Autumn Mountain and Falling Leaves Painting

"A painting by Tang Bohu?"

Chen Hao had been prepared for the old man's reaction. After all, only a handful of authentic works by Tang Bohu existed, and every one was treasured by a major collector. How could a young man like him possibly have the real thing?

Another renowned expert beside the old man immediately spoke up. "My friend, I can name every authentic Tang Bohu work in existence. May I ask which one you have?"

Chen Hao knew absolutely nothing about this, so naturally, he had no answer. "I don't know either."

The two old men chuckled. "Then take it out and let us have a look."

Chen Hao unrolled the painting on the table, immediately drawing a large crowd of onlookers.

The moment it was unfurled, someone sneered, "Come on, young man, you couldn't be more amateurish. What antique painting would still be wet like yours? Did you just slap something together yourself and bring it here for a laugh?"

"Exactly. A Tang Bohu painting? Aren't you afraid you'll choke on that ridiculous claim?"

The crowd immediately grew lively, everyone treating the painting Chen Hao had produced with contempt.

At first, the experts joined in, but the longer they studied the painting, the more serious their expressions became.

"No, wait. Everyone, step back right now. Don't damage this painting!" The expert Chen Hao had singled out finally noticed something unusual and was the first to cry out.

At the old man's words, the crowd immediately stepped back.

Yet some people still did not understand and continued whispering among themselves.

"What's President Gu doing? Why all the fuss?"

"Exactly. He's acting like it's real. Could that guy's painting actually be an authentic Tang Bohu?"

"Don't be ridiculous. How could it be? If it were a genuine Tang Bohu, how could the ink still be wet? It has to be fake."

Ignoring the chatter around him, Chen Hao focused entirely on the old man they called President Gu.

By now, every trace of mockery had vanished from President Gu's face, leaving only solemn concentration.

The other experts beside him lost all interest in examining the other collectibles and gathered around.

After studying it for a long time, President Gu finally murmured to himself, "This makes no sense. This painting clearly looks freshly painted, but why is its style so similar to Tang Bohu's? It's practically identical. It doesn't make sense."

Another expert was equally engrossed. "Yes. I've studied Tang Yin's paintings and calligraphy for over twenty years, and I've never seen this painting before. But the style, the brushwork, the ink—I guarantee this painting was done by Tang Yin himself."

Those words instantly silenced all the surrounding doubts, replacing them with cries of astonishment and admiration.

President Gu shook his head in disbelief and murmured admiringly, "Tang Bohu truly deserved his place as the foremost of the Four Great Scholars of his time. First the Spring Mountain Companions Painting, and now this Autumn Mountain and Falling Leaves Painting. He truly commands the admiration of later generations."

Watching the experts gathered around the painting, endlessly discussing it, Chen Hao began to lose patience. He had not come here just to let them admire it. He stepped forward and asked President Gu, "President Gu, have you finished the appraisal?"

President Gu came back to his senses and smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Oh, I'm sorry, young man. We were simply captivated by the mood of this painting."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Chen Hao could only smile politely.

After a pause, President Gu asked, "There's something I'd like to ask you, my young friend. Where exactly did this painting come from?"

Chen Hao could hardly say that he had asked Tang Yin to paint it in the Underworld, so he made up an excuse. "Oh, it's a family heirloom."

President Gu immediately frowned. "A family heirloom? But the ink doesn't seem to have dried completely. This..."

Chen Hao immediately scratched the back of his head, feeling a little guilty. "Haha, our house is pretty damp. It makes sense for the painting to have a little moisture on it, right?"

"Oh, yes, that makes sense."

Having dispelled President Gu's doubts, Chen Hao got straight to the point. "President Gu, if I wanted to auction this painting, how much do you think it would fetch?"

Hearing what Chen Hao had in mind, President Gu's eyes lit up. "You want to sell this painting? Are you serious?"

Chen Hao had absolutely no interest in paintings or calligraphy like this. Even if it really was an authentic Tang Yin, he had no desire to collect it. "Of course!"

As if afraid someone might overhear their conversation, President Gu pulled Chen Hao aside and spoke earnestly. "To be frank, young man, I'm the president of the Huaxia Calligraphy and Painting Association, and I've spent thirty or forty years studying paintings and calligraphy. But this painting is too important for me to reach a hasty conclusion. Whether it's genuine will have to be determined after discussion among the experts. Still, I can guarantee that even if it isn't authentic, it's an exceptional forgery. How about this? I'll buy it from you for ten million."

"What? Ten million!" Chen Hao choked on his own saliva and broke into a coughing fit.

