All in all, getting along with someone of this personality was fairly straightforward, because the rules were clear and simple. At heart, he was relatively pure and uncomplicated.
“President Pei is absolutely right.” Qiuyun was naturally delighted that Ruan Siheng was withdrawing from the ranks of the shareholders. “Once our company grows bigger and stronger, we certainly won’t need another Sun Guoping pointing fingers at us.”
Pei Cizhou smiled. “You really do enjoy watching the world burn, don’t you? If the game loses money, I won’t repay the money my brother invested. But if I borrow money from him, I’ll have to pay back every last cent.”
Qiuyun raised an eyebrow. “Does President Pei have no confidence in our game?”
He sighed. “I’m worried the chain of funding will break and all our efforts will come to nothing.”
Tsk.
What a big deal.
“How much are you still short, President Pei?” Besides her savings, she also owned an apartment in the capital, which she could mortgage to the bank for more than ten million yuan.
“To pursue perfection, there’s no upper limit, of course.”
“…”
Goodbye, then.
Since they were sailing on the open sea, there was no way to leave early. They would have to wait for the helicopter.
After standing on the terrace to enjoy the breeze for a while, the two of them went upstairs to the restaurant for dinner.
When they had finished eating, a small, creamy coffee-colored dessert was brought over. It was topped with cream, pecans, and a sprinkling of coconut flakes. Tiny, delicate, and lovely, it smelled wonderful even before it reached the table.
The waiter placed the French dessert plate in front of her, then took a small dessert fork from the tray and set it on the napkin before her.
Qiuyun gave a slight nod. Only after the waiter bowed and left did she elegantly pick up the 18-karat-gold fork.
“It was you who said my painting was fake!?”
The second before, she had been gazing at the dessert, ready to eat it. The next, a voice rang out, and she watched helplessly as a droplet of spittle landed squarely on it.
“…”
Qiuyun’s face turned green, and the hand holding the little fork trembled slightly.
After all, she rarely had the opportunity to dine at such a high-end cruise-ship restaurant on her own!
The dishes had all been excellent, and she had been just about to savor the dessert when this inexplicable man ruined it.
A flawless, fragrant pecan mousse—gone!
“Speak!” the man roared.
Pei Cizhou stood up and shoved him away. “Had too much to drink? Is this any place to cause a scene?”
The intruder wore a burgundy silk shirt. His cheeks were flushed, and the veins on his neck bulged. He looked drunk, but not at all depressed—instead, he seemed wildly exhilarated.
“It is fake.” Qiuyun looked up and said coldly, “If you don’t believe me, you can pay for an appraisal. Two hundred thousand yuan per appraisal, no bargaining.”
A few other rich young men, equally idle and unruly, hurried over from behind to break up the confrontation. But when they took a closer look, they recognized Pei Cizhou.
“Well, if it isn’t Young Master Pei! What brings you here?”
Pei Cizhou ignored them coldly. He turned to Qiuyun and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“Fine, two hundred thousand!” The man blocked their path. “If you can’t explain exactly why it’s fake, I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!”
Pei Cizhou’s expression darkened. “Zhang Licheng, are you trying to play the bully with me?”
The people beside him hurried to intervene. “Sorry, Young Master Pei. He’s had too much to drink. Don’t take it personally!”
Qiuyun simply displayed her payment QR code. “Pay up. I’ll appraise it.”
Pei Cizhou frowned. This group of spoiled second-generation heirs, who had nothing better to do and were rotten through and through, were not easy to deal with.
Qiuyun lowered her voice. “I’ll give you half afterward if you protect me.”
?
Pei Cizhou immediately agreed without hesitation. Of course he would!
The group returned to the second-floor exhibition hall inside the auction venue. Fan Zhongli’s Autumn Mountains Inquiry into the Dao hung forlornly on its stand.
After the disturbance just now, it was the only lot that had failed to sell.
Tsk. No wonder he was so furious.
