"My gift with Xingwan, though not as visually appealing, is certainly better than some people trying to fool everyone with a fake painting."
As Zhou Jinbai spoke, his expression was calm, yet the entire room fell into a hushed silence.
A fake painting?
He certainly dared to speak his mind!
"You brat, I spent a million on this painting, and several experts have authenticated it. You dare call it fake? Can't you be as discreet as you are wealthy? If you haven't seen the world, don't come out and embarrass me."
Huang Hailong said with a feigned fierceness, "Before I decide to deal with you, get out of here quickly."
"How dare you question Brother Huang's painting? Zhou Jinbai, what do you know as a kept man? Can you afford to anger Brother Huang? Hurry up and apologize to him."
"You really think you can dictate things! Who do you think you are?" Lin Shirou said, then turned to Lin Xingwan with a blaming tone, "Sister, this is your fault. Bringing such a good-for-nothing to spoil everyone's mood. Are you happy only when we're all unhappy?"
"If you don't understand, shut up. Security! Escort this useless person out." Lin Hanhai felt utterly humiliated. Such a blunder at a birthday banquet, what would people say about their Lin family afterward?
And all of this was because his incompetent daughter had found an even more incompetent good-for-nothing.
If she could have found a rich man, like Huang Hailong, even if he was a bit older, that would have been acceptable.
But now, she was truly wallowing in self-degradation.
The guests looked at Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai, shaking their heads with disappointment.
Lin Xingwan's face was grim, but Zhou Jinbai merely said gently to her, "Don't be angry, I'm here."
Lin Xingwan nodded. Zhou Jinbai then boldly snatched the painting "Cranes Sending Blessings" from Huang Hailong's hand and tore it to shreds in front of everyone.
*Riiiiip—*
The painting was made of silk, and with a single tear, several threads became visible.
Huang Hailong instantly became enraged, his eyes bulging, "You brat, you're asking for death."
Old Madam Lin also reprimanded sternly, "How dare you!"
But Zhou Jinbai simply pulled out a thread from the painting and asked, "A Tang Dynasty ancient painting, over a thousand years old. So, over a thousand years ago, did they have synthetic fiber threads? Are you trying to tell us that the artist who painted this was a time traveler from the Tang Dynasty?"
This simple yet brutal debunking silenced the entire hall.
Especially Lin Shirou and Gu Shaoting, whose disbelief quickly turned into intense resentment and anger.
They had intended to mock Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai, but instead, they were severely embarrassed.
Huang Hailong was even more incredulous, "How is that possible? I spent a million on this painting, it can't be fake!"
"I have no obligation to explain myself to you," Zhou Jinbai said coldly.
Lin Xingwan, however, felt an immense sense of satisfaction at that moment. She turned a challenging gaze to Zhong Jingjing, "Grandmother, no matter how ugly the ginseng we sent is, it's real. It's certainly better than someone presenting a fake painting to deceive everyone, isn't it?"
At once, Zhong Jingjing's expression became extremely unpleasant.
Lin Hanhai, who had just moments ago ordered security to escort Zhou Jinbai out, stood with his mouth agape, still reeling from the shock.
"Brother Huang must have been deceived, otherwise he wouldn't have given a fake painting to Grandma. After all, Brother Huang isn't short of a million. Even if the painting is fake, his intentions are genuine."
Lin Shirou quickly defended Brother Huang, and others chimed in.
"Even though it's a fake painting, he genuinely spent a million."
"If he weren't simple-minded, how could he have been deceived? But this ginseng is different, something so potent, and they're giving it to the old madam to eat? Aren't they afraid of causing health problems?"
"Since they dared to give it, why would they care about the consequences of eating it?"
...
They described Huang Hailong's foolishness as mere innocence, while harshly criticizing Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai.
Zhou Jinbai whispered a few words into Lin Xingwan's ear, and she nodded repeatedly.
She took out her phone, scanned the QR code on the banquet's large screen, and then a news report appeared on the screen:
[This station reports that at a treasure auction, a wild ginseng king from Changbai Mountain was sold for a staggering ten million yuan...]
Immediately after, a ginseng, placed inside a box, appeared before everyone.
It was ugly and dark yellow, identical to the one that had fallen on the ground.
To ensure this group of people opened their "dog eyes" wide enough to see, Lin Xingwan thoughtfully pressed the pause button.
"Could this wild ginseng king be the very one that fell on the ground?"
