After divorcing my celebrity wife, I became the world's richest person

Chapter 444: Appraisal Meeting



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"Mr. Chen, I won't argue with you about this painting. If you have the skills, let's appraise the other paintings!"

This statement was an admission that the rose painting was authentic.

But he didn't want to lose face in front of Hansis, and he also wanted to keep making a living in the field of art appraisal in the future.

Chen Yu had no desire to engage, as he saw this man as simply looking for trouble without cause.

Who would have thought Doro, like a madman, somehow produced another painting and placed it in front of Chen Yu.

"If you can tell the origin of this painting, I'll acknowledge your superiority!"

Chen Yu let out a sigh, truly not expecting this man to be so aggressively confrontational.

Clearly, he wanted to prove himself in front of Hansis but insisted on dragging him down, too.

"Mr. Doro, some contests are better left unfought, lest we all end up looking bad if you lose."

Chen Yu's words carried a hint of warning.

But Doro didn't care about that, directly offering the painting to him.

"Please, Mr. Chen, have a look!"

Chen Yu sighed helplessly and took the painting into his hands.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is not a paper painting but a fresco that has been rubbed off the walls of Notre-Dame Cathedral."

Doro was dumbstruck.

The painting was indeed his masterpiece, a classic image he had specially copied from the wall of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

He then aged it using unique methods, so that at a glance, it seemed like an ancient painting from the medieval period.

He had deceived countless top-level art connoisseurs with this painting, but to his shock, Chen Yu saw through it at a glance.

"That's impossible, I've taken all details into consideration, whether it's the paper or the changes in the pigments. I've refined them thoroughly. You only glanced at it, how could you see through it?"

Chen Yu sighed helplessly and without saying much more, returned the painting to Doro.

"If your study of art appraisal is just for competition with others, then I suggest you better leave this circle."

With these cold words, he prepared to leave.

Hansis hurried to stop Chen Yu.

"Mr. Chen, please don't be angry. Later on this level, we are hosting a large-scale painting appraisal event. It'd be a shame if a master appraiser like you didn't attend."

Chen Yu coughed twice, "When I got on board, the tickets were sold out; I'm afraid I'm not qualified to participate."

Hansis quickly pulled out a golden ticket from his person.

"As it happens, I have one spare ticket here. Please, Mr. Chen, accept it."

Chen Yu was inwardly pleased, regardless, he now had a ticket.

Hansis didn't say much more, promptly leading Chen Yu and Doro to the nearby restaurant.

After the incident just now, Doro felt disgraced and recognized that Chen Yu's appraisal skills were indeed superior to his own.

"Mr. Chen, I was offensive just now, and I hope you can forgive me! Also, I have another painting. If you like it, I can give it to you," he said as he took out a well-preserved small painting from his pocket.

The object was only the size of a palm, but it perfectly depicted an entire city.

In some ways, this is already considered a micro-engraved painting. Setting aside the chemical aspect, its artistic value alone could fetch at least a hundred thousand.

Chen Yu shook his head, "Such treasures are rare to come by; better to keep it for yourself! Besides, having chosen to be an appraiser, you need to keep your emotions in check. If you really feel like you've caused offense, just treat me to a meal."

Doro was taken aback and then chuckled twice, promptly running off to the top-notch kitchen to order a serving of tuna.

It was at this moment that two transparent iron cars suddenly appeared in the dining room, each loaded with world-renowned works of art.

All the people present stood up, their eyes filled with amazement.

Even at top-tier auction conferences, they wouldn't likely see so many famous paintings on display together.

Chen Yu, however, furrowed his brow. Although the paintings before him looked very realistic, there were unmistakable faults in some of them.

"Mr. Chen, the appraisal session is about to begin, each person only has three minutes to choose; can you take a look at which painting we should buy?"

Hansis was filled with anticipation, seeming to place all his bets on Chen Yu.

This was called an appraisal session, but in some ways, it was an auction.

The only difference was the rigorous test for individuals; one misstep could lead to a significant loss.

Chen Yu quickly scanned the pieces and gave Hansis a few numbers.

Three minutes later, a staff member suddenly appeared in the center of the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the auction will now commence. Please call out the numbers of the paintings you are interested in. If there is a conflict between bidders, the highest offer prevails!"

It must be said, this was a completely novel method of auctioning.

If a person was interested in a painting and no one else contested it, they would only need to pay a tenth of the original price to secure the piece.

However, if two or more people were interested in the same painting, a bidding war would ensue, and the final selling price could skyrocket.

The most fiercely contested work was a splash-ink landscape painting.

The sheer size of the scroll, coupled with the vivid landscape depiction within, made it hard not to admire.

Most importantly, it was signed Wu Daozi.

When Chen Yu first saw this painting, he was somewhat mesmerized too; the forgery was executed extremely well, with every detail, down to the signature, taken into account.

Unfortunately for the forger, they overlooked one crucial historical reality. This painting was supposedly created by Wu Daozi in the third year of Tianbao, a time when his right hand was injured, leaving him only able to paint with his left.

As a result, the direction of the strokes deviated from the usual.

Yet this painting was still produced right-handed, definitely a counterfeit.

After all the paintings were sold, the real appraisal segment began.

All the buyers, through their own appraisers' assessments, would determine the authenticity and price of a painting, then could bring it out for a second auction.

However, other appraisers could raise doubts during the auction.

If all appraisers agreed the work was genuine, its value could be multiplied several times over, and it might even become an unparalleled treasure.

But if the majority of appraisers considered the painting a forgery, its value would be halved right there and then.

Chen Yu suddenly found himself intrigued; this was the first time he had seen such an auction.

The middle-aged man who had just bought the Wu Daozi landscape nonchalantly walked to the middle of the hall, instructing his subordinates to carefully unroll the scroll and display it before everyone.


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