"Kid, don't tell me that this black dot proves my painting is a fake," Qian Wu snorted coldly.
"Haha, this kid must be stupid, it's normal to have some ink spots on ancient paintings."
"I think it might have just gotten dirty when it fell on the ground."
Laughter tinged with ridicule echoed from the crowd.
The shop assistants glared menacingly, ready to take action again.
Lin Chen picked up the magnifying glass from the table and said indifferently, "The truth lies in this black dot."
As he spoke, he placed the magnifying glass over the black dot for everyone to see.
Under the bright indoor light and magnification, the black dot revealed fine, delicate penmanship in small regular script: Wu Daozi.
The entire antique shop erupted in astonishment.
It was him—many in the crowd inhaled sharply upon seeing the name.
Wu Daozi was a famed figure in the antiques world, known as the "Ghost Hand," renowned for replicating famous ancient paintings.
His replicas could almost pass for the original, but he always hid his own name within each piece.
It's said that there are nearly a hundred forgeries by him, yet only three have ever been detected, each through meticulous scanning with precision instruments.
The crowd's gaze shifted to Lin Chen with increasing shock.
How could this be possible—seeing with the naked eye that the painting was a counterfeit by Wu Daozi?
At that moment, Qian Wu seemed deflated, like a punctured ball; he had not expected the painting he had acquired for a high price overseas to be a counterfeit.
However, Qian Wu, a seasoned dealer in the antiques world, recovered from his brief dejection and coughed, "Ladies and gentlemen, today I, Qian Wu, admit defeat. I didn't expect this painting to indeed be a replica. This young man did well in tearing it. Here I apologize to Miss Su and this young man. I will pay the one million without a cent missing.
I also make a promise here to everyone: If any fake is found in my store, for each one that is detected, I, Qian Wu, will personally destroy one and compensate at full price. Please everyone, hold me to this."
Lin Chen silently commended Qian Wu's shrewdness; though he lost some money, the popularity of the antique shop only increased because of the fake painting incident.
True to his word, Qian Wu transferred the one million directly into Lin Chen's account.
"Young man, to identify the fake painted by Wu Daozi with the naked eye, I bow to you," Qian Wu said to Lin Chen, respectfully clasping his hands together in a salute.
The one million could be considered advertising, but a remarkable person like Lin Chen was rare to come by, so Qian Wu naturally did not miss the opportunity to ingratiate himself.
"Mr. Qian is too kind. It was just luck," Lin Chen said modestly.
Qian Wu inwardly scoffed. Luck? To spot tiny characters only visible through a magnifying glass? Did he think I've been in antiques for decades for nothing?
In his heart, Qian Wu suspected that Lin Chen must possess some mysterious method for appraising antiques. However, knowing better than to pry, he kept his questions to himself since Lin Chen did not offer any explanations.
Mr. Qian picked out another ancient painting for Su Xiaobei, which was verified as genuine by Lin Chen.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Mr. Qian, and with the need to select a gift for An Xiaodi, Lin Chen took his leave from them both.
Mr. Qian accompanied them to the door of the antique shop and handed Lin Chen a business card, "I wonder if I could make friends with you, young man. Let's keep in touch in the future."
"Of course, Mr. Qian, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Xiaochen. After all, I've taken a million from you and moreover caused a painting to be destroyed—I am somewhat embarrassed about that," Lin Chen said, leaving his phone number with Qian Wu.
After bidding goodbye to Qian Wu, Lin Chen continued his stroll through the antique street with An Xiaodi.
"Xiaodi, just let me know what you like, and I will buy it for you." With a million at his side, Lin Chen was quite assertive.
They wandered around the antique street a bit longer when suddenly An Xiaodi's eyes lit up. She squatted down by a stall and picked up a bracelet adorned with rubies.
"What do you like?" Lin Chen asked with a light laugh behind her.
"Mm!" An Xiaodi nodded her head.
"How much for this, boss?" Lin Chen inquired.
The shopkeeper was also shrewd, immediately pegging the two as a couple, knowing that usually, irrespective of the price he quoted, the man would buy it to save face.
The shopkeeper squinted his eyes, "This is a top-quality ruby, the fixed price is one hundred thousand."
"One hundred thousand?"
Upon hearing the price, Lin Chen was startled for a moment, then a smile crept onto his face, just as he was about to speak, a sneer suddenly came from behind.
"Too stingy for one hundred thousand, a pauper is always a pauper. If you don't want to buy it for Xiaodi, I do. I'll buy this bracelet for one hundred thousand," said a figure approaching from behind.
"Zhou Bin!" An Xiaodi frowned upon seeing the figure.
Zhou Bin was a classmate of An Xiaodi's, who had been pestering her every day since the first day of school, with flowers and love-themed breakfast treats.
However, regarding Zhou Bin's romantic advances, all An Xiaodi felt was disgust, nothing but disgust.
She had said several times that she had no feelings for Zhou Bin, but this guy, adhering to the principle that perseverance could wear down the hardest stone, clung to her like a limpet, impossible to shake off.
An Xiaodi never expected to encounter this fellow here.
Zhou Bin didn't even look before he paid the money, purchasing the ruby bracelet straight away.
"Young Master Zhou truly is a romantic, not even blinking at the cost of such an expensive gift."
"Exactly, when looking for a boyfriend, one should find someone like Young Master Zhou, not some broke guy who only knows how to run his mouth."
Zhou Bin's entourage quickly started to sing his praises, one after the other.
"Xiaodi, as long as you like it, I would even pluck down the stars and the moon for you," Zhou Bin said deeply, holding the ruby bracelet.
Listening to the nauseating confession almost made Lin Chen vomit.
An Xiaodi blinked her eyes then suddenly said, "Are you serious?"
Zhou Bin thought the act of buying the ruby had truly moved An Xiaodi and couldn't help but be overjoyed, "Every word I say comes from the bottom of my heart, absolutely true."
"But I neither like stars nor the moon," An Xiaodi said with a beaming smile.
Lin Chen, seeing An Xiaodi's expression, knew that she was about to stir up mischief again.
"Then what do you like? I'll satisfy all your desires," Zhou Bin said earnestly, looking at An Xiaodi with deep affection.
"I like the sun, why don't you pluck that down for me?" An Xiaodi said, still smiling.
"The sun!" Zhou Bin's face stalled, and in an instant, his face turned as red as a pig's liver.
"Don't disappoint now. If you can't do it, don't bother me ever again," An Xiaodi's voice turned cold.
Seeing Zhou Bin's befuddled expression, Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh so hard his stomach hurt. This must be the legendary act of hubris, courting lightning strikes!
A flash of coldness passed across Zhou Bin's face, but it quickly disappeared, and the smile returned, "Xiaodi, even though I can't pluck down the sun for you, I would not hesitate to buy you a gift worth one hundred thousand, unlike some people who can't even afford a bracelet."
"Who says I can't afford it?" Lin Chen squatted down, picking up a grimy bracelet.
"How much for this bracelet, boss?" Lin Chen asked.