Chapter 146 He admires you, especially your hands
That morning, he saw the truth. In this relationship, he was the only one who expected a happy ending.
Eithans messaged him on Xiaohongshu, the app he had found in recent months to keep in touch with him.
"How is it? Is there a problem with the materials?"
"Let's talk about it later." He replied.
"What do you mean? Explain clearly. Is there a problem with the material or do you not want to move it anymore?"
He looked at the line of words. It was a simple question, but he couldn't answer it.
Eithans waited a moment and called.
"Tony, let me be clear. Ever since you said you wanted to move, I've been preparing for it for over two months. If you say now you won't move, I don't have to keep my promise. You know, I wasn't in favor of moving from the beginning. Answer me now, have you given up on the idea of moving the studio? You only need to answer yes or no."
Tong Zhongyuan felt like something was stuck in his throat. After a moment, he said, "Give me some time."
"I've given you plenty of time. Be honest, are you hesitating because of your girlfriend? Is the honeymoon period over? Do you want to come back? To be honest, she may not be your last girlfriend."
"No. It's not over." He said with undisguised disgust. "I hope you didn't call to discuss my personal affairs."
"I'm sorry." Eithans said seriously, "Do you remember when I was about to fly back last month, I said there was something I wanted to talk to you in person. The day after tomorrow is Christmas, and I don't think you will be back. In fact, our studio has received... a warning."
In the bright office, Ming Yuanxing pondered for a moment, then took a bottle of mineral water from the table and gave it to Tong Zhongyuan.
He hadn't expected Tong Zhongyuan to seek him out for this very matter. Few in the museum knew about the leaked thermoluminescence data that had led to the artificial reproduction of the bronze artifacts. Qin Tian had mentioned it briefly, suggesting Tong Zhongyuan knew a little, but he hadn't expected Tong Zhongyuan to know more than just a little. Even Qin Tian didn't know as much as he did. Why? It was clearly not his area of expertise, and he wasn't one to meddle in other people's affairs. So why would he come to him directly to get to the bottom of the matter? These two young men were deeply concerned about each other's affairs.
"Yes, the Shanghai Museum and the Nanbo Museum jointly reported the case to the police. The case is still under investigation."
Ming Yuanxing paused. It was a real dilemma. Normally, the investigation wasn't public. But due to the Shanghai Museum's special status, he did know some confidential information. And the word "confidential" was meant literally. The problem was... the person questioning him was none other than Xiaotong. He sometimes wondered if Xiaotong could stay at the Shanghai Museum, perhaps becoming its youngest director ever. He admired him, deeply admired him, but this case wasn't a personal matter.
Tong Zhongyuan knew very well that apart from the police, Ming Yuanxing had the most comprehensive information, but given his identity, it was indeed very difficult.
He picked up the bottle of mineral water and unscrewed it, then said thoughtfully, "Actually, there's something I haven't told you."
Ming Yuanxing signaled with his eyes that he was listening.
"I've already resigned."
Ming Yuanxing was shocked and stood up from his seat.
"When did it happen? You resigned from the British Museum? Was it because of Yuan blue and white porcelain?"
"It has nothing to do with Yuan blue and white porcelain. I resigned for personal reasons."
Ming Yuanxing wasn't comforted at all. He walked around the office twice quickly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
"Xiao Tong, why didn't you tell me about such a big thing? You've been at the Shanghai Museum for the past six months and haven't been back. Oh, you were an expert at the British Museum when you came here, and you were out of work when you left? You want me to believe it was for personal reasons? Does your mother know about your resignation?"
Tong Zhongyuan smiled: "I am still my mother's child in your eyes? Actually, I told you about resigning because I wanted to tell you about what happened next."
"What happened next?" Ming Yuanxing stopped.
"I quit because I have a side hustle, or rather, it's become my main job now. I have a studio with a friend, and we specialize in cultural relic appraisal, restoration, trading, and redemption."
Ming Yuanxing sat back in his seat and listened to Tong Zhongyuan talk about his studio and how he had received a request for a replica of a bronze ware some time ago.
"After learning that these bronzes were artificial reproductions, my partner refused to have them appraised. There aren't many private appraisal agencies with a say, and without an appraisal certificate, these items would be difficult to sell worldwide. My partner also tracked down the seller, a Hong Kong native named Li who previously worked as an auctioneer. Based on the characteristics of these replicas, I suspect they came from the same source as the bronzes sold at the National Museum of China."
Ming Yuanxing's brow furrowed as he listened. Tong Zhongyuan's information partially overlapped with what he'd learned from the police. The problem was, this was a complicated matter. Why would a private institution like him get so deeply involved?
"Mr. Li from Hong Kong sought a certificate of authenticity from a private agency in New York to re-enter the market. A significant number of my clients are from Hong Kong, and due to their long-standing trust, they commissioned our studio to conduct a review before purchasing. So, we saw this batch of goods again and once again turned them away," Tong Zhongyuan recounted the incident calmly. "After that, we received a mild warning."
His studio has been established in the UK for a long time. The antiques business is fraught with peril, and similar incidents are not unheard of. They have sophisticated methods for dealing with counterfeiting teams, so he has nothing to worry about. This is predicated on his studio remaining on British soil, with his identity as a backer, rather than going to Hong Kong and falling prey to a trap. Eithans's concerns echoed in his mind.
"You really don't know why they warned us? Because you've done too much this time! I told you, they know you're studying for a doctorate in Shanghai and that you were the one who made the paper public! They told me through an intermediary that they hope your trip to China will be a success before Ms. Qin's next paper is published. Listen! They actually knew your girlfriend had a new paper. Fortunately, it sounds like they didn't know it was already written."
"Their original words were Miss Qin?" he asked.
"Yes, Miss Qin. Is my pronunciation not standard? Is she your girlfriend?"
"Eithans," he said eagerly, "you didn't mention the new paper!"
"Of course."
"Not at all?"
"Don't worry, when I heard them talk about the new paper, their reaction was like the first time they heard Aristotle say the Earth was round. They had the most incredulous expression ever. What?! The Earth is round! That's about it."
Eithans's words didn't reassure him; his suspicions were coming true. Qin Tian's first paper hadn't been leaked accidentally. Furthermore, not many people knew she'd written a second paper, but Mr. Li in Hong Kong had. What unnerved him most was that they, it seemed, were waiting for this paper.
Before hanging up, Eithans stopped him.
"There's something I've been hesitant to tell you. The middleman told me privately that Mr. Li values talent and admires you, especially... your hands. Take care of yourself, Tony. You don't have to go to Hong Kong."
Tong Zhongyuan looked at Ming Yuanxing, took out a document from a large envelope and placed it on the table.
"Furthermore, the warning I received not only mentioned Qin Tian's name, but also clearly indicated that she was preparing a new paper. It took only three weeks from the publication of Qin Tian's paper to the receipt of the replica bronze artifact by the National Museum of China, meaning they had immediate access to the paper. This is a list of borrowers of internal publications. I've listed the borrowers and their borrowing times over the past five days. In addition, there's also a list of those involved in publishing and proofreading. The scope isn't very large. If you're uncomfortable sharing the information the police have, please give them this information and the clue I just provided."
Ming Yuanxing picked up the list in shock and scanned it. Every time he saw a name, he would think of the person's face and how they greeted him.
There were only a dozen or so names, and he looked over them several times before finally putting the list down. He stood up, walked to the door, opened it, took a look, closed it again, and took out his phone, pressing and holding it to turn it off. Tong Zhongyuan understood and turned off his phone as well. Ming Yuanxing, with his temples white, still had a sharp and penetrating gaze.
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