Zhou Shenping’s gaze sank. Taking a sip of tea, he stealthily exchanged a glance with his son.
The latter caught the hint, slammed the table, and stood up, pointing at Yang Fan’s nose while barking, "Damn it, you playing me, kid? I’m not selling this brush pot anymore. I’m giving your money back—now give me back that painting!"
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to snatch the painting.
To his surprise, before he could even touch it, Yang Fan grabbed his arm and brought him to a dead stop.
"Young Master Zhou, we just finished the deal—money paid, goods delivered. Now that you see it’s a treasure, you want it back? Where in the world does that kind of logic exist?"
Yang Fan’s expression remained flat, his slow, steady tone exerting even more pressure. "If you aren’t convinced, let’s take this to the Fengcheng Antiquities Association and let the President judge who is right!"
"Screw you, I’m going to kill you today..."
Zhou Lin was on the verge of exploding. Just as he was about to lash out, a sharp, angry voice rang out from behind him!
"Stop!"
The command drew everyone’s attention to the entrance of Brocade Pavilion, where a striking figure was walking in.
She looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven, tall and slender with cool, sharp features. Though she was exceptionally beautiful, she carried an air of chilling distance that warned others to keep their guard up.
Trailing behind her was an elderly man in plain robes.
The man appeared to be in his late sixties or seventies, with white hair and a long beard. A high-quality jade ring adorned his thumb. Just standing there, he exuded a sense of gravity that commanded respect without a word.
This overwhelming presence made Zhou Lin stiffen. He pulled his hands back instinctively, staring at the newcomers with wary eyes.
"Sister Jing, you’re here!"
Seeing that the visitor was Su Jing, the owner of Brocade Pavilion, Yang Rong finally felt she had some support.
"Hmm." Su Jing gave a slight nod, her icy voice carrying a natural authority.
Before she could even ask what had happened, the old man accompanying her suddenly changed his expression!
"This—this painting..."
"Old Qin, what is it? Is there something wrong with the painting?"
Su Jing asked, puzzled, looking from the old man back to the painting.
The man was named Qin Hai. At seventy-nine, he was a renowned expert in the antique world, a man with "the Sacred Eye."
No shop he had ever patronized had failed to become the talk of Fengcheng. Su Jing had invited him over specifically for the shop's new arrival event, hoping to elevate the reputation of Brocade Pavilion.
"Hahaha, Boss Su, need you ask? Obviously, Old Qin has spotted a fake!" Zhou Lin didn't have much insight, but his father did. He recognized Su Jing and the old man immediately. Coupled with Qin Hai’s strange reaction, Zhou Shenping felt confirmed in his suspicions.
A painting worth 3.7 million? Hah! It was nothing but a counterfeit!
"Who said it was fake?"
The abrupt retort cut through the air, stripping away Zhou Shenping’s dignity and choking the sarcasm right in Zhou Lin’s throat.
Qin Hai had stepped up to the painting, gently stroking its surface. He looked enchanted. "This paper is supple yet firm, with a uniform thickness—it is top-tier!"
As he spoke, he tremblingly pulled a pair of reading glasses from his pocket. Admiring it as he spoke, he sighed, "And this *Yuxi River*—the flowers, birds, fish, and boats are incredibly lifelike. The strokes are delicate, the composition is full and compact... This is truly the handiwork of Zhang Zeduan from the Song Dynasty!"
The room erupted in gasps.
Even Yang Rong was stunned, her expression one of utter disbelief. "Sister Jing, who is this old gentleman? Why is he saying the exact same thing as Yang Fan?"
"Right, right! Yang Fan just said the same thing—that this was by Zhang Zeduan!"
The staff of Brocade Pavilion crowded around. Some were gasping in shock, others were thrilled. Excitement was written all over their faces. After all, Yang Fan might have been guessing, but this old man was clearly someone of high status. If he acknowledged it as authentic, then it was certainly real!
"What?"
Seeing this, Su Jing glanced at Yang Fan, her phoenix eyes masked in surprise.
She had a good impression of Yang Rong’s younger brother—he was honest and diligent, and he had been quite serious and careful when he learned appraising from her before...
But he had only been in the industry for half a year. He was fine with small trinkets, but how did he manage to identify such a rare treasure today as if he had some cheat code?
"Boss Su!"
Just as Su Jing was lost in thought, the old man hurried over to her, his face full of urgency. "Boss Su, the market price for this painting is 3.7 million..."
"If you are willing to part with it, I am willing to pay 4 million to buy it!"
Four million!
The Zhou father and son widened their eyes. If they had known the painting inside the broken brush pot was worth so much, they never would have brought it to Brocade Pavilion!
"Wait!"
Jealousy drove Zhou Lin mad, and he was the first to lose his composure. "Who said this painting belongs to Brocade Pavilion? It clearly belongs to our Baobao Pavilion!"
Su Jing had just arrived and hadn't a clue what had occurred. Seeing Zhou Lin jump out to claim the painting, she couldn't tell who was telling the truth.
Yang Rong, however, was livid, her lovely oval face flushed bright red. "You’re talking nonsense! This painting was found inside the pot we broke. We paid 300,000 for the pot, so how is it yours?"
"So you admit it?" Zhou Shenping, being the shiftier of the two, seized the loophole. "The contract is in black and white: you bought the brush pot, not the painting! Therefore, the painting still belongs to our Baobao Pavilion!"
"You—you are shameless!"
Yang Rong was no match for them in an argument, and she stomped her feet in frustration.
Seeing a chance to reclaim the painting, Zhou Lin was ecstatic. He straightened his back, feeling emboldened once more.
"You weren't careful in your own business, and now you’re blaming us?"
Zhou Lin said arrogantly, reaching out to grab the *Yuxi River* painting from the table. "Hahahaha, my precious, a 4-million-dollar masterpiece..."
Suddenly, a figure blocked his path.
Looking closely, it was Yang Fan.
"Get lost! Don’t hold me up from taking what belongs to Baobao Pavilion!"
"Sorry to take up your time," Yang Fan said, appearing perfectly calm. He smiled as he unfolded the contract, pointing to the seventh line on the second page. "Young Master Zhou, I made it very clear in the contract: any items hidden within the brush pot are the sole property of Party A once the deal is signed."
"Oh, and one more thing, Young Master Zhou..."
"In this contract, 'Party A' refers to us at Brocade Pavilion."