Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 728 Let the bullets fly for a while
Around 1 p.m., Gao Dongxu, with Huang Yanyan in his arms, followed Director Luo and Huang Kewu into the Doukou meeting room.

It must be said that the stage decorations at Doukou were quite beautiful, completely replicating the Song Dynasty Bianliang (Kaifeng) scene depicted in the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll. A virtual Bian River ran across the stage, with three or four layers of transparent gauze hanging behind it, each half a meter apart. The gauze was painted with houses, bamboo groves, travelers, and livestock in the style of ink paintings. Under the carefully arranged lighting, these layers of gauze paintings complemented each other, suddenly making the scene three-dimensional and vibrant. The organizers truly put in a lot of effort.

The design of the expert seating area was ingenious, shaped like grasshopper boats and placed on both sides of the Bian River. Gao Dongxu saw that the ten experts were already seated, looking like a group of literati enjoying a boat ride on the Bian River.

In front of the Bian River, there are two specially made extra-long display stands placed side by side, each displaying a long scroll, the original copy of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" from the Palace Museum and Bai Ruilian.

Two cameras were pointed at them, with tracks attached below, allowing viewers to see close-ups of any position at any time.

Right in the middle of the Bian River, on the dividing line between the two scrolls of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," stands a square little house with a steel structure and glass, renovated in the style of a hermit's thatched cottage.

Above the thatched hut, a large screen is hanging, currently playing footage of Xu Yuan ascending the stage step by step.

"They've really pulled a fast one," Gao Dongxu sneered.

Huang Yanyan frowned, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered to Gao Dongxu, "This is clearly aimed at Xu Yuan; something unexpected is likely to happen—"

"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong!" Gao Dongxu said confidently, gently holding Huang Yanyan's fair hand.

Huang Yanyan's beautiful eyes sparkled, her eyebrows curved, and she gave a sweet and lovely soft "hmm" as she gripped Gao Dongxu's large hand tightly.

As Xu Yuan stepped onto the stage, all twenty eyes of the ten experts turned to look at him.

During this period, the name Xu Yuan has become a hot topic in the antique world, so it's not surprising that they are so curious.

Xu Yuan, standing on the stage, glanced around and immediately spotted Zhong Aihua. As Bai Ruilian's representative, he naturally sat among the experts. He didn't seem too upset about Xu Yuan's unexpected escape and even smiled at her amicably, as if he didn't care at all.

"Pretentious," Xu Yuan sneered. Even now, Bai Ruilian still doesn't know what her trump card is; they're doomed to lose.

I wanted to see other experts, but I didn't recognize a single one. I didn't know who was on my side and who was with Bai Ruilian.

It doesn't matter who comes; it's all the same. The truth is objective, and the evidence will never change. Artifact authentication isn't about who has the most people; it's not about who's right.

Xu Yuan, head held high, went into that thatched hut.

Once the door of the thatched cottage was closed, completely isolating it from outside sounds, Zhong Aihua, representing Bai Ruilian, suddenly stood up and began to tell the story of the fragments of the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll and the double-dragon seal fragments, pointing out the major flaws in the fragments to the audience.

"...Therefore, the expert panel unanimously agreed that if such a fragment exists, its authenticity is highly questionable."

Among the works of Emperor Huizong that have been seen to date are "The Thousand Character Classic in Cursive Script", "Hibiscus and Golden Pheasant", and "Late Autumn Pond", all of which are his works.

It is evident that the inscription was written by Emperor Huizong himself on the painting, and would certainly not have been written on another artist's work.

If the fragments and the remaining ink on "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" could be pieced together to form a genuine work by Emperor Huizong, it would undoubtedly be a forgery deliberately created by an ignorant person.

Therefore, we can confidently say that if any fragments of the so-called "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" exist, they are definitely fake, and any scrolls that corroborate the fragments must also be forgeries.

wow——

The scene erupted in uproar, and those who knew the inside story, such as Director Luo and Huang Kewu, who had been sitting in the front row with smiles on their faces, turned pale with shock.

Sitting next to Gao Dongxu, Huang Yanyan suddenly gripped his large hand tightly, her face pale as she stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"how so?!"

Not only Huang Yanyan was asking, but Director Luo and Huang Kewu were also asking in their hearts.

Zhong Aihua, with a smug look on her face, turned around and looked at Director Luo and Huang Kewu, who had changed color, with a provocative expression and a smile, her arrogant expression saying, "Surprised? Unexpected, right?"

Who would have thought that the Twin Dragon Seal, which everyone regarded as a trump card, was actually a trap that the other side had dug long ago, waiting for Xu Yuan to jump into it.

If Xu Yuan were to reveal the fragment and use the irrefutable proof of being the "only one in the world" to prove the Palace Museum version, it would be tantamount to admitting his grave mistake in front of everyone, digging his own grave. The Palace Museum version would then undoubtedly be a fake.

"Calm down. Let the dust settle—" Gao Dongxu calmly reached out and pulled the tense, pale-faced, and clearly flustered Huang Yanyan into his arms, gently stroking her back and soothing her softly.

