“I didn’t come here to see Uncle Li today. I’ve got a treasure I want to sell to your father!”
Shi Qing pointed at the ancient painting spread across the long table. Behind his glasses, his eyes were filled with calculation.
“That’s right, Sang Sang. Come take a look too.”
Shen Qian took Shen Sangyu by the hand and led her over to the table.
It was a landscape scroll painted in color, depicting a scene of people boating on the water.
At the beginning of the scroll was an inscription written in regular script:
[The Charm of Cangzhou]
“Well, what do you think, Little Teacher Shen? This is none other than Shen Zhou’s authentic work, The Cangzhou Charm Scroll.”
Shi Qing pointed toward the inscription at the beginning of the scroll, putting on an impressive performance as though he were some great connoisseur.
He thought smugly, “What could a little girl possibly know about scroll paintings? Old Shen really spoils his daughter too much.”
If Shen Sangyu hadn’t experienced her previous life, she might have fallen for it too.
In her previous life, Shi Qing had used this very painting as collateral to obtain five million yuan from her father.
As for the painting itself…
Hmph!
Shen Sangyu paid no attention to Shi Qing’s teasing. She narrowed her eyes slightly and activated her right eye, focusing her attention on the unfolded scroll.
It wasn’t fake?!
Shen Sangyu saw the same golden mist she had seen on the vase.
But in her previous life, this painting had clearly been fake!
Wait…
Although the painting Shi Qing had brought was a properly mounted scroll, the mist was divided into several distinct layers.
There was a faint white haze at both the top and bottom.
But in the middle, there was shimmering golden mist.
The long scroll seemed to have its energy divided into several separate sections, with golden mist appearing only around the inscription and colophon.
That golden mist also followed her fingertips and was absorbed by the lotus flower in her dantian.
Another bead of water faintly appeared at the tip of the lotus bud…
Something felt strange.
Shen Sangyu frowned.
Then her watery eyes shifted as if she had suddenly figured something out.
Her eyes lit up.
A smile appeared on her delicate face, making her look like a little fox that had just gotten its way.
“Uncle Shi, judging from the brushwork and style, it really does look like Shen Zhou’s work!”
She smiled sweetly at Shi Qing.
“Where did you get such a treasure?”
Seeing Shen Sangyu’s reaction, Shi Qing thought smugly, “Just as I thought. She’s nothing but a naive little girl. So what if she’s pretty and gets good grades? Does she understand antiques? Hah!”
Still, her attitude was exactly what he wanted.
“Hahaha, Sang Sang really has a good eye. I bought this from a collector at a low price many years ago.”
As soon as he said this, Shi Qing’s expression changed.
In an instant, his face was filled with sorrow.
“Ah! If my elderly mother hadn’t suddenly fallen seriously ill, I wouldn’t have brought it out. But then I heard your father was looking for an authentic Shen Zhou painting, so you’re the first person I thought of, Old Shen.”
Shen Qian was startled when he heard the reason.
“You want to sell this painting to me?”
“I was thinking that Qinan Restaurant became famous for its Huaiyang cuisine, and Qinan happens to be Shen Zhou’s courtesy name. Wouldn’t this painting be exactly what you’ve been looking for?”
Shi Qing put on an expression of loyalty and friendship.
“If you displayed this painting in the front hall, wouldn’t it add a great deal of prestige to Qinan Restaurant?”
Shen Sangyu sneered inwardly.
She had never seen such a shameless liar in her life!
Seeing the hesitation on her father’s face, Shen Sangyu spoke softly.
“Then, Uncle Shi, how much are you asking for it?”
Shen Qian’s eyes also settled on Shi Qing.
Qinan Restaurant did need something impressive to enhance its reputation, but they also had to consider whether their finances could afford it.
“How about this?”
Shi Qing raised one finger.
One…
The man’s appetite certainly wasn’t small.
Ten million!
Thinking about it, the five million her father had paid in her previous life must have already been the result of bargaining.
Although Shen Zhou’s paintings had indeed sold for over a hundred million at international auctions, private transactions were completely different from auctions.
There were no renowned appraisal experts to guarantee authenticity. Everything depended on one’s own judgment and personal connections.
Shi Qing was only offering the painting as collateral to Shen Qian, but he hadn’t even specified when he would redeem it.
Ten million.
He really had some nerve.
Seeing that her father was about to speak, Shen Sangyu quickly interrupted him.
