Chapter 157 Can I go back?
They arrived at the Nakayama residence ten minutes early. Besides Michiko Nakayama, her eldest son, who lived with her, was also there. On the way there, Tong Zhongyuan and Qin Tian had discussed the entire process. Their luggage was already in the taxi, and their return tickets had been purchased. Once the contract was signed, they would head straight to the airport. The eldest son's presence was also expected; Michiko Nakayama wouldn't have to handle such a large transaction alone.
Just like last time, Nakayama Michiko first made tea for them and bought some high-end snacks to entertain them. After the first round of tea was finished, she finally got down to business.
Qin Tian took out the contract in Chinese and Japanese and placed it in front of her. She picked up the contract and read it carefully, then said something in Japanese to her son, who also picked up the contract and began to read it.
Time passed as they quietly looked at the contract, slowly and without much communication. Qin Tian tried to focus on the crows outside the window, warning himself not to get too nervous.
Finally, Michiko Nakayama whispered something to her eldest son and smiled.
"There's nothing wrong with the contract."
She took out her personal seal from a small box and stamped it on the contract page by page. After stamping, she handed the contract over respectfully.
"Thank you so much. I'm glad to have this beautiful cup home."
Qin Tianxia instinctively stood up and reached for the contract. It was the Shanghai Museum's contract. She'd signed and accepted it countless times; it was ingrained in her muscle memory. But she instantly realized she'd made a mistake. She should have let Tong Zhongyuan take it. Because of her, she didn't even stand up the first time, and her outstretched hand trembled slightly. Tong Zhongyuan's tossing and turning the previous night had exhausted her, and her muscles were stiff from the tension. But now that things had come to this, she gritted her teeth, took the contract with a trembling hand, and put it in her bag, forcing a smile.
Tong Zhongyuan stood up, bowed to Michiko Nakayama, and said calmly, "Thank you both. I will keep in touch with Mrs. Nakayama. We will take our leave now."
Michiko Nakayama and her eldest son saw them off with their respectful glances.
Qin Tian felt like she was being pricked by a thorn, and she used all her willpower to try to walk more naturally. Tong Zhongyuan knew she was unwell and blamed himself, but he couldn't help her at this time. He had to lag behind her, partially blocking her view. The two of them turned the corner one after the other and arrived at the taxi waiting area.
The two sat down, and the driver greeted them in Japanese before driving smoothly out of the alley and heading towards Haneda Airport.
Tong Zhongyuan saw Qin Tian's relieved look, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He thought that if he spoke to comfort him, he would probably just be scolded.
He opened the gift box of cups he'd bought yesterday and swapped the 矅变天目 (Tianmu) inside. Qin Tian watched him swap the porcelain in the moving car, not daring to breathe. She was afraid he'd drop the 矅变天目 (Tianmu) if the car swerved. Only after he'd completed the exchange did she breathe a sigh of relief.
"When we get to the airport, how about we go our separate ways?" Qin Tian said.
Tong Zhongyuan knew what she meant. The final hurdle was going through customs. Qin Tian was afraid that her condition would arouse suspicion, but firstly, he was worried about Qin Tian's health, and if she wasn't around, he would be distracted. Secondly, if they really encountered any trouble at customs, they would still have to reunite. Going separately would only make it more obvious.
"No. Let's go together. Don't worry, we're not smuggling. We have a purchase contract. Even if we're stopped by customs, it's nothing. It's just a routine matter."
Qin Tian bit his fingers and frowned, saying, "That's what I said, but I feel like this trip is too smooth."
Tong Zhongyuan laughed, pulled her hand down, and held it in his palm to prevent her from biting him.
"I thought you were so brave. Tell me, when you were in the UK, how did you bring things from the British Museum back to China?"
Qin Tian felt a little embarrassed when he brought up the past. That incident was when she betrayed Tong Zhongyuan by being unethical and nearly ruined his career.
After arriving at the airport, Tong Zhongyuan placed their suitcases on the luggage cart and went to check in. They'd bought business class tickets, leaving little waiting time to avoid any delays. After dropping off their luggage, Qin Tian was left with only a carry-on bag, while Tong Zhongyuan held the "Tianmu" (Heavenly Eye of the Transformation).
Tong Zhongyuan held Qin Tian's hand, and her palms were sweating.
"Don't be afraid, we'll use the self-service exit."
Qin Tian nodded.
The two of them followed the exit line and slowly made their way to the machine. Tong Zhongyuan let go of her hand and said, "You go first."
Qin Tian placed her passport on the terminal. The green light came on, and the first ramp opened. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood in the middle for facial and fingerprint recognition.
