Ancient Moon, private museum.
Inside the third-floor reception room, a beautiful girl in a cheongsam smiled as she refilled the tea for Mr. Hu, Lin Chuan, and others, then slowly retreated to one side.
Lin Chuan took a deep breath, picked up the warm teacup, sipped the tea lightly, and then locked eyes with Mr. Hu, smiling, "If I were to decline Mr. Hu's generous praise, I'd be merely feigning modesty."
Right then!
Mr. Hu's eyes brightened, and a smile appeared on his face, "With Mr. Lin's skills, restoring that 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' should pose no problem."
Lin Chuan nodded and smiled, "I'll do my best."
"Mr. Lin is being modest. That 'Qing Kangxi Five-colored Fish and Algae Pattern Douli Bowl' was absolutely masterful, top-notch in the world!" Mr. Hu did not hide his admiration for Lin Chuan as he continued, "I'll recommend you to the Cultural Relics Bureau for the restoration right away."
"Thank you, Mr. Hu."
Lin Chuan said with a smile.
Afterward, Mr. Hu led Lin Chuan and Youyou on a satisfying tour of the museum.
By the time the visit was over, it was already the afternoon.
Lin Chuan and Youyou left the 'Ancient Moon' museum, walked out of the estate, and strolled along the riverbank on the embankment.
As the day approached dusk, the clouds were tinged with gold and a hint of powder purple by the setting sun's afterglow, like a magnificent light gauze. In the sky, occasional birds winged their way home, their long shadows dancing on the glistening surface of the river.
At this time, the breeze by the river, carrying a bit of coolness, brushed against the two of them, playing havoc with Youyou's hair.
Youyou smoothed her hair and tucked it behind her ear, then turned to question, "Why did you agree to Mr. Hu's request?"
"Does it seem odd to you?" Lin Chuan smiled.
Youyou nodded.
Lin Chuan stopped, his hands resting on the railings of the river embankment, facing the river: "If I didn't accept, wouldn't that be even stranger?"
"From the perspective of someone unaware, indeed, it would be very odd," Youyou pondered, "but from the perspective of someone in the know, it's also quite odd for you to agree to restore the artefact."
Of course, Lin Chuan planned to use the 'urgent need for a Jade Artefact Restoration Expert' as a way to 'Lure the Snake out of its Hole'. If he became the restorer himself, who would be lured out?
Himself?
Lin Chuan shook his head, chuckling, "Mr. Hu has the right to make recommendations. As to who carries out the restoration, that's for the Cultural Relics Bureau to decide, and moreover, don't you find something strange??"
As he spoke, Lin Chuan paused.
"Strange? What kind of feeling?" Youyou's eyebrows furrowed in question.
"Don't you think Mr. Hu is very enthusiastic about us?" Lin Chuan frowned.
"What's so odd about that? You're a master of antiques, and as a famous collector, wanting to befriend you is only natural," Youyou thought logically.
"That's the apparent logic, but just look at his museum; the sheer number and value of the collections demonstrate his substantial wealth. With such capability, countless top antique masters serve him, so why is he making such great efforts to latch onto me?" Lin Chuan posed the question pointedly.
"This..." Youyou found herself at a loss for words, "Could it be love at first sight?"
Lin Chuan's face darkened as he spat out, "Youyou, we're in Modu, remember it's 'Mo', not 'Cheng'!"
"Ahem, a kindred spirit on first meeting!"
Youyou's mouth curled into a radiant smile.
"That explanation is quite mystical. So, I'm also curious whether he is genuinely extending a helping hand or has some ulterior motive. To find out, I agreed to let him recommend me for the jade vase restoration," Lin Chuan returned to the matter at hand.
Though he risked being accused of judging others by his own corrupt standards, when abroad and dealing with an experienced and influential individual, it was always best to be cautious.
Pursing her lips, Youyou propped her elbow on the railing, tilted her head, and rubbed her temple with her thumb, "There are so many complexities here; I'm better suited to reviewing manuscripts, straightforward and direct."