“One hundred thousand? That’s so much!”
Shen Sangyu deliberately widened her eyes in shock.
“Dad, we’d better ask Uncle Li to take a look first. If you really want it, we should probably have the transaction notarized at the notary office. What do you think, Uncle Shi?”
Shen Sangyu spoke first.
Seeing Shi Qing’s face turn ugly, she knew her guess had been right.
In truth, the five million Shi Qing had taken from her father in her previous life wasn’t what had destroyed the Shen family.
What had truly driven them into bankruptcy was that Shi Qing had used the excuse of a collateral arrangement to give Shen Qian a fake painting.
Later, he gathered enough money to redeem it, only to turn around and accuse Shen Qian of secretly switching the painting.
The entire thing had been a trap specifically designed to bring down the Shen family.
At the time, Shen Qian had been left speechless.
He had trusted Shi Qing because they were old friends, and since the painting was only being used as collateral, he hadn’t thought much of having the transaction notarized.
Shi Qing had also claimed that he desperately needed the money to save someone’s life, so Shen Qian had never imagined there was anything to worry about.
After the incident, Shi Qing even brought people to Qinan Restaurant and caused a scene at the entrance.
Worried that things would escalate, Shen Qian eventually signed an agreement with Shi Qing and compensated him fifty million yuan to settle the matter quietly.
But Qinan Restaurant’s reputation, along with Shen Qian’s own, never recovered.
After all, most of Qinan Restaurant’s customers were successful professionals and business elites from various industries.
When they invited clients out for business meals, reputation mattered.
Why would they choose a restaurant with a tarnished reputation as a venue for important business dinners?
“Sang Sang, you’re just a little girl. What do you know? One hundred thousand? Do you know that Shen Zhou’s The Farewell to Wu Wending with Inscription sold for over a hundred million?”
Shi Qing looked furious.
“Adults are talking. Children shouldn’t interrupt!”
Shen Qian looked at the completely different Shi Qing before him and quietly began reassessing the situation.
Shen Sangyu wasn’t angry in the slightest.
She had deliberately provoked Shi Qing.
At the same time, she was subtly reminding her father to be careful.
In her previous life, the reason her father had fallen for the scheme so easily was that his judgment had been clouded by their friendship.
Her interruption had come at exactly the right moment.
“Old Shi, Sang Sang has a point. If this is really something this valuable, then if you want to sell it, we should have it notarized. It protects both of us.”
Although Shen Qian was always gentle and courteous and rarely lost his temper, he was extremely protective of his daughter.
And Shen Sangyu was right.
Shi Qing’s expression changed.
Before Shen Sangyu had entered the private room, Old Shen had already been nearly convinced by his tearful and emotional persuasion.
“Old Shen, this is money to save a life. I can’t afford to wait that long!
“How about this? I’ll leave the painting with you as collateral for five million.
“One month. No, two weeks. I’ll sell the house back in my hometown and redeem the painting.
“I can’t afford to wait for the notarization!”
Shen Sangyu crossed her arms and leaned against the tea table, watching Shi Qing’s Oscar-worthy performance with cold eyes.
“Uncle Shi, if that’s the case, then you should definitely go to Qibaozhai and ask Uncle Li. Leaving the painting as collateral with him should be safer than leaving it with us.”
Shen Sangyu followed his logic, pretending to make the suggestion casually.
Shen Qian nodded.
“Exactly. Saving a life is the most important thing. I do want this painting, but I can’t take advantage of you while you’re in trouble.
“How about you use it as collateral with Qibaozhai first. Once you’ve gotten through this difficult period, we’ll handle the transaction properly.
“Whatever the fair price is, that’s what I’ll pay. I won’t take advantage of you.”
Shen Qian had been doing business in Haishi for many years.
Once he had calmed down, he was still quite good at judging people.
The more carefully he considered Shi Qing’s story, the stranger it sounded.
Fortunately, Sang Sang had given him a warning today.
Otherwise, this could have turned into a major disaster.
Antiques were already a field with a high barrier to entry. Shen Qian was only a half-trained enthusiast, and Shi Qing had deliberately distracted him from the important details by appealing to their friendship.
If the painting turned out to be fake, the consequences would be enormous.
Seeing the situation unfold, Shi Qing immediately sensed that today’s plan was going to fail.
But he had already taken money from that person.
He had promised that he would make this happen no matter what.
Now, he had no idea how he was going to get himself out of this mess.