Chapter 196
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Chapter 196 I’ll Offer One Hundred Million
When the painting was placed on the display stand, several experts immediately rushed over, examining it carefully with magnifying glasses, their eyes occasionally gleaming with excitement.
Everyone was watching intently, even breathing softly. The director on the side was almost dying of excitement. Originally, having a fool on the show would increase ratings somewhat, but unexpectedly, an original work by Wu Daozi appeared—this was going to be a phenomenal development! Whether it was genuine or fake, a surge in ratings was guaranteed!
“Film it carefully, don’t miss anything!” the director said with gleaming eyes!
The elderly experts meticulously examined the painting with magnifying glasses, inch by inch. After a full ten minutes, they finally stopped their inspection and looked at each other, all seeing the shock in each other’s eyes!
It was authentic, truly an authentic work by Wu Daozi!
In the upper right corner of the painting were three characters—”Hundred Lotus Painting”!
Both the brushwork style and the age of the painting undoubtedly confirmed it was created by Wu Daozi!
Those lotus flowers, still vivid after fifteen hundred years, must have been painted by Wu Daozi!
The host handed the microphone to the expert, who could barely contain his excitement, his hand trembling as he held the mic!
“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this is the most memorable experience in my career as an antique appraiser, without exception.”
“This painting is truly from the hand of the Painting Sage Wu Daozi, with a history of fifteen hundred years! This is a previously undiscovered work by the Painting Sage! ‘The Hundred Lotus Painting’!” the elderly expert exclaimed excitedly!
All the audience members stood up and applauded, creating an extremely enthusiastic atmosphere! After all, being able to appreciate Wu Daozi’s authentic work up close was an extremely rare opportunity for them!
Zhang Xuanqi stood on the stage with a proud, self-satisfied expression!
Gu Wan’er’s eyes also revealed astonishment. Born into a family of collectors, she had developed extremely strong appraisal skills from a young age. Her true abilities were no less than those experts on stage, otherwise she wouldn’t have been invited by Guohua Pawnshop to become the manager of their Ninghai main store.
In Gu Wan’er’s grandfather’s study, there was such an authentic painting by Wu Daozi. From childhood to adulthood, Gu Wan’er had viewed that painting countless times. From beginning to end, every stroke, every touch of the brush, all the colors and the flow of the composition—she remembered them all clearly, as if they were imprinted in her mind!
She could tell at a glance whether it was Wu Daozi’s authentic work or not!
Those who have never been involved in antique collection cannot fully understand collectors’ desire for authentic pieces. Gu Wan’er took a deep breath and asked, “Host, I have some knowledge of Wu Daozi’s paintings. May I come up to the stage to take a closer look?”
The host looked at her and immediately smiled: “Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Ms. Gu Wan’er, the beautiful manager of Guohua Pawnshop and the youngest expert in the collection world.”
Obviously, Gu Wan’er’s appearance had given her a significant advantage. If she had looked like Feng Jie, the host would never have allowed her on stage.
Gu Wan’er walked onto the stage and carefully examined the painting, becoming more shocked the longer she looked!
Since childhood, she had seen countless forgeries imitating Wu Daozi. Sometimes those forgeries could reach a level of being almost indistinguishable from the real thing, but they ultimately failed to capture the essence. This painting, however, was undoubtedly an authentic work by Wu Daozi!
Seeing Gu Wan’er’s expression, Zhang Xuanqi became even more pleased. If this beauty was willing to sleep with him for a few months, he might consider giving her this painting.
If Zhang Xuanqi’s father knew about this, he would probably be furious and call him a wastrel!
Using a Wu Daozi painting to pick up women was simply too much!
The host smiled and handed the microphone to Gu Wan’er, saying, “I believe Ms. Gu understands the true value of this painting better than I do. Please announce it to everyone!”
Gu Wan’er took another deep breath, her chest rising slightly due to her emotional state. Taking the microphone, she said somewhat solemnly, “I think it’s my honor to personally view Wu Daozi’s authentic work. As soon as I saw this painting, I felt a sense of historical depth washing over me. The title ‘Painting Sage’ is truly well-deserved.”
Camera flashes clicked continuously from the audience below!
“Last year, Hong Kong Meida Auction House auctioned an authentic painting by Wu Daozi, with a final transaction price of 50 million Chinese yuan,” Gu Wan’er said.
50 million!
Hearing this number, Zhang Xuanqi almost fainted!
Originally, this painting was purchased by his father two years ago from a Hong Kong merchant for 5 million. He had thought it might sell for 10 million now, but he never expected Gu Wan’er to say it was worth 50 million! This far exceeded his expectations!
It should be noted that even for Zhang Xuanqi’s father, 50 million was definitely not a small amount!
