"Sophia, what exactly happened? Were you duped by someone?"
If Sophia had been deceived, it could be said she was naive and unable to distinguish between genuine and fake antiques. After all, not everyone can be an appraisal master, so it’s completely understandable that Sophia Green bought a fake inkstone.
Cam Green still tried to steer everyone’s perception towards the idea that Sophia Green had been tricked, but no one was a fool, nor deaf. They all heard Sophia Green claim she had bought an inkstone used by Emperor Huizong, worth two million.
But then she turned around and said she had spent two hundred thousand.
She spoke without thinking, words spilling from her lips without concern for whether they would make her the butt of jokes.
Knowing she had already made a fool of herself, Sophia Green’s eyes lit up when she heard Cam Green, and she immediately nodded, saying:
"Yes, Daddy, the person told me it was an inkstone from the era of Emperor Huizong, and he sold it to me for two hundred thousand. I couldn’t tell if it was real or fake; I just wanted to give Grandfather Clark a present he would be happy with for his birthday celebration. I never thought it could be a fake."
This time, Sophia Green truly didn’t lie. She had heard from a friend that the black market had many genuine items not available in regular shops, and they were cheaper and authentic, so she went.
What made her feel even luckier was that she saw an inkstone identical to the one selling for two million at Dragon Pavilion, offered at only two hundred thousand, said to be from Emperor Huizong’s era.
Since black market transactions are usually direct without any service fees or price differences, the prices tend to be lower, and that’s why Sophia Green believed it.
The seller hadn’t said the inkstone was used by Emperor Huizong, nor had he mentioned that Emperor Huizong had created the Slender Gold Script using this very inkstone.
She had simply applied the provenance she heard at Dragon Pavilion from the store manager to this inkstone.
On one hand, it was to make others think she was knowledgeable and well-informed; on the other, claiming it had been used by Emperor Huizong inflated its value significantly. Saying it was worth two million naturally made it more believable.
Who would have thought that Dragon Pavilion’s behind-the-scenes owner would also be at Master Clark’s birthday banquet, and that such an incident would occur.
Sophia Green felt incredibly frustrated yet had no choice but to swallow her pride, wishing to quickly turn the page on this episode.
Suddenly, from the crowd of onlookers, someone looking for trouble in a seemingly low voice murmured:
"Didn’t they say two hundred? Why has it now changed to two hundred thousand?"
Although the voice seemed subdued, it was loud enough for everyone present to hear, including the entire Green Clan.
Thompson Shuyi had been silent the whole time, happily watching this burden make a fool of herself here. After all, Old Mr. Young’s face had already been lost because of her, so she wasn’t afraid of breaking a cracked pot.
At this point, she wished the burden would completely lose face, to the point where they wouldn’t be able to show their face in public in the future.
Cam Green didn’t know who had spoken, but he clenched his teeth with inner fury. He had subtly shifted the topic towards his daughter being scammed. But with this person’s reminder, everyone would now consciously ignore the fact that his daughter had been duped.
Instead, they would conclude that his daughter had tried to pass off an item worth ten dollars as a two-million-dollar antique, which was not only vain and laughable but also extremely disrespectful.
Was Master Clark only worth ten dollars?
In truth, Old Master didn’t care whether she gave him something worth two million, two hundred thousand, or twenty dollars; he didn’t mind at all.
Giving a gift was all about the sentiment. Even if it was a twenty-dollar inkstone, it could still be used if it carried the right sentiment.