June 19th, morning.
Above Modu, thick clouds piled up like layers of gray cotton above the skyscrapers, completely blocking out the sunlight. The howling wind made the trees in the city sway greatly. Occasionally, a few drops of rain quietly fell, hitting the ground and making a faint sound.
Inside Modu Museum, several influential figures were present.
The director of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Li Zeguang, the chief expert of the museum, Gao Qinglin, the celebrity of the antiques circle Hu Shu, as well as multiple experts and staff members.
Lin Chuan was also among them.
Today, in Lin Chuan's name, Hu Shu donated three rare antiques to the Cultural Relics Bureau as compensation for Lin Chuan's "accidental damage" to the Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.
The donation ceremony was a success.
Hu Shu patted Lin Chuan's shoulder contentedly and signaled, "Lin, come out with me for a moment."
"Okay."
Lin Chuan nodded and followed Hu Shu to a corner of the museum.
Dressed in a light gray long gown and pushing up his glasses on his nose, Hu Shu looked at Lin Chuan with concern and asked, "Lin, how is the restoration of that artifact going?"
Lin Chuan raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Mr. Hu, it's almost finished. I expect it will be completed within the next two days."
"Good, very good."
Hu Shu did not skimp on his praise, then laughed again, "Lin, you have become famous these past few days. Someone entrusted me to get to know you."
Lin Chuan appeared surprised and questioned, "I'm just a nobody. Why would someone want to meet me?"
"To shut the netizens up, the Cultural Relics Bureau released some scene photos of you restoring the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.' Now, everyone in Modu's antiques circle knows about your ability to restore artifacts. It's normal that someone would want to get to know you," laughed Hu Shu.
Lin Chuan also laughed, then asked, "Who is this friend, a master?"
Resting his arm on Lin Chuan's shoulder, Hu Shu turned and pointed, "Him."
Following the indicated direction, Lin Chuan furrowed his brows slightly, "Master Gao?"
"Yes."
Hu Shu nodded.
Lin Chuan chuckled awkwardly and said, "Mr. Hu might not be aware, but when I first came to Modu, I had some differing opinions with him regarding the appraisal of artifacts."
"Differing opinions?"
A look of confusion appeared on Hu Shu's face.
Lin Chuan then recounted the incident of his initial arrival in Modu when he had appraised the Taotie pattern wine vessel.
"I see."
Hu Shu smiled, "In the field of artifact appraisal, everyone has different perspectives; some disagreements are inevitable."
"That's true," Lin Chuan smiled.
Hu Shu patted Lin Chuan's shoulder again, "Lin, one must look ahead. Gao Qinglin is a famous master in Modu's antiques circle. You are bound to deal with him as you make your way in Modu. Moreover, since he's taking the initiative to make amends, why don't we be magnanimous? I'll host lunch for you two today. How about that?"
"Since Mr. Hu has asked, then let's meet," Lin Chuan smiled and agreed.
Hu Shu laughed heartily, appearing very pleased.
A flicker of complexity passed through Lin Chuan's eyes. It seemed Mr. Hu was quite keen on him getting acquainted with Gao Qinglin.
But Lin Chuan didn't think too much of it.
After all, the antiques circle of Modu was only so large; it was understandable that Hu Shu and Gao Qinglin had connections.
It was no problem for him to help bridge relations between himself and Gao Qinglin.
At noon, Lin Chuan accepted the invitation.
During the meal, Gao Qinglin changed his usual attitude toward Lin Chuan, greeting him with a smile. Consequently, the three of them had an amiable and engaging conversation at the table.
The lunch didn't take much time.
Because Lin Chuan had more important matters to attend to.
Last night.
After Lin Chuan decided to divulge information about the counterfeit Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase, the three discussed how to spread the information.
Ultimately, they decided to disseminate the information by releasing an anonymous video online.
The internet was a familiar battlefield for Lin Chuan.
After ending the luncheon, Lin Chuan headed straight to Old Bai's 'Wenbai Studio.'
Wenbai Studio.
With overcast weather outside, bright lights were turned on inside, shining on the workbench. The tabletop, usually filled with restoration tools like knives, files, and sandpaper, was covered with a piece of dark velvet, with a newly restored Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase placed in the center.
Youyou, wearing a beige long dress, was holding a DSLR camera, capturing details of the thin-walled jade vase.
"You're back."
As soon as Youyou looked up, she saw Lin Chuan approaching quickly, wearing a simple white shirt and smiling.
Lin Chuan, seeing the earnest Youyou, smiled, "You're all working, how could I delay?"
"Let me show you the photos I've taken."
Youyou passed the photos she took for Lin Chuan's review.
Lin Chuan nodded in satisfaction, "They perfectly meet the requirements."
"I also edited the video script," said Youyou with a small proud smile.
"Well done."
Lin Chuan felt a stirring in his heart.
When it came to internet technology, Lin Chuan was an expert.
As for video production, Youyou and Old Bai had more experience than Lin Chuan, so they were in charge of the main task of creating the video,
Youyou volunteered to handle the video script, image collection, and other related tasks.
Old Bai was responsible for editing and compositing.
