Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: Chapter 156: The Familiar Battlefield (Please Subscribe) (1/2)
Chapter 190: Chapter 156: The Familiar Battlefield (Please Subscribe)
June 19th, morning.
Above Modu, thick clouds piled up like layers of gray cotton above the skyscrapers, completely blocking out the sunlight. The howling wind made the trees in the city sway greatly. Occasionally, a few drops of rain quietly fell, hitting the ground and making a faint sound.
Inside Modu Museum, several influential figures were present.
The director of the Cultural Relics Bureau, Li Zeguang, the chief expert of the museum, Gao Qinglin, the celebrity of the antiques circle Hu Shu, as well as multiple experts and staff members.
Lin Chuan was also among them.
Today, in Lin Chuan’s name, Hu Shu donated three rare antiques to the Cultural Relics Bureau as compensation for Lin Chuan’s “accidental damage” to the Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.
The donation ceremony was a success.
Hu Shu patted Lin Chuan’s shoulder contentedly and signaled, “Lin, come out with me for a moment.”
“Okay.”
Lin Chuan nodded and followed Hu Shu to a corner of the museum.
Dressed in a light gray long gown and pushing up his glasses on his nose, Hu Shu looked at Lin Chuan with concern and asked, “Lin, how is the restoration of that artifact going?”
Lin Chuan raised his eyebrows and smiled, “Mr. Hu, it’s almost finished. I expect it will be completed within the next two days.”
“Good, very good.”
Hu Shu did not skimp on his praise, then laughed again, “Lin, you have become famous these past few days. Someone entrusted me to get to know you.”
Lin Chuan appeared surprised and questioned, “I’m just a nobody. Why would someone want to meet me?”
“To shut the netizens up, the Cultural Relics Bureau released some scene photos of you restoring the ‘Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase.’ Now, everyone in Modu’s antiques circle knows about your ability to restore artifacts. It’s normal that someone would want to get to know you,” laughed Hu Shu.
Lin Chuan also laughed, then asked, “Who is this friend, a master?”
Resting his arm on Lin Chuan’s shoulder, Hu Shu turned and pointed, “Him.”
Following the indicated direction, Lin Chuan furrowed his brows slightly, “Master Gao?”
“Yes.”
Hu Shu nodded.
Lin Chuan chuckled awkwardly and said, “Mr. Hu might not be aware, but when I first came to Modu, I had some differing opinions with him regarding the appraisal of artifacts.”
“Differing opinions?”
A look of confusion appeared on Hu Shu’s face.
Lin Chuan then recounted the incident of his initial arrival in Modu when he had appraised the Taotie pattern wine vessel.
“I see.”
Hu Shu smiled, “In the field of artifact appraisal, everyone has different perspectives; some disagreements are inevitable.”
“That’s true,” Lin Chuan smiled.
Hu Shu patted Lin Chuan’s shoulder again, “Lin, one must look ahead. Gao Qinglin is a famous master in Modu’s antiques circle. You are bound to deal with him as you make your way in Modu. Moreover, since he’s taking the initiative to make amends, why don’t we be magnanimous? I’ll host lunch for you two today. How about that?”
“Since Mr. Hu has asked, then let’s meet,” Lin Chuan smiled and agreed.
Hu Shu laughed heartily, appearing very pleased.
A flicker of complexity passed through Lin Chuan’s eyes. It seemed Mr. Hu was quite keen on him getting acquainted with Gao Qinglin.
But Lin Chuan didn’t think too much of it.
After all, the antiques circle of Modu was only so large; it was understandable that Hu Shu and Gao Qinglin had connections.
It was no problem for him to help bridge relations between himself and Gao Qinglin.
At noon, Lin Chuan accepted the invitation.
During the meal, Gao Qinglin changed his usual attitude toward Lin Chuan, greeting him with a smile. Consequently, the three of them had an amiable and engaging conversation at the table.
The lunch didn’t take much time.
Because Lin Chuan had more important matters to attend to.
Last night.
After Lin Chuan decided to divulge information about the counterfeit Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase, the three discussed how to spread the information.
Ultimately, they decided to disseminate the information by releasing an anonymous video online.
The internet was a familiar battlefield for Lin Chuan.
After ending the luncheon, Lin Chuan headed straight to Old Bai’s ‘Wenbai Studio.’
Wenbai Studio.
With overcast weather outside, bright lights were turned on inside, shining on the workbench. The tabletop, usually filled with restoration tools like knives, files, and sandpaper, was covered with a piece of dark velvet, with a newly restored Qing dynasty Chinese tangled branch pattern thin-walled jade vase placed in the center.
Youyou, wearing a beige long dress, was holding a DSLR camera, capturing details of the thin-walled jade vase.
“You’re back.”
As soon as Youyou looked up, she saw Lin Chuan approaching quickly, wearing a simple white shirt and smiling.
Lin Chuan, seeing the earnest Youyou, smiled, “You’re all working, how could I delay?”
“Let me show you the photos I’ve taken.”
Youyou passed the photos she took for Lin Chuan’s review.
Lin Chuan nodded in satisfaction, “They perfectly meet the requirements.”
“I also edited the video script,” said Youyou with a small proud smile.
“Well done.”
Lin Chuan felt a stirring in his heart.
When it came to internet technology, Lin Chuan was an expert.
As for video production, Youyou and Old Bai had more experience than Lin Chuan, so they were in charge of the main task of creating the video,
Youyou volunteered to handle the video script, image collection, and other related tasks.
Old Bai was responsible for editing and compositing.