Chapter 114: A Deal with Old Madam Zhu

The Imperial Treasure Studio was quiet. Despite the crowd inside, it was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

The moment Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu walked in, they felt the oppressive atmosphere. Two bodyguards stood watch at the stairs leading to the second floor, their gazes fixed intently on Lin Jian.

"Lin, Ziqiu, follow me!"

Even though this was Old Wang’s territory, he seemed more like a guest at the moment, not even daring to step too loudly. He shot Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu a meaningful glance and prepared to lead them upstairs.

However, the two bodyguards extended their arms, blocking Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu.

Ye Ziqiu raised an eyebrow, while Lin Jian frowned. "What’s going on?"

"Sir, we need to conduct a brief pat-down."

Although the bodyguard spoke politely, frisking someone was the ultimate form of disrespect. Lin Jian’s temper flared instantly. He wondered why the hell he had to be searched just to sell a painting.

"I..." He was just about to say he wasn’t selling anymore, but Ye Ziqiu grabbed his hand and gave it a firm squeeze, signaling that she would handle it.

Lin Jian swallowed his words. Ye Ziqiu then said coldly, "You have absolutely no right to search us. This is an insult. Today’s transaction is over."

With that, she turned around, taking Lin Jian’s hand, and walked toward the exit.

Lin Jian chuckled inwardly. Old Ye had played them perfectly. Moreover, she had made her wording crystal clear—stating only that *today’s* transaction was over!

"Hey, Lin, Ziqiu..." Old Wang chased after them.

But before Old Wang could say another word, Ye Ziqiu said coldly, "Uncle Wang, I don’t think the other party has any intention of conducting a fair trade. They are trampling on our character and dignity!

"Therefore, today’s transaction will not proceed under any circumstances."

The two then strode out of the Imperial Treasure Studio.

Old Wang slapped his thigh in frustration and prepared to head upstairs. At that moment, an old man in a tailcoat came down from the second floor. His face was slightly grim. "Mr. Wang, where are they?"

"They left! You guys have way too many rules!" Old Wang said angrily. "They said there won’t be any transaction today."

The old man in the tailcoat clearly hadn’t expected such a massive blunder, and he quickly hurried back upstairs.

A moment later, he returned downstairs. "Mr. Wang, could you call that gentleman? I need to apologize to him.

"We were too abrupt. However, as you know, the Old Madam’s security team has their own set of protocols, so this was simply a misunderstanding."

"What a mess. I’ll give him a call."

Old Wang dialed Lin Jian’s number again.

By then, Lin Jian had already driven to the intersection. He answered the phone, saying, "Uncle Wang, we can talk about it tomorrow. They need to apologize to us."

"They want to apologize right now. It was a misunderstanding. Their security team is very strict, but it’s only to ensure Old Madam Zhu’s safety."

"Let’s just discuss it tomorrow. By the way, Uncle Wang, where is my painting right now?"

Lin Jian realized he had no idea where the painting actually was.

"It’s upstairs! It was with your Uncle Ji earlier. After Old Madam Zhu and her people arrived today, Old Ji got here before you and brought the painting over. But we haven’t shown it to them yet. After all, you needed to be here in person, right?"

"COUGH COUGH COUGH!"

Lin Jian nearly choked. The painting was still upstairs.

At that moment, Ye Ziqiu suddenly spoke up, "Uncle Wang, we’re heading back right now."

With that, Ye Ziqiu hung up the phone.

Lin Jian looked at Ye Ziqiu. "Old Ye, I was genuinely planning to do the deal tomorrow. We aren’t in a hurry anyway; they are."

"But I am in a hurry! I have a flight tomorrow!" Ye Ziqiu smiled bitterly. "So, we just needed to see their attitude."

Lin Jian fell silent. It turned out Old Ye was flying to the United States tomorrow!

Soon, the two returned to the Imperial Treasure Studio. The old man in the tailcoat was personally waiting for them at the entrance.

However, upon seeing the man in the tailcoat, Lin Jian let out a soft sound of surprise. The man was actually a martial arts expert—a top master of Inner Boxing, rivaling or even surpassing Xu Fengbin. Experts of this caliber were incredibly rare far and wide!