The video they needed to create was relatively professional; thus, it required more effort.
Youyou only snoozed for a couple of hours last night.
Today, before the break of dawn, she got up and started editing text.
"No big deal."
Suppressing a smile, Youyou then rubbed her slightly tired eyes and chuckled heartily.
"Bro, don't forget me."
In the corner of Wenbai Studio, Old Bai sat in front of the computer, turned his head, and spoke as if seeking credit.
"Don't worry, when it's time for the celebration feast, if you're not there, I won't lift my chopsticks," Lin Chuan jested, "How's the video coming along?"
"I've almost finished editing on my end. Just need to upload the cultural relic details your wife shot, add some data, and it will be good to go," Old Bai laughed heartily.
Lin nodded, "Do you need my help?"
Old Bai shook his head and raised an eyebrow, "Bro, you could go out with your wife for a date, grab a milk tea, and by the time you're back, I'll have it done."
"You want me to bring you back some?" Lin asked with a smile.
"That would be even better," Old Bai raised his eyebrow again, a smile spreading across his face.
"I see you're in the mood for milk tea, but that will have to wait. I'd better set up an anonymous account first to prevent the Antique Forgery Gang from tracing us through our network IP," Lin returned to the matter at hand. "Youyou, lend me your laptop, please."
On the corner of the workbench sat Youyou's laptop.
"Sure," Youyou said with a beaming smile.
Lin opened the laptop and began setting up a VPN. Then he connected to a virtual network and registered an account on Fast Dou Video with a virtual foreign IP.
To prevent IP tracking, Lin even created a special firewall.
For Lin, this was all done in one go.
On the other side.
Old Bai's video was ready and uploaded.
Thus, a video titled 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase suspected to be a counterfeit' appeared in the popular section on the Fast Dou Video homepage.
...
At two o'clock in the afternoon, it started to rain.
The sky gently sprinkled fine rain, like silk, like threads, weaving together in the air to form a hazy mist, as if draping the city in a soft veil.
In the estate of the 'Ancient Moon' private museum, a gentle breeze blew, carrying the moist air and causing the raindrops to fall diagonally, hitting the dense leaves and making a rustling sound.
Gao Qinglin still wore his black Tang suit.
With a radiant smile on his face, he held a large umbrella, under which walked Hu Shu, strolling leisurely over the cobblestone path into the museum and up to the third floor.
The two patted off the fine rain droplets from their clothes and settled down next to the tea table.
"Mr. Hu, your judgment is indeed sharp. Lin really is a genius in the antiques circle," Gao couldn't help but praise as soon as he sat down.
At today's lunch table, they conversed animatedly with Lin.
Lin occasionally made some unique remarks that were enlightening for Gao.
This time, he had to admit his admiration.
Smiling contentedly, Hu said, "It's a good start that you've set aside your biases. Soon, once Lin finishes restoring the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase,' he'll come to work for our museum. Within a month, he'll be an invaluable asset to our team, and that is when his true worth will be realized."
The 'value' Mr. Hu spoke of was naturally the value of 'Antique Forgery.'
He always followed Lin's 'Last Week's Antique.' Every time he watched a segment about antique forgery, he could relate and feel the charm of Lin's ability to deceive with fakes.
Perhaps, that's what makes a genius.
A genius in antique forgery!
While brewing tea, Gao said, "By then, Mr. Hu won't have to get involved personally."
"Of course, with Lin joining us, that spares me a lot of trouble, and you'll need to give him plenty of support," Mr. Hu said with a smile.
Gao's tea pouring paused slightly, and he raised an eyebrow, "Is Mr. Hu planning to bring him into our core team?"
"If he passes the tests and becomes my spokesperson, it's not impossible," Hu said, smiling.
Hiss!
Gao's expression stiffened, he took a deep breath inwardly, then settled his heart and picked up the conversation with a smile, "Mr. Hu, that's quite the tactic."
"Naturally. Otherwise, why would I set such a trap for him with my extensive network?"
A profound smile emerged on the cultured face of Hu.
Nominally: a spokesperson.
In reality, it's equivalent to being the legal representative, a scapegoat.
In Hu's plan, by bringing Lin into the fold and having him create fakes, Hu could rest easy and reap the benefits.
Should any mishap occur, he could walk away unscathed.
Gao finished brewing the Pu'er tea and poured a cup for Mr. Hu.
'Ring, ring, ring—'
At that moment, his phone rang.
Gao glanced at Mr. Hu, showing an apologetic expression, "Mr. Hu, my subordinate is calling."
"Go ahead, take it," Mr. Hu said, sipping his tea nonchalantly.
Gao didn't avoid Mr. Hu; instead, he directly pressed the answer button and soon asked, "What's the matter?" The subordinate's words on the phone instantly turned his expression to shock, a look of alarm crossing his face.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Mr. Hu raised his head to glance at Gao, asking unhurriedly.
Gao put down his phone, swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Mr. Hu, someone exposed online that the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase is suspected to be a counterfeit."
"Hmm?"
Mr. Hu's brow furrowed immediately, a look of disbelief crossing his usually impassive face.

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