Chapter 61 - 49: You’ve All Misjudged
Hearing the voice, the crowd turned toward the entrance. Xiao Wanqing looked over as well, only to see Su Ran arriving.
No matter how strong-willed Queen Xiao was, she was still a woman at heart. At this critical moment, seeing him arrive—even if he couldn’t paint—his mere presence was enough to make her feel a little more secure.
Su Ran strode hastily through the crowd to stand before the trio. Liu Jinyu also came forward to comfort her friend.
Su Ran glanced over. The normally bubbly Aina now looked like a chastised schoolgirl, her eyes welling with tears as she looked utterly wronged.
He patted her shoulder, then moved to Xiao Wanqing’s side. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn? You should’ve just called me. I would’ve handled it."
"I... a few million... I..." Xiao Wanqing didn’t think she and Su Ran were close enough for him to casually spend millions to get them out of this mess.
"How much?"
"He... he said four million."
The three of them lowered their heads after speaking. For one, it was the money. For another, they had been giving Su Ran a hard time all day.
"That expensive?"
"Mhm," the trio replied.
Su Ran glanced at the trio. ’Well, now that they’re in trouble, they’re suddenly all well-behaved and trying to get on my good side.’
"Be nicer to me from now on! And stop trying to piss me off at every turn."
"Okay, we’ll be good from now on," they promised.
Su Ran felt a little more satisfied.
"Don’t panic when something like this happens. Let me handle it."
With that, Su Ran turned and walked over to Wang Changyue.
Wang Changyue said, "You’re their friend? That simplifies things. President Li here was going to buy this painting for 4.7 million. You seem like a reasonable person, so what do you think? Are you going to compensate us, or are you going to act shamelessly and make us call the police?"
For an ordinary person, a few million might be an astronomical sum—enough to deliver a fatal blow to a small family.
But for Su Ran, now a Divine Rich, a few million was nothing more than a card he could get just by opening his eyes in the morning.
However, everything had to be handled according to reason.
Su Ran was someone who liked to be reasonable. Yes, he *loved* being reasonable.
"First of all, my friend did accidentally ruin this painting, *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix*, with her juice. That was indeed her fault."
Those were the facts, and Su Ran had no issue stating them. There was no need to be belligerent; what was damaged was damaged. An apology was the bare minimum.
"Secondly..."
Su Ran beckoned to the lobby manager, who approached carrying a laptop.
Su Ran said, "Everyone, take a look. This is the footage from right before my friend damaged the painting. A large crowd was gathered, and many people behind her were pushing forward... Pause it there. Now, everyone look at this exact moment. Isn’t it clear as day? She was pushed."
Everyone looked and saw that it was true.
In fact, many people in the crowd now saw themselves on screen, pushing the young woman.
For Su Ran, this wasn’t about the money. It was about the principle of why Aina should be the only one to compensate for it.
Xiao Wanqing’s eyes widened in realization. ’How could I have been so foolish?’ she cursed herself internally. ’I didn’t even think of this. Even if we go through legal proceedings, while Aina would bear the most responsibility, the people in the video who pushed her would share some of the blame.’
’Even if compensation was required, she wouldn’t have to pay the full four million alone.’
She couldn’t help but feel how important it was to have someone like Su Ran, who never panicked in a crisis.
Wang Changyue also knew a thing or two about the law. He saw the surveillance footage and realized it was true. But so what?
’They still have to pay.’
"Fine," Wang Changyue said. "Let’s say everyone in the video is responsible. Then call the police. Let them sort it out. None of the responsible parties will get away, and they can all pay their share!"
It made no difference to Wang Changyue. Whether one person paid or ten, four million was four million. He wouldn’t accept a penny less.
At this, the people in the crowd who had been pushing cursed their bad luck. They wanted to slip away, but the video showed them clearly. Besides, they were all regulars in the Art World who saw each other constantly. ’Worst case, we all chip in a little,’ they thought.
"Not so fast!"
Su Ran raised a hand to stop things from escalating.
He walked up to the painting and asked, "How much is this piece worth?"
Wang Changyue declared, "This is a classic masterpiece by my master, Shan Zhentian, *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix*. I’m not pulling a number out of thin air, young man. Ask anyone here if this painting isn’t worth four million!"
The crowd nodded in agreement. They had to admit it: a painting by Shan Zhentian was indeed worth a fortune, and its value was constantly rising. It could very well be worth six million in a short time.
"It is indeed very well-painted."
"Of course. My master is a top-tier artist."
"Bah! You were expelled by your master, yet you still have the gall to call him ’master’ this and ’master’ that. Have you no shame?" one of the onlookers, now implicated in the incident and clearly unhappy about it, snapped back.
Wang Changyue had indeed been Shan Zhentian’s disciple—his most promising one, in fact. He had been expelled a few years ago for reasons unknown to the public.
"What’s it to you?" Wang Changyue shot back. "So what if I’m not his disciple anymore? This painting was a wedding gift from my master. It’s worth four million right now. Is any of that untrue?"
The crowd fell silent. They had to admit he was right. Shan Zhentian had given him the painting, and it was indeed worth four million.
Su Ran turned to President Li, the prospective buyer, and asked, "Were you really willing to pay four million for this piece?"
President Li replied, "Of course. A work by Shan Zhentian has enormous potential as an investment. If your friend... uh, and the others... hadn’t damaged it, I would have bought it and held onto it for a few years. It would become even more valuable, you know?"