"But—" Huang Yanyan looked anxiously at Gao Dongxu, who was smiling and seemed completely unconcerned. Her body trembled, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. She gripped Gao Dongxu's hands tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Did you already know...?" "Shh—" Gao Dongxu smiled and shushed her, saying with a knowing look, "Keep watching their performance. Don't you think it's interesting?"

"Ugh~~~ I was so scared—" Huang Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief, her pale face regained its color, and she nestled in Gao Dongxu's arms, playfully hitting him.

"Hehe, the mood goes up and down, it's exciting that way," Gao Dongxu said with a mischievous grin, raising an eyebrow.

"You're such a bad guy—oh my god, Director Luo and my grandpa... how are they feeling right now... you're so wicked." Huang Yanyan suddenly thought of the two people who didn't know the truth, and looked at Gao Dongxu's smirking face, saying with a mix of anger and helplessness.

"Hehe, don't worry, they're all people who can withstand big storms. This little bit of an accident won't make them lose their composure." Gao Dongxu said these sarcastic words that even he didn't believe.

After all, it concerns the national treasure "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" and national honor, so it's no wonder that Director Luo was flustered.

However, at this point, panicking is useless.

After an unknown amount of time, the red light in the small house where the wishing was made began to flash. This was a sign that the previous part was about to end, and when the green light came on, the small house would open.

Xu Yuan held the fragment in his palm, straightened his collar, and felt his heart beating a little fast.

Finally, the door opened, and as if a tape recorder had been suddenly powered on, a huge commotion drifted in from outside. Xu Yuan saw countless audience members staring at him, flashes of light going off from time to time, while the host was passionately recounting his previous "glorious deeds."

A dozen cameras rotated in different positions, transmitting his images to countless television sets.

Xu Yuan composed himself, stepped out of the thatched hut, and looked around. The ten experts were seated on two separate boats, having already completed their critiques. In the first row of VIP seats, Director Luo, Huang Kewu, and the other distinguished guests watched him intently.

For some reason, Director Luo's expression was ashen, and Huang Kewu's brows were furrowed, his face ashen. It was unclear what the experts had said earlier. On the other side of the VIP section, Zhong Aihua sat expressionless, seemingly awaiting the end of her revenge.

The host exclaimed with great enthusiasm, "Now, Mr. Xu has emerged from his thatched cottage. We have seen that he had previously lived in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs. Now he has finally stepped out of his ivory tower to offer his independent critique of these two paintings! Let us wait and see!"

At this moment, Xu Yuan stepped forward, took out the fragment in his hand, and said into the microphone, "Ladies and gentlemen, before the identification, please allow me to tell you a story."

A close-up of the wishing moment appeared on the large screen, gradually zooming in until it finally focused on the fragment. The entire venue fell silent; everyone wore strange expressions, their eyes fixed on that tiny object.

The story begins with an interpretation of the title "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," followed by how the original was cut into fragments, how it was added to the forgery "Spring Outing with Flowers," and how it was ultimately destroyed...

The lecture lasted for almost half an hour. The audience below the stage listened with wide eyes, their expressions becoming increasingly strange. They never expected that such a small fragment would hide so many stories.

"...In conclusion, two meters of the original 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll has been lost and destroyed by forgers. It is irretrievable and extremely regrettable. Now only a small piece remains. What I need to do now is to return this small piece to where it rightfully belongs—just like in Hong Kong."

The wish ended with a perfectly apt statement, followed by a wave of the hand. Suddenly, all the stage lights went out, leaving only the row lights on the two long scroll displays still lit, like two fiery serpents in the darkness.

Xu Yuan bent down, slowly gazing at them. The display case silently opened, and he put on gloves, reached inside, and gently lifted one end of the scroll into his hands.

Holding the fragment for comparison, I made a wish, then suddenly froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do.

"how so..."

Xu Yuan could not accept the results of the comparison. His thoughts were in chaos because the result of the comparison was that the fragment and the Palace Museum version seemed to fit together perfectly, but when viewed through the light, the ink marks left on the silk by the two were not the same depth.

One is made of double filaments, and the other of single filaments; naturally, the degree of ink penetration differs. Without careful observation, it's truly difficult to notice the difference.

Could it be that the Forbidden City was a fake? And Bai Ruilian was real? This conclusion is too unexpected.

Xu Yuan felt a mix of emotions, wanting to laugh one moment and cry the next. A strong sense of discomfort hit his stomach, and he almost vomited.

Standing on the stage, Xu Yuan's thoughts raced through his mind, and he even saw his grandfather.

Clutching his hair, in pain, conflicted, and even contemplating escape, Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes as the stage lights suddenly came on, and his heart returned to calm.

"I don't have that much scheming or consideration. I am an appraiser, a discerning eye, and in my eyes, there should only be the simplest distinction between authenticity."

Xu Yuan's lips moved incessantly as he muttered to himself. He gripped the microphone, and a deep, rapid drumbeat rose from both sides of the stage. Everyone held their breath, watching his lip movements.

(End of this chapter)