Wen Qianqian looked through the online comments and found that most of them shared similar opinions to Zhao Shan. The incident had become a huge commotion, with the entire internet sharing it, but the comments were surprisingly consistent:

[Go to hell, disgusting little shit, you are the most annoying follower country in the world. You want to learn everything, you want to steal everything, you have no cultural connotations of your own, you copy others every day, and then immediately claim it as your own. How can there be such a disgusting country?]

[Last time, they said our patriotic generals were thieves. I'm really... How can they have the nerve to do that?]

[Someone once said our Spring Festival originated from stealing our country, then stealing our historical generals, and now they're trying to steal our national treasures. What's going on in the minds of the thieves? Can you change history by just saying a few words?]

[To reply to the above: Stealing from Chinese people won't change history, but it can disgust us. I seriously suspect they're stealing this and that every day, clearly just to disgust us! What a cunning little bastard!]

By the way, everyone, are there any wealthy people in the country who stole the painting? If I remember correctly, this painting was sold for 1.9 billion. I just checked, and the person holding the painting is not from the same chaebols that stole the painting. Besides these, are there any wealthy people in the country who stole the painting?

[Exactly. I was wondering how our paintings, which were safely in the museum, could have ended up in a stolen country... I'm so pissed off! I need to go to the museum tomorrow and see the paintings in person before I can rest assured.]

In addition to domestic public opinion, many netizens are also concerned about what people think abroad:

[Family, who among you can access the internet? Go out and see what people are saying abroad!]

As soon as it was posted, some netizens who were quick to act brought back the comments from the external website:

Article 1: [Things stolen from my country may not be real, but I am happy to see Chinese people angry - from Country R.]

Netizens were furious:

【Ahhhhh, you disgusting little bastard! 】

[The little bastard has finally been exposed. His constant promotion of etiquette is all marketing!]

[Can Xiaoba Ga and Xiao Xi Ba please pack up and get out?!]

The second comment reads: [The Heirloom Series originally belonged to our country. After the press conference, we will apply to the United Nations for World Heritage status and announce to the world that the paintings are ours! — From the country of theft.]

After reading this comment, the blood pressure of domestic netizens began to rise:

[Damn it! I'm going to chop these shameless bastards to pieces!]

I don't know how their brains work. They insist on claiming something as their own when it clearly has nothing to do with them.

[Damn it, another application for World Heritage status. For years, they've been constantly applying for our things. They apply for anything they can get. Are they crazy stealing from our people?]

Subsequently, there were a number of comments from foreign networks. Some rational netizens from other countries firmly stood on China's side, but there were still some netizens from other countries who were secretly using the painting incident to deliberately diss Chinese netizens. In addition, there were many netizens who said they would not help anyone, but it was obvious that they just wanted to watch the fun.

Chinese netizens were very angry and said online:

If we weren't barred from accessing the internet, I'd go and give these secret thieves a blast today!

[I'm so angry! Theirs is obviously fake, where does their confidence come from?]

Is there any way to file a complaint? I'd like to report this to the higher-ups, have Xiao Xiba's paintings authenticated, and expose these shameless people!

While driving, Wen Qianqian was reading netizens' comments online. When she arrived at the police station, she heard that the colleague who answered the phone had received many calls reporting this matter today.

Wen Qianqian walked to her seat and opened the Ping An Kyoto account. She found that today's private messages were about to explode. They were all netizens complaining about what happened today:

[Editor, can we report this to the higher-ups and see if there's some more formal organization that can take care of this? I'm really worried that someone will deliberately steal a fake painting, hold a press conference, and then pass it off as real, and then apply for it to be listed as a World Heritage Site. Then, all our authentic Chinese paintings will be considered fakes!]

[Editor, editor, we thieves from China are not to be trusted. They love to push our luck. If they find out we're even hesitant, do you believe they'll immediately declare to the world that the entire War God series is theirs? We really need to take action!]

…

Wen Qianqian was reading and thinking at the same time, when suddenly the content of the previous book popped up in her mind. The book described that Yue Yingxue was a lucky guest who became the last person to get close to the national treasure. Then the painting was bought by a mysterious buyer, and a few years later the painting appeared abroad.