Tong Zhongyuan watched her from a distance of one meter. Time ticked by, and the second ramp remained closed. Qin Tian turned around and met his gaze. Just then, a red light came on, and a beeping sounded. The airport staff looked up. Not far away, a man who looked like a security guard hurried over.
After the security guard arrived and took a look at the instructions, his expression changed visibly. He gestured to Qin Tian and said "Please wait a moment" in Japanese, then hurried away.
The red flash on the screen continued to light up. Qin Tian knew that it was impossible to get out of the self-service channel this time, so he calmed down.
Soon, security arrived with an air marshal. The marshal glanced at the screen, manually opened the first ramp, and motioned Qin Tian to come out and follow him.
Tong Zhongyuan stepped forward and said that he and Qin Tian were companions. The air police looked at him in confusion. He gestured, pointing at Qin Tian and himself, and simply said, "Together."
The air marshal nodded and spoke a few words in Japanese into the intercom. Amidst the whirring sound of electricity, the other end of the intercom replied with a few words. The air marshal immediately looked up, reassessed Tong Zhongyuan, and waved to him, signaling him to come over.
The air marshal led them into the legendary dark room. This wasn't Qin Tian's first time in a dark room, but it was her first time in Tokyo. She cooperated by opening her bag and taking out her belongings one by one, placing them on the table.
The air marshal glanced at the items, gestured for a moment, and spoke a few words into the intercom. A moment later, a uniformed airport employee came in. After the air marshal spoke to her, she nodded and smiled at Qin Tiantong Zhongyuan, saying, "Sir, could you open the gift box?"
Tong Zhongyuan pulled the gift box out of the bag and unwrapped it. The Tianmu embedded in the box was tranquil and mysterious.
The air marshal took the bag, took a look, and spoke to the woman. The woman nodded, pointed at the bag, and asked, "Excuse me, did you buy this porcelain at this store?"
"No," Tong Zhongyuan replied calmly, "The porcelain I bought from the store was in my checked luggage. This one is a Chinese cultural relic. Because it's quite valuable, it came in the store's packaging."
He picked up the contract from the items Qin Tian placed on the table and handed it to the woman.
"This is a cultural relic transaction contract."
The woman picked up the contract and flipped through it. She found a Japanese contract and handed the Japanese copy to the air police. The air police quickly flipped through the contract, said something to the woman, took the contract, opened the door and walked out.
Seeing him leave, the woman smiled at Qin Tian and the others and said, "Don't be nervous, it's just a routine inspection. In Japan, normal cultural relics transactions can be carried out with a sales agreement."
Qin Tian smiled back and thanked her for her comfort.
Tong Zhongyuan sat down beside her and took her hand. There was no point in hiding their relationship now. It all depended on how the air police would verify the purchase agreement.
The wait was longer than they'd anticipated. The air marshal hadn't returned for about 20 minutes. Even the translator was getting impatient. She picked up the intercom and asked a few questions in Japanese, only to be told to wait. This was one of the few Japanese words Qin Tian could understand. A bad feeling was brewing in her heart. If it was just to verify the contract, it was taking too long.
Tong Zhongyuan made the same judgment as Qin Tian. While normal cultural relics could be taken out of the country, Japanese national treasures could not be taken out of the country. Knowing that they were Japanese national treasures and still attempting to take them out of the country was even more unacceptable.
They should be boarding the plane by now, but it looked like they wouldn't be able to catch it. The worst-case scenario was that they might not be able to leave Japan for a while. If that were the case, they could only insist they had no idea the Tianmoku was a national treasure in Japan, and that they had purchased it as a Song Dynasty artifact. However, given his and Qin Tian's status as cultural relics experts, such an argument was unconvincing.
A more realistic question is whether the Shanghai Museum will abandon Qin Tian if this leads to legal trouble, disavowing the purchase agreement as her personal act. Given Qin Tian's feelings for the Shanghai Museum, he'd likely take the blame rather than smear it. If that were the case, he could claim he was the mastermind behind the matter, using the museum's name to secure the Tianmu for his studio. As a private institution, greed for cultural relics is understandable, especially given his primary focus on restoration. Even if his ethics are flawed, it wouldn't affect his technical influence. But right now, Qin Tian can't communicate. Given his temperament, there's no way they can even develop a rapport, and that's the real headache.
"Are you tired?" He reached out to touch her face and rested her head on his shoulder. "Close your eyes and rest for a while."
Qin Tian raised her head, which was pressed on his shoulder, and looked at him with bright eyes in confusion. He chuckled and kissed her head. There was really no tacit understanding between them.
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