Although the calligraphy and painting were very valuable, she vowed that no matter how poor she became in the future, she would never sell it.
The auction continued, and after this incident, the atmosphere became even more heated.
Everyone stared intently at the treasures on display, hoping to find priceless artifacts like Wu Tian had.
Uncle Li sat beside Wu Tian for a long time without speaking. He had recovered his senses and seemed to be contemplating something.
Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he gently patted Wu Tian's shoulder and said, "Brother, could you do me a favor?"
Hearing Uncle Li call him "brother," Wu Tian asked, "What is it?"
Uncle Li smiled obsequiously and said, "Well, I also want to buy something. Could you help me appraise it?"
Wu Tian was slightly taken aback by Uncle Li's words.
But he quickly understood and a subtle smile flickered across his face.
He said, "Didn't you not believe me earlier? Why do you want me to appraise it now? Aren't you afraid I'll make a mistake?"
Uncle Li continued to flatter, a complete contrast to his earlier demeanor.
"Well, Wu Tian, I'm truly sorry just now. I was blind to your talent!"
"I'm just an employee, how could I have any discerning eye?"
"Please forgive me and help me pick out some treasures too. I beg you."
Wu Tian wasn't foolish. He knew that Uncle Li's drastic change in attitude was simply because he wanted to use him to make a fortune.
This man had doubted him and even questioned him publicly before, yet now he was acting like this.
To be honest, the man was quite shameless.
Wu Tian smiled and said, "You know what kind of place this is. The items here often cost hundreds of thousands, even millions. Things worth tens of thousands are rarely seen."
"It's no problem for me to appraise for you, but the issue is, you need to have sufficient funds!"
Seeing that Wu Tian had agreed, Uncle Li quickly said, "Don't worry about the money. Just pick out treasures for me."
"If I make money, I definitely won't mistreat you."
Wu Tian thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll try to help you take a look."
"But let's agree first, if I make a mistake, you absolutely cannot blame me!"
Uncle Li nodded repeatedly, "No problem, no problem. I believe in you, you'll definitely be fine!"
Wu Tian nodded and said, "Okay, since you've said so, I'll definitely help you with this."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Li was overjoyed.
He repeatedly thanked Wu Tian, saying, "Really? Thank you so much!"
Wu Tian smiled without speaking and turned his gaze to the stage.
Several more auction items passed by. It was nearing the end, but Wu Tian had remained silent.
This made Uncle Li feel anxious.
"Wu Tian," he said, rubbing his palms, "It's almost over, have you found anything yet?"
Wu Tian replied, "Treasure hunting inherently involves an element of luck. Why be impatient?"
But Uncle Li was still anxious, "But if I don't find a treasure today, I might not get another chance!"
Wu Tian fell silent again. He looked at the last item on stage, and his eyes suddenly lit up!
"Wait a minute! I found it!"
Uncle Li perked up and quickly looked at the large screen on the stage.
The screen displayed a piece of calligraphy and painting. After the auctioneer's introduction, it was revealed to be a work by Wu Daozi.
Although Uncle Li was not very educated, he knew the name of the ancient painting sage, Wu Daozi.
So he quickly asked, "Wu Tian, is this painting very impressive?"
Wu Tian whispered, "Uncle Li, this matter should not be publicized! This is indeed a work by Wu Daozi, and it's an extraordinary piece!"
Uncle Li was ecstatic. He asked, "Extraordinary? How extraordinary?"
Wu Tian explained, "It's like this, everyone only knows that it's a work by Wu Daozi, but they don't know that this might be a practice piece from when Wu Daozi was not yet famous. Only the most experienced appraisers can tell."
"If this calligraphy and painting sells for one million, then once its hidden value is identified by someone, the price could increase tenfold or more!"
"Tenfold...!" Uncle Li immediately covered his mouth.
He looked around nervously, afraid that someone might overhear this astonishing news.
He lowered his voice and said, "I absolutely must buy this calligraphy and painting! I'll buy it no matter the price!"
At this moment, the auctioneer announced the starting bid.
The starting bid was five hundred thousand, with each bid increasing by fifty thousand.
Wu Tian asked, "Uncle Li, do you have that much money?"
Uncle Li was just a driver, so of course, he didn't have that much money.
However, at this moment, he was blinded by the prospect of making money. He quickly turned to Tang Qi and said, "President Tang, could you lend me three million?"
"Lend you three million?" Tang Qi was stunned. "Uncle Li, you don't have to do this, do you?"
Uncle Li was already impatient.
He said, "President Tang, you heard what Wu Tian said. If I borrow this three million, I'll make a huge profit!"
"If you lend me three million now, I'll return four million to you!"
Although Tang Qi was very generous to Wu Tian, she was certainly not as generous to Uncle Li.
She frowned slightly and said, "Uncle Li, I can lend you the money, but you need to think carefully. Why should I lend you so much money?"
Uncle Li said without thinking, "I can use my future earnings as collateral! My current salary is one hundred thousand yuan a year, right?"
"If you give me three million, I'll mortgage the next thirty years of my salary to you. Would that work?"
Tang Qi was greatly surprised and her eyes widened. "Uncle Li, you can't say things like that."
"If you lose money, you'll never be able to recover!"
At this moment, Uncle Li couldn't care about anything else.
Seeing others bidding, he was becoming increasingly impatient.
He said without thinking, "Oh, don't worry, President Tang. I'll write a note as soon as I go out, and then I can collect the money with the note. Is that acceptable?"
Considering that Uncle Li had been the family's driver for a long time, Tang Qi couldn't help but soften her heart.
She nodded and said, "Alright, since you've put it that way, I have nothing more to say. I agree."
Uncle Li was so happy he almost jumped up. He thanked her repeatedly and then began to participate in the bidding.
In the end, he won the calligraphy and painting for two million eight hundred thousand.
With that, the auction came to a close.
After leaving the auction hall, Uncle Li wrote a written proof for Tang Qi and also recorded a video as evidence. He successfully collected three million from Tang Qi.
When Uncle Li emerged from the backstage, he was holding the calligraphy and painting by Wu Daozi.