Lin Xiaotian said with a smile, "You've seen me. You look very unhappy, as if I owe you something. Your gaze makes me feel very uneasy."
Master Liu was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected that Lin Xiaotian would notice his subtle expressions. A hint of trepidation appeared in his eyes.
"You flatter me. In our company, I'm at most an appraiser. You are the true pillar of our company."
"Everything that happened before was my fault. If I hadn't brought back that antique, Ms. Chu wouldn't have encountered so much trouble."
"The main reason I'm here today is to appraise our company's antiques. I feel that some of the pieces have developed problems."
As he spoke, the surrounding people's gazes all converged on him. Most of them were customers browsing.
Master Liu's words caused confusion to appear on their faces. They knew very well that Master Liu was the pillar of the Chu Group, and without him, appraising antiques in Building One would be problematic.
Yet, they now heard Master Liu say that the antiques had problems, and their eyes showed clear doubt.
Lin Xiaotian smiled and said, "Just say what the problem is."
"I'd really like to know what problems the antiques I personally appraised will have?"
A smile flickered in his eyes, as he now understood that Master Liu might have become someone's puppet. Ever since he had given Master Liu an opportunity, someone had been watching him.
Master Liu's expression became one of helplessness, even a hint of fear. His eyes showed terror.
"Mr. Lin, you should know what's going on with our Zhong Kui Subduing Ghosts painting."
"You should look closely at the details of the Zhong Kui Subduing Ghosts painting. Before, Tang Jinde said he would appraise antiques for our company, but every word he said is untrustworthy because his relationship with Chu is like that of an elder and a junior."
"He would undoubtedly help the company without hesitation. However, after my careful investigation, I discovered that a large portion of the company's antiques have major issues."
As he said this, he noticed that Lin Xiaotian offered no rebuttal. A flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
"Lin Xiaotian, I know your appraisal skills are very strong, even surpassing Tang Jingde, but your appraisal techniques are mostly based on imitation."
"If anyone present doesn't believe me, you can observe the exhibition we held before."
"Lin Xiaotian personally created a fake on the spot, and that fake was almost indistinguishable from the genuine article. If he hadn't pointed out the flaws himself, I believe even the masters present wouldn't have been able to identify the core problem."
"I believe everyone here understands these facts and has likely heard about them. When you purchased those antiques and calligraphy paintings here, did you ever consider who would pay for the fakes?"
"As an appraiser for the Chu Group, and the chief one at that, I shouldn't be saying these things, as I eat the Chu Group's food."
"But I can't bear my conscience."
At this point, Master Liu's face showed helplessness. He glanced at the people present, then said, "I know how wrong my actions were, but I want to turn over a new leaf now."
"I don't want to be a tool used by others anymore. I just want to tell them."
"Some things you shouldn't do, and after doing them, you should bear the consequences. Especially the antiques and calligraphy paintings of the Chu Group, not a single one is a genuine piece; they are all Lin Xiaotian's copies."
"Lin Xiaotian's imitations have reached a level of perfection. Even if you see the actual items, you might not be able to distinguish them."
"I am risking my life to tell you all of this. If anything happens to me, it will definitely be Lin Xiaotian who did it."
After saying this, he couldn't help but take a few steps back, his gaze towards Lin Xiaotian filled with apology.
Lin Xiaotian smiled. He knew very well that this Master Liu might have been controlled by others, and his words were not surprising.
A hint of amusement appeared in his eyes. "Master Liu, the company treats you well. When you say these things, have you considered that you might truly be damned?"
"Have you forgotten the suffering you endured before?"
He was testing him.
Master Liu's face showed anger. The fawning expression in his eyes was gone, replaced by burning rage.
He attributed everything to Lin Xiaotian, and his heart seethed with anger.
If someone hadn't wanted to deal with Lin Xiaotian, they wouldn't have approached him, nor would they have turned him into their puppet.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Lin Xiaotian, I told you before that most of the items you brought out are fakes. Don't ask me how I know. Anyone who has looked into the past dealings of the Chu Group should understand."
"The Chu Group was on the verge of collapse before. Why did it suddenly boom and even produce over a dozen precious items?"
"This is not because their foundation is so deep, but because they had long prepared fakes for exhibition. Once they are auctioned off, it will be everyone's loss."
His eyes blazed with fury. "Lin Xiaotian, even if you do anything to me today, I will never deceive everyone again."
"I just want to tell you, those who do evil will perish!"
The expressions on the faces of the surrounding people showed signs of doubt. They all knew that the Chu Group's sudden explosive growth must have had some trickery involved, but they didn't know what had happened.
And now, they were whispering among themselves as they looked at Master Liu.
They were all questioning the truthfulness of his words.
Lin Xiaotian, on the other hand, smiled. "I know everyone here is wondering how much truth there is in his words."
"Now I can tell you clearly: all of this is nonsense!"
"If you don't believe me, I can make him tell the truth directly."