"Fake painting?"
Many people showed strange expressions when they heard Ye Guichen's voice.
Chen Longxiang was even angrier and pointed at Ye Guichen, shouting, "What makes you say this is a fake painting?"
Chen Ziran intended to stop it, but it was too late.
Ye Guichen stood up, "If I say it's fake, then it is fake."
"Haha, what a joke." Chen Longxiang laughed loudly; he never thought that before he could confront Ye Guichen, Ye Guichen would step up himself.
Chen Longxiang laughed scornfully.
This painting was given to him by his man, and it was authenticated by a renowned expert; it couldn't be more genuine.
Now Ye Guichen is saying it's fake—what a clown.
"Alright, since you say it's fake, let's trouble Mr. Zhou to authenticate it, and let you see the truth." Chen Longxiang said, bowing towards a certain direction, "Mr. Zhou, please."
"Mr. Zhou?"
The crowd turned to look in that direction.
Upon seeing, they immediately gasped.
"It's Mr. Zhou Huairen."
"Didn't expect Mr. Zhou Huairen to be here, the Chen Family really has some pull."
"The Zhou Family has been a reputable name for a century, especially Mr. Zhou Huairen, whose eyes have never been wrong."
Many stood up, bowing to Mr. Zhou Huairen as a sign of respect.
Zhou Huairen slowly stood up and walked to the painting, first smiling at Ye Guichen, "Mr. Ye, we meet again."
Ye Guichen nodded slightly.
He didn't expect to see Zhou Huairen, as he once saved his life in a mall, and they hadn't met since.
Following Zhou Huairen was a girl around sixteen or seventeen.
The girl blinked at Ye Guichen, sweetly saying, "Big brother, Grandpa keeps talking about you. Why haven't you come to see us?"
The crowd exchanged strange looks after hearing this.
They never expected that Zhou Huairen would know Ye Guichen.
Chen Longxiang felt uneasy, "Mr. Zhou, you know each other?"
If Zhou Huairen sided with Ye Guichen and said his painting was fake, wouldn't that be troublesome?
Zhou Huairen seemed to read Chen Longxiang's thoughts and smiled slightly, "Mr. Chen, rest assured, although Mr. Ye once saved my life, I would never lie about antiques. I cherish my reputation."
With that, he nodded to Ye Guichen, took out a magnifying glass, and began to examine the painting.
Hearing Zhou Huairen's words, Chen Longxiang finally felt relieved.
Many people admired Zhou Huairen.
"Mr. Zhou truly lives up to his reputation, deserving of respect."
"Indeed, he truly embodies the word 'esteemed'."
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Zhou Huairen's verdict.
After about ten minutes, Zhou Huairen looked up, clicking his tongue in admiration, "Rare, truly rare, each character here is unique. The strokes are sharp, as if written by a hundred different people, but with a certain vigor. To my knowledge, no one can replicate such writing these days."
At these words, Chen Longxiang became excited, "Mr. Zhou, does this mean the painting is undoubtedly genuine?"
"Of course!" Zhou Huairen smiled at Ye Guichen, "Mr. Ye, although I don't understand why you claim this painting is fake, based on my years of experience, it's unquestionably real!"
Ye Guichen chuckled.
How could he not know if the painting was fake or real?
Three years ago, out of boredom, Ye Guichen himself wrote this painting and made it look old. Later, it disappeared.
He never expected it to reappear before him now.
"Haha, Mr. Zhou, since you say it's real, then it's real." Ye Guichen laughed and turned to return to his seat.
Seeing an opportunity, Chen Longxiang wouldn't let Ye Guichen off easily, "Ye Guichen, by your words, do you not accept Mr. Zhou's appraisal?"
Ye Guichen ignored Chen Longxiang and said to Zhou Huairen, "Mr. Zhou, please take a closer look at the inscription."
"Huh?" Zhou Huairen was stunned, his face showing curiosity, but he still looked at the inscription again.
Earlier, he had focused on the characters and hadn't examined the inscription closely.
Upon seeing it now, Zhou Huairen's face changed instantly, and his voice trembled, "This, this... sigh..."
With a long sigh, Zhou Huairen felt embarrassed, "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, I didn't expect to make a mistake today. This painting is fake."
"What?" The crowd was shocked.
Chen Longxiang's face turned pale, "Mr. Zhou, please don't joke with me."
"Haha, who's joking with you?" Ye Guichen grabbed the painting and tore it apart.
The scene erupted.
No one had time to stop him.
Chen Longxiang shouted, "Stop, this painting is invaluable. How could you afford the loss if you tear it?"
However, it was too late.
Ye Guichen's tear ripped the painting into pieces, and among them was the piece with the inscription.
"Haha, Chen Longxiang, you fool, is this the real painting?"
At that moment, a layer peeled off from the torn section, revealing a hidden note: "Whoever buys this painting is a fool."
Chen Longxiang was stunned, grabbing the piece with the note, "Impossible, damn it, impossible!"
"Haha, the facts speak for themselves, fool." Ye Guichen cursed and returned to his seat.
Zhou Huairen, feeling extremely awkward, bowed to the crowd and quickly returned to his seat.
His mind, however, was in turmoil.
That hidden layer would be missed without careful inspection. If not for Ye Guichen's hint, Zhou Huairen was sure he would have failed.
He couldn't understand how Ye Guichen knew, but decided to find out.
Knowing Ye Guichen's unmatched medical skills, now realizing he also knew antique appraisal, he was determined to learn from him.
Ye Guichen's revelation not only spared Zhou Huairen from embarrassment but protected his reputation.
Unconsciously, Zhou Huairen's gratitude and admiration for Ye Guichen grew.
At such a young age, handling things so thoroughly, he was truly unparalleled.
"Grandma, I, I..." Holding the piece with the revealing note, under the mocking eyes of the crowd, Chen Longxiang looked like a real fool.
He didn't think his man would deceive him, so the only possibility was that even the man didn't know the painting was fake.
"Alright, that's enough." The old lady's smile gradually faded.
Initially in a good mood, she now felt distressed by this farce.
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