After they loaded everything into the car and were preparing to leave, another car arrived. Chu Chen knew the driver too—a fairly experienced collector from the capital. He had exchanged a few words with the man before, but they were barely more than acquaintances.
Chu Chen smiled at him, then drove away. As the car passed the entrance, he heard the collector ask Old Chang whether the painting had been saved for him. Old Chang thumped his chest and promised that since the collector had reserved it, he would certainly keep it for him. After saying that, he led the collector into his house.
After they had driven some distance, Wu Ke said with a speechless look, "Old Chang is shameless. He actually lied through his teeth! By the way, you know that man too?"
Chu Chen nodded. "I've met him a few times."
"How good is his eye? Could he tell that painting was a 'second-layer reveal'?"
"About average, I suppose. As for whether he can actually see it, I'm not sure. But considering the quality of that painting, I think there's a good chance his eye isn't sharp enough to notice."
"I see! Then Old Chang is going to fleece him again?"
"There's a very good chance."
Hearing that, Wu Ke said unhappily, "It makes me uncomfortable seeing that fellow earn dirty money. What do you think Old Chang's expression would have been if we'd told that man earlier that there was something wrong with the painting?"
Chu Chen laughed. "What other expression could he have had? His face would've turned green with rage..."
In fact, there was something else he had not said. Doing that would not only have angered Old Chang; it might very well have offended the fellow collector too.
In the antique trade, it