Chapter 153

Xiang Feiwen was still utterly confused himself, and naturally couldn’t explain anything.

They wanted to get closer,

but were all stopped by Zhang Yihua several meters away, ensuring that no one could disturb Lin Mo.

After a while, the number of people gathering in the shop grew, and even some shop owners came over to watch the excitement after hearing the news.

“What’s going on, is Jixiang House having a big sale today?”

“Take it easy, you stepped on my foot!”

“No, apparently some expert appeared out of nowhere and spent 1.2 million on that ‘Five Horse Painting’ at Jixiang House. Now he’s busy destroying it…” “Huh? 1.2 million for that thing? Is he crazy?”

“Isn’t this some marketing stunt cooked up by that kid Xiang Feiwen?”

“It doesn’t seem like it. That guy also looks utterly baffled.”

“What exactly is going on??”

“Make way, let me go in and have a look!”

The crowd grew bigger, and the murmuring grew louder.

Especially several shop owners who were surrounding Xiang Feiwen, asking what exactly he was up to.

After waiting a bit longer, the employees of the four great families, who were in charge of managing the antique market, also arrived.

They were originally here for a meeting, but when they saw a crowd around the entrance of Jixiang House, they thought there was trouble and decided to come and see.

But it was only after they arrived that they learned what had happened.

Spend 1.2 million on a ‘Five Horse Painting’ that wasn’t particularly valuable, and then perform some sort of art act?

Out of curiosity, they didn’t leave but stayed to see what kind of trick Lin Mo was going to pull.

By this time, Lin Mo, who had been busy for nearly 30 minutes, finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Right next to the second batch of horses, after spraying a fine mist of water droplets, a slightly different color began to emerge.

It was clear that this was an edge of the ‘Yellow Sparrow Painting’.

“Damn, he’s gonna make it, there is really something, bro, you’re going to be rich!”

“Nothing ordinary is hidden in a painting within a painting; otherwise this technique wouldn’t be worth it!”

Watching all this, Hai Dong was also very excited.

Lin Mo shook his aching arms, intending to continue his efforts when he realized that somehow, his surroundings had filled with people.

They looked at him as if they had bought tickets to see a national treasure, all staring intently at his work.

Especially those standing at the front – each carried an extraordinary presence, clearly no ordinary figures.

One of the men dressed in a black suit, seeing Lin Mo stop his movements, asked, “Brother, what are you doing?”

“It’s such a waste of something worth tens of thousands.”

He was Kong Jianghuai, the business manager of the Kong family, responsible for managing antique paintings in the market, standing next to him was the Jia family’s business manager, Jia Tian, primarily in charge of ceramic antiques.

The other two were responsible for jade antiques and miscellaneous antiques, respectively.

“Oh, nothing much, just feeling that there are hidden things inside, looking for them,” Lin Mo replied.

He did not keep it a secret; on the contrary, he hoped the more people the better, and the more powerful figures who came, the better.

He didn’t plan on keeping the painting anyway. Once the painting was uncovered, if somebody present could buy it right away, holding a small auction where the highest bidder wins, would that not be perfect?

Hidden things?

All those who heard Lin Mo were taken aback.

What could be inside the painting?

The laymen watched for fun while the experts saw the way.

Standing at the front, the several knowledgeable onlookers immediately sensed that something was amiss.

Could it be a painting within a painting?

Kong Jianghuai tentatively asked, “Brother, may I come closer for a look? Don’t worry, I’m the manager in charge of paintings and calligraphy in this market. I have some studies in painting, and I should be able to help you.”

“I took a look just now and felt your technique… uh…”

He intended to say it was quite average, but he held back.

Lin Mo was naturally willing to have help: “No problem, come over.”

Kong Jianghuai came closer, and his originally calm face wrinkled in an instant when he saw the faint colors appearing on the ‘Five Horse Painting’.

There really was something underneath!

Although he didn’t know the exact quality, any painting that employed this technique historically was never mediocre.

It had to be invaluable.

“Hiss…”

Kong Jianghuai inwardly took a sharp breath without changing his facial expression, and smilingly said, “Little brother, I’m actually quite interested in such rare and curious items too. I’ve just asked the owner, and you bought this for 1.2 million, right?”

“So, how about you sell it to me for 2 million?”

His voice was low, but Jia Tian, following him, still heard it clearly.

