Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 441: Chapter 437 This painting is real!

Huo Sining couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing this; during her time with Zhou Shitao, a phrase he often mentioned was, ”Those who know antiquity will never be destitute, but those who are obsessed with it will surely be impoverished.”

Previously, Huo Sining didn’t understand, but now she deeply grasped the meaning of this saying.

Antiques are certainly precious, but in this world, there are many other valuable things besides antiques.

Elder Wu liked antiques but wasn’t obsessed with collecting them.

He was willing to sell a painting he had treasured for over twenty years just to save his granddaughter’s life.

Compared to those collectors who disregard family ties for the sake of their collections, Elder Wu was more deserving of admiration, no wonder the man in traditional attire went to such lengths to help Elder Wu.

Unfortunately, what men plan is not always what happens; the man in traditional attire could never have calculated that Elder Wu would bring someone with him and completely disrupt his well-laid plans.

Huo Sining didn’t know the details and could only guess the situation from what Qin Tian and Ouyang Jun said, but the arrogant and complacent demeanor of that middle-aged man was indeed detestable.

Now, as Elder Wu fainted from anxiety and frustration, that middle-aged man still stood by with not a hint of remorse, making Huo Sining feel uncomfortable. She couldn’t help bumping into Ouyang Jun and inquired in a hushed voice,

”Who is that person, and what’s his background?”

Ouyang Jun curled his lips and whispered, ”Ma Liwen, an ancient calligraphy and painting expert from the Forbidden City, works in the same department as Ji Kun. His master is an authority in the Forbidden City, surnamed Jia, and holds a status not inferior to your master’s.”

Huo Sining was slightly stunned, then exclaimed in surprise. Seeing that person looking over at her, she quickly covered her mouth and whispered,

”Are you talking about Elder Jia Bingrong? He came to visit my master a few days ago; I even saw him at the Zhou Family’s residence. He seemed quite upright, so how could he have such a scumbag disciple?”

”The same rice nourishes a hundred different kinds of people. Elder Jia isn’t like your master; your master is selective and values quality over quantity in his disciples, but Elder Jia has innumerable disciples. The ones from previous years were passable, but this one is too inferior; it seems with age, he isn’t as discerning as he used to be.”

Meanwhile, several people were busy giving water to Elder Wu and patting his back to help him breathe, and after much fuss, they finally helped Elder Wu regain his breath, but his face was still a picture of utter defeat.

”Elder Qin, I was thinking if you really liked this painting, I would sell it to you, but if there was even the slightest reluctance on your part, I would take it back. I never thought that the painting would turn out to be a fake.”

”It’s bad enough that I was deceived by it for over twenty years, but how could I use it to deceive you? It’s good that Professor Ma discovered it early, otherwise I would have no face to see you again!”

Elder Wu let out a bitter laugh, the bitterness around his mouth making everyone who saw it feel a pang of sympathy.

The man in traditional attire stomped his feet in anger and scolded, pointing at Elder Wu’s head,

”What am I supposed to say about you? Back in the day, we were brothers-in-arms raised as neighbors, wearing the same open-crotch pants. Without your help during those ten years, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be in this world today, let alone living as I am now.”

”You tell me, which of my kids doesn’t regard you as their own grandfather? If something happened to your family, would they ignore it? It’s you who are being stubborn, insisting on selling those things. Are you trying to treat me like an outsider, is that it?”

Elder Wu waved his hand, standing up from the ground: ”No amount of deep affection can withstand such an ordeal. To sell a fake painting to one’s own sworn brother, where should I put this old face of mine?”

”Back then, my good-for-nothing son never ceased stealing from your family, Qin. Now as I am close to my grave, should I still reach out to you for my ill-fated granddaughter? How could I even broach such a subject?”

”Let’s just leave today’s matter as it is; I’ll think of some other way.”

Elder Wu was stubborn, and when others tried to stop him, they were pushed away by him.

Everyone knew he had just fainted and they didn’t dare to pull too hard, fearing they might injure him further, so they let him be.

The old man in traditional Chinese attire was also quite angry, and seeing that Elder Wu firmly refused to accept his kindness, he suddenly sat down on a chair and kept silent.

Yet, Ma Liwen couldn’t help but reveal a mocking smile from the corner of his mouth. These were the senior figures of the collecting world, and it was bad enough that they wouldn’t admit their mistake, but to think they were looking for a way to save face—abandoning professional integrity for the sake of their old pride.

Seeing Ma Liwen still smiling, a surge of anger welled up in Huo Sining’s chest. It was one thing to kick a man while he’s down, but with Elder Wu so distressed and everyone feeling sympathetic, how could this man still smile? He was truly heartless!

Just then, Elder Wu suddenly stopped, turned around, walked to the round table, picked up the Tang Bohu imitated ”Li Duanduan’s Registration Picture”, and made a motion as if he was going to tear up the drawing.

”You can’t tear it!”

The old man in traditional attire shouted loudly, his eyes turning red with urgency.

The people nearby also reacted, exclaiming in a hurry, ”Elder Wu, you mustn’t do this!”

Huo Sining, standing in front of the round table, also became anxious and, without further thought, charged forward.

Before it was too late, she reached out her hand, snatching the painting from Elder Wu’s grasp in the blink of an eye.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy weight on Huo Sining’s heart also lifted.

However, after just a few seconds, her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Holding the painting, Huo Sining didn’t know whether to let it go or to open it for a look. She instinctively looked up at everyone, her eyes lingering on Ma Liwen for a few seconds before lowering her gaze to hide the shock in her eyes.

In her hands lay ”Li Duanduan’s Registration Picture”, and she felt as if a wave of spiritual energy had cleared away the chaos, opening up a clear vista before her eyes. She also saw what others couldn’t see.

This supposed imitation of an ancient drawing was actually genuine!

”Elder Wu, even if this painting isn’t authentic, there’s no need to vent your frustration by tearing it up. I just told you, I’ll take it for five thousand. You really should consider it.”

Ma Liwen, feeling ignored by everyone, inappropriately jumped back into the conversation to assert his presence.

”You shut your mouth!”

Upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words, the usually amiable old man in traditional attire finally couldn’t restrain himself. He turned his head and glared furiously at Ma Liwen.

If it hadn’t been for this man’s meddling, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Yet, there was Ma Liwen, not knowing any better, completely antagonizing everyone at this point.

But Elder Wu was greatly agitated and came over to try snatching the painting from Huo Sining’s hands again.

However, Huo Sining had already seen more than meets the eye in the ”Li Duanduan Drawing” through the Heavenly Eye and wasn’t about to let Elder Wu tear up the real deal. In a burst of urgency, she shouted:

”Elder Wu, this painting is authentic! It’s a genuine Tang Bohu!”