"Young Master Liu said your Zhong Kui painting is a fake, and you didn't even give him a chance to speak before you attacked.
It's as if your Chu Group is a den of bandits!"
The speaker also stepped out.
It was Bai Wuji.
With anger in his eyes, he strode towards Lin Xiaotian and said coldly, "Take your foot off immediately. If Young Master Liu suffers any harm, you won't be able to bear the responsibility.
"Who are you?" Lin Xiaotian asked with a smile.
"You'll know who I am soon enough, but move now, or I'll make you regret it." As Bai Wuji spoke, he took out his phone.
He had brought enough people with him today.
Because he knew things would escalate.
Lin Xiaotian chuckled, "Do you think your face is itching again?"
Hearing this, Bai Wuji instinctively took a step back. This guy didn't play by the rules and might actually attack him.
He didn't dare to be too reckless before his bodyguards arrived.
However, there were some things he had to say.
"Your Chu Group is acting recklessly and with such heavy-handedness. I see this as a sign of your guilt.
The person you're stepping on is the eldest young master of the Liu Group. He wouldn't come to trouble you for no reason. Since he said the painting is a fake, you should at least give him a chance to confront you.
If you dare not give him that chance, it means you are indeed guilty. Then, whether the painting is genuine or fake, I believe everyone present will make their own judgment."
Many people present also spoke up.
"President Bai is right. If you don't even give a chance for confrontation, it does suggest guilt.
If this Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching painting is a fake, then your Chu Group is deceiving everyone.
Even Master Tang will be implicated by you, as he personally vouched for the painting being genuine."
Their words brought a mocking sneer to Bai Wuji's face. "Did you hear that?
If you continue, even Tang Jingde will be dragged down with you.
The painting is right here. It's just a confrontation. Are you afraid?
From a normal person's perspective, one would immediately try to prove their innocence. But you attacked directly, which makes me even more suspicious of your intentions."
Everyone looked thoughtful.
Their gaze towards Lin Xiaotian and Chu Nianxue was filled with obvious suspicion.
Chu Nianxue also turned her gaze, her eyes asking a question.
Lin Xiaotian smiled brightly, "Since everyone present wants to give him a chance, I'll grant your wish.
You just want to prove the authenticity of this painting, right?
It's too simple. He can't just make baseless claims. Since he says ours is a fake, he must have the genuine one?"
After speaking, he lifted his foot.
Young Master Liu, who was being stepped on, finally caught his breath. His eyes were filled with immense rage.
However, he was no longer as irrationally angry as before, but his eyes were filled with ferocity.
Bai Wuji quickly whispered, "Young Master Liu, suppress your anger for now. We still need time to deal with them.
First, we'll ruin their reputation. Then, it will be natural for us to deal with them.
Moreover, he attacked you in broad daylight. Even if you killed him, no one would say anything. We'll have a legitimate reason, and even if our methods are a bit extreme, they'll be understandable."
Young Master Liu took several deep breaths before he managed to suppress his rage.
He picked up the bag that had fallen on the ground and took out a painting from it.
His eyes were filled with overwhelming anger, almost tangible.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Yes, I do have the genuine Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching painting.
Since you want to see it, I'll let you have a look.
Let you know the difference between genuine and fake."
Saying this, he unfurled it on the counter.
The surrounding crowd immediately gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Everyone knew the authenticity of the Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching painting. Most of them came here because they genuinely liked it and had some appraisal skills.
But watching a spectacle was human nature.
As their gazes converged, their faces showed expressions of extreme surprise.
The painting was identical to the Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching painting displayed in the counter. At least, with their skill level, they couldn't tell the difference.
Even if they couldn't discern the authenticity, it was a huge blow to the Chu Group's reputation.
Such an incident would likely cause their credibility to plummet.
Young Master Liu sneered and raised his head, "Now that I've displayed the painting here, you can smell it. There's a strong ink fragrance.
This fragrance comes from the imperial inkstones bestowed by the Tang Emperor, the royal thousand-year inkstones. The ink fragrance can last for a thousand years without dissipating.
Does your painting have this ink fragrance?"
"Even if you've copied it perfectly, it's still a fake."
Those who were close immediately sniffed. They did smell the ink fragrance.
However, the scent felt somewhat strange. It seemed familiar, but they couldn't quite place where they had smelled it before.
Lin Xiaotian suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter drew everyone's attention.
"What are you laughing at?" Young Master Liu asked loudly.
The muscles on his face were contorted. The clear shoe print was still imprinted on his face.
Lin Xiaotian stopped laughing and said with disdain, "I'm laughing at your ignorance, your stupidity, your idiocy!"
Young Master Liu was so angry he almost exploded again. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "I think you're just looking for an excuse and deliberately trying to cause trouble for me. I won't be impulsive this time. If you can, authenticate this Zhong Kui Ghost-Catching painting."
Lin Xiaotian's smile grew more pronounced. "Authenticating it is not difficult.
You said the fragrance was familiar, didn't you?
Everyone nodded.
"Think about when you were in school, and you just got new books. Didn't they smell particularly good?"
Hearing Lin Xiaotian's words, everyone looked enlightened.
No wonder the scent felt so familiar. That was the reason.
Lin Xiaotian said with a smile, "This painting was just finished, no more than three days ago, so the ink fragrance is naturally strong.
It's precisely because high-quality inkstones were used that such a rich ink fragrance remains."
As soon as his voice fell, Young Master Liu roared, "You're spouting nonsense!"
"You say it was just painted. Show me. If you can capture even a tenth of its spirit, I'll kneel down and kowtow to you three times."