"Indeed, not only is it identically ugly, but the packaging is too."
"There's a QR code on it, isn't there? Hurry up and scan it to see what it shows."
"I scanned it, and it says it's authentic. I'm actually witnessing a rare wild ginseng king, I'm so lucky."
"They say eating this can prolong life and nourish the internal organs, but... such a precious item was treated as inferior goods."
The old madam looked at the ginseng that had fallen on the ground again, and her heart ached immediately.
Just as she was about to order someone to pick it up, Lin Xingwan stepped on it.
A wild ginseng king worth tens of millions was thus destroyed in full view of everyone.
Old Madam Lin shrieked, "You wicked creature, are you insane?"
She was eighty years old, and her bodily functions were declining. A wild ginseng king that prolonged life and nourished the body was, for Zhong Jingjing, akin to a priceless treasure.
If she missed this opportunity, she would never encounter it again in her lifetime.
Lin Xingwan's eyes welled up with tears, and she said with a choked voice, "Grandmother held the banquet at Yunhai Hotel but only notified me this afternoon. I am clearly a member of the Lin family, yet I feel like an outsider. I thought giving Grandmother a wild ginseng king would make her happy, but I was mistaken. You raised me, but I feel I am not even as important as an outsider."
Zhou Jinbai embraced Lin Xingwan and said gently, "Wife, don't cry. It's all this ginseng's fault. If only we had given ten million in cash, it would have been better. It's just because it looks ugly that it was mistaken for an inferior product."
Zhou Jinbai also stomped heavily on the ginseng.
Old Madam Lin looked at the entire ginseng king, now flattened and covered in dirt. She couldn't catch her breath and almost fainted from anger.
Ten million yuan worth of ginseng!
Destroyed just like that!
Those stomps felt like they were crushing her heart.
Some people couldn't bear to watch and began to speak up for Lin Xingwan.
"Old Madam, both hands are your flesh. You only notified Xingwan this afternoon, and she came despite the slight to give you such a valuable gift, yet you treated her this way. It's not right."
"Xingwan has a good temper. If I were misunderstood by my family like this, I would have left with a flourish."
"A ginseng worth tens of millions treated like dirt, while a fake imitation is cherished. Blessed items do not enter homes without blessings. I say, the Lin family doesn't deserve this ginseng king."
For a moment, everyone in the Lin family, except Lin Xingwan, blushed deeply, too ashamed to say anything.
Old Madam Lin looked at Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai with intense hatred.
She didn't blame Huang Hailong for giving her a fake painting; she only resented Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai for destroying her divine elixir for prolonging life.
"It's getting late, everyone, please sit down and eat." Yang Niyun quickly changed the subject, and the guests dispersed.
Huang Hailong, having been utterly humiliated, found an excuse and slunk away.
While arranging seats, Lin Xingwan leaned close to Zhou Jinbai's ear and asked softly, "How did you know at a glance that the painting 'Cranes Sending Blessings' was fake?"
Huang Hailong was indeed not short of money, and there was no reason for him to use a fake million-dollar painting to deceive them.
However, the person who created this fake painting had deceived Huang Hailong and so many experts, yet Zhou Jinbai had seen through it immediately. Lin Xingwan was truly astonished.
Her mind was filled with the image of Zhou Jinbai tearing the painting, her husband was so handsome.
"You want to know, hmm?" Zhou Jinbai inquired.
Lin Xingwan nodded affirmatively.
"My mouth is a bit dry..." the man suddenly changed the subject, then looked at Lin Xingwan expectantly.
Lin Xingwan immediately understood his meaning and glared at Zhou Jinbai, "There are so many people watching."
"Then how about a kiss when we get home? I just want to kiss the place I kissed this afternoon," the man said in a low, husky voice in Lin Xingwan's ear. To others, it looked like an intimate whisper.
However, Zhou Jinbai's words reminded Lin Xingwan of the man's baby-like sucking.
That electrifying sensation still made her feel tingly all over.
"Can't you be serious for once?" Lin Xingwan was exasperated.
"Who is serious with their wife? Only those who are not serious are falsely serious with their wives!" Zhou Jinbai said, then asked again, "Will you or won't you, wife..."
Why did his tone carry a hint of pleading?
Lin Xingwan looked at the man's expectant expression and finally nodded.
Having received the desired answer, Zhou Jinbai immediately began to explain enthusiastically.