Ye Tian said, "It's fine, my painting is definitely worth tens of millions."
The guard smiled and said nothing more, ushering him inside.
Upon entering the hall, a woman in her early twenties, wearing a black uniform, approached. Glancing at the painting in Ye Tian's hand, she asked with a smile, "Sir, are you here to have your painting appraised?"
Ye Tian replied, "Yes. This painting of mine is a unique piece, worth at least tens of millions. Please have your best appraiser take a look."
The woman had heard similar words many times. She calmly said, "Sir, please wait in the service area. I will invite you in once the current guests have left."
Ye Tian then went to the service area. A server brought him tea, but upon seeing the poor quality of the leaves, he did not drink it.
After waiting for seven or eight minutes, the same woman approached and said with a smile, "Sir, please come to the appraisal room."
Ye Tian followed her to an office. He opened the door to find a solid wood desk. Behind the desk sat a man in his fifties, wearing a grey Tang suit, with very little hair left. He nodded slightly and smiled, "Sir, what should I call you?"
Ye Tian replied, "My surname is Ye."
"Mr. Ye, good. My surname is Liu. Please place your painting on the desk," the elder said with a smile.
Ye Tian then placed the painting down and said, "Mr. Liu, please examine it carefully. This is an extraordinary masterpiece."
The elder merely smiled and slowly unrolled the painting. The moment the artwork was unfurled, his expression changed slightly. Once the entire painting was revealed, he smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Ye, based on my experience, your painting appears to be a contemporary imitation."
Ye Tian asked, "Oh, a contemporary imitation? Is it still valuable?"
The elder replied, "Although it's an imitation, it still holds some collectible value. I estimate its worth at eighty thousand."
Ye Tian slammed the table, "Nonsense! My painting has a clear provenance, and it's recorded in the Shi Qu Bao Ji. How dare you call it an imitation? If you say it's an imitation, do you perhaps have the genuine article here?"
The elder remained calm, "Mr. Ye, please do not get agitated. Trust in the judgment of our experts."
Ye Tian declared, "You say it's fake, and I simply don't believe you. Tomorrow, I will place an announcement in the newspaper, inviting appraisal experts from all over the land to authenticate it!" With that, he took his painting and left.
The elder expressionlessly pressed the alarm bell and said calmly, "Mr. Ye, the appraisal fee is ten percent. You need to pay eighty thousand before you can leave."
Ye Tian chuckled, "Eighty thousand, no problem."
After paying the fee, he quickly exited Jin Shi Tang.
As soon as he left, the elder picked up the phone and said, "Someone brought in a genuine painting for appraisal, the very imitation that we recently sold for eighty-eight million."
The person on the other end was silent for a moment, then said something. The elder replied, "Good, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, if our reputation is damaged, Jin Shi Tang will lose public trust."
Back in the car, Huang Yanran asked, "How did it go?"
Ye Tian sneered, "As expected, they claimed my painting was an imitation."
Huang Yanran sighed, "I didn't expect Jin Shi Tang to be so dishonest."
Ye Tian commented, "When Jin Shi Tang can arbitrarily declare something as genuine or fake, honesty becomes irrelevant. If they say it's real, then it must be real, who would dare to object?"
Huang Yanran asked, "Mr. Ye, what do you plan to do?"
Ye Tian replied, "Wait for Jin Shi Tang's reaction."
Huang Yanran nodded, "Alright. It's almost lunchtime, shall we get something to eat first?"
Ye Tian declined, "No. Do you know any highly authoritative experts in the appraisal of calligraphy and paintings?"
Huang Yanran smiled, "Actually, I do. I studied traditional Chinese painting for a while when I was young. My master was a renowned contemporary Chinese painter and also a leading figure in the field of calligraphy and painting appraisal. A few years ago, Jin Shi Tang tried to recruit him, but my master refused. My master said that not all good appraisers should be concentrated in one place. It seems he had foresight."
Ye Tian said, "Then let's go see your master first to confirm that this painting is genuine."
After driving for over half an hour, they entered an old-fashioned courtyard. As Ye Tian got out of the car, he saw an elder watering flowers with a watering can.