Chapter 425: They Can't Get Away

Leaving the suite, Lv Chenglong said, "Goodbye, Dean," while Yang Boda stood inside the doorway, smiling and nodding.

The three of them turned and entered the elevator, and the Assistant closed the door.

Yang Boda turned back around, feeling a secret sense of relief in his heart.

Chen Weihua had finally managed to catch his breath; at least his complexion wasn't as ghastly as before.

You might not encounter a client this generous even in three years; if there was any way to retain him, one had to find a way to do so.

With this thought in mind, Yang Boda walked over and sat down opposite him. Chen Weihua forced out a smile: "Dean Yang, my apologies!"

Yang Boda smiled: "General Manager Chen, I understand."

In 2008, the average wage in Beijing was just over two thousand; what kind of concept was two million?

From the moment of birth, if a person worked without eating or drinking until they died, they might not even earn that much.

Yet, compared to that, this was only secondary. What infuriated Chen Weihua was: he had spent his whole life hunting geese, only to be blinded by a goose. Having walked the world for half a lifetime, he had never imagined that one day he would be played for a fool by a bunch of petty thieves and swindlers.

But even that was secondary; what angered him more was: this group of petty thieves was too arrogant, and they simply hadn't put him in their eyes at all.

In fact, anyone with a little experience could judge that this setup wasn't particularly clever: a fake collector + shills competing to buy + hype to build momentum, a chain trap known in the trade as "Bee Twisting the Core."

The reason Chen Weihua fell for it was simply that the other side had prepared too thoroughly, designed it too ingeniously, and it was too targeted. To put it bluntly, this trap was aimed directly at him.

From this, it could be seen that although the routine was relatively old, this group's methods were quite skillful, their minds were extremely meticulous, and their coordination was even better.

And what was strange was: the moment the money arrived in the account, this group suddenly stopped pretending entirely. Not only did they withdraw the cover from the hospital, but they even acted wildly and recklessly, gathering together in a grand manner and appearing in public places without any fear?

Did they not know that Chen Weihua was a veteran of the world? Or perhaps they didn't know that although Chen Weihua was a Hong Kong businessman, he also had deep roots and a dense network of relationships within the country and in Beijing?

No, they knew, and it wasn't that they were getting carried away by success; it was just that they weren't afraid. It was even a clear way of telling Chen Weihua: I just swindled you, what can you do about it?

Come on, put yourself in his shoes; who wouldn't be angry?

Dean Yang couldn't figure it out for the moment—why a group of swindlers who should have been extremely cautious had suddenly become so arrogant—but Yang Boda knew that this matter definitely couldn't just end like this.

This wasn't a question of how much money was lost; even if it cost another two or three million, Chen Weihua had to vent this anger. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to survive in this circle in the future.

In a flash, the secretary and Liu Zhaoting had already gathered the porcelain shards together. Yang Boda thought for a moment: "General Manager Chen, are you going to call the police, or use your connections?"

"I'm calling the police, and I'm using my connections. I've already arranged for A Jun to handle it!"

After replying, he looked at Liu Zhaoting's swollen face and sighed: "Dean Yang, Mr. Liu, don't blame me for losing my temper: at the time, someone had already warned that this Brush Washer was problematic, yet it didn't receive any attention from Mr. Liu—"

Yang Boda was stunned: someone had warned him? How come I didn't know?

Huh, that's not right, it seems someone really did warn him?

Chen Weihua had mentioned it, and Liu Zhaoting had also mentioned it, that on the day of the transaction, a young, impossibly young, expert in Artifact Restoration had appeared.

But at the time, they were biased, thinking this was a shill for that woman or that Taiwanese Pangzi, and they hadn't given this young man a chance to speak at all.

Thinking about it now, if he were a shill, he would have been too busy echoing the others to ever cause trouble or stick his neck out.

Yang Boda looked curious: "Did he say it at the time?"

"He didn't say it, but I could tell." Chen Weihua looked annoyed, "What a pity!"

Yang Boda sighed: it was indeed a pity, and the responsibility did indeed lie with Liu Zhaoting: Chen Weihua was the boss; misjudging, misreading, or even being on guard was normal. But as an Appraiser, Liu Zhaoting needed to have his own judgment.

If he had been even a little calmer at the time, kept a slightly sharper eye out, and slowed down the pace, Chen Weihua wouldn't have lost these two million, nor would such a huge joke have been made.

The key was that Chen Weihua's losses were definitely more than just two million.

Yang Boda could already imagine: if this matter wasn't handled properly, what kind of chain reaction would it cause?

After pondering for a moment, his eyes brightened slightly: "General Manager Chen, do you need help?"

Chen Weihua was stunned: Damn you, are you treating me like a sucker again?

He let out a "Heh": "Fine, Dean Yang, first help me find out who that young Appraiser is!"

Yang Boda was confused: at a time like this, why are you looking for him?

Shouldn't you be looking for that group of swindlers?

