The venue was arranged with seats in a fan shape, capable of accommodating a thousand people. The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. Traditional patterned silk and lanterns were hung all around, casting a soft yellow glow that gave the place an antique charm.
Lin Chuan and Youyou had already met up with Old Bai.
At this moment, Zhang Yixing approached Lin Chuan and his group. With a smile, he said, "Writer Lin, Youyou, I've finally found you."
"Chief Editor," Lin Chuan and Youyou both greeted in return.
Zhang Yixing discreetly sized up Lin Chuan, then gesturing towards the man beside him, he introduced, "Writer Lin, let me introduce you to a renowned collector from the Modu antiques circle, the owner of the 'Ancient Moon' private museum, Mr. Hu."
"Mr. Hu, I have long admired your reputation."
Lin Chuan turned to look at Mr. Hu, who was wearing a light-colored robe, tall and slim with glasses, radiating a certain refined elegance.
"You flatter me, you flatter me," Mr. Hu said repeatedly, waving his hands, smiling, "It should be I who admires Writer Lin's great name. Just last night, I stayed up late to finish reading Writer Lin's masterpiece 'Last Week's Antique'. It was penetrating and a work for the ages."
Collectors in the antiques circle, such as literary persons like Mr. Hu, were adept at lavish praise.
Similarly, Mr. Hu was also taking the opportunity to size up Lin Chuan.
As if appraising an antique.
Overall, Lin Chuan, standing at 186cm tall with a lean figure, dressed in a simple white shirt paired with dark casual pants—a younger and trendier outfit.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Chuan's hands rested naturally, his face bore a gentle smile, and his eyes were clear. Although his face was youthful and unweathered, he wasn't nervous by the presence of many masters of antiques, as well as prominent figures from Modu's business and political circles, maintaining a calm and collected demeanor.
Quite obviously,
this first impression scored Lin Chuan very high in Mr. Hu's estimation.
No, it was a full score!
Mr. Hu's gaze towards Lin Chuan became even more appreciative.
After hearing Mr. Hu's praise, Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow and humbly said, "Mr. Hu is too kind."
Mr. Hu's face revealed a genial smile as he handed over a business card, saying, "If Writer Lin is interested, you must come and visit my humble museum. There are several antiques I would like to have Writer Lin's approval of."
"I will visit when I have the time," Lin Chuan took the business card, politely acknowledging the invitation.
"I look forward to the honor of Writer Lin's visit," Mr. Hu said with a smile, nodding. Then, he looked around and added, "The handover ceremony will start soon, so I won't disturb you any further."
This influential figure in the Modu antiques circle, Mr. Hu, left Lin Chuan with the impression of a refined scholar.
In their first meeting, they had not conversed too much or engaged in awkward small talk. Instead, Mr. Hu had briefly made an acquaintance, handed over a business card, and invited Lin Chuan to his private museum, leaving the decision to visit entirely up to Lin Chuan.
"Ancient Moon," Lin Chuan watched Mr. Hu and Zhang Yixing depart, muttering the name before tucking the business card into his pocket.
He knew that Director Zhang must have given the Douli Bowl to Mr. Hu for appraisal last night.
Recognizing its worth, Mr. Hu had intended to make a connection.
However, Lin Chuan didn't pay it much attention.
But Old Bai, standing beside him, looked at Lin Chuan in surprise, "Bro, that's impressive!"
"What's impressive?" Lin Chuan turned and asked with a smile.
"Even this prominent figure of the Modu antiques circle is coming to network with you. What's your status in the antiques circle now?" Old Bai suddenly felt that his lifesaving benefactor, Lin Chuan, seemed like a stranger.
He even thought about shaking Lin Chuan and yelling 'who are you, get off my brother'!
Cough, unless it's the sister-in-law, in which case, pretend I didn't say anything.
Lin Chuan laughed and said half-jokingly, "If I don't take a seat, they wouldn't dare to touch their chopsticks."
"Lin Chuan, I know you're impressive, but that's quite a boast," Youyou chimed in, a playful expression on her face.
Lin Chuan smiled, "I'm not boasting."
In the 'Antique Forgery' Virtual World, Lin Chuan really was of such high status.
