Ancient Moon Museum, third-floor reception room.
Outside the window, the rain grew heavier, cascading from the sky like countless silver threads interweaving into an impenetrable curtain of rain. The leaves in the manor swayed in the rain, water droplets falling along them, creating streams like watery curtains.
The noise of the rain filtered in through the window.
Mr. Hu's expression became somewhat complex, "What exactly is going on?"
Gao Qinglin took a deep breath and said dazedly, "Mr. Hu, our people have discovered a video on the homepage of QuickShake titled 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase suspected to be a replica,' and it's still trending."
Mr. Hu's heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed deeply, forming the character 'Chuan'.
Gao Qinglin calmed down.
He promptly retrieved a tablet from within the museum, opened QuickShake, and indeed saw that video on the homepage.
"Found it."
Gao Qinglin placed the video in front of Mr. Hu.
On the tablet, the video began to play, and the first thing that came into the view of Mr. Hu and Gao was a slightly rudimentary cover image.
In the center of the cover was the thin-walled jade vase.
In the upper right corner were the conspicuous words 'Bombshell' 'Suspected Replica' 'Rigorous Analysis'.
Subsequently, the screen shrank, revealing a cartoon image of a little boy who, with a synthesized electronic voice, began to say:
"Recently, a national treasure was accidentally damaged, sparking widespread discussion. Many netizens are focused on aspects such as 'compensation' and 'imprisonment,' but today, I'm going to show you a different perspective."
Next, a photo of the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' appeared in the video.
The cartoon boy raised his hand and continued,"Have you ever considered that this 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' might not be an authentic artifact?"
"Many people will ask, this is a national treasure from an overseas relic return ceremony, verified by a large number of experts, how could it be fake?"
"Listen while I analyze it one by one!"
"The hardest core artifact verification analysis is about to begin, fasten your seatbelts, we're taking off!"
"This is the basic information about the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase,' standing 31.1cm tall, with a base diameter of 8.2cm, crafted with the Suzhou Jade Carving Craft, its thinnest wall is 1mm, exhibiting excellent translucency."
"If you only look at the basic information and craftsmanship, it's not possible to discern its authenticity."
"Next, I will show you how to use light and shadow to identify this kind of jade vase thin as cicada's wings!"
"Look here."
"This is its photo before the overseas reflow exhibit."
"This is its current photo exhibited at Modu Museum."
"..."
As the video played on, the method of using light and shadow to identify the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' also reached the ears of Mr. Hu and Gao Qinglin.
Gao Qinglin's gaze was complex, and his voice trembled a bit, "Mr. Hu, is this method reliable?"
"Light and shadow..."
Mr. Hu leaned on the armrest of his chair, his eyebrows tightly knit, murmuring to himself.
Before Gao Qinglin could speak, he took out the authentic piece from the cabinet, placed it on the tea table, and then took a flashlight, shining it from above.
The 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' immediately revealed a warm and moist shadow, with a light green color, varying from bright to dark, forming a gradient layer.
Within it, the shadow's gradient transition was natural, extraordinarily soft.
On the body of the vase, the tangled branch pattern seemed like sprawling branches, lifelike, exuding a sense of freshness.
"This is real."
Afterward, Mr. Hu also took out pictures of the previously photographed replica of the thin-walled jade vase and began to compare the two.
The rain outside was falling even harder, tapping and drumming on the eaves, intermingling with the sound of the wind and the rustling leaves, disturbing the tranquility of their minds.
The rainy day brought a slight chill to the air.
Yet on Gao Qinglin's forehead, fine beads of sweat emerged.
His face turned somber as he watched Mr. Hu's comparison.
The two men in the third-floor reception room, one a chief expert of Modu Museum and the other the owner of a private museum who also happened to be an absolute authority in antique forgery, were no novices.
And it was precisely because of this that they understood just how astonishing the 'light and shadow' mentioned in the video really were.
After a meticulous comparison, Mr. Hu's face also displayed a hint of shock, "Light and shadow... there really is a subtle difference."
Mr. Hu then turned his attention back to the video.
By now, the video had finished playing, and as he quickly scrolled down, he could see the yet not too numerous audience comments.
[Can light and shadow really authenticate this treasure?]
[I've never heard of this method before, I'll save it for later, this account is a treasure.]
[The logic is too hardcore, I'm convinced!]
[Ah, if it's true, doesn't that mean the one that was damaged is a replica?]
[Did I falsely accuse the web novel writer before?]
[Guys, if the damaged one is a replica, then where is the real 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase'?]
[Yeah, where is the real artifact?]
[Agreed~ Where did the real national treasure go?]
[...]
Mr. Hu's expression tightened, and he looked up at Gao Qinglin, issuing a command, "Contact QuickShake right away and take down that video!"
Gao Qinglin nodded solemnly and immediately took out his phone, making a call.
They had wide connections; removing videos, pulling search terms, and suppressing trending topics were all routine measures.
"Director Zhang, this is Gao Qinglin. There's a video that is sensationalizing and seeking attention by slandering our national treasure as a replica. Could you help me take down this video and send me the uploader's information as well?"
On the phone, Gao Qinglin was brief and to the point, trying to cover as much information as possible in as few words as necessary.
"Teacher Gao, no problem, it's a small matter. What's the title of the video, and the nickname of the poster?" Director Zhang from QuickShake responded promptly.
Gao Qinglin glanced at the tablet again, reading aloud as he looked.
Title of the video: Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase suspected to be a replica.
