Chapter 625: Preparing to Open for Business

Entering the elevator, Li Zhen took out her phone in a natural manner and called Lin Sicheng: "Teacher Lin, President He of the United Association, Mr. Sun, and Directors Liang, Guo, and Chen are coming up—"

After the call, she smiled apologetically; He Youhan did not mind and simply nodded.

They went all the way to the tenth floor. With a "hum," the elevator doors opened, and the first thing they saw was Lin Sicheng's face.

"President He, it is a great honor!"

As he spoke, he reached out his hand.

He Youhan reached out to shake it and began to look him over carefully.

Just as Li Zhenghao had said: at first glance, he was young, gentle, and made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

He was good-looking, his eyes were clear, and his voice was neither high nor low.

Combined with that face, it involuntarily gave people a misconception: he was just like a sweet-mouthed, well-behaved college student from the neighborhood who smiled at everyone he met—sunny and clean.

Of course, Li Zhenghao had said more than just that; there was a lot more afterward: for instance, sinister and cunning, treacherous and vicious, glib-tongued, and so on.

As for whether it was as he said, only time would tell.

While thinking to himself, He Youhan smiled: "President Lin, I have long admired your great name!"

This was not just being polite; within Saishi, Lin Sicheng's name was synonymous with the devil.

It was not just Li Zhenghao's deliberate Rendering; after all, not everyone could tear such a large piece of meat off Saishi, nor could everyone make Saishi suffer such a huge loss.

No—to be precise, it had never happened before!

Lin Sicheng just took it as him being polite: "President He, you flatter me. Please, come in!"

They entered the lobby together. He Youhan said he wanted to take a look around, so Lin Sicheng led them on a tour.

As they looked, Lin Sicheng introduced: "President He, the Center has three floors in total. This floor is the Appraisal Center, the floor above is the Research and Restoration Center. The floor above that is the Exhibition and Sales Center—"

He Youhan paused: "What is the Center's focus? Research?"

"Yes, it has the largest investment, the most equipment, and the most personnel."

"How is the business developed? Where does it come from?"

Lin Sicheng replied without hesitation: "Participating in procurement for Cultural Relics departments and bidding for government departments!"

He Youhan paused: "Can it achieve profitability?"

"It can, but not right now!" Lin Sicheng calculated, "At the current stage, we can only ensure a balance of payments. According to the plan: achieving profitability will take at least three years!"

In addition to the Ming Dynasty Palace Porcelain and He-Imitation Porcelain in cooperation with the Forbidden City and the Jingdezhen Ceramic Research Institute, Lin Sicheng had also planned several other projects:

In the Yuan Dynasty *Yuan Palace Dance Score*, the court music and dance that originated in the Tang Dynasty and had long since been lost was not just the single *Six Yao Score*.

There was also the *Jinghong Dance*. Lin Sicheng estimated that relying solely on the *Yuedian Music*, the song and dance troupe could at most translate one or two pieces.

And the full score had twenty-four sections in total.

It was not until a few years later, when an earthquake in Jiuquan caused a hole to collapse in a Library Cave of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, unearthing many Buddhist scriptures and music classics from the Tang to the Five Dynasties, that this gap was filled.

Including the Xu Weili Documents and the four pieces of Xinglin Glaze, although they were said to be for mortgage financing, they would ultimately require cooperative Artifact Research.

Each of these items could apply for special funding from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and each was counted in the "millions."

And besides these, there was something even more valuable: the Eight Treasure Elixir from the *Hundred Diseases String-Plucking*.

If this could be produced, the market value would be counted in the "hundreds of millions" at the very least. However, there were also quite a few troubles; the patent alone would not be easy to establish.

Of course, one could also cooperate; once the research reached a certain level, it could be bundled and sold to Pianzihuang.

To say nothing of more, it could still be sold for tens of millions—

Lin Sicheng was very confident and had the grounds for it. But He Youhan did not know he had planned so many projects and just assumed he was bragging.

As far as he knew, no one who engaged in Cultural Relics research did not lose money.

Even taking a step back, just as Lin Sicheng said: even if it were profitable, it would not be until after three years.

"President Lin, have you considered: if during these three years, because those nineteen technologies require increased investment due to technological iteration or rising costs, where will this money come from?"

