Old Master Bai gave Old Master Tang a cold glance.
"Don't try to intimidate me with those words. Tell me, who sent you here?"
Old Master Tang chuckled twice and twitched his fingers holding the cane.
"It was Old Zhou, the curator of Huadu Museum. I don't know where he heard the news, but he learned about this painting, 'Clouds, Rain, Mountains and Rivers.' As you know, Ye Bai's paintings are already incredibly expensive. Scarcity drives up prices. Now that this second painting has appeared in China, the authorities will definitely take some action."
Huadu Museum is a national museum, housing a number of antiques and works of art that represent the country.
Modern paintings that can be included in the Huadu Museum must be by top international artists.
Although Ye Bai only has one painting, "The Other Shore Flower," this work employs an extremely bizarre painting method and remains a subject of study for painters of all kinds and scholars who research art.
Including Mr. Tang, everyone greatly admires Ye Bai and his other works.
But apart from "The Other Shore Flower", he has never created any other works.
The appearance of "Clouds, Rain, Mountains and Rivers" in China is an excellent opportunity for official museums to establish the country's cultural image.
Old Bai wasn't surprised when he heard this.
But I really couldn't bear to give away such a good work.
“Old Bai, I know you’re not short of money or profit, but if you can give this painting to the National Museum first, it’s definitely a great opportunity to go down in history. And the price is negotiable. Old Zhou said he will definitely give it to you based on the market price of Ye Bai’s paintings.”
Old Bai pondered in silence for a while: "I need to think about this matter more carefully."
"I came to see you today on a whim. Old Zhou only came to me about this before dark, and then I rushed over here. To be honest, this painting is a last-minute solution. There's an international exhibition at the Huadu Museum tomorrow, and there was supposed to be a Teng Hongxiu painting on display as the finale. But today, this painting was mysteriously stolen, and we haven't found any trace of the culprit yet. Old Zhou is extremely worried, so I had no choice but to ask you for help."
Hearing this, Old Bai no longer hesitated.
“There will definitely be many foreign friends coming to see the international exhibition. If we don’t have a masterpiece to end with, it will damage our country’s image. So we have to bring out a decent work. Ye Bai’s works are rare and precious. In addition, the ‘Clouds, Rain, Mountains and Rivers’ painting has not been released yet. If it is exhibited in the exhibition hall tomorrow, it will definitely cause a sensation,” Lao Tang analyzed.
Old Bai remained silent for a while, then waved his hand.
"I understand. How about this, I'll discuss it with my family and give you an answer later?"
Old Tang was puzzled: "You can't make the decision? I don't know who used to brag about how high their status was at home."
"Hmph, this is called respect, don't you understand!"
Bai Lao's words were also a way of concealing his true thoughts.
Should this painting be sold to a museum, or should it go through its owner first?
"Alright then, I'll wait for you for half an hour. Old Zhou is still waiting for news at my house."
After the two left the study, Old Bai instructed Bai Kangcheng and Bai Kangyan to take good care of Old Tang.
He glanced at Bai Qianmo.
"Qianmo, come to the study with me!"
A hint of doubt flashed in Bai Qianmo's eyes.
What did the old man and Tang Lao talk about? Why did the old man call Tang Lao to the study as soon as she came out?
Curious, I followed Old Bai to the study.
Old Master Bai sat down and instructed Bai Qianmo to close the study door.
Bai Qianmo closed the door and walked to the desk.
The old man stared at her intently for a while.
It's like having an X-ray machine installed on a person, able to see right into their deepest inner structure.
"It's like this, Old Man Tang just came to me asking for something, and I'm hesitating whether or not to give it to him."
"What is that?"
Old Bai got up, took out his treasured possession from a hidden compartment, opened the box, and unfurled the scroll on the table.
"Clouds, rain, mountains, and rivers!"
Bai Qianmo's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.
After explaining Tang Lao's purpose, Bai Lao stared intently at Bai Qianmo.
What do you think?
"This painting is actually a bit lacking compared to the painting of the other shore flower. If it is exhibited at an international exhibition tomorrow, people might think that Ye Bai's level has declined?"
Good heavens, she finished this painting in just over twenty minutes, but when did she spend an entire afternoon working on the spider lily?
The contrast shouldn't be too obvious, lest people suspect it's a fake, which would really ruin Ye Bai's reputation.
She is very protective of her reputation.
Old Bai was somewhat surprised. This painting was already so exquisite, yet this girl was still being picky.
"You mean you disagree?"
Bai Qianmo nodded: "This painting is a bit embarrassing to present!"
Although Bai Qianmo never said that she was Ye Bai, the old man already knew who Ye Bai was.
But when he actually heard Bai Qianmo say that it wasn't presentable, the old man's heart trembled.
Not presentable enough?
You actually said it's not presentable?
"What can we do? The Huadu Museum symbolizes the national image. Since Director Zhou has come to us for help, if I don't help, it will damage the image of our great nation if Huadu doesn't have a final piece tomorrow."
Bai Qianmo naturally thought of this, but protecting Ye Bai's reputation was equally important.
This painting, "Clouds, Rain, Mountains and Rivers," was originally intended for use as wrapping paper, but now it's going to be displayed in a museum.
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