Intuition's Warning and an Unexpected Windfall

Lin Chen's heart suddenly raced, and blood seemed to rush straight to his head.

Golden Eye... really worked!

But this information—"suspected later additions," "late Ming to early Qing," "not particularly valuable"?

That was completely at odds with the "anonymous Ming dynasty landscape painting" Yan Qingyue had described, and with her determination to get it!

What do I do? What do I do? Should I say something or not?

If I speak up and my feeling turns out to be wrong, wouldn't I ruin President Yan's important business?

Elder Zhang urgently needs money, and there's Grandpa Yan's reputation to consider... I can't take responsibility for that!

But if my feeling is right and President Yan spends a fortune on something that has problems or isn't worth much, wouldn't she suffer a huge loss?

And my mission will be a bust too!

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Lin Chen's forehead. His mind raced as a fierce internal struggle raged.

He glanced instinctively at Yan Qingyue beside him. She was studying the painting intently, evidently appraising it with her own knowledge and judgment.

The auctioneer had already begun his introduction:

"Lot three, a hanging landscape scroll by an anonymous Ming dynasty artist. The starting bid is eight hundred thousand, with increments of no less than fifty thousand."

Someone immediately raised a paddle. "Eight hundred fifty thousand!"

"Nine hundred thousand!"

"Nine hundred fifty thousand!"

The bidding climbed rapidly and soon exceeded 1.2 million.

Quite a few people joined the bidding. Evidently, many were interested in this "Ming dynasty" landscape painting.

Yan Qingyue parted her red lips, seemingly preparing to join the fray.

Lin Chen's heart leaped into his throat!

No! I have to say something! I'll take the gamble! Trust the system!

He drew a sharp breath, leaned slightly toward Yan Qingyue, and spoke hurriedly in a voice so low it was barely more than a breath:

"President Yan! Wait! That painting... something feels a little off!"

Yan Qingyue's hand froze just as she was about to raise her paddle. She turned to look at him in surprise.

Her gaze was sharp as a knife, plainly questioning and scrutinizing him.

Something feels off? What does he mean? Did he notice something?

Yan Qingyue was inwardly startled and uncertain.

She hadn't spotted any obvious flaw that marked the painting as a fake at a glance, but Lin Chen's earlier, accurate "investment intuition" kept her from dismissing his words entirely.

"What's wrong with it?"

She lowered her voice, speaking urgently.

"I... I can't really put it into words,"

Lin Chen said, steeling himself and making things up based on his feeling. "It's just... the way the rocks are painted seems a little... a little deliberate. It doesn't have the free-flowing ease of a Ming painter. It looks more like someone later was deliberately imitating the style... and the overall feel... doesn't seem that old?"

He did his best to put the vague information from Golden Eye into his own words. He stumbled through his explanation without a single technical term to support it, sounding entirely like a layman making wild guesses.

Yan Qingyue knitted her brows and turned her gaze back to the painting.

She was an expert appraiser herself. With Lin Chen's "hint," she looked more closely, and it seemed... the texture strokes on the rocks really were a little stiff, lacking some of the natural charm an old painting should have?

But the impression was extremely subtle, and without a deliberate reminder, it was all too easy to overlook.

In the few seconds she hesitated, the bidding had already reached 1.5 million!

"1.5 million! Any higher bids?"

The auctioneer called out, sweeping his gaze across the room.

A brief pause fell over the room.

For an anonymous Ming dynasty painting, that price was already far from low.

Yan Qingyue's fingers tightened slightly around her paddle.

Her grandfather's instructions, her obligation to Elder Zhang, Lin Chen's inexplicable "feeling"... all kinds of thoughts collided in her mind.

Take a gamble! Trust him this once!

She finally made her decision and slowly lowered her paddle, shaking her head at Lin Chen almost imperceptibly.

Seeing that, Lin Chen let out a long breath of relief. His back felt soaked through.

That scared me to death... good thing she believed me... what if I'm wrong... ptoo, ptoo, ptoo! I can't be wrong! The system is freaking awesome!

In the end, another collector took home the landscape painting for 1.5 million.

The next lot was a mid-Qing white jade ruyi scepter carved with chilong patterns, and the bidding was just as fierce.

Lin Chen focused his gaze on it again, but this time Golden Eye showed no reaction.

It really is a passive skill. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...

After several more lots, an inconspicuous item was brought out—a small zitan wood box with a plain, unadorned body. A small, somewhat dull piece of silver-wire enamel was inlaid in one corner. It looked to be some years old, but its style was simple.

"The next lot is a Qing dynasty zitan jewelry box inlaid with silver-wire enamel. Its condition is acceptable. The starting bid is one hundred fifty thousand."

The auctioneer's introduction was comparatively brief as well.

Clearly, the auction house didn't place much importance on the item.

The room's response was similarly lukewarm. A small old box with such simple decoration had limited collectible value and market appeal.

Yan Qingyue glanced at it and seemed uninterested, preparing to look through the catalog entry for the next lot.

Just then, Lin Chen's eyes once again felt that familiar warmth!

