Lin Chengyu's expression turned serious, and she replied in a low voice, "And you? Why did you suddenly come to Guangzhou without saying a word? If someone keeps an eye on you and discovers the function of the Tang Sancai pottery, or if someone discovers your ring space, what will happen then?!"
His eyes were filled with worry and tension, and his hands clenched unconsciously, as if he was worried that something terrible would happen.
"I... I was just worried about you! Don't worry, I told Shi Tou not to tell anyone else that I've been to Guangzhou. Tomorrow morning, you can send someone to take me back to Hong Kong. I won't appear in front of too many people."
Song Ziqing felt that if she appeared less in the public eye, people would pay less attention to her.
"Okay, let's go back to sleep. Tomorrow morning I'll have Stone and the others escort you directly back to Hong Kong by boat. Our company has several ships at the pier that are going back to Hong Kong to continue hauling machinery."
Lin Chengyu could no longer allow Song Ziqing to use Tang Sancai to return to Hong Kong. This time, if he wasn't careful, his wife would make a mistake. Just thinking about it made him realize that he couldn't afford to be too far away from her.
Otherwise, this young lady could disappear without a trace. With ten Tang tri-colored pottery pieces, she could travel to ten different cities at any time. Just thinking about it makes one feel that these Tang tri-colored pottery pieces are truly magical.
"So your conflict with them has been resolved, right? What exactly happened?"
"It's been resolved. Our shipping company recently went to great lengths to help the mainland government procure a batch of advanced foreign machinery, and we thought we could successfully complete this big deal."
Unexpectedly, we encountered some arrogant individuals who actually attempted to intercept the machines. This was truly unforeseen!
All I could do while I was in Hong Kong was to call relevant government officials in mainland China, hoping they could quickly resolve their internal problems.
The current power struggles within the mainland government are rather chaotic, which I find quite frustrating. It seems now is not the best time to enter the mainland market. From now on, I'll leave all mainland business to my subordinates.”
After all, they are more familiar with the local situation.
They should seize the opportunity presented by the relatively underdeveloped economies of various countries and vigorously develop their businesses in those countries; this would be the wisest choice.
"For the next two years, you should focus on consolidating your business and connections in Hong Kong, while I'll focus on my painting. I'm heading back to Hong Kong tomorrow morning."
I have to see Professor Jones again tomorrow. He thinks highly of me; he thinks I have a great idea for incorporating the aesthetic beauty of traditional Chinese painting into oil painting.
Song Ziqing listened to Lin Chengyu's words and agreed.
It was still the 1960s, and the Four Asian Tigers of Hong Kong and even the whole of Asia had not yet taken off. They could have taken the opportunity to expand the Song Lin Group and their other industries to various regions and countries.
"Professor Jones is a good person. Although he is quite old, he still has a childlike innocence. Such a professor is really good."
If you have the chance, you could absolutely become his student. I've done some research on him; he has exceptional artistic talent in the European and American oil painting world. His works will remain highly valuable in the future, although he hasn't been particularly prolific.
Lin Chengyu had previously been introduced by Song Ziqing to Professor Jones, and they had dined together several times. Although the professor looked thin, he shared the same hobby as Song Ziqing: food!
The couple now owns a private restaurant in Hong Kong called Heung Man Yuen.
Although the name of this restaurant is ordinary, it contains a variety of delicacies from the eight major Chinese cuisines, and anyone who has been there will become a repeat customer.
Like many others, Jones unexpectedly developed a liking for Sichuan cuisine. This strongly flavored food both fascinated and frightened him, as if he were addicted.
"Yes, I understand. I've actually been thinking of asking Jones to be my teacher. But it would be better if he took the initiative to suggest it; it's not good to be too eager."
"Oh, right, there's actually another thing I wanted to talk about. I own a few antique shops, and I recently acquired an old painting, but I'm not sure if it's genuine. You've studied painting, so you could help me take a look." Song Ziqing suddenly remembered this.
"Oh? Let me see it." Lin Chengyu was very interested in this.
Song Ziqing took out a scroll from the ring space and carefully unfolded it. It was a painting by Tang Bohu.
Lin Chengyu carefully examined the painting, his brows gradually furrowing. "This painting..."
"What's wrong?" Song Ziqing asked anxiously.
“This painting is fake.” Lin Chengyu pointed to a detail in the painting, “Look at the brushstrokes here, and the colors are not in Tang Bohu’s style, and here…”
After hearing this, Song Ziqing was somewhat disappointed. "Sigh, it seems I've been fooled again."
"It's alright, just consider it a lesson learned. Be more careful next time you receive goods," Lin Chengyu comforted him.
"Okay, I understand." Song Ziqing nodded.
Song Ziqing opened an antique shop in Hong Kong to collect some rare antiques, especially calligraphy and paintings, which she genuinely loved. She wanted to find someone to help her collect the calligraphy and paintings, and also to have professionals help her maintain them.
Among antiques, calligraphy and paintings are the most difficult to preserve. They can easily get damp or infested with insects if you're not careful. Just thinking about it, she felt that it was best to keep them in her ring.
The calligraphy and paintings she had collected in China had been stored in the ring's storage space for several years without changing at all.
"But don't be discouraged. That's how collecting is. There are genuine items and fakes."
Lin Chengyu gently patted Song Ziqing's hand, "Moreover, although this painting is fake, its imitation technique is no worse than the original. It is also an imitation by a master from the Ming and Song dynasties."
Song Ziqing nodded and carefully put the scroll away again.
"By the way, didn't you say you were going to see Professor Jones tomorrow? Take this painting with you and show it to him. Maybe he can give you some more professional advice," Lin Chengyu suggested.
"Great idea!" Song Ziqing's eyes lit up. "How come I didn't think of that? Professor Jones has seen so many famous paintings, but most of them are oil paintings. Let him see our country's traditional paintings and let him know that even imitations are good works."
The two chatted for a while longer before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, as planned, Lin Chengyu arranged for several of his security personnel to escort Song Ziqing back to Hong Kong.
Even the security manager, Roger, accompanied Song Ziqing and escorted her back to Hong Kong.
Roger was also puzzled by Song Ziqing's sudden appearance in Guangzhou. However, he had one advantage: he wasn't very curious. He always followed Lin Chengyu's lead and wouldn't do anything he didn't want to do.
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