Seeing Lin Jian and Ye Ziqiu step out of the car, the man in the tailcoat bowed courteously. "Mr. Lin, I am Old Madam Zhu’s administrative steward. We apologize for the security team’s earlier behavior. The Old Madam also asked me to convey her apologies on her behalf. We hope you can understand."

"Hello." Lin Jian extended his hand proactively.

The steward reached out and shook Lin Jian’s hand. However, the moment their hands met, the steward paused and gave Lin Jian a careful, appraising look.

Lin Jian had thick calluses on his hands, the kind that only martial artists developed. There were even hardened marks on his knuckles. The steward hadn’t expected Mr. Lin to be a martial artist as well!

"This is my assistant, Ms. Ye," Lin Jian said, introducing Ye Ziqiu.

"Hello." Ye Ziqiu also reached out to shake his hand.

"Please, this way."

The steward led the two into the building and upstairs. As they ascended the stairs, the two bodyguards bowed to express their apologies.

Upon reaching the second floor, Lin Jian saw that Elder Gu, Elder Yang, and Elder Ji were all present. There was also a bejeweled old woman sitting in the seat of honor, dressed in a traditional cheongsam. Opposite the old woman sat two elderly men whom Lin Jian didn’t recognize. Finally, a female assistant stood by the old woman’s side. The female assistant, however, clearly had no martial arts background.

Seeing Lin Jian come up, Elder Ji hurriedly stood and handed the painting tube to him. "You finally decided to show up, kid? You’ve got some nerve. Here, hold this properly."

Lin Jian smiled. "Hello, Uncle Ji, Uncle Yang, Uncle Gu!"

Ye Ziqiu greeted them as well.

The old woman, meanwhile, looked at Lin Jian with interest and said, "The owner of the painting has arrived. Can we open it up for a look now?"

She had no intention of making small talk with Lin Jian. They needed to verify the painting first. What if it was a fake? If it was a fake, there would be no need to get to know him.

Lin Jian handed the painting tube to Old Wang. "Uncle Wang, you do the honors."

Old Wang took a deep breath. Since his primary expertise lay in collecting calligraphy and paintings, he didn’t decline out of modesty. He carefully opened the tube, extracted the scroll, and spread it flat on the desk.

At that moment, the old woman stepped up to the desk and scrutinized it closely. It was obvious that she was incredibly emotional; tears were even welling up in her eyes.

"This is it... This is it!"

A moment later, Madam Zhu gently stroked the landscape depicted in the painting, as if she were caressing the past itself.

"Madam, please take a moment to rest. Let Mr. Qiuyu and Mr. Lu appraise it before we discuss anything else," the steward in the tailcoat said, helping her to a seat and gesturing for the two elderly men to begin their appraisal.

The two appraisers put on white cotton gloves and reading glasses. Armed with magnifying glasses, they hovered over the scroll, examining it meticulously for nearly half an hour.

"It’s undoubtedly authentic, though it hasn’t been perfectly preserved. There are signs of decay," sighed the man named Qiuyu.

"It’s fine. Once we take it back to Xiangdao, we can just have it remounted," Elder Lu said with a smile.

"Very well. Now that its authenticity has been confirmed, let’s discuss the price," the steward said with a smile. "Mr. Lin, what is your expected price for this painting? Feel free to share your thoughts."

Lin Jian remained silent. Instead, Ye Ziqiu smiled and shook her head. "To be completely honest with you, sir, we weren’t in a hurry to sell this painting initially. We only decided to part with it after learning of its deep connection to Old Madam Zhu. After all, the rightful owner of this piece should be Old Madam Zhu. How could we deprive someone of a treasured possession?

"So, when you ask about our expected price, the truth is that we haven’t set a valuation. However, I’m sure you and the Old Madam have a figure in mind. Why not share it with us? Even if we don’t strike a deal, goodwill remains. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Lin Jian praised her internally, and even Old Wang and the other three old men voiced their silent approval. Lin had found quite the girlfriend. Without causing a fuss, she had deftly kicked the ball back into their court, all while buttering them up nicely. Just look at Old Madam Zhu, happily nodding along in agreement!

This young lady really knew her stuff!