Xia Qingtian felt countless gazes fixed on her back, a mix of curiosity, surprise, appraisal, and perhaps mockery or sighing.
She paid them no mind, accompanying Grandpa Fang to the painting.
As Grandpa Fang's eyes fell upon the artwork, memories of his own grandfather and father surfaced, causing a sharp ache in his nose and blurring his vision.
He was finally seeing this "Thousand Buddha Discussion"…
Little did he expect to have the chance to see it again before his death!
Meanwhile, aided by her appraisal ability, Xia Qingtian immediately found her own name, hidden by the artist within the painting. True to her expectations, his beloved wife's name was there too.
"Grandpa Fang," Xia Qingtian whispered in a voice audible only to them, "I don't know much about the 'Thousand Buddha Discussion.' Was this painting created by the renowned artist Zhang Yunhe?"
"What nonsense are you talking? How can Zhang Yunhe be compared to the immortal sage Guangyuan?" Grandpa Fang looked at Xia Qingtian.
"But… look at the pedestal below…" Xia Qingtian pointed with her finger, "I think the pattern beneath the lotus pedestal looks like a name, I thought…"
Grandpa Fang followed Xia Qingtian's gesture and instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his knees buckling.
Xia Qingtian steadied him by his arm.
This time, Grandpa Fang didn't pull away but firmly grasped Xia Qingtian's arm, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Their backs were to the guests, so no one noticed Grandpa Fang's change in expression. However, the host saw it clearly.
Having been in this circle for so long, the host knew Mr. Fang of Gu Xuan斋 and the connection between the "Thousand Buddha Discussion" and the Fang family.
Seeing Mr. Fang exhibit such a reaction made the host's heart sink.
She immediately looked towards the main seating on the third floor, touched the gemstone pendant on her chest, and then her gemstone earrings.
"What's going on? Is there an issue with the auction item?" the person seated on the third floor asked, frowning upon seeing the host's coded signal.
This… shouldn't be happening.
"Young Master Lei, this…" that person immediately turned to the handsome man in the private room.
"Have 'Thousand Buddha Discussion' removed and the auction halted," Young Master Lei said. "Please invite those two up to the third floor for a cup of tea."
"Understood." The person immediately complied.
The guests were puzzled by the halt of the "Thousand Buddha Discussion." Their surprise grew as Xia Qingtian and Grandpa Fang were invited to the third floor.
However, their astonishment was short-lived as the host quickly introduced the second hidden auction item: the Double-Colored Eagle-Head Pot.
While the Double-Colored Eagle-Head Pot captivated the audience, two men quietly excused themselves, their expressions serious as they left the auction.
"Here they come! My rival! Quickly! Help me!" Bai Yuqi was excited but then saw Gu Yaoyang getting up to leave and asked in confusion, "Rival, where are you going?"
"You bid as you please. Anything over 17.6 million, I'll cover," Gu Yaoyang said, and with long strides, he left the private room for the third floor.
"Damn it! A guy who prioritizes others over his friends!" Bai Yuqi scoffed, about to say more. But after hearing the host's final hammer blow, he immediately started raising his hand to bid.
Never mind that rival, his priority was to win the Double-Colored Eagle-Head Pot and make his grandfather happy!
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian and Grandpa Fang were "invited" to the third floor.
Xia Qingtian then realized that the decor and furnishings on the third floor were far more opulent and discreet than she had glimpsed from the stairs earlier.
Grandpa Fang, accustomed to high society, looked rather displeased.
It wasn't because of being invited to the third floor, but because the painting he intended to exchange his entire fortune for was a replica by Zhang Yunhe.
He was already advanced in years and unsure if he would live to see the original painting again, let alone bring it back to the Fang family.
Upon entering the main hall on the third floor, Xia Qingtian saw two people.
The elder, in his early forties, wore a suit, his hair neatly combed. He had a round face, eyebrows like an inverted V, a flat nose, and a large mouth. Two small dimples on his cheeks gave him a festive appearance.
The younger one, in his early twenties, was dressed more casually. He had handsome features and was sipping tea.
At a glance, it was clear which of the two held the decision-making power.
"Mr. Fang, it's been a while. Are you keeping well?" As expected, the younger man spoke first, as if he knew Grandpa Fang quite well.
"Young Master Lei," Grandpa Fang responded. "Thanks to Master Lei, I'm managing."
"You are a respected elder in the antique world. I admire your character and trust your judgment," Young Master Lei said with a rather indifferent expression and a hint of a Beijing accent. "Please do us the honor of your appraisal."
As soon as Young Master Lei finished speaking, someone unfurled the "Thousand Buddha Discussion" painting.
"I'm old and useless now. My eyes… aren't what they used to be," Grandpa Fang said with a smile, shaking his head. "If Qingtian hadn't pointed it out, I likely wouldn't have noticed."
Grandpa Fang then pointed to the pattern beneath the lotus pedestal in the painting.
Upon seeing this, the expressions of Young Master Lei and the festive, round-faced man immediately turned grim.
"It's actually a replica by Zhang Yunhe," Young Master Lei's brow furrowed. "It seems our inspection staff was negligent."
"Zhang Yunhe's replicas are always exceptional. They're indistinguishable even when presented to the original artist. You can't blame the Lei family," Grandpa Fang waved his hand, admitting that if Xia Qingtian hadn't pointed it out, he would have overlooked it too.
Most renowned artists took pride in their unique styles.
But Zhang Yunhe was different; he enjoyed forging others' paintings and would only cease when he could replicate them perfectly.
Not only the paintings but also the seals and inscriptions from previous eras were meticulously copied without error.
He stubbornly insisted on incorporating his name into his paintings, which ironically provided later generations with the sole means of authentication.
"Regardless, such a thing will absolutely not be tolerated at a Lei family auction," Young Master Lei stated. He stepped forward and approached the painting.
Before Grandpa Fang and Xia Qingtian could react, he drew his knife and swiftly destroyed the painting.
"Hiss…" Xia Qingtian's heart ached as the painting, with its potential value of two million, was ruined before her eyes.
The last time she felt such heartache was on a plane when a flight attendant spilled a cup of Coke on her eighty-thousand-dollar limited edition handbag.
After returning the painting, Young Master Lei casually handed the knife to someone and cast a cold glance at Xia Qingtian.
In his eyes, there was a killing intent!