"Or perhaps due to patent updates, the technology you are halfway through researching becomes unprofitable, and the initial investment goes down the drain. If you want to change the direction of your research, you can only raise funds again. How do you plan to solve that?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "President He, the focus I mentioned is only in terms of technology. The Appraisal Center and the Sales Center can also make money, and they will only make more!"

If it were not for those nineteen technologies, Lin Sicheng would definitely have played it safe: establish the Research Center first, and wait until it was on the right track before starting the appraisal work.

As for sales, it was not in his plan at all.

But plans cannot keep up with changes; a roadblock suddenly jumped down from the sky?

Relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. Rather than waiting for others to feed you, it is better to be self-reliant and stand on your own two feet.

Therefore, Lin Sicheng was truly prepared: it was very likely that he would have to fight alone, and fight alone all the way—

He Youhan looked as if he had discovered a new continent, his face full of surprise: "So you mean, for those nineteen technologies, President Lin is prepared to raise the funds yourself and be responsible for your own profits and losses?"

Lin Sicheng was even more surprised than him: "President He, isn't that what is stipulated in the restrictive clauses?"

He Youhan was speechless.

Of course, that was what was stipulated: refusing any form of sponsorship or investment, and even more so, refusing any form of cooperation.

Lin Sicheng had to raise the money himself, find the people himself, and accept the supervision of the United Association unconditionally throughout the entire process.

It was just that no one believed Lin Sicheng would actually do it.

He Youhan was silent for a long while: "President Lin, in the event that any item achieves a technological breakthrough, who does it belong to?"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: what a strange question to ask?

I invest, I build, I initiate the project, I research, I do all the work; if it doesn't belong to me, who could it belong to?

"President He, this Center has only one legal representative and only one shareholder!"

He Youhan was direct: "If something is researched, is President Lin not prepared to hand it over to the state?"

Lin Sicheng let out a "Ha": "President He, would the United Association agree?"

He Youhan wore a look that was not quite a smile: "What does President Lin think?"

It was exactly this that he was guarding against; it would be a miracle if they agreed!

However, He Youhan did not believe that Lin Sicheng would be so honest: raising his own funds, making his own investments, and conducting his own research and development.

The reason is simple: if he relied solely on himself, he wouldn't be able to research even a single hair's worth of results.

Never mind three billion; even if you gave him thirty billion, it wouldn't be enough for him to squander.

Of course, the so-called United Association and Executive Committee had planned it this way from the very beginning, and they were prepared to do exactly that.

Just as Li Zhenghao said: however you ate it, you will spit it back out for me.

And it must be spat back out double, tenfold—

He Youhan said nothing more, merely taking a cursory look around.

The guests who were supposed to arrive had basically all arrived, and Lin Sicheng invited He Youhan to the hotel.

The group went downstairs, and just as they reached the lobby, He Youhan paused in his tracks.

Glancing forward, he smiled at Sun Jingzhou: "Mr. Sun, your old friend has arrived—"

The hotel was not far, just outside the park.

Walking there wouldn't be very elegant, and there was no place to park if too many cars were driven, so Lin Sicheng specifically contacted the hotel's fleet.

Seven or eight Coasters were parked in a row, and the guests boarded the vehicles one after another.

Wang Qi Zhi lagged at the very back, accompanying Tian Rulong. The two had just reached the car door when a voice came from behind: "Director Tian?"

The two stopped and instinctively turned around, only to see a large, bustling crowd of men and women.

The person in the lead looked like a foreigner, with Lin Sicheng accompanying him personally; the few behind him were all familiar faces: Liang Shiya, Guo Yongxin, and Chen Jiashan.

Besides them, there was another: his face was gaunt, with a touch of gray at his temples. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and possessed a refined and scholarly temperament.

At first glance, he felt somewhat familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't place him.

Just as he was struggling to recall, Sun Jingzhou smiled: "It has been many years since we parted, Director Tian, your style remains unchanged!"

Tian Rulong was stunned for a moment: he felt this voice was even more familiar.

He took two more careful looks, and suddenly, a flash of light crossed his mind: "Sun Henian?"

"It is hard on Director Tian to still remember my original name," Sun Jingzhou adjusted his glasses, "but I changed it long ago; I am now called Sun Jingzhou!"

