Chapter 163: Chapter 142 Who Would Believe Your Nonsense? (Subscribe please)

Nightfall enveloped Modu, where the neon lights still glimmered like a starry river, bustling and never losing a hint of its splendor.

A gentle breeze caressed the city, from evening till the break of dawn.

The rising sun dyed half the sky red.

Old Bai arrived at his Wenbai Studio as usual, intending to continue studying Lin Chuan’s “Last Week’s Antique,” to learn a little bit more about the craft of antique forgery, thereby enhancing his cultural relic restoration skills.

Last night’s joint live stream with Ting Quan brought him an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.

The first attempt at forging a “Taotie Pattern Wine Vessel” had managed to deceive Ting Quan and a large audience in the live streaming room.

It was undoubtedly a demonstration of technique!

Of course,

having a background in cultural relic restoration meant that his forgeries of bronze ware were executed with ease.

“Last Week’s Antique” was challenging!

At that moment,

Old Bai leisurely sat on the sofa of the Wenbai Studio, with his legs crossed, lightly bouncing, holding a mobile phone, opening the Qihang Novel APP, and flipping to “Last Week’s Antique.”

“A new day begins with learning,” Old Bai murmured spiritedly, chuckling to himself.

The content of the novel “Last Week’s Antique” appeared before his eyes.

‘Several successive successes in forging antiques had garnered me significant fame in this small town, making me a famous antique collector.’

‘Many people came to me seeking my fame, either asking for my appraisal or looking to sell to me.’

‘One day, a man named Ye Lin visited with a piece of calligraphy and painting.’

‘He had slick, neatly combed hair, wore glasses, spoke with a non-local accent, and claimed he had just arrived looking to develop his career, short on funds, and wanted to sell this piece of artwork.’

‘I looked at him and chuckled at his little ploy.’

‘By chance, I caught him having a cheerful private conversation with the son of the Ceramics Association’s president, Zhang Cheng; unintentionally discovering that he and Zhang Cheng were first cousins.’

‘With a painting in hand, coming to my door, certainly, there was no good intention.’

‘He slowly laid the painting on my desk, revealing a “Bamboo and Rock Painting.”‘

‘In the painting, four bamboo stalks stood tall and upright, the leaves scattered artfully, each stalk varying in thickness, with a large, center-focused rock behind, the brushwork slender and vigorous with minimal texturing, clear-cut edges, and a rugged shape, standing steadfast in the lake.’

‘Ye Qing introduced it, saying it was an original “Bamboo and Rock Painting” by Zheng Banqiao, valued at 300,000 yuan and now willing to sell it to me for just 200,000 yuan due to urgent needs.’

‘It was a forged “Bamboo and Rock Painting,” its techniques quite sophisticated; it had the colophon trimmed and the paper aged artificially, which ordinary collectors could not detect, and even experts would need to study for quite a while before daring to draw conclusions.’

‘But I spotted it at first glance.’

‘Thinking a little, I realized this was a scheme against me by Zhang Cheng, the son of the Ceramics Association president, and in the end, I bought this forged “Bamboo and Rock Painting” for 170,000 yuan.’

‘Because I’m going to make them buy this “Bamboo and Rock Painting” back for 500,000 yuan!’

‘…’

Old Bai was engrossed in the world of the novel “Last Week’s Antique,” completely captivated.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, several knocks sounded from outside the Wenbai Studio.

“A job’s come,”

Old Bai raised an eyebrow as a delighted expression appeared on his face; he immediately put down his phone and walked towards the door.

But!

Upon reaching the door, the smile froze on Old Bai’s face, and his eyes widened in shock.

Standing by the door were two blue-uniformed police officers, looking at him with piercing eyes.

“Officers, is there something the matter?”

Old Bai asked in surprise.

“Hello, are you Mr. Bai Yang?” One of the officers asked politely.

“I am, what’s the matter?”

Old Bai nodded in a daze, responding.

After sizing up Old Bai, the officer explained, “Mr. Bai Yang, we are officers from the Modu police station. You are suspected of illegal tomb robbing, and we are summoning you according to the law. Please come with us.”

Old Bai felt a sudden jolt of panic, his eyes bulging, “Officers, there must be some misunderstanding. I am a master’s student specialized in cultural relic restoration, how could I possibly be involved in illegal tomb robbing?”

The officer inquired, “You did an appraisal on a bronze vessel with Taotie patterns during last night’s live stream with Ting Quan, right?”

Old Bai nodded and then quickly shook his head, “I did the appraisal last night, but it was for Ting Quan’s show effect; that was a forgery.”

“A forgery?”

The officer frowned slightly and asked further, “Where is that piece of bronze ware now?”

“I’ll get it.”

Old Bai turned and hurried to fetch the Taotie Pattern Wine Vessel, then handed it to the officer.

Both officers took out their phones and carefully compared the details on the Taotie Pattern Wine Vessel.

“Do you officers also understand appraisals?” Old Bai watched their serious expression and couldn’t help asking.

One of the officers shook his head, “We’re just checking to see if it’s the same piece from last night.”

“Well, it absolutely is the piece from last night.”

Old Bai’s mouth twitched slightly.

The two officers looked at each other, nodded, and one said, “Then it’s settled; this is what we’re looking for.”

“It’s a forgery; what do you want with it?”

Old Bai couldn’t help but ask.

The officer glanced at Old Bai and smiled, “Mr. Bai Yang, whether this bronze vessel is a forged item or not will need to be determined by more professional individuals. For now, please accompany us to assist with our investigation.”