She couldn't remember clearly whether the book described stealing the country, but because she had this description in her mind, she paid special attention to the whereabouts of the painting. There were a few people at the Imperial Capital Customs whom she met on the civil service exam forum. She had greeted them early in the morning, so everyone was paying special attention. If nothing unexpected happened, the painting would not be able to be circulated abroad.

Therefore, the painting stolen from the country is most likely fake.

With the news being pushed all over the internet and the constant phone calls coming in, the entire police station is now discussing the painting.

She thought about it, then found the police officer who had been in contact with Xie Yunjin's assistant and asked him directly, "Do you know about the painting?"

The young policeman nodded immediately: "Captain Wen, I heard you talk about this on the way here, and after I got back I also looked up some information myself."

"Okay," Wen Qianqian looked at him, "After learning about this, have you contacted Xie Yunjin again?"

She thought for a moment and said, "He donated the painting. Now that another painting has been claimed to have appeared abroad, he should give us an explanation, right?"

After hearing this, the young policeman immediately responded: "Got it, I'll contact them right away!"

A few minutes later, he finished the call and quickly returned to Wen Qianqian's side: "Captain Wen, I just contacted him, and he said he couldn't figure it out. He didn't know why there were paintings abroad. I continued to ask, but his assistant said he had a headache and couldn't breathe, and then hung up."

Zhao Shan listened from the side and couldn't help but curse, "Bah, this old fox! Who else in the world knows more about this mess than him?"

Wen Qianqian thought about it and was about to say something when a colleague suddenly came over and said, "Qianqian, Zhao Shan, the director wants to see you."

She agreed and immediately went to Director You's office with Zhao Shan.

As soon as I reached the door, before I knocked, Director You shouted from inside: "Come in."

She pushed open the door as she was told and found Director You pacing back and forth in the office with his hands behind his back, seemingly thinking about something.

Seeing her and Zhao Shan come in, he asked directly, "You all heard about the painting, right?"

Wen Qianqian nodded and reported to Director You about having someone call Xie Yunjin.

After listening to this, Director You thought carefully and said, "Don't worry about Xie Yunjin for now. We have restricted his exit from the country and are closely monitoring him. If there is any problem with the donated painting, he will not be able to get rid of it."

After saying that, he looked at Wen Qianqian and said, "The most urgent thing now is how to deal with the public opinion of the thief country and the country."

He pointed at his computer and said, "I've seen widespread concern online that if no one intervenes, the thieves will announce during a press conference that they have obtained the original, putting us in a difficult position."

After saying this, he frowned again: "But the sale of this painting is a private activity. To elevate it to an official level is too much."

He turned to Wen Qianqian again and said, "So how to strike the right balance is a problem. It would be best to find a professional organization to specifically address this issue."

Wen Qianqian thought for a moment and said calmly, "So the most important issue now is to verify the authenticity of the painting. If it is confirmed to be fake, it will be useless even if the country applies for World Heritage status ten thousand times."

She looked at Director You and said, "We can ask the China Cultural Relics Protection Association to come forward. They are both professional and have a certain degree of official status, so they are the most suitable to handle this matter."

"Cultural Relics Protection Association?" Director You muttered silently, his mind starting to think rapidly.

"Yes, Director," she said as she pondered, "Let the Cultural Relics Protection Association contact similar non-governmental organizations in the country where the artifact was stolen. Then, we can apply to the World Cultural Relics Protection Association to act as a third-party witness and jointly verify the authenticity of the painting of the young general surrendering his horse."

"Of course, to be fair, we will apply to authenticate the authenticity of the stolen national treasures. They can also authenticate our paintings. Then it will be clear which one is real and which one is fake."

After hearing this, Director You's eyes lit up. "That makes sense. Letting a professional organization step in will prevent the matter from getting out of hand, and we can rely on professional appraisal technology to convince the other party. Asking a neutral and authoritative third-party organization to conduct the appraisal can prevent the other party from deliberately denying the painting even though they know it's fake."

He looked at Wen Qianqian again, his eyes full of praise: "Xiao Wen, your idea has once again impressed me. It's a good idea and very convincing."

He thought for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. I will apply to both the Municipal Bureau and the Ministry. If your idea is approved, we will immediately contact the Domestic Cultural Relics Protection Association and Chongyi Painting Research Experts to form a team to go to the country for appraisal."

"Okay, thank you, Director!" Wen Qianqian saluted Director You.

