In less than half an hour, Zheng Chenbin guided Er Zhu to Guangyuan County's largest five-star hotel.
"Mr. Wang, please come in. To welcome your arrival, I've invited the entire Zheng family."
Zheng Chenbin opened the private room door and smiled at the group of distinguished men and women inside.
The Zheng family was actually a large clan, but they were usually busy with their own affairs and only gathered during the New Year.
This time, the patriarch had urgently called them back, saying he had a distinguished guest to introduce. However, when they saw Er Zhu, they were all furious!
What kind of distinguished guest was this? His clothes weren't even as good as theirs. He looked like nothing more than a nouveau riche from a small town!
"Cousin, I have company matters to attend to. I'll be leaving now!"
Zheng Chenbin's cousin, Zheng Chenglin, couldn't stand it and excused himself.
"I'm leaving too. I can meet forty to fifty such 'distinguished guests' in a single day!"
"Brother, have you mistaken someone? Is this small fry worth all this trouble?"
As soon as Zheng Chenglin finished speaking, several others stood up to leave. They cast contemptuous glances at Er Zhu, their eyes full of mockery!
"All of you, sit down. This is a young man admired even by Xiao Liang. If he's not a big shot, who is?"
Seeing his relatives about to leave, Zheng Chenbin's face darkened. He signaled to them while respectfully introducing Er Zhu.
After Zheng Chenbin's words, the room fell silent for a moment, all eyes fixed on Er Zhu.
They all knew who Xiao Liang was that Zheng Chenbin mentioned. But that this rustic fellow could gain the appreciation of Hua Bei province's richest man, they simply couldn't believe it no matter what!
"Cousin, are you sure you haven't found the wrong person? There are ordinary people like him all over the streets!"
Zheng Chenglin studied Er Zhu for a long time but found nothing extraordinary about him. He gave Er Zhu a contemptuous glance and then looked back at Zheng Chenbin.
"Um... Of course, I haven't found the wrong person. Xiao Liang not only appreciates him but is also cooperating with him."
Facing their questioning, Zheng Chenbin didn't quite know how to explain and could only offer such a vague introduction.
Before Liu Lianliang called him, he had never even heard Er Zhu's name, let alone known his capabilities. As for the so-called richest man in Liu Town, they, as a family, didn't consider him worth mentioning.
"Hahaha, him? Cooperating with Xiao Liang? Hahahaha, is he the one laying bricks for the residential compound Xiao Liang invested in?"
As soon as Zheng Chenbin finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the dining table. Then, the entire Zheng family burst into uproarious laughter.
"Great-Uncle, I've got a treasure, it's priceless!"
Just as everyone was mocking Er Zhu, a voice suddenly came from the doorway. Then, a man as fat as a pig, holding a scroll, rushed in, panting.
"What treasure has you so excited? Don't you see there's a distinguished guest here? How can you be so impolite!"
Seeing the man gasping for breath, Zheng Chenbin's face grew even more grim.
He had intended to please Er Zhu. Now, with a group of idiots mocking him and a latecomer, he felt he had thoroughly offended him!
"Hello, distinguished guest. My name is Zheng Tianming, from a collateral branch of the Zheng family. I just acquired an ancient painting at an auction. Perhaps you could help us appraise it?"
Upon hearing "distinguished guest," Zheng Tianming took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to Er Zhu, introduced himself, and pointed to the scroll in his hand.
"Heh heh, Mr. Wang, we Zheng family members don't have many hobbies, but we are particularly fond of antiques. Shall we take a look at the painting first?"
Seeing that Zheng Tianming had already invited Er Zhu, Zheng Chenbin was not to be outdone. With a smile, he tentatively asked.
"Open it up and let's take a look. It'll be a good opportunity to broaden the horizons of this insignificant fellow!"
"Exactly. This kid clearly comes from a remote mountain village. Opportunities like appraising ancient paintings are rare. We'll consider it an act of charity."
"Hurry up and open it, I love ancient paintings!"
...
Upon hearing about the ancient painting, the Zheng family changed their strategy. They had initially intended to drive Er Zhu away, but now they wanted to keep him!
They wanted him to see clearly what life in a wealthy family was like. They wanted to make Er Zhu feel utterly ashamed, and then have him slink away!
Without activating his Heavenly Eye, Er Zhu had already guessed their intentions. He couldn't be bothered with them and looked at the scroll that was slowly being unrolled.
The scroll was made of yellow silk. Due to its age, some parts were even damaged. The painting depicted a Tang Dynasty noblewoman holding a lantern. From every angle, it looked like an authentic piece. However, Er Zhu immediately recognized it as a fake!
This was because ancient artifacts that had been passed down for a long time would possess some amount of spiritual energy, but this painting had none!
"Great-Uncle, this is an authentic work by Zhou Fang, a famous painter of the Tang Dynasty. I bought it for fifty million!"
Seeing everyone nod in satisfaction, Zheng Tianming pointed to the signature on the scroll and continued proudly.
"Ah? Zhou Fang was the most skilled painter of portraits in the Tang Dynasty. His works are of great collection value!"
As soon as Zheng Tianming finished speaking, a man with half-white hair leaned in. He examined the painting, his eyes full of admiration and excitement.
"Mr. Wang, what do you think of this painting?"
Zheng Chenbin was about to nod, but seeing that Er Zhu hadn't spoken, he quickly asked.
"A fake. It's not even worth ten million," Er Zhu said slowly after glancing at the painting.
Instantly, the scene fell silent. All eyes turned to Er Zhu again, especially Zheng Tianming!
"What nonsense are you spouting? This painting is definitely authentic. The experts at the auction house have already verified it!"
Zheng Tianming frowned and retorted loudly. If it weren't for his Great-Uncle, he would have beaten this fool to a pulp!
Calling an authentic Zhou Fang a fake, and a treasure worth fifty million less than ten million, and this fool of a Great-Uncle calls him a distinguished guest?
"Alright, young man, stop pretending. You can tell it's fake with just one glance? Do you think you have fiery eyes?"
"It's understandable for young people to want attention, but spouting nonsense is not good, especially when speaking foolishly in front of us, members of affluent families, it's just stupid!"
"Hahaha, cousin, is this the distinguished guest you were talking about? Hahaha, turns out he's just a braggart."
...
As soon as Zheng Tianming finished speaking, the Zheng family, led by Zheng Tianlin, began to mock Er Zhu again. Only the old man with half-white hair was still staring at the ancient painting, as if examining something.
"Silence, all of you, stop talking. This... this is indeed a fake!"
Just as the mockery reached its peak, the old man suddenly seemed to have discovered something. He looked at Er Zhu in disbelief and exclaimed.