Chapter 65 I didn’t expect him to play so big
"I sold the Buddha statue to the National Museum of China for 5.5 million RMB. This is the stamped contract they sent me this morning," he said concisely.
"You..." Qin Tian's mind was in a mess. If he didn't say anything, it would be fine. But if he did, she would be even more confused. "You...you smuggled the Buddha statue abroad and sold it to the National Museum of China?"
"I don't do anything illegal, and the Buddha statue has always been in China. Of course, the National Museum of China thought it was abroad, otherwise they wouldn't be willing to buy it for 5.5 million yuan. Over the years, the studio my partner and I opened has maintained exchanges with several domestic museums. Through us, they have redeemed some national-level cultural relics. This time, I told them that a Tang Dynasty gilded Buddha statue had been stolen and inquired about their willingness to redeem it. We had previously successfully collaborated and had mutual trust. Furthermore, 5.5 million yuan was a very low price. I explained that the seller was Chinese and hoped the statue would remain on Chinese soil, which was why I offered such a low price. The National Museum of China confirmed it first, so I sold it to them."
Qin Tian understood. The Buddha statue had never left the country. Tong Zhongyuan had exploited his unique identity to trick the National Museum into believing the statue had been found on the international market. He then purchased the statue using the same treatment as if it were a cultural relic repatriated overseas.
Even though he has constantly refreshed her understanding of him since she met him, she still...
She lowered her head to digest it for a while, and he remained silent, just staring at her quietly.
After a long pause, she raised her head and asked, "Did you decide to do this from the beginning?"
"Yes." This time, he said yes without hesitation.
She said in disbelief, "You planned to cheat the Capital Museum from the beginning? No, you planned to cheat all the partner museums."
He corrected: "The Buddha statue is authentic from the Tang Dynasty, and the seller is indeed Chinese. The low price is because they want the statue to remain in China. I never said the Buddha statue is in the UK. There is not a single word of deception here."
"But you lied to me. You said the Buddha statue had left the country." Qin Tian murmured, with an unrelieved loneliness in his voice.
The palpitations returned. He was already familiar with them. Like an electric current, they flowed rapidly from his heart, occupying his internal organs. Sometimes it was bitter, sometimes painful, but this time it was aching.
Qin Tian saw him clutching his chest and suddenly remembered that she didn't know the results of the last Holter monitor. She asked anxiously, "Are you having palpitations again? Lie down first. Is the test report out? Did the doctor prescribe any medicine for you?"
He remained silent, just looking at her quietly.
She was even more panicked, worried that he was in so much pain that he couldn't speak. She hugged his arms and supported him. He obediently let her place him on the bed, his back against the headboard.
"Where's the medicine?" She looked around. In his condition, how could the doctor not prescribe medicine?
"There's no medicine." He said with his eyes downcast.
She was stunned and asked, "Why didn't you dispense the medicine? How about the report?"
"There's nothing wrong with the report. This is a normal follow-up reaction. No medication is needed. It will get better on its own after a while," he said.
She breathed a sigh of relief: "Will you really get better on your own?"
"Yeah." This way, it doesn't count as lying to her.
Still mulling over the whole thing, she naturally opened the freezer and grabbed a bottle of water to drink. The Shanghai Museum was incredibly bold. It hadn't been that long, and they hadn't even seen the item, yet they'd already spent 5.5 million. A transaction like that would have taken at least a month to go through the Shanghai Museum's procedures. Ultimately, they had the money. She had something else she wanted to ask him. He'd already confessed to her about running a studio today, and even without him saying it, she'd guessed it. But she wanted to know how many more cards he had up his sleeve.
"Are you going to give Sun Minfu 3 million to buy out the contract?" she asked bluntly.
"I mentioned 3 million because I was afraid he'd have too high expectations. It's actually a fair price. According to industry practice, I charge a 10% commission, which is written in the contract."
This price is for an urgent sale. If it were within the three-month period originally set, he could be sold for at least 2 million pounds.
Qin Tian nodded. 10% was considered quite low. For Sun Minfu, 5 million was more than enough for any treatment. It was a shame that the next time he saw the Buddha statue would be in the exhibition hall of the National Museum of China.
