Chapter 88 Not only did she not appreciate it, she was also wary of him
"My opinion is that they are all fake. They are very similar to the three real objects in the National Museum of China, and it feels like they were made in the same batch. Of course, this is just my naked eye judgment. When there is a conflict between the naked eye and thermoluminescence, thermoluminescence takes precedence."
Tong Zhongyuan clasped his hands together on the table, his eyes fixed on the window. Counterfeiters knew this. That's why they dared to send 20 bronze artifacts to London for thermoluminescence testing. The test report was the passport for these bronze artifacts, allowing them to enter the market with impunity. The question was how they did it. More urgent than tracing the source was Qin Tian's situation. He collected his thoughts and asked her, "Only three days. What are you going to do?"
She stared at him with wide eyes. This was why she didn't want to discuss it with him. She thought about it for the whole afternoon and did come up with an idea. It wasn't perfect, but perhaps it could be delayed until Ming Yuanxing returned. But how to do it was a secret. Of course she knew he wouldn't betray her, but he kept looking at the thermoluminescent material on Yuan Junruo's desk, and he was also quite interested in it. If Tong Zhongyuan was the black technology of the British Museum, then she was now the secret of the Shanghai Museum. This was not a personal dispute between him and her, but a dispute between the two museums.
She opened the orange juice he bought, took a sip, and turned her eyes away.
Tong Zhongyuan was stunned. She was never good at controlling her expression. It was obvious that she had an idea and didn't want to tell him. He almost suspected that he had seen it wrong. How could it be possible? He was kind enough to help her! She treated him as an outsider. What on earth had he done to make her distrust him so much? He thought that after the trip to Niya, he was somewhat different in her heart. He even...
His chest felt tight, and he wanted to stand up and leave, but his reluctance overwhelmed his pride. No, he couldn't just leave without knowing why. What if it was a misunderstanding? What if he really had seen it wrong?
"Qin Tian, you have an idea and don't want to tell me?" he blurted out.
She hesitated and said guiltily, "Not really."
Not really? Those three words chilled his heart. That was it. She really didn't want to tell him her plan, and she didn't need his help. Why was he still here? She didn't even want to say it, so why would he still ask questions? He stood up, but didn't leave. Instead, he said something he hadn't expected.
"Why? Why can't you tell me?"
Qin Tian looked up at him blankly, holding the orange juice. Was he angry? No wonder, he was asking because he was worried about her. This was probably the feeling of having good intentions go unappreciated.
Seeing her bewildered look, he suddenly felt himself to be quite foolish. He pushed aside the chair and tried to pull the door. The door was halfway open when Qin Tian rushed over and slammed it shut again. She blocked the door and said ashamedly, "There's nothing I can't tell you. I'll tell you now."
"I don't want to know." He said lightly.
"No, I must tell you."
"No."
"I'm going to tell you."
His hand was still on the doorknob, and she leaned against it, preventing him from opening the door. They stared at each other. Silence fell over the room.
Qin Tian couldn't help laughing. Tong Zhongyuan turned his face away. His anger subsided, but he felt even more stupid.
Yuan Junruo was preparing materials when she heard bursts of laughter coming from Qin Tian's office. She muttered to herself, "Teacher Qin was so sad just now, but now he is laughing happily."
Tong Zhongyuan let go of the doorknob and sat back down. Qin Tian didn't sit back down. She leaned over to Tong Zhongyuan's ear and whispered something softly. She carefully laid out her plan. Then, she looked at him expectantly, waiting for his response.
He remained silent for a moment before saying, "Can you say it again?"
She was stunned. She had just said it very clearly. Was he distracted?
She bent down and tried to whisper to him again, but he leaned back and gave way.
"No one will hear it," he said softly.
"oh."
She dragged her chair over, looked at him, and talked to him face to face.
He was looking elsewhere, only glancing back at her from time to time to show that he was listening. He waited until she finished speaking before turning his gaze towards her.
"That's a solution," he said. "When will Ming Yuanxing come back?"
