Chapter 11

"Nothing else, I just want this piece of calligraphy." Lin Yu smiled and walked over to pick up a piece of paper that had turned yellow.

"Alright, no problem, if you add this piece of calligraphy, we have a deal, no backing out!" The shop owner said urgently, with so many witnesses, once Lin Yu agreed, there would be no going back.

"It's a deal!" Lin Yu said with a smile.

"Bullshit! You good-for-nothing, this piece of junk and lies aren't even worth ten thousand yuan!" Jiang Jingren, furious, grabbed a teacup and threw it at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu dodged, and the teacup shattered on the ground with a bang.

"Settle your family matters yourselves, you don't need to pay for the teacup, just leave quickly!" The shop owner hurriedly packed the fake painting and the calligraphy, and handed the receipt to Lin Yu.

"He Jiarong, you've gone too far! How can you make decisions for my father!" Jiang Yan was very angry. This good-for-nothing still couldn't change his self-important attitude. There was still hope to recover the money, but now it's all over because of him.

Jiang Yan wasn't really worried about the money, but she was afraid her father would get upset.

"Little brother, can I take a look at this piece of calligraphy?"

At this moment, a spirited middle-aged man suddenly stepped out from the crowd, staring curiously at the calligraphy in Lin Yu's hand.

"Tang, Professor Tang?" Jiang Jingren, who was almost about to faint from anger, suddenly brightened up upon seeing the middle-aged man, instantly regaining his spirit.

His expression was like that of a fan suddenly meeting their idol.

This middle-aged man was Tang Zongyun, a well-known figure in the Qinghai antique circle. His main job was a professor of archaeology at Qinghai University, and his hobby was collecting antiques. Qinghai TV's appraisal show had invited him as a guest appraiser multiple times, and it was rumored that he had over twenty items worth millions in his collection.

Jiang Jingren had long admired him and wanted to introduce himself, but unfortunately, someone of his level in the antique circle didn't even catch his eye.

Actually, when Tang Zongyun arrived, the crowd had already been stirred by surprise, but Jiang Jingren was too busy arguing and didn't notice.

"Hello." Tang Zongyun nodded and smiled at Jiang Jingren, "Can I take a look at this piece of calligraphy?"

"Of course, of course!" Jiang Jingren nodded hurriedly. Seeing that Lin Yu didn't move, he kicked him and said, "What are you waiting for? Quickly hand the calligraphy to Professor Tang."

Only then did Lin Yu hand over the calligraphy.

"Indeed, it is Wang Xizhi's 'Ming Qi Tie'." Tang Zongyun said after a careful look.

"Not bad, but it's a later imitation, and a very rough one at that, not worth much." The shop owner chimed in, not fearing Lin Yu's retaliation since the deal was already done.

"It is indeed a rough imitation, but even such a rough imitation of 'Ming Qi Tie' is rare. It's worth at least ten thousand yuan. I wonder if the young man is willing to part with it?" Tang Zongyun said with a smile.

"Ten thousand for this piece of junk?" The shop owner's eyes twitched, feeling a bit pained. If he had known, he wouldn't have given it to Lin Yu.

"Young man, if you're willing, I'll offer you thirty thousand yuan for this piece of calligraphy, to make up for your loss." Tang Zongyun said.

Just now, he had seen the fake painting Jiang Jingren bought. Even with this piece of calligraphy, Jiang Jingren had suffered a significant loss, so he wanted to do a good deed and help them stop the bleeding.

"Sorry, I don't want to sell." Lin Yu shook his head and politely declined.

"Then I'll add another twenty thousand. Young man, the price I'm offering is far above the market value. No matter where you get it appraised, it won't be worth more than ten thousand yuan. If I didn't personally favor Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, I wouldn't offer such a high price." Tang Zongyun's tone was sincere.

"Professor Tang is an expert, young man, you should sell it quickly."

"That's right, if Professor Tang says it's worth ten thousand, it will be worth that much no matter where you get it appraised."

"Quickly, you've lost so much money, consider this as a way to recover some of it."

"Five thousand is already very high, even with the painting, it probably won't be worth that much."

The onlookers began to urge Lin Yu to seize the opportunity. In the antique circle, everyone has their moments of misjudgment; the key is to know how to cut your losses.

"Professor Tang, I'm sorry, I really didn't intend to sell this piece of calligraphy." Lin Yu was a bit troubled.

"Not selling? Did you buy it with your own money? You can't just decide not to sell it!" Jiang Jingren couldn't hold back and kicked Lin Yu.

Then he turned to Tang Zongyun, trying to flatter him, "Professor Tang, since you like it, I'll give you this piece of calligraphy as a token of our friendship."

