Chapter 153 Give me 500 million and I will never again identify
The car drove for about 20 minutes before stopping in front of a low-key Japanese restaurant. Several men in suits stood at the door, and the leader greeted them with a broad smile.
"Welcome, welcome, Miss Qin, Mr. Tong. I'm James, nice to meet you, please take care of me."
His Mandarin had a distinct Cantonese accent. He seemed to assume that Tong Zhongyuan and Qin Tian wouldn't respond, or perhaps didn't want to chat at the door. He gestured for them to come in, then led the way inside, chatting and laughing.
"I didn't know what you liked, so I ordered everything. Just now, they told me that Mr. Tong wanted to come too. I was so surprised. I immediately asked them to invite him over. I've been to your studio several times and never ran into you. I didn't expect to meet you in Tokyo. What else could this be but fate! Miss Qin, I'll introduce myself to you when we get in. Don't worry, we're just having a meal together and making friends. There's no ill will."
Qin Tian didn't hear what came next. Her heart was sinking, sinking helplessly to the bottom of the deep lake. She tried to keep her eyes on Tong Zhongyuan's profile, thinking he would see, thinking he would respond. However, Tong Zhongyuan never looked at her from beginning to end, not even once.
The clerk in kimono led the group to a secluded Japanese-style private room, bowed politely, and closed the door gently.
The private room had a tatami floor, a long sunken table in the center, and two Yamato-style paintings hung on the Japanese-style walls. A gorgeous sashimi platter was already laid on the table.
"Please take a seat, we'll eat and talk."
James sat down first, Qin Tian and Tong Zhongyuan took off their coats and sat opposite him.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm from Hong Kong, my last name is Li, you can just call me James. Mr. Tong should have heard of me, after all, I've dealt with your studio a few times. As for Ms. Qin, I might still be a bit unfamiliar with her. Actually, we're all in the same business. Our company also deals in the sale and auction of cultural relics. We recently had some business dealings with the National Museum of China, and now we've also established a relationship with the Shanghai Museum."
Qin Tian's face suddenly changed, she knew who the other person was.
James had been observing the two of them. Tong Zhongyuan had a poker face, his emotions impassive, and there was no sign of flaws. Qin Tian, on the other hand, was clearly shocked. He was very satisfied; this was the effect he had been aiming for, and he smiled broadly.
"Don't be afraid, Miss Qin. As the saying goes, there's no friendship without fighting. We invited you here this time to make friends, nothing else. As you all know, the cultural relics business is not easy. The pressure is huge, really huge. Every day when you open your eyes, there are so many mouths to feed, so many people to support. It's too difficult. The main reason we invited Miss Qin here this time is to ask Miss Qin to show some leniency and not make things difficult for small businesses like us. The Shanghai Museum is such a prestigious institution, no matter how much business we do, we can't afford to come to the Shanghai Museum. We just ask that the Shanghai Museum not meddle in other people's affairs. If someone brings this or that to the Shanghai Museum for inspection in the future, I hope Miss Qin will show some mercy. I know Miss Qin is a government employee, and we wouldn't dare touch national-level cultural relics. We will definitely not embarrass Miss Qin. We are one family, and we don't mind our own business. Everyone is happy. By the way, as a token of my sincerity, I brought a small gift today, just as a token of my respect."
James winked, and his men immediately brought a suitcase and placed it next to Qin Tian. Qin Tian glanced at the suitcase, his expression becoming increasingly grim. Just as he was about to speak, Tong Zhongyuan's voice sounded first.
"Ms. Qin is just an ordinary staff member at the Shanghai Museum. It's not her decision what to do. The Shanghai Museum will not authenticate foreign cultural relics unless it's a special case. Occasionally, it's a rare occurrence that several cultural relics overlap. Mr. Li, don't worry too much. We understand your meaning. Forget the gift."
James didn't expect Tong Zhongyuan to speak up, and his words were all about smoothing things over. He'd been at the Shanghai Museum for almost six months, and his mother was also there, so it seemed he did have some connections there.
"That's right, we absolutely don't blame Miss Qin for what happened this time. We just want to make friends. If Miss Qin refuses to accept us, we will feel uneasy. It's not easy to meet Miss Qin, and we don't know when we will have this chance again."