Uploader's nickname: Fussy Taro Eater.
"Alright, no problem, I'll immediately take down the video," assured Director Zhang.
"Good, I'll await your news."
Only then did Gao Qinglin reveal a smile.
The call wasn't over yet; Director Zhang on the other end was executing the take-down order swiftly.
However, two minutes later.
Director Zhang reported back, "Teacher Gao, I'm unable to take down the video."
Upon hearing this.
Gao Qinglin and Hu Shu's expressions stiffened, and their brows furrowed once more.
"What's the reason?"
Gao Qinglin immediately asked.
"This video has 'technical' protection, it invaded directly through back-end networking, making its way to the homepage's trending section. You can think of it as a virus or a rogue program. Our people need some time to crack it," Director Zhang explained.
"How long will it take?" Gao Qinglin asked.
"At least one hour," Director Zhang replied.
"One hour... Okay, thank you for your efforts, Director Zhang."
Gao Qinglin murmured softly, hanging up the phone with a very grave expression.
One hour, and the dish would be cold.
With the massive traffic of the Quick Shake Video platform, a video featured on the homepage's trending section—coupled with the 'Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase' being a recent hot search—could easily amass several hundred thousand views in an hour.
By then, the situation would ferment.
And it would be too late to take it down.
The raindrops beat against the window glass with a loud pitter-patter, the wind howled, and the amplitude of the swaying leaves increased.
Creak—
In the manor, a lush branch broke off in response to the wind and rain, crashing to the ground.
Hu Shu's brows were tightly knotted. Confident in his antique forgery skills, he hadn't expected someone to use a microscope-like comparison with light and shadow to discern that the artifact was counterfeit.
If the situation escalated, it would inevitably draw the attention of departments like the Cultural Relics Bureau.
At that time, they would be in trouble.
"Who did this?" Gao Qinglin's expression was stern, tinged with anger.
Hu Shu shook his head, "In the world of antique forgery, there are many skilled individuals. Who did it is not important, what we need to know is what they want to do?"
"Are they targeting us?" Gao Qinglin hesitated for a moment before asking.
Hu Shu shook his head again: "It doesn't seem like it. If they wanted to target us, they would have directly reported us to the Cultural Relics Bureau."
"So... they want money?"
Gao Qinglin voiced his own opinion.
"That's a possibility."
Hu Shu's expression grew slightly more severe, "But if they think they can extort money from me that easily, they're mistaken. Contact AW immediately; if they used hacking methods to release the video, we'll get hackers to deal with them."
Gao Qinglin's eyes lit up as he immediately said, "With AW involved, this matter is as good as settled."
AW, an overseas hacker group.
Hu Shu's antique business was extensive, with connections to major overseas companies and syndicates. Over a long period of overseas operations, he had established a connection with AW.
AW was hostile to Hua, but they weren't hostile to money.
All pursuits in this world are for profit, everyone rushes around for it.
AW was no exception.
Rather than being blackmailed, Hu Shu would rather pay hackers to counteract.
He pulled out a specially made phone from the drawer under the tea table on the right and found a number in the contact list, pressing the dial button.
"I need you to take action."
Hu Shu spoke in English, his words concise and to the point.
"What's the matter?" the voice on the other end was very cold.
"On the domestic Quick Shake Video, bring down a video within two minutes," Hu Shu said speedily.
"One million dollars."
"OK, payment upon completion of the job."
The two parties reached a deal swiftly.
Hu Shu immediately sent over the title of the video, waiting for AW's top hackers to act and take the video down.
It was only then that Gao Qinglin breathed a sigh of relief, "After the video is taken down, there are some follow-up tasks that need to be handled. I'll order someone to take care of it immediately."
Hu Shu nodded, remaining silent.
His gaze drifted to the window where the large raindrops coldly pelted the glass, causing layers of mist to form, blurring his vision.
The Ancient Moon Museum at this moment seemed like a prison trapped in the storm, surrounded by haze, unable to explore beyond.
"Ah..."
Hu Shu let out a soft sigh.
As long as the video was taken down, he could completely calm the subsequent matters.
The premise was, the video could be taken down.
Time to wait for AW's good news.
Two minutes, in the eyes of Hu Shu and Gao Qinglin, felt exceptionally long.
Finally.
The phone rang with an incoming call.
Hu Shu was quick, picking up the phone and pressing the answer button: "How did it go?"
Gao Qinglin, by his side, leaned forward, ears perked up, afraid to miss a single word.
Suddenly.
A clap of thunder resounded through the sky, startling Gao Qinglin into a tremble.
Hu Shu's heart skipped a beat as well, his heart hanging by a thread.
From the other end of the phone, a chilly voice delivered the news: "Can't take it down."
Hu Shu and Gao Qinglin's pupils shrank immediately!
"I'll give you another five minutes!" Hu Shu said instantly.
To his surprise, the person on the other end replied: "It's not a matter of time."
With that, they hung up the phone.
The unsaid part was, this was a technical problem!
"Mr. Hu, what do we do now?" Gao Qinglin's heart was in turmoil as he looked towards Hu Shu.
"Since that person wants money, find out how much they want, lure them out, and then..."
As Hu Shu spoke, his eyes gradually turned icy.
His ordinarily refined and amiable countenance now bore a hint of savagery, his eyes fierce.
Indeed, the large forgery ring he had built, operating for many years, depended not on gentility but on decisive action.
Gao Qinglin's expression darkened.
He immediately grasped Hu Shu's intention and nodded seriously, "I'll get right on it!"

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