Painting Within a Painting

"Heh heh... Sis Lili, if this painting is the real deal, you'll give me a back rub when we get back. If it's fake, I'll cover all your living expenses until graduation."

Lu Fan's words were clearly outrageous, but the feisty Mao Lili only hesitated for three seconds before agreeing, much to the dumbfounded expressions of her three sisters.

"Young Master Lu, do you stand by your word? My monthly living expenses are two thousand. I'm only in my second year, so that's over twenty months until graduation. That's tens of thousands of yuan."

"Tch, you think too little of me. The bag I bought for Mengran cost more than that."

"Hehehe... Then I'll thank you for your generosity, Young Master Lu."

Mao Lili's smile made her eyebrows curve upwards. She was already imagining how comfortably she could live on four thousand yuan a month, considering things she couldn't usually afford.

However, Liu Mengran, standing beside her, felt a bad premonition. Lu Fan's smile was too smug. In the few days she'd known him, she had never seen him lose.

But that painting looked fake at first glance. How could Lu Fan possibly win against Mao Lili?

Lu Fan grabbed Liu Mengran, who wore a suspicious expression, and walked directly into a high-end antique shop.

"Jubaozhai! This is the place!"

"Boss, are you buying?"

Lu Fan held up the ancient painting with a smile. An old man with reading glasses behind the counter was sipping tea and reading a book. Seeing someone enter, he stood up with a chuckle.

"An antique shop naturally buys items. Are you looking to sell a painting, young man?"

"Of course. A genuine Crouching Tiger Painting by Tang Bohu, worth tens of millions."

To his surprise, the old man's smile vanished instantly upon hearing Lu Fan's words. He clearly had no interest in this so-called genuine Tang Bohu.

Liu Mengran, Mao Lili, and the other two awkwardly stepped aside, their faces showing that they didn't know this guy.

Anyone who could open such a large shop in the capital city was definitely an expert among experts.

What else could you expect when a fool brought a painting that looked fake at first glance?

"You jest, young man. Genuine works by Tang Bohu are treasures sold at auctions. They wouldn't end up in my humble shop."

The old man sat back down, not even bothering to look at the painting in Lu Fan's hand.

"Hmm? So you can't afford that much money?"

"Young man, if it were a genuine Tang Bohu, we could absolutely afford tens of millions. The name of my Jubaozhai ranks highly in the antique circle."

The old man took a sip of his tea, speaking with pride.

Lu Fan directly unfurled the painting in front of the old man. If he hadn't been sure before, he was now 100% certain it was genuine. His panel points had increased by one.

He was still three draws away from his next lottery. He only needed to be tricked three more times to start drawing.

His last draw gave him a skill to control feces. He wondered if the system had any rewards that could turn him into Superman.

The old man glanced dismissively at the scroll in front of him. Even a three-year-old could tell it was fake with such clumsy brushwork.

Liu Mengran and the other three covered their faces in embarrassment. Only Lu Fan wore a smug expression, oblivious to the old man's mouth twitching from disgust at the painting.

"This old man can't appraise this painting, young man. You should try another shop!"

"Boss, take a closer look. I only spent five hundred yuan on this. I was hoping to earn enough for a supercar with it."

"Five hundred yuan? And you expect to earn a supercar with this painting? No... Wait! This painting... something's not right!"

The old man's contemptuous expression changed instantly. His hand had instinctively brushed against the painting, and his keen perception immediately detected something amiss.

The old man's expression drew Liu Mengran and the others closer. Only Lu Fan's expression remained unchanged; he had been completely confident from the start.

The old man seriously picked up a magnifying glass and a flashlight, examining the scroll closely.

"A painting within a painting! Heavens! This is actually a painting within a painting! Could there really be a genuine piece hidden beneath this scroll?"

The old man's face changed dramatically. Even Liu Mengran and the others, foolish as they might be, knew something was off. Mao Lili, in particular, glanced guiltily at Lu Fan.

They had a bet, after all. She had never expected Lu Fan to win. If she had to give him a back rub, how could she face Liu Mengran and Lu Fan in the future?

The old man carefully rubbed the side of the scroll, and a hidden layer was scraped off the edge of the painting.

"This... Young man, please forgive this old man's poor eyesight. This painting is the legendary painting within a painting; there's a layer hidden beneath the scroll."

"I need to peel off the top layer to determine what the painting underneath is."

"Heh heh... Go ahead and peel it! I'm not in a hurry!"

Lu Fan sat down on a nearby chair. The boss's attitude had completely changed, and he personally poured tea for everyone.

"To peel the painting, I need to call an old friend. He's an expert at this. I'm only half-skilled myself, and it would be troublesome if I damaged the treasure underneath."

"You need to call someone? Will I have to wait all afternoon?"

Lu Fan frowned, checking the time. It was already past four in the afternoon, and he had dinner at his aunt's place tonight.

"Don't worry, young man. He's in the shop next door and will be here in a flash."

As the old man spoke, an old man with white hair and beard rushed in through the door. Before he even entered, his loud voice began to shout.

"Where's the painting within a painting?"

The next second, the old man's gaze swept over Lu Fan and the others, settling on the scroll on the table.

The old man took out a magnifying glass from his bag and began to study the scroll. Seeing the serious demeanor of the two men, Mao Lili's heart grew increasingly uneasy.

"It truly is a painting within a painting. In my seventy-plus years, I've only encountered this situation twice."

"Young man, are you sure you want me to reveal this painting? If I do, the top layer will be destroyed. The owner who created this hidden painting didn't leave any room for error; only one of the two paintings can be preserved."

The two old men looked at Lu Fan with fervent gazes, making him feel a wave of discomfort.

It would have been fine if two beautiful women were staring at him like this, but what was the deal with two old men on the verge of death staring at him?

"Hurry up and reveal it. I need to go home for dinner tonight."

The two old men exchanged a glance and quickly got to work.

A pile of tools instantly appeared on the table: scissors, a utility knife, water, and candles.

Seeing this setup, Liu Mengran pulled out her phone and started recording a video.

A painting hidden within a painting—such a fantastical event happening right before her eyes. She definitely had to capture this moment.

After more than twenty minutes of the two old men's busy work, the top layer of the painting was slowly peeled away, revealing a stunning tiger painting underneath.

Upon seeing this, Liu Mengran and the other three girls gasped, covering their mouths and holding their breath.

The two old men's faces turned red with excitement. The sense of accomplishment from personally revealing a painting was likely something only they could understand.

"Crouching Tiger Painting! My god! This is the genuine Crouching Tiger Painting by Tang Bohu!"

The Jubaozhai boss shouted excitedly. The other old man simply stared blankly at the painting before him, his mind clearly unable to process the scene.