Chapter 83

Because of the Japanese's increased bid, coupled with the high praise from Tu Shou and other art appraisal masters for this painting, Zhang Tianyuan's imitation of "Bie Dongpo" saw its price soar, which not only exceeded Yang Yijun's expectations but even Zhang Tianyuan himself had never thought it would happen.

He originally thought that if the painting could fetch a price of 100,000, it would be the highest possible. However, after this round of bidding, the price had already climbed to a level that left him speechless.

520,000!

Although this price was negligible compared to the nearly 400 million of the original, the problem was that this was a forgery. Everyone knew it was a forgery, yet it still managed to fetch a high price of 520,000, which almost made Zhang Tianyuan's eyes pop out.

Xu Gang was even more exaggerated; his breathing was a bit uneven at this moment.

In fact, the price of this painting could have been even higher, but after Tu Shou bid 520,000, he said, "Whoever tries to outbid me, don't expect me to help them in the future."

This was a blatant threat, but it was understandable. Tu Shou really liked this painting; the more he looked at it, the more he liked it. Not being able to get the original, getting such a nearly identical imitation was a fortunate thing. More importantly, the painting exuded a mysterious aura that he found very intriguing.

"This old man is really annoying!" Xu Gang said discontentedly.

"Alright, one should be content. Moreover, from the situation, the price increase has already started to slow down. From jumping by tens of thousands earlier to now only increasing by a few hundred, it's clear that some people have already given up. Let's sell this painting to Old Tu; it will be a favor to him." Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said.

"Hmph, you say it so easily, but that's... Wait, that's not right. You, you little brat, are getting a bargain and still putting on a show. That was just a casual sketch of yours. I heard you say you could paint another identical one. By this logic, Tu Shou is clearly being tricked by you." Xu Gang suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"No, from now on, I will only paint one more for Liang De. I won't paint a third one." Zhang Tianyuan shook his head and said.

"Why?"

"Brother Gang, how can you not understand? Rarity is what makes things valuable. The first painting fetched over 500,000. If Zhang paints other works, they could fetch even higher prices. This shows he has real talent, not just a little skill. If he only focuses on this one, it would mean he's not capable at all." Zhao Liangde explained.

"Ah, I get it, I get it. So, you will paint others?"

"Damn, it took you long enough to figure it out. Sigh, if we ever die, I'll definitely die of anger, and you'll die of stupidity!" Zhang Tianyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Go to hell, don't be so mean to your brother." Xu Gang kicked Zhang Tianyuan again.

At this moment, She Lin's gaze was somewhat complicated. He had thought Zhang Tianyuan was just a person with excellent appraisal skills and a sense of justice, but he never expected that Zhang Tianyuan also knew how to paint. He was now beginning to move from admiration to respect.

When Tu Shou, satisfied, put the painting into a bamboo tube and sat back down, Yang Yijun still hadn't realized what had happened.

He was filled with regret. If he had offered 50,000 to 60,000 to Zhang Tianyuan at the beginning, he could have definitely gotten the painting. If he had resold it, wouldn't he have made a profit of several hundred thousand?

Although several hundred thousand wasn't much to him, it was still a significant amount, not just a few cents or dollars. It could be very useful in critical moments.

"Yang, the next item is up for auction. What are you staring at?" Tu Shou looked at Yang Yijun with a smug expression. He naturally knew why Yang Yijun was stunned; this old man had a good grasp of human psychology.

Yang Yijun, reminded of this, quickly came to his senses. No matter what, he was a man who had seen many big scenes and wouldn't be thrown off by such a small matter. Since there was no such thing as a regret pill in the world, he shouldn't regret it. Even if the painting fetched a high price, he could still collect the commission.

The second item was clearly much more famous than the first. It was a pair of embroidered shoes, and they were ancient women's embroidered shoes, very well-preserved, with only a little color fading. The patterns and designs were very clear and intricately crafted.

But ancient women's embroidered shoes, as the name suggests, were things taken from the dead. They were probably dug up by some tomb raider and put up for sale. This might sound scary and seem like no one would be interested, but in fact, there was a market for it, and many of the buyers were foreigners. In China, due to the taboo of the dead, few people would buy such things.