Tong Zhongyuan frowned, about to speak. Qin Tian leaned over, picked up the suitcase, and placed it on the table. With a click, the suitcase opened. It was filled with RMB, US dollars, gold, and several small boxes.
"How much is this?" Qin Tian asked calmly.
"It's worth 5 million. We've specially selected a variety of items so that Miss Qin can take them back easily. This is just a small token of my respect. I hope Miss Qin will accept it."
"That's indeed a small tribute. The difference between the authenticity of any cultural relic can result in a price difference of millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions."
James was stunned. He had expected Qin Tian to refuse or make excuses, but he had never imagined she would find it too little. He immediately smiled and said, "It's indeed too little. I'll make up for it right away."
"How much do you plan to make up?"
Tong Zhongyuan's heart sank, and he no longer cared about being shy. He held Qin Tian's hand tightly under the table, signaling her not to be impulsive.
"Mr. Li's thorough preparations demonstrate his sincerity, but Miss Qin's identity makes it difficult for her to accept the offer. However, she has already..."
"Five hundred million." Qin Tian's voice interrupted Tong Zhongyuan. "You can ask anyone you want to appraise it."
The room was filled with silence. Tong Zhongyuan slowly released Qin Tian's hand and placed it back on the table.
"It seems that Miss Qin doesn't want to make friends. Then things will be very difficult."
Qin Tian looked at him coldly without asking what was going on. Tong Zhongyuan's expression was unpredictable. Unlike just now, he didn't seem to want to get involved in this matter anymore.
Seeing that the conversation had become awkward, James had no choice but to pick up the conversation himself.
"Then I have a small request. Miss Qin, could you please take out the second paper so I can admire it?"
Qin Tian's heart sank and his palms began to sweat.
"Who told you I had a second paper?"
"That's not important. Miss Qin's appraisal skills are well-known both at home and abroad, and everyone is eagerly awaiting her latest research direction."
"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. There won't be a second paper. I've deleted it and formatted it. There won't be another one in the future. I won't write anymore."
James smiled bitterly. "Miss Qin completely despises us. There's nothing I can do about it. Let's eat first. After all, meeting in a foreign country is fate. I ordered this table of food, but Miss Qin didn't even touch it."
Miss Qin didn't even look at him, she just stood up and went to the clothes rack to get her coat. Seeing this, Tong Zhongyuan also stood up and grabbed her wrist.
Qin Tian turned around: "What do you mean? If you don't leave, I will."
Tong Zhongyuan felt helpless, but couldn't say a word. The two men had been standing at the door. Did Qin Tian really think she could walk out of here on her own?
"Wait me a moment."
He also took his coat from the hanger, took an envelope from the inside pocket and put it on the table.
"Mr. Li, we won't have dinner. This is my welcome gift to you."
James looked surprised as he watched Tong Zhongyuan reach out and take the envelope, opening it. Inside was a stack of A4 paper folded in three. Qin Tian looked at Tong Zhongyuan in surprise, not knowing what he had given him.
James shook the first sheet of paper and read, "On the influence of radiation separation on the identification of the age of ancient porcelain."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was the sound of utensils falling to the ground. Qin Tian pounced on the table and snatched the paper from James's hand. Before James could let go, there was a "hiss" sound, and only the lower half of the paper was left in his hand.
Qin Tian scanned the stack of papers, his blood rushing from head to toe, his hands shaking uncontrollably. It was truly her paper, the one and only paper she had given to Tong Zhongyuan.
"Qin Tian, are you not going to publish this paper?"
"Yes. What you have in your hands is a one-of-a-kind piece. Don't lose it, and don't let it be shared with the public. If you want to use it in your studio or in the British Museum, go ahead. Once it's given to you, it's yours."
"I've already agreed to give it to me. I can't go back on my word."
Qin Tian looked at Tong Zhongyuan in disbelief: "Why do you do this? Why..."
Tong Zhongyuan reached out and pulled the paper from her hand, refolded it, and placed it on the table. Facing James, he said, "This second paper is my gift to you."
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