Chapter 96: Enough?

Of course, no one dared to say these discussions in front of Madam Xiao, but Su Man also heard them.

Tao Jinmei and Luo Yan looked indifferent, and behind their gentle smiles, it was difficult to conceal their satisfaction in watching the show.

At this point, if Su Man continued to hide the painting, she would be "confessing herself" in the eyes of everyone.

Su Man said, "I did get the painting from Mr. Yun, but I didn't expect that my mother-in-law also gave my grandmother a painting, and it was a famous painting that was auctioned off by a charity organization. My painting was from Mr. Yun's private collection, and its market value is not as high as my mother-in-law's, so I naturally can't show it off to show off."

Su Man was generous and frank, admitting that her gift was not as good as Tao Jinmei's. She neither stole the limelight nor was humble and polite. She also gave a good reason for not taking out the gift.

Comprehensive and watertight.

Madam Xiao's eyes were filled with doting: "It's hard for you to be so sensible. They are all gifts. There is no distinction between first come first served, and there is no distinction between the important and the unimportant. They are all Mr. Yun's paintings, and they all have artistic value."

Tao Jinmei, who was standing by, smiled and said, "Yes, you finally got the painting, so bring it out and let everyone feast their eyes on it. Otherwise, others will accuse me of bullying you, saying, 'I gave it to you, so you can't give me the same one.'"

The subtext of Tao Jinmei's words is that Su Man is learning from her.

Su Man didn't care and stood up to get the painting box prepared for Old Madam Xiao.

The heavy mahogany box was meticulously polished, with intricate carvings and a jade-inlaid frame. It was incredibly heavy. As soon as it was taken out, everyone present was astonished.

Not only are the paintings valuable, but the box containing them is also priceless.

"Beisheng and I custom-made this box. It's designed to preserve the paper and ink even in a wide range of temperatures and humidity. Since you like collecting paintings, Beisheng and I thought we should make a custom box for you."

"Okay, okay, you guys are so thoughtful!"

Old Madam Xiao smiled so happily that her eyes became slits.

Tao Jinmei's smile didn't seem very sincere, and her eyes were a little cold.

The box was brought to Mrs. Xiao and placed on the table in front of the old lady. Su Man helped open the box.

A faint scent of sandalwood mixed with the scent of ink floats out faintly.

Inside lay a scroll quietly.

The scroll is very new and indeed looks like it was recently completed.

Old Madam Xiao carefully picked up the scroll and slowly unfolded it, revealing a picture of Peach Blossom Land mountains and seas.

"It's the brushstrokes and style of Master Yun Guhong!" Old Madam Xiao admired and appreciated it, her hands trembling slightly, unable to suppress her excitement.

Some people also came over, wanting to take a look at Yun Guhong's new work that had never been released.

“Nice painting!”

“The brushwork is indeed very masterly.”

"The old lady is a devoted collector of Master Yun's paintings. If it can be certified by the old lady, this painting cannot be fake!"

Everyone was talking at once.

Old Madam Xiao's inner satisfaction seemed to be overflowing. She was really satisfied with Su Man, her granddaughter-in-law.

She wanted to use her birthday party today to introduce Su Man, her granddaughter-in-law, to everyone and tell people inside and outside the circle that Su Man was the daughter-in-law recognized by their Xiao family.

But at this moment, Luo Yan turned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Hey, doesn't Mr. Yun Guhong have the habit of stamping his personal seal on the lower right corner of his paintings? Why doesn't he have it on this painting?"

This seemingly casual question attracted everyone's attention.

"Yeah, really not!"

"What's wrong with this being without a seal?"

"It is Mr. Yun Guhong's habit to stamp his paintings with his own seal. Almost every painting is stamped with his own seal when it is completed. This represents that the painting is from his hand. It has been tacitly accepted in the industry that only with the seal can the painting be authentic and authoritative."

"So... this painting isn't real?"

…

The smile on Mrs. Xiao's face gradually froze.

There is indeed such a saying in the industry that if there is no seal, the authenticity of the painting is not high.

"Xiao Man, was this painting really given to you personally by Mr. Yun Guhong? I'm afraid you were cheated by someone. Don't be embarrassed to say it, or you will suffer in silence. Beisheng can make money, but it can't withstand such waste! If you tell us, our Xiao family can hold this liar accountable." Tao Jinmei's subtext was that Su Man lied.

Su Man had never met Mr. Yun Guhong, and the painting was bought by an unscrupulous merchant.

But they were clearly present when Mr. Yun Guhong presented the painting.

For Luo Yan, Xiao Beisheng's mother would resort to such means to clear the way for Luo Yan to seize the position of Xiao Beisheng's wife.

Su Man looked at Tao Jinmei. The woman who had made her feel friendly before was now looking at her with a smile, but there were layers of calculating veils between them.

Su Man guessed correctly. Tao Jinmei and Luo Yan just wanted to make Su Man's paintings into fakes.

Their press releases were all prepared, and they could only give a secret code. Once the order was given, all newspapers and news media would immediately release the information that Su Man had given Madam Xiao a fake.

They guessed that Mr. Yun would not have enough time to go to the scene in person to rescue Su Man.

At most, I could dispel a rumor for Suman afterwards.

But it takes only one mouth to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to refute it.

Everyone is just busy watching the show, and most people only believe one-sided statements.

By the time Mr. Yun refuted the rumor, the story of the Xiao family's young lady giving counterfeit goods had already spread widely in society. Passersby who didn't pay attention to the matter itself probably didn't even see Mr. Yun's refutation.

Su Man is definitely going to lose face.

Xiao Beisheng had been sitting in his seat with a sullen expression. When he heard this, he finally couldn't sit still any longer. He threw the cigarette box in his hand onto the table and leaned back in his chair, a murderous aura rising from his body. "Are you done?"

His question was as cold as an icicle and powerful.

The aggressive atmosphere towards Su Man at the scene suddenly subsided a little.

Xiao Beisheng stood up, the chair making a sharp friction sound under him. He walked straight to Su Man and took Su Man's hand.

The broad palm wrapped around Suman's small fist, warm and powerful.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with her, and together they formed a confrontational stance towards Tao Jinmei. "She went to Qu City to visit Mr. Yun and also visited Mr. Yun's painting exhibition. I accompanied her, and I saw with my own eyes that Mr. Yun handed the painting to her. Are you saying that I lied too? I don't think such a small matter is worth me, Xiao Beisheng, lying."

Cold, arrogant, disdainful, and sharp.

Su Man turned her head and looked at his deep-cut profile, her heart moving slightly.

He says there is nothing worth lying about, but he lied for Suman.

Tao Jinmei was a little shocked by Xiao Beisheng's aura and was a little dazed.

His son was always at odds with her. Although he looked like her, his eyes were as sharp as a cold sword.

For a moment, Tao Jinmei was suddenly speechless.

She had already grown apart from her son, and today, with such a rare opportunity to meet him, she couldn't let the relationship become even more strained...

At this moment, Luo Yan's clear and gentle voice interrupted: "Auntie Tao, of course that's not what you meant. Rumor has it that Mr. Yun doesn't like people coming to him directly to ask for paintings. Maybe Miss Su has displeased Mr. Yun, so Mr. Yun just picked up a random painting to give Miss Su a try? Auntie Tao, is that what you mean?"