When Wang Yuanbai got the call, his brief surprise quickly gave way to elation. He had thought he'd lost his chance at the Longevity Gu, but it turned out Liu Beiwang had secretly hidden the real painting.
Liu Beiwang explained over the phone, "The painting that was stolen was a forgery I had commissioned. I'm sure Mr. Wang won't tell anyone else about this, will you?"
Wang Yuanbai didn't answer right away.
Liu Beiwang assumed he was still weighing his options and hurriedly added, "I can give you a little discount. The viewing fee is one million, and the purchase price for the antique painting is thirty million. What do you think, Mr. Wang?"
He had previously negotiated a price of thirty-two million with the Liu Family members, plus a viewing fee of two million. This was indeed a little cheaper.
As long as it really was the Longevity Gu, the price wasn't an issue for Wang Yuanbai. He agreed at once. "All right. I'll come over now."
"Great. I'll be waiting for you at home, Mr. Wang."
After hanging up, Liu Beiwang wore a smug smile.
Although their father valued him most as the eldest son, the money from selling the antiques would still have to be divided among him and his younger siblings. After doing the math, he'd get at most ten or twenty million—not nearly enough to cover his expenses.
That antique painting was nothing more than a little commission he'd pocketed while he had the chance. His father's eyesight had grown poor with age, so of course he couldn't tell if it was real. As for everyone else, they knew even less about antiques than Liu Beiwang did.
When Wang Yuanbai had offered to buy the painting, Liu Beiwang hadn't worried about getting caught. Instead, he'd