Just as he was suspicious, seeing that Liu Zhaoting's expression wasn't right, Yang Boda suddenly realized: "Is it hard to find?"

What do you think?

"I used my connections, and Mr. Liu used his, but after three days, we only found one name: Lin Sicheng!"

Chen Weihua sneered, "And that was only after asking Boss Shen from Rao Yu Zhai."

Yang Boda was suspicious: That's impossible, right?

With a name and surname, at least one should be able to find out where they are from and what their background is.

But then, he frowned again: Lin Sicheng, why does this name sound a bit familiar?

Just as he was struggling to recall, Ye Peilan, who was studying the broken porcelain shards nearby, paused: "General Manager Chen, you said Lin what?"

Thinking the old lady was hard of hearing, Chen Weihua repeated it: "Lin Sicheng, 'Lin' as in two trees, 'Sicheng' as in 'thinking of my success'!"

Ye Peilan lowered her head, looked at the broken porcelain shards on the coffee table, and then raised her head to stare at Chen Weihua.

"Very young, only twenty-something?"

"Yes, like a college student?"

"Very tall, slightly thin, very handsome, looks like a celebrity?"

"Yes, but those hands, they looked like the hands of a fifty or sixty-year-old restoration expert—" Chen Weihua looked stunned, "Director Ye, do you know him?"

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him!" Ye Peilan sighed, "Dean Yang has heard of him too: in the summer, that 'Congyun' seal from Xiling—"

Hearing "Congyun" seal, Yang Boda suddenly realized: no wonder it sounded so familiar!

Who in the Forbidden City doesn't know: this young man spent a few tens of thousands and picked up an imperial seal of Qianlong at a Xiling auction.

Oh, that's not all; he also picked up a piece of cursive calligraphy by Zheng Banqiao and a Squirrel Painting by Xu Gu, also for just a few tens of thousands.

Chen Weihua was stunned: "A few tens of thousands, for a Qianlong seal, at a Xiling auction?"

"Yes!" Yang Boda nodded, "And it was right in front of Lv Chenglong and Sheng Guoan!"

No—are you sure this isn't a joke?

Even if he were ignorant and ill-informed, Chen Weihua at least knew who Sheng Guoan was.

Director of the Display Department at the Forbidden City, a top disciple of the calligraphy and painting titan Mr. Xu Bangda, and a peerless expert in appraisal, Artifact Restoration, and Artifact Research in the fields of calligraphy and painting, ancient books, and epigraphy in the country.

Thinking back to that young man, and those hands of his, Chen Weihua felt: even if he were capable, it was impossible to mention him in the same breath as Sheng Guoan, right?

Huh, that's not right—

Chen Weihua suddenly raised his head: "He is just a Porcelain Restoration expert?"

Who said that?

There is no rule stating that someone who restores porcelain cannot appraise calligraphy and painting.

Ye Peilan nodded: "Correct, he is indeed a Porcelain Restoration expert, and one who can restore blue-and-white dragon patterns at that. But at the same time, he is also an Appraiser."

"Besides Qianlong's Congyun Seal, he also has a Yongzheng 'Yuanming Jushi' seal; I don't know how much he spent, but it was likely only a few thousand. He also has a Qianlong Sanskrit iron lion seal; although it cost over a hundred thousand, it came with a Dong Qichang Sanskrit Heart Sutra—"

"These two items are even rarer, and the key is that he picked them up at Poly—"

"And last month, at Daiyuexuan, he picked up a Ming dynasty Huashan painting by Wang Lü, and it was the main scroll. He also picked up an imperial edict of appointment for Wang Shu, a high official of five reigns during the Ming Hongzhi era. Two items, costing a total of five hundred thousand—"

"Oh right, he can also repair gold and silver ware, and knows a bit about Enamel, seven-point-seven firing—"

Chen Weihua's eyes slowly widened; he was so shocked that he couldn't even bother to be angry.

He really wanted to ask: would a TV show dare to portray a character like this?

The reason is simple: that young man is only in his early twenties.

If you don't believe it, go to the Forbidden City and ask: regardless of age, is there any master who can restore blue-and-white dragon patterns, while also being able to repair gold and silver ware, and knows Enamel, even up to seven layers?

Ask Sheng Guoan, or Ma Weidou, who is extremely famous among the public, or even the calligraphy and epigraphy titan Mr. Xu Bangda, if they have ever spent only a few thousand or tens of thousands—essentially picking them up for free—to acquire an emperor's imperial seal, or even an Imperial Edict?

And to pick up three imperial seals at once, and every time, it was either at one of the top one or two auction houses in the country, or at a time-honored brand with a history of over a hundred years?

Come on, ask the TV station, would they dare to broadcast such a drama?

But the problem is, how could people with the status of Yang Bo and Ye Peilan joke around with him?

As he thought, Chen Weihua suddenly froze, staring straight at the broken porcelain shards on the table.