"If you peel the chrysanthemum stone, will the Buddha statue inside be exactly the same as the stone carving outside?" There was both regret and yearning in her voice.
He stood up, walked to the safe, unlocked it, took out a brocade box, and handed it to her. Her hand sank and her eyes widened instantly at the weight.
She slowly opened the lid, revealing a gilded, beautifully carved Tang Dynasty Buddha statue. The corners of its mouth expressed compassion for all living beings, and its half-closed eyes held the mysteries of the universe.
A sour taste welled up in her nose. It was still there. For 1,500 years, it had never left this land. From now on, it would be preserved forever in a great Chinese museum for the world to admire.
"Hello, nice to meet you at last." She greeted gently.
He squatted down beside her and stared at the Buddha statue with her.
"I'm sorry, I peeled off the shell. I should have let you come." His apologetic voice sounded in her ears.
She shook her head gently, her hair caressing his face.
"It doesn't matter who peeled it. I'm just glad it's home now, no longer wandering around."
She turned her head and looked straight into his bottomless eyes.
"Thanks."
His breathing stopped. If he was still hooked up to the Holter monitor, the report would be off. He stood up and stepped back to the edge of the bed a few steps away.
She closed the box and put it back in the safe. She checked her phone. It was almost six o'clock, getting late. He saw it and knew she was about to leave.
"I won the bet just now."
She turned her head and wondered why he was bringing up the bet again. Was his desire to win so strong?
"As a winner, I have one request," he continued.
Qin Tian found it a bit interesting. She was wondering why he was talking about a bet for no reason. She almost forgot that he was British and couldn't speak without beating around the bush.
She took a sip of water and looked at him leisurely.
"Are you going to Niya?" he asked.
She froze there. His ability to read minds. Was the school he attended in England Hogwarts?
Indeed, the bronze coin pointed to Niya. Now she had to wait for her to find clues about the large gilded copper plate and see if there was any connection. As expected, her first stop would be the Niya ruins. How did he know? Was it just because of that bronze coin?
"I'm still looking for something," she replied. "If I can find it, I might go to Niya."
"What?"
Qin Tian hesitated. She hadn't told anyone about the Han Dynasty gilded plate. However, she had indeed found no clues during her solo search. With Tong Zhongyuan's keen sense and expertise, perhaps he could be of help.
He looked at her with the same expression as that night when she insisted on going to the antique dealer, which made him feel uneasy. Why did she have so many secrets? She was either taking risks or on her way to taking risks.
Her phone rang. It was the tenant asking when she would arrive. She came to her senses and said, "Slow down, I have something else to do tonight."
"Wait a minute." Tong Zhongyuan's expression became serious. "What are you going to do tonight?"
She saw his expression and found it a little funny. She almost forgot that in his mind she was just a criminal.
"My dad's house has been rented out, and I packed all his things. I'll go to the rental house to move them back in the evening. It just so happens that I have a car today," she explained.
His heart faltered. Moving things was something that naturally required someone to be very attentive. He hesitated for a moment, but then asked, "Are you moving it alone?"
"Yeah, nothing heavy, just a few boxes," she replied.
He opened his closet and grabbed a T-shirt and jogging pants.
"Wait me a moment."
He went into the bathroom, quickly changed his clothes and came out, saying to her, "Come on, I'll go with you."
Qin Tian stopped him: "Why are you going? You are still in the recovery period."
"Buy me dinner," he said. "The requirement for the winner is to buy me dinner tonight."
He picked up his phone and key card and put them in his trouser pocket. It had to be said that, having become accustomed to using Chinese mobile payments, he only needed his phone when he went out.
"Then let's eat first, and you come back after we're done." Qin Tian chased after him and said.
"Go move the things first. Exercise makes food taste better. The doctor said to gradually resume exercise. Didn't you say it's just a few boxes? They're not heavy."
He walked into the elevator, pressed the door button and waited for her. When the timeout bell rang, she walked in reluctantly.
She chatted a few more times on the way, but realized he wasn't listening at all, instead browsing his phone. Normally, he was known for his impeccable manners, praised by everyone. But now, dressed in casual clothes, his appearance and personality had become childish.
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