, a far cry from his usual amiable deanor.
“Grandpa, we probably won’t be able to find this person.
They left no na and no distinct description.
It’s impossible to locate them,” Liu Chao said bitterly.
“If we can’t find them, so be it.
Let’s see if there’s still a chance,” Zhao Anhua took a few deep breaths before he managed to calm his emotions.
After hanging up the phone, he left the rest room and returned to the scene to continue appraising antiques, looking for soone he might swindle.
…
On Shen Dong’s end.
He got back to the hotel, opened “The Beacon Fire Map,” looked it over once again, and nodded satisfactorily before putting it away.
Then, he dialed Han Deming’s number.
The call quickly connected.
“Mr.
Han, I have a painting I’d like to sell.
Do you have so ti?” Shen Dong got straight to the point as soon as the call connected.
“Oh?
Whose painting is it?” Han Deming showed interest.
Shen Dong had imdiately recognized his small teapot as a work from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty.
Shen Dong’s paintings and calligraphy were sure to be genuine.
As long as they were genuine, they wouldn’t sell for a low price.
“It’s a Beacon Fire Map by Lu Kang, a painter from the Northern Song Dynasty,” Shen Dong said with a smile.
“What!
Beacon Fire Map by Lu Kang, a great painter from the Northern Song Dynasty!” Han Deming exclaid in shock.
No wonder he was so excited; after all, works by Lu Kang, a great painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, were highly sought after by collectors.
As long as they were available, they could usually fetch upwards of twenty million.
“Yes, are you interested?” asked Shen Dong.
He didn’t have a passion for collecting antiques.
For him, the most important thing right now was to make money.
Once he had accumulated enough money and reached a certain age, then he would consider collecting antiques.
“Of course, where are you?
Shall we et up and discuss this?” Han Deming asked.
“Let’s et at Chunhe Teahouse.
I’ll wait for you there,” Shen Dong said.
Chunhe Teahouse was next to the hotel he was staying at.
eting with Han Deming at Chunhe Teahouse seed like an appropriate venue.
“Alright, I’ll be there right away,” Han Deming said.
Half an hour later.
Shen Dong and Han Deming t in a private room at Chunhe Teahouse.
“Mr.
Shen, did you bring ‘The Beacon Fire Map’?”
As soon as they t, Han Deming asked eagerly.
“I brought it.
Take a look.
I believe it’s genuine, but I need you to check it out,” Shen Dong laid out the painting on a small table.
Han Deming imdiately began inspecting it and quickly murmured admiration, “It’s genuine, absolutely genuine.”
Then he added, “Mr.
Shen, our auction house is having an auction tonight.
Why not put it up for auction there?
Usually, you can get a better price at an auction.”
“No problem,” Shen Dong’s eyes lit up.
He hadn’t expected the coincidence of an auction happening just then.
It couldn’t get any better.
Although he had never been to an auction, he knew that paintings and calligraphy could fetch higher prices when sold at auction.
“Alright, then it’s settled.
However, before auctioning your painting, it will have to be appraised by the master appraisers at the auction.
After all, I’m not a professional; I’ve just been in this industry for more than a decade and have so eye for it.
The master appraisers will also use so other tools and instrunts for a more accurate appraisal,” Han Deming said.
“No problem,” Shen Dong naturally had no objections.
He was certain the painting was genuine and thus had no fear of it being appraised.
“Great, then co back with to the auction house,” Han Deming said as he put away the painting.
“Mr.
Han, are you very busy?
If not, how about we have a few cups of tea before we go?”
Shen Dong didn’t want to leave so quickly.
The tea here was quite good, and since it was expensive, it would be a waste not to enjoy so.
Reviews
All reviews (0)