Please recommend, favorite, reward, and vote for this story~~~

...

"An almost deceptively authentic imitation of Zhao Mengfu's Calligraphy Manuscript."

The appraisal result was as straightforward as ever, just this one line, but it was enough to satisfy Qin Fang as he stepped down from the stage.

When Qin Fang came down, he found Tang Cheng and Ning Weiqiang talking with an aging expert who seemed to be invited by a less important privileged young master. They borrowed the expert for their use, and no one dared to comment.

To this "expert," Qin Fang did have some impression. It seemed to be the same person who just spouted several sets of theories, finally one of the members of the "experts" group who affirmed the authenticity of the calligraphy.

Sure enough, as Qin Fang passed by, he heard the "expert" assert with total confidence that this piece of calligraphy was a genuine work by Zhao Mengfu.

After Qin Fang sat down, he took out the small booklet and flipped through it. When he arrived at the page of the calligraphy, he looked at the official estimated price and chuckled, "Heh, 1.2 to 1.5 million. It's really not cheap!"

Seeing the price, Qin Fang also understood why Tang and Ning were being so cautious. After all, these were items valued over a million. If one were to buy a fake and waste over a million, not to mention the money down the drain, it would also be a complete embarrassment.

"How is it?"

Tang and Ning were still discussing with the "expert" and temporarily ignoring Qin Fang, seemingly pondering over how to acquire the calligraphy. It was Chen Jiangnan who casually asked the question whilst sitting beside Qin Fang.

He had also been listening to the "expert's" opinions and felt it seemed plausible enough, essentially convinced of the manuscript's authenticity. Now that Qin Fang returned, whether out of courtesy or for face, he asked quite politely.

"An almost deceptively authentic imitation!"

Qin Fang uttered these words casually without even lifting his head, continuing to flip through the booklet, seemingly in search of something that caught his interest.

"An almost deceptively authentic... um, real... fake?"

Chen Jiangnan initially didn't pay much heed, only lending half an ear to Qin Fang. But when he heard Qin Fang's statement, he subconsciously repeated it, especially the last "real" part, seemingly agreeing with this assertion.

However, this moment of contemplation was extremely brief. Once Chen Jiangnan mulled it over, he was immediately stunned, then blurted out in disbelief, causing several people nearby to be shocked as well.

"Sir, please be quiet. We are discussing..."

The expert actually considered himself significant. He was also involved in Ninghai's academic circle and had been eyeing the title of ancient artifact appraisal expert. In normal circumstances, young masters like Tang and Ning would be beyond his reach to curry favor with. Now having the opportunity to discuss with them, why wouldn't he cherish it?

However, Chen Jiangnan's reaction managed to abruptly halt the expert's enthusiastic speech, leaving him quite irritated. He said quite impolitely.

Chen Jiangnan shrank back awkwardly and apologetically beside Qin Fang. At this point, Tang and Ning finally remembered Qin Fang had also examined the manuscript and casually asked, "Qin Fang, what do you think of this calligraphy piece?"

Chen Jiangnan's sudden outburst had caught their ear, they just hadn't registered it properly, or perhaps they wanted a direct confirmation.

"An almost deceptively authentic imitation..."

Qin Fang still had the same demeanor, only now he had paused flipping the booklet for a moment and looked up at Tang Cheng as he spoke.

"Are you sure?"

Tang Cheng's expression darkened suddenly, clearly displeased. After all, finding a suitable gift was not easy, and although many experts had confirmed the manuscript as genuine, Qin Fang stood by its falseness, which of course didn't sit well with him.

"Hmm, certain..."

Qin Fang could certainly confirm that.

Those "experts" judged based on their own eyes and past experiences, coupled with others misleading them with various reasons, so it wasn't strange for them to be deceived.

However, Qin Fang relied on his scouting skill to make determinations, similar to how results are calculated in online games based on a comprehensive analysis of provided data from all aspects, making the possibility of an error in judgment extremely slim.

At least up to now, Qin Fang's scouting skill had not made an error even once.

"Nonsense... this calligraphy manuscript is clearly authentic, how could it possibly be fake?"

Tang and Ning, the two privileged young masters, fell silent; they naturally had to consider the credibility of Qin Fang's words, while that "expert" suddenly became enraged. It had not been easy for him to make the young masters believe in his judgment, but just then Qin Fang, this beardless boy, had claimed it was false. This was practically slapping the expert's face, how could he tolerate it?

Qin Fang glanced sideways at the expert, then slowly asked Chen Jiangnan, "Who is this guy?"

Pfft~~

Chen Jiangnan was pondering at the time and had just taken a sip of red wine. But Qin Fang's sudden question made him spray the wine right out of his mouth, followed by a fit of coughing.

Luckily, there was no one in front of them, otherwise the wine would have sprayed all over someone else.

"You..."

The expert became furious, ready to roll up his sleeves and have a physical fight with Qin Fang, but at that moment Tang Cheng seemed to make a decision. With a sharp look, the expert cooled down like frostbitten eggplant, instantly wilting, then Ning Weiqiang sent him away.

"Qin Fang, do you have any reason to prove that this calligraphy manuscript is fake?"

The disgruntled expert left, giving Qin Fang a fiercely resentful look as if to etch the visage of his enemy into his memory, while Ning Weiqiang asked with some uncertainty.

"None..."

But Qin Fang was straightforward, responding with just two words. It was true that he had no reason to prove his point; he couldn't possibly tell them that his answer was derived from his scouting skill.

"If you trust me, then I thank you for your trust; if you don't, you are welcome to join the bidding. But if you end up throwing your money away, don't blame me..."

After a moment's thought, considering that Tang Cheng was Tang Feifei's older brother and that he had a good relationship with Feifei, Qin Fang naturally wouldn't want to watch as Tang Cheng carelessly threw away more than a million, so he added another line.

Tang Cheng didn't respond, but his piercing gaze remained fixed on Qin Fang's eyes. Qin Fang did not look away, meeting Tang Cheng's gaze with clear eyes, showing no sign of evasion or flinching, and filling with confidence in his judgment.

"Hmm!"

It was only when the auctioneer's hammer struck that Tang Cheng finally withdrew his gaze, emitting a muffled sound from his nostrils, providing an answer of sorts.

As expected, most of the appraisers concluded that the calligraphy manuscript was authentic. This energized the bidders, who behaved as if their money had fallen from the sky, fiercely raising their bids. From a starting bid with no reserve, it quickly surged past a million and continued to climb rapidly.

By the time the auctioneer's hammer had struck three times, the replica of Zhao Mengfu's Calligraphy Manuscript was sold for a price of 2.5 million to a corpulent, newly rich man.

"A bunch of fools... tsk, tsk, truly worthy of such a price..."

Upon hearing the final price, Qin Fang couldn't help but make a jesting remark, while Tang Cheng and the others clearly weren't in the mood to join in. They had witnessed the entire process. Over half of the attendees had participated in this bidding, making it the most populous event since the start of the auction.

And by heeding Qin Fang's advice, they hadn't joined in, which indeed meant they hadn't incurred any loss; however, they also might have just missed a genuine masterpiece...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.