"Yes, I, too, prefer writing novels," Lin Chuan agreed, nodding.
"Then we make a great pair!"
Youyou tilted her head back, batting her eyelashes.
"When it comes to novels... tsk," Lin Chuan's mouth twitched, his thoughts on that afternoon's hot search he had seen.
——Last Week's Antique by Mr. Lin.
Now, it faced a boycott.
[Work: "Last Week's Antique".]
[Status: Already Listed.]
[Current Popularity Value (Average Subscription): 5318/20000.]
At noon today, eating crab roe noodles, the Average Subscription was 5287. An afternoon has passed, and now it's 5318.
"5318 minus 5287, with a total of 410 premium chapters..."
Lin Chuan's gaze drifted to the upper left as he murmured a set of numbers, ultimately arriving at two values.
New chapter subscription count: 12710.
Average Subscription increase: 31.
An afternoon had passed, and there was only an increase of 31 Average Subscriptions, with the growth rate of Average Subscriptions sharply declining.
Which means, the incident of him accidentally knocking over a national treasure grade cultural relic has completely nullified the traffic gained from the previous anti-fraud writing contest, a total loss!
Even now, with "Last Week's Antique" still listed in the powerful recommendations, it's futile.
Lin Chuan took a deep breath and then took out his phone, opening the reader group he hadn't checked in the last couple of days.
——'Abiding by the law is everyone's responsibility'.
The reader group was still lively.
Compared to before, the reader group was much more active.
Messages: 999+
Moreover, the number of messages in the group was still increasing.
"Lin Chuan, maybe you shouldn't look at the reader group, huh?" Youyou, who happened to glance at Lin Chuan's phone screen, said resignedly.
As Lin Chuan's editor, she always monitored Lin Chuan's activities closely.
Thus, she had specifically created an alt account to join Lin Chuan's reader group.
This afternoon, while Hu Shu was taking them on a tour of the museum, she snuck a peek at Lin Chuan's reader group. The comments inside... even Youyou couldn't help but gasp.
"I still have to see it no matter what!"
Lin Chuan's heart sank, he said firmly.
These readers were all committed subscribers, the true fans; the group still had 2000 members with not a single person leaving. That alone confirmed that there was a strong emotional bond between him and his readers.
[@Mr. Lin, you're in deep trouble, I heard that the cultural relic is worth a billion yuan!]
[Now you're really done for, the entire internet is boycotting your new book, you're completely doomed!]
[Guys, remember to @ me if there's a twist in the story.]
[Suspect Mr. Lin, it's alright, I'll still read your book after three years.]
[Guys, is there a way to apply to become a prison guard? I want to give Mr. Lin a whipping and urge him to seriously write novels in prison.]
[You better be serious about that whipping!]
[@Mr. Lin, I'm one of your female fans, I really like your novels, but my girlfriend's family deals in antiques and she won't let me read your book anymore, I've even broken up with her now!]
[I heard you're out on bail now, hurry up and come out! @Mr. Lin]
Lin Chuan's fingertips flew swiftly, each message flashing across his vision.
Whew—
Lin Chuan exhaled deeply, smiled, and murmured softly, "At least the brothers left me some face."
Fortunately, this group of unserious 'criminals' didn't curse too outrageously.
However, Lin Chuan could now only continue to play dead, not bubbling up to the surface, not speaking, as the police had already blocked off the news, and Old Bai hadn't leaked the information that the 'relic was a fake'.
But the boycott of "Last Week's Antique" across the internet really affected him.
Although the novel was generated by the system and not written by him, it was created based on his real-life experiences, with each plot point born from his own involvement.
Every imitation of an antique was also handmade by him, none of it fictitious.
Therefore, each novel generated by the system was as precious as treasure to Lin Chuan.
Only those who experienced it know its profound meaning.
He hoped the novel would be a hit, wished for more friends to venture into that virtual world with him, to savor Mr. Lin's life story.
That was also his inner world.
Lin Chuan watched the breeze brush over the river's surface, feeling a sudden thrill, then resolutely said, "I should also do something for Mr. Lin!"

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