The zitan box in his vision seemed to be enveloped in a soft halo, and a stream of information considerably clearer than before flooded into his mind—

[Perception: Dense zitan wood with a warm, smooth patina. Likely mid-Qing Suzhou workmanship... the inlaid silver-wire enamel technique is unusual, not commonly seen in the Central Plains... a hidden compartment in the bottom of the box?

There seems to be something inside... overall value... severely underestimated!]

The information was still incomplete, but he had caught the key points!

There was a hidden compartment!

Its value had been severely underestimated!

Lin Chen's heart began pounding wildly once more!

He forced down his excitement and tugged sharply at Yan Qingyue's sleeve, his voice trembling a little with excitement:

"President Yan! This one! You should buy this box!"

Yan Qingyue looked at him in surprise again.

This time, his expression was completely different from before. His eyes shone with the excitement of absolute certainty.

"This box?"

Yan Qingyue examined the ordinary-looking jewelry box again, puzzled. "What's special about it?"

"I can't explain it! But the feeling... is really good!"

Lin Chen didn't dare be too explicit, so he could only emphasize his feeling. "Really, really good! Trust me!"

His gaze was so intense and assured that his heartfelt conviction reached Yan Qingyue without reservation through his inner voice—

Get it! We have to get it! We've found a huge bargain!

Yan Qingyue's eyes flickered.

Incredible as it was, his current state inexplicably reminded her of his excitement before Kexiang Technology's stock soared.

"Two hundred thousand." She hesitated no longer and raised her paddle.

Someone followed with another bid. "Two hundred fifty thousand."

"Three hundred thousand."

Yan Qingyue's tone was calm as she raised the bid by fifty thousand at once.

The room fell silent for a moment.

To many people, paying three hundred thousand for such a small box was already a bit much.

The auctioneer looked around the room.

"Three hundred thousand, going once... three hundred thousand, going twice..."

Just before the hammer fell, a voice came from another direction:

"Three hundred fifty thousand."

Yan Qingyue didn't even frown.

"Four hundred thousand."

In the end, no one else bid.

Yan Qingyue won the zitan box for four hundred thousand.

A staff member brought the wooden box to Yan Qingyue.

She held it in her hands and examined it carefully, but still couldn't see anything special about it. She couldn't help looking at Lin Chen again.

Lin Chen rubbed his hands together excitedly and lowered his voice, speaking urgently:

"President Yan, take a close look, especially at the bottom... I have a feeling... there might be a hidden compartment!"

A hidden compartment! Golden Eye said there was a hidden compartment in the bottom!

There must be something good inside!

A hidden compartment?

Something stirred in Yan Qingyue's heart.

She carefully felt and examined the bottom of the box and, sure enough, found an extremely well-hidden, fine seam that seemed slightly different from the others.

She carefully tried prying at it with her fingernail and actually managed to lift a thin bottom panel!

Beneath the panel lay an object wrapped tightly in oilpaper!

Yan Qingyue's heart skipped a beat!

She carefully took it out and, beneath the curious gazes of the people around her, peeled away the layers of oilpaper.

In an instant, a dazzling flash of gold and a brilliant, luxurious radiance emerged!

It was a pure-gold filigree jeweled floral ornament, about four or five centimeters across!

Gold wires as fine as hair coiled into intricate, exquisite scrolling floral patterns. At the center sat a small ruby of pure color and dazzling fire, surrounded by several smaller but crystal-clear pearls and little sapphires!

The craftsmanship was so exquisite it could have been the work of gods and ghosts!

It was also remarkably well preserved, gleaming with gold and radiant with jewels!

"Hiss—"

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath immediately rose from the people nearby!

Everyone's attention was drawn over, their eyes filled with shock and envy!

"This... this is the craftsmanship of the Ming imperial workshops!"

A white-haired old collector nearby couldn't resist leaning in for a closer look, his voice trembling with excitement. "Look at the filigree work, and the way those gems are set! This is definitely a fine piece that came out of the palace! Its value... it's worth more than ten times as much, at the very least!"

Yan Qingyue was stunned too. She looked at the suddenly revealed, extraordinarily magnificent gold filigree jeweled floral ornament in her hand, then turned sharply to Lin Chen beside her, who was equally dumbfounded, his face plainly saying, "Holy crap, I really guessed right."

Four hundred thousand had turned into at least four million in the blink of an eye?

How was this merely finding a bargain?

This was practically digging up treasure!

And all of it had come from Lin Chen's seemingly unreliable...

"Feeling"?

After the intense shock and immense joy, an even bigger, more incredible question swept through Yan Qingyue's heart like a tsunami.

Once was coincidence, twice was luck...

But what about the third time?

Kexiang Technology, the warning about the landscape painting, and this earthshaking bargain...

The way Yan Qingyue looked at Lin Chen changed completely.

There was no longer just curiosity and inquiry in her eyes, but also a measure of incredulous shock and an indescribable... heat.

Lin Chen...

Who exactly are you?

Just how many secrets... are you still hiding?