Gu Wan’er continued, “In my opinion, this painting’s preservation is even better than the previous one, with no damage at all. It’s hard to imagine this has been preserved for fifteen hundred years! Additionally, with current inflation, the prices of these collectibles have all increased accordingly. Therefore, I estimate that this authentic Wu Daozi painting is worth at least 70 million or more!”
70 million! Everyone felt a sense of breathlessness!
The program director was beyond excited—70 million was absolutely the highest transaction price among all appraisal programs nationwide! If this episode were broadcast, it would definitely explode across China!
Of course, except for Su Rui.
He had been standing on the side, his expression unchanged, not even a flicker in his eyes.
This wasn’t to say that wealth meant nothing to him, but rather that he had other thoughts.
“A price of 70 million, an authentic painting by Wu Daozi that has survived fifteen hundred years! I wonder how many audience members are willing to purchase this painting on the spot!”
Purchase on the spot!
It should be noted that 70 million is not a small amount for anyone! Although these antique collection enthusiasts all had decent financial backgrounds, asking them to produce 70 million at once was still somewhat difficult!
Zhang Xuanqi swept his gaze across the audience with an arrogant expression. Undoubtedly, he had successfully shown everyone up. Compared to this Wu Daozi “Hundred Lotus Painting,” the blue and white porcelain vase worth only 1 million earlier was nothing! The price difference between the two was simply heaven and earth!
“I’ll ask again, how many audience members are interested in buying this painting right now?” the host asked once more!
For a 70 million item, about a dozen hands were raised sporadically from the audience!
It seems China has no shortage of wealthy people!
Of course, some of these people were just putting on a brave face without actually having that much money. But this was an undiscovered authentic work by Wu Daozi—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! What a great investment opportunity! They would borrow money from wherever they could to buy it!
Seeing these dozen or so hands, the host was clearly shocked, while Zhang Xuanqi wore a smug expression!
“Now, I want to ask the owner of this painting, Mr. Zhang, what price would you like to set for this painting?” the host asked.
Zhang Xuanqi cleared his throat, full of self-satisfaction: “Starting price 80 million, highest bidder wins!”
So this guy came here to auction it off!
80 million! A full 10 million higher than Gu Wan’er’s estimated price!
Was he trying to rob people?
Of course not!
None of the audience members thought Zhang Xuanqi was being greedy, because this was Wu Daozi’s painting, which would only become more valuable in the future! If they were the owners, they might even price it at 100 million and still feel it was a bargain!
However, at this moment, Su Rui suddenly spoke up.
“Host, I also have some knowledge of Wu Daozi’s paintings. May I come up to take a look?”
Only then did Gu Wan’er notice Su Rui. Seeing his completely unfazed expression, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued.
This young man truly seemed unusual. Just this level of composure was not something ordinary people possessed.
The host looked somewhat troubled: “Sir, there are so many audience members here. If everyone wanted to come up for a closer look at this painting, our program would have no order at all. So I suggest…”
“Wait.”
Su Rui held up a hand and said, “How about this—if this painting is authentic, I’m willing to pay 100 million to buy it, with payment on the spot.”
100 million, paid on the spot!
Only an incredibly wealthy person could make such an outrageous claim!
Of course, Su Rui wasn’t carrying that much money with him. If the painting was genuine, he would borrow from Lin Aoxue if necessary to buy it. But who knew what the Sun God actually had in mind?
“100 million! This must be the highest transaction amount in our program’s history! I believe this is not only unprecedented but will also remain unmatched in the future!” the host exclaimed with excitement and delight!
The director nearby said, “Quick, get a close-up of this handsome guy’s face. He looked so cool just now!”
Zhang Xuanqi, however, burst into inappropriate laughter: “Haha, a nobody who drives a Passat worth just over 100,000 yuan, claiming to spend 100 million on a painting—do you believe that?”
With these words, the whole venue erupted in commotion!
This young man who casually offered 100 million was driving a Passat?
How could a wealthy person choose such a common car! Weren’t those with assets worth hundreds of millions driving Rolls-Royces or Maseratis?
Many audience members showed doubtful expressions, suspecting Su Rui was bluffing.
Gu Wan’er frowned slightly. She had always been against judging people by appearances, especially in such public settings. Zhang Xuanqi’s words clearly carried heavy discriminatory implications.
If people who drove Passats were considered nobodies, what should those who rode bicycles or took public transportation think? If this episode were broadcast, Zhang Xuanqi would definitely provoke public outrage!
Su Rui gave a cold smile: “I said if this painting is authentic, I’ll offer 100 million and pay on the spot. If I don’t pay, you can expose me however you want.”
After a pause, Su Rui added, “Of course, my premise is—that it’s authentic.”
