14: debate

Lu Fan took out two short scrolls and casually placed them on the table.

Compared to the previous ones, these two calligraphy pieces were much shabbier, not even having the most basic mounting done.

One of these two calligraphy pieces was signed: Zhao Lai, and the other was signed: Old Wang Next Door.

According to his investigation, there was no Zhao Lai among the officials of the Republic of China era, and that Old Wang Next Door was even more impossible to trace.

Thinking that Tang Jifeng had a wide circle of friends, they were probably some of his associates from the underworld, so he didn't take it seriously at all.

As the first calligraphy piece was unrolled: 'Spring breeze brings warmth into the new home, laughter and songs celebrate abundance.'

It was a very common blessing for moving into a new home, but the signature had a somewhat mocking flavor: Old Wang Next Door.

Looking at this signature, Lu Fan couldn't help but chuckle.

But considering Tang Jifeng's heavy underworld aura, only he would dare to have such friends.

Just as Lu Fan was about to light a cigarette to ease the awkwardness, he suddenly noticed that the atmosphere in the room had become tense.

The appraisers were leaning over the table, examining the characters one by one.

And whispering among themselves.

'No need to look further, this is the authentic work of my own great-grandfather.'

Chen Ying's eyes turned red, and her body trembled slightly as she caressed this piece of calligraphy.

The appraisers said in unison: 'We think so too! It's just that we've seen few of Brigade Commander's ink treasures, so we didn't dare to conclude immediately.'

Chen Ying had already regained control of her emotions and carefully put away Old Wang Next Door's calligraphy.

'Mr. Lu, I'd like to purchase this piece personally, unrelated to the company. Could we go to my office to chat?'

Lu Fan nodded calmly and then stood up to follow Chen Ying out of the VIP room.

Along the way, the two began to chat.

'Mr. Lu, I'm very curious, where did all these things come from?'

'Family heirlooms.'

To avoid unnecessary trouble, they had to be family heirlooms.

Chen Ying smiled slightly: 'Do you know who the previous owner of these calligraphy works was?'

'Of course, these things once belonged to Tang Jifeng.'

He had personally brought these things back, so their origin was crystal clear.

'Selling this entire batch, Mr. Lu, are you in some trouble?'

Chen Ying probed indirectly.

Lu Fan also didn't avoid the topic: 'Hmm~~ The company has run into some problems and urgently needs funds to keep things running.'

As they chatted, the two arrived at the office, and Chen Ying got straight to the point.

'To be honest, this is the handwritten work of my own great-grandfather. I'd like to buy it back privately, so please name your price.'

'Since Miss Chen wants it, you name the price. If it's suitable, I'll sell it.'

Lu Fan didn't understand antiques, but he was proficient in business negotiations.

For antique calligraphy and paintings to fetch a high price,

Either they are masterpieces from the peak period of a famous artist,

Or they meet the right buyer—to put it bluntly, they are sold to their wealthy descendants.

The former is for investment and collection purposes, while the latter is for commemorating ancestors.

The person before him clearly fell into the latter category, so naming a price himself would be highly inappropriate.

If he set it too low, the buyer might feel it disrespects their ancestors.

If he set it too high, it would seem profit-driven and disrespectful to revolutionary predecessors.

After a moment of thought, Chen Ying spoke: 'How about this? A fixed price of 1 million.'

'1 million.'

Lu Fan rubbed his index finger against the tip of his nose; this price was reasonable.

After all, in terms of the cultural and artistic value of the work,

Even he, an outsider, knew it was at most two stories high.

Such a high offer was entirely a case of a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

Seeing Lu Fan lower his head in silence, Chen Ying spoke earnestly: 'I know this price isn't high,

But this is all I can come up with right now. Could you give me a few days to gather some more money?'

Lu Fan shook his head to stop her: 'This price is fine, Miss Chen, no need to go to the trouble.'

Although if he pushed a little harder, he could probably raise the price a bit more,

But it wouldn't increase by much—ten or twenty thousand more wouldn't completely get him out of trouble.

Better to leave a good impression, as he would likely need her help with such things in the future.

Lu Fan took the opportunity to calculate: with this one million, the total income would be over three million.

This sum clearly couldn't completely solve his debt, but it should be enough to cover the due payments to suppliers.

As for the remaining money, he'd wait for the next time he crossed over and bring back several tons of gold.

Then he'd truly turn the tables and sing a triumphant song.

'Thank you, Mr. Lu, for accommodating me.'

In a sincere tone of gratitude, Chen Ying transferred the money: 'Payment received via PayBee, one million yuan.'

'Mr. Lu, I wonder about your family...'

Chen Ying had just started to inquire about Lu Fan's situation when she was interrupted by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit with a square face pushed the door open and entered.

'Chen Ying, Manager Chen, Vice President Li wants you to bring the client over immediately.'

Chen Ying's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she replied calmly: 'Understood.'

Lu Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.

The stern expression and stiff tone clearly indicated nothing good.

On the way back to the VIP room, seeing the uniformed security personnel on guard, it felt like facing a formidable enemy.

This directly confirmed it—something big was definitely happening.

But he couldn't understand what could cause such a commotion.

Pushing the door open, the not-so-large VIP room was already somewhat crowded.

Without exception, everyone was gathered around the appraisal table, engaged in heated discussion.

'What an eye-opener, a priceless treasure~~'

'This is undoubtedly the Duke of Zhou's handwriting. If it goes to auction, it will surely cause a nationwide sensation.'

'What are you all thinking? The Duke of Zhou's authentic work, you really dare to say that.

Leaving other things aside, just look at this paper—does it look like it's been through a hundred years?'

'Why not? Look closely at this paper.

It's the Old Jade Xuan Paper sold when Tianyunxuan was first established, no problem at all.'

'Everyone knows this is Old Jade Xuan Paper. I'm talking about the paper's color and the ink's hue in the characters.

At most, this is a modern imitation.'

'Nonsense! The paper is right, the ink is right, the artistic spirit flows through—what's wrong with it being well-preserved?'

'What technology could achieve such preservation? Show me, you're talking nonsense.'

'You're the one talking nonsense, your whole family is talking nonsense~~'

A group of white-haired elders argued fiercely over the authenticity of this work, disregarding all decorum.

The two factions were positioned on either side of the appraisal table, faces flushed and at odds with each other.

And as they spoke louder, profanities followed, as if a fight might break out at any moment.

At this moment, Lu Fan's focus wasn't on the unresolved debate over authenticity; in his view, this painting was absolutely genuine.

He focused on the fact that this work was actually from the hand of the Duke of Zhou.

That was a figure who only appeared in textbooks.

Compared to its origin, how to reasonably utilize the Duke of Zhou's inscription was the key point.

Because the moment he stepped into the VIP room, the System Task was triggered.

[System Task: Please quickly obtain official identity certification and become a genuine Red-Topped Merchant.]

Lu Fan looked at the task prompt, his thoughts in turmoil.

Chen Ying stepped forward and said: 'Vice President Li, Mr. Lu is here.'

'Mr. Lu, welcome, welcome~~'

Accompanied by a hearty welcome, everyone's eyes immediately focused on Lu Fan.