Although Jia Tian was in charge of the ceramics and antiques, he also dabbled in other categories. Noticing something amiss, he immediately said, “Brother, I’ll offer 3 million, sell it to me.”

“Plus, you’re on a video call with Hai Dong, right? I’m friends with this bald guy too.”

As he spoke, Jia Tian looked at the video and said, “Baldy, remember your bro Tian? Talk to your friend and let me have this one.”

Hai Dong, on the other end of the video, hadn’t expected that a simple video call would pull in all these people.

He didn’t want to muddy the waters and quickly said, “Big Tian, I’m not familiar with the guy, I was just helping him take a look. If you guys are negotiating a price, discuss it amongst yourselves, I really don’t have a say, don’t blame your brother.”

The other two also came over, each expressing their desire to buy.

The highest bid was 5 million.

Goodness gracious,

Zhang Yihua, who was the closest, was stunned.

Bought for 1.2 million, and in less than half an hour, it shot up to 5 million?

Impressive!

At this rate of making money…

It wouldn’t be out of the question for my little sister to act as Lin Mo’s servant.

Xiang Feiwen was even more dumbfounded, not expecting this turn of events at all.

He had been eagerly trying to set a trap, but did he end up shooting himself in the foot?

Just when everyone thought Lin Mo would take the money and run, unexpectedly, he just shook his head and said, “Gentlemen, save your breath, haha, to tell you the truth, I’m not short on cash, I just wanted to try something new.”

“I just want to see what’s really hidden inside.”

After that,

Lin Mo continued to busy himself with his head down.

“Let me help, a deal is a deal, but goodwill remains, let’s be friends.” Kong Jianghuai took the spray bottle from Lin Mo’s hand and said with a smile, “I’m professional at this, let me show you.”

“Whether or not you sell is another matter, but it pains me to see a good thing get destroyed.”

“Thanks.”

Lin Mo didn’t reject his kindness, and of course, he wasn’t afraid of him harboring any nefarious thoughts.

There were many people in the market, to begin with, and Lin Mo wasn’t made of clay.

If anyone tried to bully him, they’d have to go to Rakshasa City and find out how Chen Kainan went missing.

The others were also willing to help, but after all, everyone has their expertise, and they really couldn’t do what Kong Jianghuai was capable of.

The two of them worked together, and with an expert to support them, the process sped up considerably.

Kong Jianghuai was really considerate, explaining the steps to Lin Mo as they worked, allowing Lin Mo to learn a lot.

Soon, after several complex steps, the “Yellow Sparrow Painting” hidden inside the “Five Horse Painting” was taken out. The onlookers wanted to get closer, but Zhang Yihua kept everyone at bay with an unwavering stand.

The four big family business managers at the front were even more astonished when they saw the signature of “Eight Great Mountain People, Zhu Da” on the painting.

One of them even shouted, “Brother, 10 million, this is a fair price, you can check around!”

10 million was indeed not low but still below the system’s upper limit.

Lin Mo looked at the other three and asked, “Any bids for Zhu Da’s painting? If the price is right, I might pass. I don’t really like this painting.”

Another gritted his teeth and said, “12 million!!!”

Upon hearing this price, Xiang Feiwen’s face, previously stricken with grief, was now filled with utter regret.

If there was no one around, he even thought about killing Lin Mo and snatching the “Yellow Sparrow Painting.”

Over one million!

That’s over one million! With that money, he could be driving luxury cars and picking up girls!

That money should have been his!!!!

The bystanders were also stunned, and they started discussing it amongst themselves.

Such windfalls are extremely rare these days, let alone a jump from 1.2 million to 12 million.

Tenfold!

Looking at Lin Mo with a phone in hand, Zhang Yihua began to think deeply, considering that marrying off not just his sister but himself seemed like a fair deal!

12 million!!

That’s enough to produce an animated series, and even start planning for the nation’s first AAA video game.

However, before they finished discussing, Kong Jianghuai took a deep breath and said gravely, “15 million! I’ll offer 15 million, brother! That’s the highest the Kong family can go, and definitely the highest bid in this room.”

“If you’re willing to part with it, you’ll always be a friend of the Kong family!” [Three mega-chapters! Plus 20,000 more words! To be continued tomorrow! Seeking monthly votes, recommendation tickets!]