Director Tian stared straight at him, his lips trembling twice: having committed such a massive crime, how dare this son of a bitch return?

After a brief moment of thought, Tian Rulong understood: Museum Curator Yang had already passed away, Director Shi had also passed away, and Qi Gong had passed away even earlier; what did he have to fear in returning?

Looking closer, this face was like that of a different person: the nose was higher, the eyes were larger, and the face shape was significantly thinner; nine times out of ten, he had undergone plastic surgery.

Fingerprints, palm prints, and the like had likely been worn away long ago, so even if someone identified him as the one who committed the deeds back then, there would likely be no evidence.

Director Tian let out a breath, steadying his emotions: "Secretary-General Sun, long time no see!"

"It has indeed been a long time, a full ten years!" Sun Jingzhou nodded, "Whenever you are not busy, let's invite Director Sheng and have a few drinks together!"

"Sorry, I quit drinking long ago," Tian Rulong said expressionlessly, "Director Sheng is full of minor ailments; never mind alcohol, he has even quit smoking!"

"No matter, tea will do as well!"

"We shall see." Tian Rulong pointed to the car door, "Secretary-General Sun, I have matters to attend to, I will take my leave first!"

It was obvious that Tian Rulong simply did not want to go, and did not even want to say much to him.

Sun Jingzhou did not mind: "Very well!"

As they spoke, Tian Rulong boarded the car, and Wang Qi Zhi glanced at Sun Jingzhou before following him on.

He Youhan did not take the minibus, but instead got into his own Mercedes-Benz. Lin Sicheng, indifferent, boarded the bus with Tian Rulong.

The Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle followed behind, driving toward the hotel.

Wang Qi Zhi looked back: "What is that man's background?"

"Former President of the Asia region for Saishi Company, later transferred to headquarters to serve as the Person in Charge of the Audit Department, at the same rank as Li Zhenghao: Senior Vice President!"

Zhao Xiuneng was stunned for a moment: "Why did he come?"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I don't know, perhaps he is here for tourism."

"Tourism? Junior brother, you really know how to joke?"

"Knowing it's a joke, why ask?" Wang Qi Zhi sighed, "General Manager Zhao, didn't you see that those three women were as obedient as quails?"

Zhao Xiuneng had certainly seen it, and it was precisely because he had seen it that he was suspicious.

Lin Sicheng did want to analyze it, but he knew too little and could only guess wildly.

Seeing Tian Rulong with his brows locked tight and looking worried, he leaned forward: "Director Tian, what is wrong?"

Tian Rulong seemed to wake from a dream and let out a long breath: "Lin Sicheng, do you know who that person just now was?"

Just after asking, Tian Rulong realized: when Sun Henian was famous throughout the country, Lin Sicheng was barely ten years old, just barely out of split-crotch pants.

"His name is Sun Henian; he was originally a disciple of Museum Curator Yang. After arriving in Beijing, he studied under Mr. Qi Gong and Director Shi—"

Lin Sicheng was suddenly stunned: "Whose disciple?"

"Museum Curator Yang Renkai, as well as Mr. Qi Gong and Director Shi Shuqing—"

Lin Sicheng gasped: Good heavens, of the four great masters, only Xu Bangda is missing?

If one were to rank the appraisal experts of New China: Museum Curator Yang would at least rank in the top ten. If ranking only Appraisal Masters of Calligraphy and Painting, he would rank third.

The first is Xu Bangda, the second is Qi Gong.

In the 1980s, the Ministry of Culture established the China Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Group to conduct a census of ancient calligraphy and painting across the country. The group had a total of seven members, including Qi Gong, Xu Bangda, and Yang Renkai.

It was he who discovered "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," and there were two pieces: one was the original by Zhang Zeduan, and the other was a copy by the Ming Dynasty

painter Qiu Ying.

He also pieced together Mi Fei's "Tiaoxi Poem Scroll" from a pile of waste paper. In addition, he restored a large number of works by famous masters such as Song Huizong, Song Gaozong, and Su Shi, totaling over three hundred pieces from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties; every single one is a national treasure.

Many people do not know Yang Renkai simply because he spent his early years in the Northeast and later traveled all over the country, rarely coming to Beijing. After retirement, he returned to the Northeast and rarely participated in social appraisal activities, so not many people know him.