Having accepted payment, Qiuyun didn’t waste any time. She extended her index finger and very lightly rubbed a patch of moss along the edge of the mountain rock, picking up a trace of extremely fine powder.
“A Northern Song scholar’s painting would have used malachite mixed with clam powder. After a thousand years, the pigment should have settled as deep and still as an ancient well.” She flicked the powder from her fingertip. “The color on this painting is too bright and superficial. It was clearly made by boiling sophora flowers with glue.”
Then she gently pinched the edge of the painting between her thumb and forefinger and lifted one corner slightly.
“Quiet. Listen carefully.”
The moment she released it, the silk fell back into place with an exceedingly faint crackle, like dry bamboo leaves breaking apart.
“Silk used for imperial mounting has densely woven warp threads and loosely woven weft threads. Even after a thousand years, it should still retain its resilience. But this sound is as brittle as the cheap silk sold on the street for two yuan.”
One of the onlookers who had come to watch the excitement asked, “Miss, how do you know the painting was mounted by the imperial workshop?”
Qiuyun pointed to the inscription. “Young Master Pei, what do you think of Emperor Huizong’s calligraphy?”
Pei Cizhou stepped forward as instructed. After studying it for a moment, he frowned. “It really is fake. Before he turned eighteen, Zhao Ji studied Xue Ji’s style, with strokes slender and vigorous like orchid leaves. After ascending the throne, he incorporated Huang Tingjian’s brushwork, making his characters expansive and graceful, like a crane in flight. The hooks in these few strokes are too forced in their lifting and pressing. They have only imitated the shape, not the spirit. It’s obviously a copy.”
Qiuyun continued, “The silk itself is indeed from the Northern Song period, and the carbon-14 dating is accurate. But the person who painted it was not Fan Kuan.”
So that was it.
The guests who had yet to leave secretly congratulated themselves. Fortunately, they had joined in the spectacle just now. Seeing how firmly she had spoken, they had decided it was better to be safe than sorry and had held back from placing their bids.
If some fool had actually bought it for five hundred million yuan, only to end up with a Northern Song imitation, that would have been a true disaster!
An elderly man with a head of white hair and a passion for ancient calligraphy and paintings stepped forward. “What is your surname, Miss?”
“My surname is Qiu.”
The old gentleman sighed admiringly. “Who would have thought that at such a young age, Miss Qiu would have eyes so sharp? Your insight has truly opened this old man’s eyes.”
Qiuyun remained modest. “I wouldn’t call it insight. It’s simply that technology is so advanced nowadays that most appraisers rely on scientific methods. This painting is so obviously fake, yet no one managed to see through it.”
The old gentleman praised her enthusiastically. “Miss Qiu truly has a discerning eye. Compared to scientific methods, this old man still prefers the judgment of an experienced appraiser. I wonder if I might trouble you to take a look at one of my paintings and tell me what you make of it?”
Nearby, Zhang Licheng’s face had gone black, his eyes brimming with fury.
Someone had used this painting as collateral for a gambling debt of one hundred and eighty million yuan!
And it was fake?
Now that he had brought the painting aboard to auction it, would that bastard really sit around and wait for him?
Damn it!
Qiuyun smiled professionally. “The appraisal fee is two hundred thousand yuan per piece. No bargaining.”
Just as the old man began to consider it, a steward approached. “The helicopter has arrived for you two.”
Qiuyun had been eager to leave. Before the old gentleman could say anything else, she said, “I’d be happy to appraise it for you another time if we get the chance. I have to go now.”
“Wait!” The old gentleman had someone beside him hand over a business card. “Give me a call when you have time!”
“Oh, all right.”
They came in a hurry and left just as quickly. After throwing the auction’s proceedings into chaos, the two-person team simply walked away, leaving Ruan Siheng’s assistant—who had been ordered to monitor the situation—to clean up the mess.
The assistant looked utterly miserable.
Young Master Cizhou had brought someone in, wrecked the event, and then left. From now on, the credibility of their auction house was bound to plummet!
If only the boss had ordered them to remove the painting on the spot!