Thinking Chen Hao was dissatisfied with the price, President Gu hurriedly lowered his voice again. "Keep it down, keep it down. Rest assured, young man, if the painting is authenticated, I can give you another five million. How does that sound?"

Chen Hao had never imagined that a lousy painting could sell for such an astronomical sum. It seemed he would have to butter up Horse Face and get him to procure more of Tang Yin's paintings. He hurriedly agreed. "No problem. Payment and painting change hands together."

Soon, President Gu arranged for someone to transfer ten million into Chen Hao's bank account.

Looking at all the zeroes displayed on his phone, Chen Hao felt a sense of unreality, as though everything were a dream.

He did not take in a single word of President Gu's subsequent polite pleasantries. After exchanging phone numbers, he hurried away.

Meanwhile, in the general manager's office at the Dragon Soaring Trading Company.

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng sat in the office, each smoking a cigarette, their faces clouded with worry.

The previous night's dinner had cost them dearly. With their connection to Director Yu severed, their company's revenue would fall by at least half. For a small trading company, that was a devastating blow.

The more Zhang Liang thought about it, the angrier he became. He viciously ground his cigarette out in the ashtray. "That Chen Hao is a goddamn bastard. We poured so much manpower and money into building that connection with Director Yu, and now it's all gone down the drain."

Beside him, Liu Neng was equally indignant. "Yeah, but what can we do? He's connected with the mayor now. He'd have a hard time not getting ahead."

As they spoke, someone suddenly knocked on the door. "Come in."

Zhang Liang's secretary pushed the door open, looking flustered. "Mr. Zhang, some people are here to see you. Could you come out for a moment?"

He was already worried sick. How could he possibly be in the mood to see anyone? He waved impatiently. "I'm not in the mood. Just find some excuse and send them away."

The secretary gave an awkward smile. "Mr. Zhang, you'd better come out. These people aren't the sort I can send away."

Zhang Liang and Liu Neng immediately exchanged a glance, both filled with a sense of foreboding.

When they stepped out of the manager's office, they found a group of uniformed officials already waiting for them.

The sight immediately unsettled both men. It took them a while to collect themselves before they slowly approached.

There were more than a dozen people, and their uniforms differed. At the sight of the badges on their chests, Liu Neng's legs began to feel shaky.

A male government official leading the group spotted Zhang Liang and stepped forward. "Hello. Are you Mr. Zhang Liang of Dragon Soaring Trading?"

Zhang Liang plastered a smile across his face. "Yes. May I ask what this is about?"

The man smiled. "We received a report from a member of the public alleging that your company has been withholding wages. We've brought together personnel from the industry and commerce, taxation, labor, fire safety, and other departments to conduct a comprehensive investigation of your company. Please cooperate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dozen or so people behind him headed into the company without even waiting for Zhang Liang's consent. Some examined the accounts, while others inspected the safety measures, leaving Zhang Liang utterly dumbfounded.

Watching his company's operations grind to a complete halt, Zhang Liang clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. "Chen Hao, this isn't over."

The same thing happened at Aikang Technology.

With the money in hand, Chen Hao happily left the exhibition and took a taxi straight to Blue Light Pharmaceuticals.

Although Blue Light Pharmaceuticals was no longer as prosperous as it had once been, its factory grounds, spanning tens of thousands of square meters, still offered a glimpse of the company's former glory.

When he reached the entrance, a security guard with a cigarette dangling from his lips blocked his way, looking down his nose at him. "Who are you looking for?"

Chen Hao sighed. "I'm here to see your boss, Ms. Liu Yan."

"Our boss, Ms. Liu?" The guard looked Chen Hao up and down, taking in an outfit worth no more than five hundred yuan, and immediately pegged him as a salesman. He said impatiently, "Who do you think Ms. Liu is? Someone you can see whenever you feel like it? Get lost. Don't stand here getting in my way."

Chen Hao immediately grew annoyed, but he did not want to argue. He continued patiently, "I really am here to see Ms. Liu, and we have an appointment. If you don't believe me, you can call and ask."

"Ask my ass! Get the hell out of here. I don't have time to play games with you." The guard threw his cigarette butt onto the ground and snarled.

Faced with the guard's attitude, Chen Hao lost all interest in reasoning with him and called Liu Yan directly.

"Liu Yan, I'm at your factory entrance, but the guard won't let me in."

"All right, I'll come down right away. Wait a moment."

After he hung up, the guard still looked at him with contempt, convinced he was putting on an act. He swaggered, shaking his leg. "Oh, let's see whether our general manager actually comes down."

Chen Hao could not be bothered to waste words on him. He shook his head and started playing on his phone.