But Lin Sicheng at least knew who this person was. If Sun Jingzhou was a disciple of Yang Renkai, then he was of the same generation and era as Sheng Guoan.

The key is that he was also a student of Qi Gong and Shi Shuqing. How could I have never heard of such a person?

"You definitely haven't heard of him!" Tian Rulong sighed, "Because those who know him don't even dare to mention him!"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: "He committed a crime!"

Tian Rulong nodded: "He was originally a temporary worker at the Northeast Museum (now Shaanxi Provincial Museum). At the time, Yang Renkai was the Museum Curator. Because Sun Henian performed excellently, was eager to learn, and was also extremely clever, Museum Curator Yang took him on as a student. In the early eighties, Museum Curator Yang joined the Ancient Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Group and brought him along, incidentally helping him secure a permanent position."

"At that time, Mr. Qi Gong was also in the group, and although he also brought students and assistants, compared to Sun Henian, one was underground and the other was in the sky. Sun Henian was not only sweet-talking and diligent with his hands and feet, but his ability to read the room was also a cut above Mr. Qi Gong's assistants. As time went on, Mr. Qi Gong got used to him and also took him on as a student."

"A few years later, the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee was established. Qi Gong served as the director, Shi Shuqing served as the deputy director, and Sun Henian took the opportunity to transfer

to the committee's secretariat to act as an assistant to Qi Gong."

"By the year ninety, the national survey of ancient Calligraphy and Painting was completed. He took the opportunity to transfer his organizational affiliation to Beijing and officially became a cadre in the Social Cultural Relics Division of the Museum Department of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, mainly responsible for the liaison work of major Experts such as Qi Gong, Xu Bangda, Yang Renkai, and Shi Shuqing—"

"Two years later, he again took Shi Shuqing as his master and became the Secretary-General of the Appraisal Committee. At the same time, he used the convenience of studying under Director Shi (Researcher at the China History Museum) to officially become a staff member of the China History Museum (the predecessor of the National Museum of China)—"

"Then, the incident happened! If you calculate the time, it's been twelve or thirteen years—"

Tian Rulong paused, "You know about the merger of the two museums at the beginning of the new century, right?"

The three people nodded in unison: In forty-nine, the original National History Museum was renamed the China History Museum, and at that time, Shi Shuqing took the position of Researcher.

In fifty, the Preparatory Office for the Central Revolutionary Museum was established, and Qi Gong, Shi Shuqing, and Xu Bangda were all members of the preparatory group.

In fifty-nine, the current National Museum of China building was completed. The following year, both the History Museum and the Revolutionary Museum moved in. By the third year, the two museums merged to establish the Museum of Chinese Revolutionary History. Then in eighty-three, the two museums were separated again.

It wasn't until the late nineties that there was a plan to merge the two museums again. It took five years, and they merged to establish the National Museum of China, a deputy-ministerial-level public institution directly under the Ministry of Culture.

Tian Rulong lowered his voice: "Many people know that many of the collections in the National Museum of China were 'borrowed' from various provinces and cities.

But very few people know that members of the public also donated a considerable portion—"

"Among them were descendants of the royal family from the old society like Pu Jie and Qi Gong, who were cultural celebrities after the founding of New China. There were also descendants of famous officials like Li Daozeng (grand-nephew of Li Hongzhang, first Dean of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering) and Zhang Zunliu (great-grandson of Zhang Zhidong, Researcher at the Institute of Modern History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who participated in the compilation of 'General History of China')."

"There were also Hong Kong and Macau entrepreneurs like Mr. He from Macau, Ye Yi, Xu Shirong, and Yang Yi. As well as overseas Chinese leaders like Zhuang Wanli, Dan Sheng,

and Xu Zhenyi. It also included philanthropists and collectors like Mr. Zhang (Zhang Zongxian)—"

"Of course, there were also many private donations. From the founding of the country to the millennium, the number of Cultural Relics donated by the public reached as high as one million. Among them, the genuine and the fake were mixed, and the good and the bad were uneven. And because of the mergers, relocations, splits, and re-mergers, the collections of the two museums became a mess."

