"Ten million!" Lin Ke's expression shifted, "That's quite a high price!"
"The Peacock Lingling Painting is definitely worth that much!"
Jiang Meili said seriously, "Xiao Ke, you have to help me this time!"
"Sister Jiang, don't you have that much money?" Lin Ke asked with slight confusion.
"I've earned quite a lot in Longdu, but my savings are only eight million. It might not be enough to secure the Peacock Linglong Painting!"
Jiang Meili's expression was earnest as she looked towards Lin Ke.
She had considerable knowledge of calligraphy and paintings. This Peacock Linglong Painting was being auctioned by the exhibition organizers, so there was no doubt about its authenticity. If she could acquire it, it would surely appreciate in value in the future.
"Don't worry, Sister Jiang. I'll cover the remaining two million!" Lin Ke said with a smile. "Consider it my thanks to you! Without you, Qingyun Group might not have been able to cooperate with Zhao Group!"
"That won't do. You're my good friend! A loan is a loan, how can it not be repaid!"
Jiang Meili stated directly, "When I have money in the future, I will definitely return the two million along with the interest!"
Lin Ke didn't say much. She actually didn't care whether it was repaid or not. She was already quite happy to have the opportunity to visit the art exhibition.
"Ten million, once!"
"Ten million, twice!"
"Ten million, thrice!"
"Sold!"
As the auctioneer finished speaking, Jiang Meili's heart finally settled. Her eyes were filled with joy. If this deal went through, she stood to gain a considerable profit.
After the transaction was complete, Jiang Meili finally received the Peacock Linglong Painting. Upon close examination, she was even more certain that it was an authentic piece.
"Sister Jiang, does this painting really have the potential to increase in value?"
Lin Ke asked in surprise, "If it doesn't have appreciation potential, wouldn't that be a huge loss!"
"I understand the Peacock Linglong Painting very well. As long as it's collected, its value will surely double in the future!"
Jiang Meili said seriously, "Thank you, Xiao Ke. If it weren't for you today, I might not have been able to acquire the Peacock Linglong Painting."
"It's just a small matter, Sister Jiang. You don't need to worry about it," Lin Ke replied with a smile.
As they were talking, Lu Fan also arrived at the auction venue. Looking at the Peacock Linglong Painting in Jiang Meili's hands, he couldn't help but show some interest, "How much did you pay for it? It looks pretty good!"
"Ten million!" Lin Ke said, "This is the Peacock Linglong Painting, extremely valuable, and I believe it will have good prospects in the future!"
"Peacock Linglong Painting?" Lu Fan seemed slightly surprised, "May I have a look?"
"What, you know about the Peacock Linglong Painting too!" Jiang Meili asked with interest. She was still feeling pleased; acquiring this painting was a stroke of immense fortune.
"I have some experience with antiques. I can tell genuine from fake at a glance?"
Lu Fan said directly, "Moreover, the Peacock Linglong Painting is quite famous. I've had the privilege of seeing a copy before. It would be quite fortunate to see the original today."
"Thanks to Lin Ke, I was able to obtain this Peacock Linglong Painting as I wished," Jiang Meili smiled. "Since you want to see it, I won't be stingy!"
As she spoke, Jiang Meili unfolded the Peacock Linglong Painting. A peacock was depicted so vividly, as if it were about to flap its wings, looking remarkably lifelike.
"No wonder it's so valuable!" Lin Ke exclaimed, "This painting is truly stunning!"
"Naturally. To be called the Peacock Linglong Painting, it's no ordinary item," Jiang Meili said seriously. "It has been passed down for many years and crafted with meticulous artistry."
"This painting is not authentic!" Lu Fan stated, "I've seen the genuine Peacock Linglong Painting before, there's no mistake!"
"Fake?" Lin Ke was shocked, "This art exhibition is organized by someone reputable. How could they be auctioning fake items!"
However, facing Lu Fan's words, Jiang Meili showed no agitation. Instead, she smiled, "Mr. Lu, you're joking. You only have a superficial understanding of antiques and calligraphy. But the art exhibition has genuine appraisers, they wouldn't make a mistake in their appraisal. Moreover, an item being auctioned at an art exhibition, how could it be ordinary?"
"I'm serious!" Lu Fan felt helpless and somewhat speechless.
"Sister Jiang, Xiao Fan usually has a keen eye for things. He should be right," Lin Ke quickly said, "Why don't we have another appraiser take a look?"
"I don't think it's necessary. I trust the owner of the art exhibition!" Jiang Meili said earnestly, "After all, the person behind this art exhibition is related to the City Lord's Mansion! One could say the exhibition is hosted by the City Lord's Mansion, and they wouldn't engage in any fraudulent practices in this regard."
"I'm afraid even they don't know that the Peacock Linglong Painting is fake!" Lu Fan said directly, "I've said what I needed to say. If Sister Jiang doesn't believe me, then just consider that I said nothing!"
Jiang Meili's expression became uncertain. This was a treasure she had spent her life's effort to acquire. If it were truly fake, her life would be ruined.
"Sister Jiang, let's go and have it appraised!" Lin Ke urged, "Xiao Fan has a good understanding of antiques. If he says it's fake, it must be for a reason."
Jiang Meili, resigned, went into the auction house. After some negotiation, she was able to present the painting to an appraiser.
The appraiser examined the painting and couldn't help but frown, "This Peacock Linglong Painting is exquisitely rendered, but it is not authentic! Are you sure, miss, that you bought it from the auction?"
"Not authentic?" Jiang Meili's face turned grim, "I paid a hefty price of ten million for it from your auction house, and the auction house also guaranteed that it was genuine!"
"The auction house never makes mistakes with items it sells."
The appraiser smiled, "Are you perhaps trying to pull a fast one?"
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Ke frowned, "We've only had the Peacock Linglong Painting for less than an hour. How could we have tampered with it? The art exhibition is selling fake items, and now they're blaming us!"
"This is an auction organized by the City Lord's Mansion, how could there be fakes!" the appraiser said coldly, "Don't talk nonsense! It won't do you any good to anger the City Lord's Mansion."
"I paid ten million for a fake painting at your art exhibition. Don't you owe me an explanation for this!" Jiang Meili suppressed her anger.
Although she had been in Longdu for some years, she was only a junior supervisor and dared not offend the City Lord's Mansion. Now that things had come to this, she could only try her best to recover her losses.
"Miss, the Peacock Linglong Painting we auctioned is definitely not fake!"
The venue manager stated directly, "If you're trying to create a scene and extort the auction house, the City Lord's Mansion will be the final arbiter!"
"So, according to you, we just have to accept our loss?" Lu Fan glanced at the venue manager.
"If there was an issue with the item, you would have noticed it when you received it!" the venue manager said directly, "It's not as if you contacted us after such a long time since it was handed over to you. After all, scams like 'swapping a cat for a prince' are not uncommon at auction houses. An appraiser's judgment on an item would never yield two different results!"