Jiang Jingren's anger had vanished, and he was secretly pleased. Although he had lost fifty thousand yuan, making a connection with a celebrity like Tang Zongyun was worth it.

"That won't do. You paid a high price for it. We can be friends, but you must take the money." Tang Zongyun said hurriedly.

"No, this piece of calligraphy can't be sold!" Lin Yu snatched the calligraphy back, his tone firm.

"You, you, you're out of line!" Jiang Jingren pointed at Lin Yu, trembling with anger.

"He Jiarong, what are you doing!" Jiang Yan glared at him. Her father had just calmed down, and he was being so tactless. It's just a piece of junk; what difference would it make to give it to someone?

"No problem, Professor Tang, if he won't sell, I will." The shop owner ran over, trying to flatter Tang Zongyun, "I have two more copies of Wang Xizhi's imitations, much better than his. Take a look?"

Hearing Tang Zongyun offer fifty thousand, he felt like his heart was bleeding, but since he had already sold the calligraphy to Lin Yu, he had no choice.

"Oh? Do you have 'Ming Qi Tie'?" Tang Zongyun asked curiously.

"No 'Ming Qi Tie', but I have 'Lin Chuan Tie', and it's a very good imitation." The shop owner said excitedly, already counting his money in his mind. If a little-known rough imitation of 'Ming Qi Tie' could fetch fifty thousand, a well-known 'Lin Chuan Tie' imitation would probably be worth several times that.

"That won't do, I already have a copy of 'Lin Chuan Tie' at home." Tang Zongyun said with some regret.

The shop owner felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, feeling extremely disappointed.

"Young man, let me ask you one last time, are you really not selling this piece of calligraphy?" Tang Zongyun asked Lin Yu again, not giving up.

"Really sorry, I can't sell it." Lin Yu said apologetically.

Tang Zongyun sighed and turned to leave.

"You good-for-nothing, when did you get to make decisions about my money!" Jiang Jingren, seeing Tang Zongyun about to leave, immediately panicked and reached out to grab the calligraphy from Lin Yu.

Lin Yu skillfully dodged. Seeing his father-in-law eager to flatter Professor Tang, he called out to Tang Zongyun, who had walked to the door, "Professor Tang, please wait a moment. Although I can't sell this piece of calligraphy to you, I can let you and everyone else here see something special."

What a big talk!

Lin Yu's words made the onlookers somewhat displeased. It's just a piece of junk; what's so special about it? Not to mention Professor Tang, who has seen thousands of valuable items, what's so special about this?

But Lin Yu's words were not meant to be arrogant. He was telling the truth. What he was about to show everyone might be something that many antique enthusiasts would never see in their lifetime.

Actually, when he first entered the antique shop, he was attracted by the strong green light emanating from this piece of calligraphy on the shelf. He knew it must be a very precious treasure, so he deliberately set a trap to make the shop owner give it to him.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Tang Zongyun stopped at the door, somewhat displeased by Lin Yu's big talk.

"I'm not selling it to you because this piece of calligraphy has a hidden value that might surpass your imagination." Lin Yu said.

"What do you mean, young man? This is just a regular imitation. What hidden value are you talking about?" Tang Zongyun's tone was still restrained, but he was somewhat dismissive, thinking that young people nowadays like to seek attention.

The onlookers also had their doubts. They had bought a piece of junk and were treating it like a treasure.

"Ridiculous, I've had this piece of calligraphy for a year. If it were really special, would I not have noticed?" The shop owner sneered.

"You don't believe me?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Of course not! You young whippersnapper, how long have you been in the antique business to talk big to us old hands?" The shop owner said coldly, pulling the crowd to his side.

"Right, young man, we all saw that it's just a regular imitation. Are you saying we're all wrong?"

"Even if we were wrong, could an expert like Professor Tang also be wrong?"

"What's wrong with young people nowadays, always trying to show off?"

"Overestimating yourself, ridiculous!"

The shop owner's words stirred up the crowd, and they began to murmur, their words full of dissatisfaction.

"Since you don't believe me, do you dare to make a bet with me?" Lin Yu's tone was somewhat provocative.

"Bet? Fine, what do you want to bet?" The shop owner was also不服气 (unwilling to back down).

"Like this, if this piece of calligraphy really has a hidden value, you'll refund the fifty thousand yuan my father spent on the painting. If I can't find anything, I'll pay you fifty thousand yuan. How about that?"

"Deal, it's a deal, everyone heard you, be my witnesses!" The shop owner was delighted, already considering Lin Yu a complete fool.

"He Jiarong!"

Jiang Yan, furious, stomped her foot, but Lin Yu pretended not to hear.

"Let him