Moreover, if such items were from an earlier period, they would be considered antiques and should be displayed in museums. Private collections were rare, unless the collector had a special interest.

"These embroidered shoes are intricately crafted and were worn by a Qing dynasty princess. Those interested can now bid. The starting price is 10,000." Yang Yijun said indifferently, showing no interest in the item, but as the intermediary, he couldn't refuse to auction it.

"10,000!"

This time, the bid came from the Korean woman. It was clear that she had discussed it with her colleague, probably thinking that this item would become a significant artifact in their country.

"10,000 from this lady. Is there a higher bid? If not, it will be sold..."

Perhaps due to the taboo, there were few bidders, which made the Korean woman even more pleased, as if she had already secured it. Her chest heaved with excitement.

"I'll bid 20,000!" Xu Gang suddenly stood up and shouted.

"Oh, Mr. Xu bids 20,000. 20,000! Is there a higher bid?"

Zhang Tianyuan looked at Xu Gang curiously and asked, "What do you want with this thing from the dead? Aren't you afraid of bad luck?"

Xu Gang said confidently, "Even if I buy it to donate to the museum, I can't let a Korean woman get it."

Zhang Tianyuan was speechless. Indeed, his brother was more patriotic than he was. He thought, if he didn't want it, he could directly donate it to the museum, which would be a feasible thing to do, as it wasn't expensive.

Others, not knowing Xu Gang's thoughts, looked at him with disdain, as if he had some perverse intentions.

Zhang Tianyuan couldn't stand it and stood up, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, don't compete with my brother. He is buying this to prevent cultural artifacts from being taken abroad. I know Old Tu is familiar with the Nanjing Museum. After the auction, could you help donate this item to the museum?"

These words were well-timed, explaining why Xu Gang was bidding and avoiding further competition, as this wasn't a desirable item, and no one would want to lose face in front of so many people.

Tu Shou was pleasantly surprised and clapped his hands, saying, "Well done, well done, young man. You may be young, but you think further ahead than we old folks. No problem, I, Tu Shou, will help with this."

"Thank you, Old Tu."

Zhang Tianyuan sat down, looking calm and composed.

At this moment, many people were beginning to look at Zhang Tianyuan with new respect. A young man in his twenties, with such poise and a strong, confident voice, was truly rare.

As for Xu Gang, they admired him even more. They had thought he was just a rough and perhaps perverted young man, but now they realized it was their ignorance that made them feel ashamed.

The Korean woman seemed to want to bid again but was dissuaded by her agent. It appeared they didn't want to offend the important people present, some of whom might have invested in their films.

Yang Yijun's face was a bit grim. Because of these few people, it seemed he was being treated as the villain. He moved his lips, then gritted his teeth and said, "I'll donate this item to the museum for free. I'll pay the owner."

"There's no need to trouble you, Mr. Yang. I can afford 20,000. Let's continue the auction; everyone is waiting." Zhang Tianyuan said calmly. Honestly, he didn't like Yang Yijun, so he could have kept quiet, but now he had to speak up.

"..."

"Mr. Yang, the rules of the auction state that once the hammer falls, there's no going back. This item is now my brother's. He will discuss the donation with Old Tu later. We appreciate your kindness, thank you." Zhang Tianyuan said firmly.

Yang Yijun's mouth moved, but he could only sigh helplessly. He felt that last year's auction was ruined by Tu Shou, and this year, would it be ruined by this young man?

Actually, he was overthinking it. Zhang Tianyuan wasn't like Tu Shou, who liked to meddle in others' affairs. If it didn't involve him, he generally wouldn't interfere, as it was better to stay out of it.

Yang Yijun shook his head and decided not to think too much about it. He didn't believe a young man could pose any threat to him.

"The next item is something of great value. Please don't miss it. Once this item is revealed, the highlight of the auction will begin." Yang Yijun gave a long introduction before presenting the item, which was still covered with a red cloth, but it seemed much larger than the previous one.

PS: The power hasn't come back yet. They said something in the electrical room is broken, but I promised to update, so I went to an internet cafe to write and upload this chapter to make up for the morning's absence.