Chapter 74
Chapter 74
In fact, not only Tom but a lot of people present noticed that the person did not have adam's apple.
Besides, the person's makeup failed to hide her charm as a woman.
This was the same as the image of a woman dressed as a man in those TV dramas. The audience
could tell her gender at a glance, but she didn't know it yet. Instead, she thought she was very
successful, which embarrassed others.
However, Tom could also see that the woman dressed as a man was from a rich family. There were two
of her bodyguards in the crowd.
Soon, Tom moved his eyes away from the woman and looked at the calligraphy in her hand. It was
about a meter long and about half a meter wide, with characters written on it. The style was impressive,
smooth, skillful, elegant, and vigorous. The strokes were slow, even, and deft. Even those who did not
know about calligraphy could tell that it was a good one.
It was well known that all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were good at calligraphy, especially the
Yongzheng Emperor. Now, the Yongzheng Emperor's calligraphy was rare on the market. If this one
was genuine, it would be a good deal to buy it for three million dollars.
But many people would be suspicious. If it was the Yongzheng Emperor's calligraphy, how could it
appear here? Shouldn't it be kept by the National Museum of China?
Someone in the crowd had already asked this question, and the boss said unhurriedly, "I guessed that
you wouldn't believe it. Humph, do you think the Yongzheng Emperor's calligraphy can't be circulated
among the folks? Let me tell you. This one is 100% authentic. It was previously collected by a good
friend of mine. Some days earlier, his business was not going well and he owed a lot of debts. He had
no choice but to sell this calligraphy to me reluctantly for 2.5 million dollars. I won't lie to you. I'd like to
make a small profit of half a million dollars when I sell it to you. Isn't that too much?"
The boss was wearing a dark purple Tang suit, and his body was a little fat, which made people believe
his professionalism.
"How's it going, Calo? Do you want to buy this calligraphy? If you don't, I'll sell it to someone else." The
boss took back the calligraphy in Calo's hand.
"Calo" kept silent and thought about it. In fact, she could not tell whether the calligraphy was authentic
or not. Three million dollars was not much for her, but it would be too embarrassing if she bought a
fake. If she took a fake back, she would be laughed at. Therefore, she had to be careful.
However, at this moment, an imposing middle-aged man in a suit of a famous brand, who looked like a
successful man, came over and said to the boss, "Boss, sell me the Yongzheng Emperor's calligraphy. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
I'll buy it with three million dollars."
With joy on his face, the boss said, "You are so generous. Three million dollars seems nothing to you!
You are much more generous than some people. Then the Yongzheng Emperor's calligraphy will
belong to you."
The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He eagerly took the calligraphy from the boss's hand and looked
at it carefully. He showed happiness and infatuation with the calligraphy. He said in a loud voice, "It's an
authentic work of the Yongzheng Emperor. How rare it is! How rare it is! The Yongzheng Emperor was
one of the best calligraphers of all the Qing Dynasty emperors. Many people only knew about the
Qianlong Emperor's calligraphy, but they didn't know that the calligraphy of the Yongzheng Emperor,
the father of the Qianlong Emperor, was even better! I've been looking for his authentic works for many
years, but I didn't expect to find one here today. It didn't come easily! It didn't come easily!"
The middle-aged man's expression was excited, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably. It was
hard for anyone to suspect that he was acting.
If it weren't for the fact that Tom had a thorough study of calligraphy, he couldn't have told that this
calligraphy was a copy. Fortunately, he was born into a rich family and was forced to learn calligraphy
by his parents since he was young.
Sure enough, when "Calo", the woman dressed as a man, saw someone vying for the calligraphy with
her, she immediately became anxious and said quickly, "Hey, boss, I took a fancy to this calligraphy
first! First come, first served. You should sell it to me!"
The boss frowned and said coldly, "Aren't you not going to buy it? Now, there is another person who is
interested in it. Do you want to restrict my business?"
"Who said I didn't want it?" Calo said quickly, "My father-in-law likes the Yongzheng Emperor's
calligraphy the most. I can buy it back to make him happy."
Her words made many people couldn't help but laugh. In fact, everyone could see that she was a girl.
Only she herself thought that she was very successful with her disguise.
The boss's eyes flashed with joy, but it quickly turned into awkwardness. He frowned, "Well... You didn't
say that earlier. Now there is another person who wants it. Don't you make it difficult for me?"|
"Calo" straightened her back and said, "I don't care. I took a fancy to this calligraphy first. I never said
that I wouldn't buy it."
The middle-aged man beside her was displeased and said, "Boss, I'll pay you three and a half million
dollars. Just sell me this authentic work of the Yongzheng Emperor. You originally priced it at three
million, but now I take the initiative to raise the price. There is no need to sell it to the one who comes
first, right?"
The crowd exclaimed with shock, "Wow! Three and a half million dollars! This is enough to buy a
luxurious villa. He's too rich!"
"That means it's certainly an authentic work of the Yongzheng Emperor. It doesn't seem that expensive
to buy a work of a famous emperor with three and a half million dollars."
"Of course it's not expensive. Look at this calligraphy. How imposing it is! Hanging it at home can also
give the emperor's aura to the family. Maybe it can change the feng shui of the family. Alas, I don't have
that much money, or I'll buy it too!"
"Yes! If a friend came to visit and saw the authentic work of the Yongzheng Emperor, that would be a
great honor."
The words of these bystanders reached the ears of "Calo" one by one, which made her more
determined. She gritted her teeth and said, "Four million dollars! Boss, I'll pay you four million dollars
for it right now."
Four million dollars!
Hearing this number, the joy in the boss's eyes could not be concealed. He could not help but
exchange a glance with the middle-aged man. He already had an idea.
This calligraphy was fake at the cost of about 30,000 dollars. If it could be sold out for four million
dollars, it would be too cost-effective! Moreover, the "Calo" looked so silly. Even if he finally found out
that it was a fake, he would probably not be able to stir up troubles.
"Hey, you're competing against me with money, aren't you?" The middle-aged man pretended to be
angry.
"Calo" immediately said, "Brother, I really need this calligraphy. Just let me have it, okay?"
The middle-aged man saw that she was so sincere. After a period of hesitation, he said reluctantly,
"Well, you're a good person. I'll give it to you. Boss, you can sell it to her. In fact, it deserves more than
four million dollars, ah..."
The crowd also immediately said that "Calo" picked up a really good bargain, which made her very
happy as if she had really got a bargain.
"Boss, can I swipe my credit card? I don't have that much cash on me."
"Of course!" The boss hurriedly took out the POS machine.
Just as "Calo" took out her card and was about to pay the bill, Tom couldn't stand it any longer. He
stood up and applauded with a smile, "It's amazing. It's been a long time since I saw a swindling gang
with so many people last time."
In an instant, everyone looked at him.
Not only did the boss of the antique store and the middle-aged man just now show malice towards him,
but many bystanders in the crowd also looked at him with animosity.
"Calo" stopped swiping her card subconsciously.