The virtual worlds Lin Chuan experienced were all fictional constructs based on the real world, so he was similarly ranked in reality.
Within the venue, Lin Chuan also spotted some familiar faces from a distance.
For instance, there was Police Officer Chen Hui, and the museum's chief expert, Gao Qinglin.
Chen Hui nodded to him in greeting.
Gao Qinglin, however, glanced over coldly, his expression indifferent.
Before long,
the host announced the start of the "Ceremony for the Repatriation of Overseas Artifacts," and after speeches from both sides, the 27 returned artifacts were revealed one by one, cradled by the ceremonial hostesses.
Since Lin Chuan, Youyou, and others were not seated in the front row, they watched the event through the images displayed on the large screen.
"What is that piece?"
Having never been involved with antiques or artifacts before, Youyou started to learn about these subjects after Lin Chuan had given her a "Ming Hongwu Blue and White Peony Pattern Jade Spring Vase."
Lin Chuan glanced at it and answered, "That's a 'Jadeite Cyan Dragon Teaching Son Pattern Lid Vase,' a late Qing period artifact."
"And the piece next to it?"
Youyou looked on with the curiosity of a child, blinking her eyes, and pressed on with her question.
Lin Chuan turned his head toward Youyou and smiled, "That's a 'White Jade Bird-shaped Pair Box,' also from the late Qing period, belonging to the Gong Prince Mansion along with the jadeite vase we just discussed."
"What's the Gong Prince Mansion?"
"The Gong Prince Mansion, well, it's the largest princely mansion complex of the Qing Dynasty, built by Prince Gong Yixu in the 45th year of Qianlong reign, which is 1780, and starting in 1912, a large number of artifacts and treasures began to flow out of the mansion overseas..."
"That vase is beautiful!"
"It's a Qing Kangxi Lang Kiln Red Water Chestnut Vase. Lang kiln red glaze, this particular vase is a fine example of Lang kiln red porcelain."
"Lin Chuan, there's a piece of bronze ware over there."
"That's a 'Fengxing Uncle Gui,' a piece of late Western Zhou bronze ware, found in a hoard of bronzes in Famen Town, Baoji City, around 1984. This piece was stolen and lost overseas."
Lin Chuan patiently explained to Youyou, who was full of curiosity, as if he were reciting treasures from his own collection.
At this moment,
the others attending the event had initially not paid much attention, but as Lin Chuan explained each artifact, expressions of surprise gradually appeared on their faces and they couldn't help but give Lin Chuan a few more glances.
Even Old Bai, a specialist in artifact restoration, couldn't help but be taken aback after listening to Lin Chuan's explanations.
Wasn't this knowledge a bit too extensive?
Youyou also stared at Lin Chuan in astonishment.
She had only asked casually, hoping to close the distance between herself and Lin Chuan, but she had not expected Lin Chuan to reel off answers smoothly, without hesitation or pause.
"You really know it all?"
Youyou looked at Lin Chuan, her eyes bright and nearly sparkling with admiration.
She suddenly began to believe Lin Chuan's boastful claim, "If I don't join the table, they won't dare to pick up their chopsticks."
It could really be possible!
Truly my treasure of a man, oh no, my treasured author!
"These are all basic knowledge; I think many people would know them," Lin Chuan said with a smile.
"Old Bai, what about that jade vase?" Youyou turned to Old Bai, who was sitting next to Lin Chuan, pointing at a jade pot displayed on the screen and asked with a smile.
"Er..."
Old Bai was at a loss for words, struggling to answer, and finally confessed, "Sister-in-law, I only recognize the first 'Jadeite Cyan Dragon Teaching Son Pattern Lid Vase'; I'm not familiar with the others."
Shortly after,
Youyou turned her gaze back to Lin Chuan, blinking her eyes.
Lin Chuan rubbed his temples and then lifted his gaze to the screen, which was showing a jade vase.
This particular piece was the artifact that he had mistakenly replicated in the virtual world.
— A Qing Dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.
m|vl|e|mp|y|r article
Lin Chuan's face broke into a smile: "It's a Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase, hmm?"
Suddenly, a change passed over Lin Chuan's expression.
Could this 'Qing Dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' be fake?

Comments

Loading...