Soon, news came from above supporting this idea, so the domestic cultural relics protection association immediately contacted the relevant organizations in the stealing country to discuss the matter together.

At first, the wealthy businessman who stole the national treasure was very resistant, saying that the national treasure painting was his private property and did not need to be authenticated by any association or organization.

However, the China Cultural Relics Protection Association told him directly that if he wanted to hold a press conference and announce to the world that he had the authentic work, he had to accept the joint appraisal of the two countries, and then the World Cultural Relics Protection Organization would make an impartial decision throughout the process. Only after the entire process was completed could he hold a press conference to announce it.

The rich businessman was very resistant, but he had no choice but to agree reluctantly.

If the same painting appears in two countries at the same time, at least one of them must be fake.

When it was heard that China and the thief country would send professional teams to each other to authenticate the paintings, the entire internet was instantly in an uproar:

[Cultural Relics Protection Association, come on! When we get to the scene, please quickly find me some evidence. I want to see a slap in the face!]

Mutual authentication is the right thing to do. When the national treasure first appeared in China, it was authenticated by experts and confirmed to be authentic. If the original is in our possession, then the stolen paintings must be fakes. Please don't be stingy when the time comes. When the results are announced, be sure to loudly declare them fake and teach them a lesson!

[It's fantastic that both sides are appraising each other. It also allows the thief country to see what true great power is like, so they won't continue to dream of stealing paintings!]

[National treasures belong to us! Stealers, get lost!]

In the police station, Director You told Wen Qianqian and Zhao Shan about the development of the situation.

"The domestic expert team has been assembled and will fly directly to the country where the painting was stolen tomorrow to conduct a unified appraisal of the completion time, craftsmanship, brushwork, and style of the painting. Among them are the country's top experts who study Chongyi paintings, as well as experts in time and style appraisal. The entire expert team is full of hidden talents and will definitely be able to appraise the painting clearly." Director You said with pride in his tone.

Zhao Shan felt relieved after hearing this: "This is the right thing to do. We need to let the thieves understand that there are some things they can't just steal if they want to!"

"Historical heritage cannot be erased, so we have Chongyi painting research experts passed down from generation to generation. What are they doing? They want to dance on our heads with a fake painting. Bah, dream on!" Zhao Shan said forcefully.

Wen Qianqian thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "I want to follow the expert team to steal the country this time."

Director You was a little surprised: "You also want to follow them to steal the country?"

She nodded and confirmed, "Yes, Director. After all, I've seen paintings up close at auctions and on national treasure shows. I know a little bit about paintings, so maybe I can be of some help then."

As she spoke, she silently thought in her mind that it would be best to go with them if possible. After all, she did coincidentally know how to identify it from a book.

Director You paused, then looked at Wen Qianqian and said, "Okay, approved."

Wen Qianqian immediately became happy: "That's great, thank you Director!"

Director You smiled with his eyes crooked: "I told you, just go ahead and do it, the bureau will handle the rest."

She felt a surge of warmth in her heart and thanked him sincerely again: "Thank you, Director!"

The next day, the Chinese famous painting appraisal delegation arrived safely in the capital of the stolen country by plane.

Wen Qianqian followed a group of experts and got off the plane silently.

After getting off the plane, a team of experts in identifying the stolen country came to pick them up immediately. When they proposed to take the delegation members to dinner first, the head of the Chinese delegation immediately waved his hand and said that everyone should go to the hotel first.

After everyone checked in at the hotel, the delegation from the stealing country began to send out invitations, inviting everyone to have dinner in the banquet hall.

Although they are all unofficial organizations, this matter is of great importance and all the standards are set very high. Although there is no official name, all reception standards are in accordance with the official ones.

At this time, the delegation from the stealing country extended another invitation. As the captain of the Chinese delegation, it was not easy to refuse anymore, so he had to take the entire team to the banquet hall.

After arriving, I found that the other party did use very high reception standards, but what they brought out was a bit hard to describe.

The other party couldn't tell what the delegation was thinking. He continued to introduce the dish proudly in his broken Chinese: "This is a famous dish in our country, stir-fried pork belly with kimchi."

When the delegation opened the cover on the dish, they saw a small plate filled with half a plate of red kimchi sprinkled with chili peppers, with one or two pieces of pork belly on top.

Member of the Chinese delegation: ...