"Tang Zhixu said he would be back this week."
"Do you want to wait until he comes back to tell him?"
"Well, I don't want him to worry about it outside."
"I think you should give him a call and tell him sooner rather than later. If he knows it's fake, maybe he can shorten his schedule and come back sooner."
Qin Tian remained silent. She knew Tong Zhongyuan was right, but she didn't want to disturb Ming Yuanxing. The Chunhua Pavilion Collection was the most important matter, and the Ministry of Culture officials were there. It wouldn't be right for Director Ming to leave them alone and return home.
"What about you here? What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I've asked my partner to hold off on producing a report while he takes stock of this client's situation. I'll keep you updated on any progress."
It was already time to get off work, so Qin Tian dragged the chair back. He told Tong Zhongyuan to leave work early. Niya and the others had worked hard, so they should take good rest recently.
He left without saying anything. She went to the thermoluminescence room to watch the progress. Her phone rang a few times, but she ignored it. When she returned to the office, there was a takeaway on the table.
She took out her cell phone, and there was no update in the dialog box with him.
There was only one bank card spending reminder. Signature Four Treasure Rice, 118 yuan.
She smiled wryly at this reminder. He could have bought a four-treasure rice dish for 40 yuan, but he insisted on buying the expensive one. And he used her money to buy it.
As night fell, Tong Zhongyuan waited in the hotel for the time difference in the UK.
After dinner he contacted Eithans, who had just arrived at work and was waiting to hear from him.
"This batch of bronze artifacts are not tomb robbers, but fakes," said Tong Zhongyuan.
"Did you tell the bronzes were fake just from the photos? Are some of them fake, or are they all fake?"
"It's all fake." He avoided the main point and didn't want to talk about Nan Bo.
"Okay, then I'll find an excuse to decline. I'll refund the appraisal fee to him."
“Where did this client come from?”
"From Hong Kong. I've met him at an auction house before. This is our first collaboration."
Tong Zhongyuan frowned and said, "I have a question. How did he do it? Did he increase the radiation dose artificially?"
"Yes. While this situation isn't common, it has happened before. Counterfeiters, knowing the principle of thermoluminescence, apply a radiation coating to bronze or porcelain artifacts. It's easy to spot, though. Firstly, our samples aren't taken from the surface, and secondly, the accuracy varies. The randomly added radiation differs significantly from the actual measurement, and doesn't conform to the age standards for artifacts. Therefore, I've never encountered a situation like this before."
"Hold on."
Tong Zhongyuan opened his computer. This was the data he had provided to Qin Tian for his paper. The table contained data on bronze artifacts from the same period that had been previously tested. This data was very accurate and basically matched the radiation levels of this batch of fake bronze artifacts.
"Why can't they add the correct dosage? Is it because the technology isn't up to the task, or is it because they don't know the standard radiation doses for bronze artifacts from different periods?"
"Both. It's technically impossible. As for the data, the previously vague thermoluminescence data has been constantly updated in recent years. Major museums have their own research directions, and private testing agencies like us also have our own survival strategies. No one will disclose their technology, which happens to protect the mystery of cultural relics."
Tong Zhongyuan closed his computer and walked to the windowsill. The night view outside was a vast expanse of glazed glass, and a yet-to-be-verified suspicion lingered in his mind. If it was indeed as he suspected, she would find it difficult to accept. Even more troubling, given her personality, what would she do?
"Eithans, can you hold this client back and find out his identity and background?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a second.
"What's wrong with you? What do you want to do? You know very well that anyone can forge antiques. We are just doing business, don't get into trouble."
"If you think it's dangerous to do so, you don't have to do it."
"It's not that I think this is dangerous! It's that it's dangerous in itself! Since he dared to bring out 20 fakes for identification, it means he definitely has more than that. Profits of over 300% are enough to make capital kill people, Tony. The profit from counterfeiting cultural relics is no less than that from drug trafficking! The only thing we can do is stay away from them, don't make money from them, and don't get in the way of their wealth."
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