Chapter Three: Seizing an Opportunity with the Lin Family

"Qin Feng, stop causing trouble here and tarnishing the reputation of my antique shop, or I’ll sue you!" Huang Dachuan glared fiercely at Qin Feng.

He was truly furious, for this was his opportunity to connect with the Lin family. If he could win Miss Lin’s favor, board the express train of the Lin family, his antique shop would surely enjoy unprecedented growth in the future!

He absolutely did not want Qin Feng to ruin such a golden chance.

Beside him, Chen Songbai frowned, saying nothing but showing clear displeasure. Qin Feng’s words were a slap in his face; after all, he had decades of experience in appraising treasures, never once making a mistake. This time would be no exception.

He believed this young man obviously had a grudge against Huang Dachuan and was lying just to seek revenge. But dragging him into this was utterly unacceptable—it was an attack on his own reputation.

"Master Chen, this..." Lin Wanting hesitated, looking at Chen Songbai.

Chen Songbai snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "Miss Lin, please rest assured. I have examined the piece carefully. It is indeed an official kiln porcelain from the Song Dynasty, a royal treasure, priceless in value."

Mindful of his own status, Chen Songbai did not directly rebuke Qin Feng, but his words overflowed with dissatisfaction.

Hearing this, Lin Wanting no longer hesitated, ready to make her purchase. After all, she would rather trust Master Chen than a stranger.

"The body color of Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain is mostly gray-black or deep gray, forming purple rims and iron feet; the glaze is thick and lustrous, with a jade-like quality. Moreover, the fine lines between the jade-like crackles are called ox-hair patterns..." Qin Feng spoke up then, confidently and eloquently.

"Young man, I admit what you’ve said is correct, but where does this porcelain not match? Please point it out, so that I too may learn," Chen Songbai could no longer hold back and interrupted Qin Feng, his voice brimming with displeasure.

He conceded that Qin Feng’s descriptions were accurate, but he had already examined all those aspects and found nothing amiss!

This young man was being unreasonable. If he could not give a clear answer, Chen Songbai would make sure he learned the consequences of such behavior. After all, he had deep connections in the appraisal world; if he wished, he could easily make someone unwelcome in Jianghai City.

"However, the foot of Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain is relatively rough, while Qing Dynasty imitations are more refined—a detail easily overlooked. Furthermore, although this body color appears purple-black, if you look closely, there’s a faint grayish halo around the purple-black, leaving no doubt this is a Qing Dynasty imitation," Qin Feng continued, his face full of confidence.

As soon as Qin Feng mentioned the foot, Chen Songbai strode to the porcelain, donned gloves, and carefully turned it over for inspection.

He had to admit, after checking the other features, he had not paid much attention to the foot, merely glancing and assuming it was Song Dynasty.

Chen Songbai examined the base and then the body color, spending over half an hour before finally raising his head, his eyes filled with shame.

"Miss Lin, I apologize. I misjudged this time. If not for this young man, I would have made a grave mistake!" Chen Songbai took a deep breath and spoke.

In truth, the imitation was so successful that even the foot was remarkably similar, but with careful scrutiny, the differences from Song Dynasty were significant.

"Sir, may I ask your name? Thank you for pointing out my error. I was arrogant just now, and I hope you won’t mind," Chen Songbai walked up to Qin Feng and bowed deeply.

Everyone was stunned, unable to react.

"Master, please, you’re too kind. Do stand up. My name is Qin Feng," Qin Feng hurried to help the old man up, his respect for Chen Songbai soaring.

He hadn’t expected the old master to humble himself and apologize—such character was truly the mark of a grandmaster!

Lin Wanting’s beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. She had thought Qin Feng was merely showing off to attract her attention, but he genuinely understood the art of appraisal.

Soon, her gaze turned icy cold as she looked at Huang Dachuan and said, "Mr. Huang, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

Huang Dachuan panicked, struggling to defend himself, his heart filled with hatred for Qin Feng.

He had spent ten million on this porcelain, had it appraised by several experts, all of whom found nothing wrong, waiting for today to sell it to Lin Wanting for a hefty profit and secure his connection to the Lin family.

Yet Qin Feng had ruined everything. In his mind, even if it was an imitation, the fact that so many appraisers and Master Chen failed to detect it meant the imitation was excellent. As long as no one exposed it, it was as good as genuine!

But now that Qin Feng had exposed it, he was clear-eyed: Qing Dynasty imitations were worth at most a few hundred thousand, while he had spent ten million—a huge loss!

Moreover, with customers present, photos had already been taken; this meant his chances of selling the imitation in the future were slim.

"I will investigate this matter," Lin Wanting said coldly, her eyes flashing with frost.

If it was mere coincidence, so be it. But if someone had orchestrated this...

Her grandfather was deeply knowledgeable in Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain and had a genuine passion for it. If she brought him an imitation and he discovered it, she dared not imagine the consequences.

"Mr. Huang, fortunately I revealed this imitation. Otherwise, once it was sold and the buyer returned, you’d face even greater trouble!"

"Seeing as I’ve saved you from such a big problem, why not settle my wages for the past twenty days?" Qin Feng patted Huang Dachuan’s shoulder, his expression kindly, as if truly helping him out.

He wore a benevolent smile, as if Lin Wanting would pay his wage once she left. But inside, he cursed—he had lost nearly ten million, ruined his standing with Miss Lin, and now Qin Feng expected payment?

Dream on!

"Mr. Huang, how about this? Instead of my wages, I’ll simply pick an antique from your shop of equivalent value. What do you say?" Qin Feng said, clearly anticipating Huang Dachuan’s reluctance.