He remembered that sentence Lin Sicheng said after looking at the Brush Washer that day: General Manager Chen, if I said there was a problem with this item, would you kick me out?

What does this amount to?

It amounts to the God of Wealth placing an opportunity in front of Chen Weihua, only for him to push it away.

The key is, what he lost was more than just a Brush Washer, more than just two million?

It is no exaggeration; Chen Weihua wanted to slap himself.

Just as he was regretting it to the point of vomiting blood, Yang Bo seemed to have suddenly thought of something and pointed at the porcelain shards on the coffee table: "General Manager Chen, that day, did Lin Sicheng also look at this item?"

Of course he looked at it, and he was even determined not to give up until he achieved his goal.

Chen Weihua gave a rough account of what happened, and Yang Bo and Ye Peilan exchanged a look, a few traces of strangeness appearing on their faces.

With Lin Sicheng's experience, if it were just a Ming Imitation Ru Porcelain, it wouldn't have made him so curious. And it certainly wouldn't have led him to offend someone to death just to get a look at it.

Subconsciously, the two of them recalled the scene of Lv Chenglong and the two Researchers holding the porcelain shards and whispering to each other as they left.

At the time, Chen Weihua was in a fit of rage and hadn't paid attention; it was the two of them who had escorted Lv Chenglong out of the suite.

Therefore, they had heard the three of them whispering clearly.

Cai Yi said: The three of them had agreed to go help Lin look at an item?

Dong Jianli also said: The item being looked at was also a Sky Blue Glaze Ru Porcelain Brush Washer?

Lv Chenglong also said: How could it be such a coincidence that they are both Japanese imitations?

At the time, the three of them even whispered: Good heavens, for just this kind of thing, Lin spent eight million?

So, besides the Brush Washer that was exactly the same as this pile of shards, what else could this "thing" they were talking about be?

Besides Lin Sicheng, who else could this Lin they were talking about be?

The key is, at that time, the three of them turned their heads in unison and looked at Chen Weihua with an expression like they were looking at an idiot; then, thinking back: that day, the day General Manager Chen bought the Brush Washer, weren't Lin Sicheng, General Manager Chen, and that swindler sitting at the same table?

So is it possible that the Brush Washer Lin Sicheng spent eight million on was also bought from that swindler?

Yang Bo and Ye Peilan looked at each other: they didn't know what to say.

After a long silence, Yang Bo pointed at the porcelain shards: "General Manager Chen, perhaps this Brush Washer of yours has some history—um, let me be more precise: perhaps, it could be very valuable—"

Chen Weihua's eyelids twitched: Dean Yang, what did you say?

The two Researchers, including Director Lv, all said this was a foreign imitation?

"Dean Yang, explain yourself clearly!"

How could this be explained clearly?

"General Manager Chen, foreign porcelain is not necessarily without value!" Yang Bo sighed, "Besides, Xiao Cai, Xiao Dong, and Xiao Lv never said that this item of yours was worthless!"

Chen Weihua was stunned, struggling to recall: it seems—they really didn't say that?

They only concluded through the material and craftsmanship that this item was a foreign imitation—

But I've already smashed it, and you're suddenly telling me that this thing is very valuable?

Just as he was confused, his phone buzzed.

It was the driver A Jun calling; Chen Weihua thought he was reporting on the police report. He said "Sorry" and answered it.

As soon as the call connected, the driver's low voice came through the phone: "Mr. Chen, look downstairs!"

Downstairs, what's wrong downstairs?

"It's that young man surnamed Lin—he is with the experts who just left?"

Chen Weihua was stunned for a moment and walked to the window: downstairs, Lin Sicheng was shaking hands with Lv Chenglong, followed by the two Researchers.

They know each other?

And it looks like they have a good relationship?

But thinking about it again, he felt it was normal: if what Dean Yang and Director Ye said was true, since this person's skills were so great, it wasn't strange that he knew Lv Chenglong.

It's just a bit too coincidental—

While he was suspicious, the driver's panting voice came through the phone again: "Mr. Chen, there's also that swindler—he's sitting in the car behind—"

What the hell?

Chen Weihua gave a violent start, his eyes widening.

In front was a Benz SUV, and following behind was a Santana.

A full twenty stories up, and looking down from such a height, he couldn't see who was sitting in the car, but Chen Weihua recognized this vehicle: when he had used his connections to investigate Liu Yida, that damn Pangzi from Taiwan drove this exact car—

In an instant, Chen Weihua's eyes turned blood-red, and a surge of wicked fire rushed to his head: This is going too far!

Could it be that this gang of swindlers didn't know he had already moved from the Marriott Hotel to the Wenbo Building?

No, these people were able to design the scheme so ingeniously; they must have had his whereabouts at their fingertips, perfectly clear.

So, why did they still dare to come?

On purpose—

Chen Weihua gritted his teeth: "A Jun, stop them—"

"Mr. Chen, I know—" A sinister laugh came from the driver over the phone, "They won't be able to run—"

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