What President Li meant was that after buying it, he’d be waiting for the day Shan Zhentian kicked the bucket, at which point the painting’s value would naturally skyrocket.
"President Li has a keen eye. A pity this painting is ruined, alas..." Wang Changyue said, looking utterly heartbroken.
Su Ran said nothing, studying the painting. It was undeniably lifelike, depicting a Phoenix resting on a branch.
And what Aina had damaged was precisely the most beautiful feather on the Phoenix’s body, right in the center, rendering the entire piece worthless.
’Paint an identical one as compensation? Wang Changyue isn’t a fool. Could an ordinary person’s painting be worth four million? Such a moronic idea never even crossed Su Ran’s mind.’
Su Ran reached out, dabbed his finger in the juice staining the Phoenix, inspected it, and then touched it to his tongue for a taste.
Su Ran shook his head, a faint, amused smile on his face.
"What’s so funny?" Wang Changyue demanded. "Pay up!"
Su Ran asked, "Master Wang, since you were a disciple of Master Shan Zhentian, I presume your own paintings must be quite valuable?"
Wang Changyue answered honestly, "My paintings aren’t as valuable as my master’s, and I’m not nearly as famous. Stop trying to change the subject and let’s discuss the compensation."
Someone in the crowd muttered, "Wang Changyue’s paintings are worthless. Shan Zhentian’s work is a collector’s item; his is just a decoration. I wouldn’t take one even if it were free."
"I see."
Su Ran nodded. Though he wasn’t part of the Art World, he understood one thing very clearly.
With art, it was all about fame. The bigger the name, the more valuable the painting. Then it had to be hyped by an "Angel Investment Group," driving the price higher and higher, laundering more and more money. It wasn’t unheard of for works to be sold for tens, or even hundreds, of millions in this way.
In short, the industry was a hotbed for money laundering, on par with the entertainment business.
Of course, this didn’t mean masterworks weren’t valuable, but when a single painting sold for hundreds of millions, a lot of that price was just hot air. Anyone in the know understood this.
However...
For an ordinary, unknown artist, no matter how skilled they were, their work was just a pile of waste paper without a famous name attached.
You either toiled in obscurity until you died, or you got lucky and an "Angel Investment Group" started hyping your work, and then your value would slowly begin to climb.
In reality, this Wang Changyue’s paintings were actually quite good. But like many others here, without a big name, his art was merely decorative. They all had to engage in commercial back-patting to elevate their perceived status.
Seeing Su Ran continuously staring at the painting, Wang Changyue grew impatient.
"Hey, stop dilly-dallying and wasting my time! Four million, right now. I don’t care if one person pays or everyone in that video chips in, but I want the full four million. Not a single penny less!"
"Four million?"
"What, are you playing dumb, kid? Didn’t I just tell you? This is my master’s classic, *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix*, and it’s worth four million! If your friend hadn’t ruined it, I would’ve sold it to President Li for 4.7 million! I’m already cutting you a break. Stop acting stupid!"
President Li nodded, confirming that his highest offer of 4.7 million had been on the table.
Su Ran asked, "President Li, are you a big fan of Master Shan Zhentian’s work?"
President Li nodded. "That’s right. I’ve bought quite a few of his works from Wang Changyue over the years."
Wang Changyue gave a thumbs-up. "President Li has excellent taste."
Su Ran shook his head with a small smile and asked, "And you haven’t noticed anything... odd?"
"Hey, hey, hey, don’t you go spouting nonsense, kid," Wang Changyue snapped, pointing a finger at Su Ran.
"Let’s call the police. Have them handle it," Su Ran said, suddenly looking relaxed.
Wang Changyue eyed Su Ran suspiciously, wondering what his game was. ’The more I think about it, the weirder this is,’ he thought. ’Why would someone spill juice on it for no reason? Could it be... Little Junior Sister sent them?’
Why would Wang Changyue think such a thing? Because he had a guilty conscience.
And just a moment ago, using his Tongue Combat Power, Su Ran had learned every detail about this painting.
Name: *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix*
Artist: Shan Weizi
This meant Wang Changyue was a fraud!
His own paintings couldn’t fetch a high price, so he used his considerable skill to imitate his master’s work and swindle people. It was for this very reason that he had been expelled, yet he had continued his forgeries. That was why he feared his Little Junior Sister had sent someone to expose him.
It was true that Shan Zhentian had gifted him a *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix* for his wedding. The thing was... he had two of them.
One was painted by his master, Shan Zhentian. In that version, the Phoenix was poised to spread its wings and take flight, symbolizing a bright and ambitious future.
The other was painted by his Little Junior Sister, Shan Weizi. In that one, the Phoenix was being gazed upon in admiration by the other birds, symbolizing being revered and respected.
And the painting here at the event... was the one painted by his Little Junior Sister, Shan Weizi.
It was not the valuable one.
But his Little Junior Sister’s skill was so remarkable that he remembered Master Shan Zhentian himself once holding the two paintings and almost getting them confused. He’d thought he had gotten drunk and painted a second copy, only to learn later that his daughter, Shan Weizi, was the artist.
Therefore... if not for his master or his Little Junior Sister, there was no third person alive who could spot the difference.
’And yet, this Su Ran... with that completely confident expression on his face... could he know something?’
’Or maybe... they did it on purpose? Were they sent by Little Junior Sister to expose me?’
’If that’s the case, I’m screwed. I’ve forged and sold so many of Master’s paintings for high prices over the years. That’s fraud. I’ll go to jail.’