"At that time, the relevant departments re-inventoried them and contacted Experts for appraisal. Among them were Qi Gong, Shi Shuqing, Xu Bangda, and Yang Renkai—at that time, these four were the four recognized great Appraisal Masters in the cultural and museum circles and the appraisal circle. Therefore, as long as they were valuable collections or precious Cultural Relics, they were all appraised by these four."

And at that time, Sun Henian was not only a Researcher at the History Museum but also the Secretary-General of the Appraisal Committee—fearing accidents, Sun Henian personally served as the liaison for these four and assigned trusted Assistants to serve them—"

"Then, the incident happened: This bastard not only instructed his subordinates to steal things but also tampered with the appraisal reports and ledgers—it took a full three years before it was discovered—"

"I don't know exactly what was stolen, but it was a lot. By the time it was discovered, Sun Henian had long since run away—in the end, the truth came out, and those subordinates of his were either given suspended death sentences or life imprisonment—"

If even his subordinates could be sentenced to suspended death, he, the principal offender, even if he didn't reach the death penalty, wouldn't be far off.

And from the time of the incident until now, only ten years have passed?

Wang Qi Zhi couldn't fathom it at all: "Then how did he dare to come back?"

Tian Rulong sighed: "He is very smart and reacts quickly. When he ran away back then, he destroyed most of the evidence of his crimes. Except for the confessions of a few subordinates, there was basically no physical evidence left to point to him. Secondly, the key witnesses, which were the four Experts, have now had three pass away."

"Only Mr. Xu is still alive, but he is already nearly a hundred years old. To be honest, asking Mr. Xu to recall the details of that time is a bit of a tall order—"

Which is equivalent to saying there is neither evidence nor witnesses.

What's more, he has already changed his identity, and even had plastic surgery, transforming himself into an American. And with his skills, it is not very difficult to mix into a social status with some weight in the United States. It is equivalent to adding another layer of protective identity.

So, what does he have to be afraid of in coming back?

"Setting aside his character, his ability is still very strong. Especially during the time he followed Director Shi, Director Shi could be said to have taught him everything he knew—and it wasn't just once that Director Shi said he was better than his master—"

After a slight pause, Tian Rulong sighed, "Including Mr. Xu, who also said that Sun Henian was born to do this job: skilled in many arts, knowing everything—Mr. Qi Gong even called him an all-rounder and a polymath, it's just a pity he didn't walk the right path—"

Skilled in many arts, knowing everything—isn't this just a second Shi Shuqing?

Although there has never been a ranking, fairly speaking, among the four Appraisal Masters, regardless of specialized fields, appraisal characteristics, academic level, or the quality and quantity of their works, Shi Shuqing was a cut above.

Qi Gong was a master of Sinology and a calligrapher, with the highest national popularity and the highest social positions, and was the most familiar to the general public. Yang Renkai was the exact opposite: he had no popularity among the public, but his status in the field of cultural relic history was extremely high.

If we talk about academic influence and appraisal specialization, Xu Bangda's influence was even higher than these two: his work system was complete, and the grading and authentication of calligraphy and painting in museums across the country largely referenced his achievements. Later practitioners of calligraphy and painting appraisal almost all have to read his books; he is the founder of the discipline of ancient calligraphy and painting appraisal.

But there is one point: these three all focused on calligraphy and painting, while Shi Shuqing was a polymath and an all-rounder: gold and stone, bronze, bamboo slips, calligraphy and painting,

ancient books, and miscellaneous items—there was nothing he didn't understand, and nothing he wasn't proficient in.

He studied under the master of history Chen Yuan at the same time as Qi Gong. Qi Gong was ten years his senior and had also studied earlier and more. But Chen Yuan said more than once: compared to the skills of the master's school, Yuanbai (Qi Gong's courtesy name) is far inferior to Junzhang (Shi Shuqing's courtesy name).

Even Shi Shuqing felt that Sun Henian was better than his master, Xu Bangda also believed that Sun Henian was skilled in many arts and knew everything, and Qi Gong even called him an all-rounder. So, how strong must this person be?

Lin Sicheng had self-awareness; he never thought he was that capable or that amazing. There were plenty of people stronger than him.

He also didn't have the intention to compete with Sun Henian. He just thought: this newly appointed General Manager He invited such a legendary figure who is so powerful to visit him specifically—is there some purpose?

It couldn't be that he saw his Center had just opened and was preparing to help him with the grand opening?

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