Li Rui asked, "What does the principal mean?"
The assistant said, "The principal doesn't mean anything. He's just curious and wants to know more."
Li Ruixin muttered to himself. Could it be that the beautiful artist was so good that she touched the principal's heart? Otherwise, why would the principal ask about these details? He then thought that the principal wanted to know the price, but he couldn't tell him the truth. Otherwise, the principal might think that the painting was worth a lot. Once he heard that it was only worth three thousand, he might look down on it. He rolled his eyes and said, "That painting was given to me by my friend. I'm not sure how much it's worth."
The assistant asked excitedly, "What's the name of your friend, Commissioner Li?"
Li Rui smiled and said, "Are you the one who wants to know, or is the principal the one who wants to know? This question involves my privacy. If it's not necessary, I won't tell anyone. "
The assistant smiled awkwardly and said, "Alright, I'll bring you to see the principal. He wants to ask you a few questions."
Li Rui said, "Oh, is the principal done with his phone call?"
The assistant said embarrassedly, "He should be done. I'll go in and take a look." After saying that, he walked to the principal's office and knocked. Without waiting for a reply, he pushed the door open and closed it behind him.
Li Rui looked at the door and sneered. Did this assistant think that he was a three-year-old child that could be easily fooled? If the principal wasn't done with his phone call, would he have the time to pay attention to the painting? He didn't even make a phone call. From the beginning to the end, he was just putting on a show of strength. He hated that they had to beg him. Otherwise, he would find an opportunity to ruthlessly mock him.
The assistant went in for less than half a minute and came out again to invite Li Rui in.
Li Rui followed him into the office and saw a man in his fifties sitting at the boss' table. He looked like a scholar. He was probably the principal of the Provincial Agricultural University. His painting was placed on his table. It was half rolled up and half spread out. It seemed that he had just finished admiring it and didn't have time to put it back.
"Principal, this is Director Li Rui from the General Office of the Qingyang Municipal Party Committee!"
The assistant introduced Li Rui to the principal and said to Li Rui, "Director Li, this is our principal, Chi Guohua, Principal Chi!"
Li Rui saw that Chi Guohua had no intention of getting up from his seat, which meant that he did not want to shake hands with him. Chi Guohua really did not care about etiquette. But he did not hate Chi Guohua because of this. Chi Guohua was a Department Leader, and it was already good enough for him to meet a Section Chief. Why did Li Rui expect him to care about etiquette? With a smile that was neither servile nor overbearing, she took the initiative to greet him. "Hello, Principal Chi. Sorry for disturbing your work!"
Chi Guohua could choose not to care about etiquette with him, but he had to treat Chi Guohua with respect. Firstly, Chi Guohua's rank was obvious. Secondly, Chi Guohua was the host, and he was the guest. Thirdly, he was here to ask for a favor. For all these reasons, he had to be polite on the surface. He did not want others to laugh at him for not knowing anything and look down on him even more.
Chi Guohua nodded perfunctorily and said, "Okay, okay. Hello. Let me ask you. You said that this painting was given to you by a friend. Under what circumstances did your friend give it to you? Was it a return gift, a debt, or something else? Can you tell me more about it? "
Li Rui had already made up a lie before, and he definitely could not change his story now. If he said that he bought it for 3,000 yuan, he would be a joke. He could only bite the bullet and continue to lie. "My friend saw that I like landscape paintings and casually gave it to me."
Chi Guohua's eyes widened and he said in disbelief, "Casually gave it to you? You … What does your friend do? Is he a collector or a big boss? "
Li Rui's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He asked in return, "Principal Chi, is this painting very valuable?"
Chi Guohua asked anxiously, "Answer my question first."
Li Rui said, "Uh, my friend is neither a collector nor a big boss. She's actually an artist, and her paintings are quite good."
Chi Guohua frowned and asked, "Oh, then what's his name? How old is he? Where is he now? "
Li Rui did not know how to answer this question, so he did not plan to answer. He asked, "Principal Chi, is this painting very valuable? You seem to care a lot about it."
Chi Guohua smiled and asked again, "When your friend gave you the painting, didn't she tell you who painted it? Did she tell you how much this painting is on the market? You just casually gave it to me? "
Li Rui pretended to be ignorant and said, "She didn't say anything, and I didn't take it seriously. Is this painting very valuable on the market?"
Chi Guohua stood up and said angrily, "You don't have to say anymore. I already know. Your friend is either a second-generation official or a second-generation rich. She doesn't know anything and treated this famous painting as an ordinary painting. She gave it to you carelessly, and you don't know anything about it either. How could you casually give it to me as a gift? Your actions of insulting a famous painting are really hateful, abominable, and lamentable! You're really infuriating! "
Li Ruiqi said, "A famous painting?" After saying that, he looked at the seal on the painting. There was no indication of the artist's identity in this painting. The only thing that could show it was the seal that was printed later on. However, it was all copied and he could not recognize what was written. Could it be the artist's name?
Chi Guohua said angrily, "This is the masterpiece of Mr. Wen Xing, one of the best landscape painters in the country. Don't you know?"
Li Rui said blankly, "Wen Xing? Wen Xing is printed on this seal? "
"Nonsense!" Chi Guohua reprimanded unhappily, "The seal is' Mountain Scholar ', which is the nickname that Mr. Wen used in his early years. However, he doesn't use it anymore. This painting is printed with this seal, which means that it is Mr. Wen's early work. The whole painting is fresh and elegant, lively and frivolous. It is also in line with the characteristics of Mr. Wen's early works. "
Li Rui was stunned. This painting was clearly painted by the little beauty with the oval face. She was also the one who stamped it. How could it be Wen Xing's early work? Was Chi Guohua's appraisal wrong, or was there something else wrong?
Chi Guohua said regretfully, "The market price of this painting is about 40 million, and you just casually gave it to me. I'm really heartbroken. How could such a painting fall into the hands of people like you who don't know anything about painting? It's such a waste of God's gift! "
Li Rui was shocked and shouted, "40 million? I … I didn't mishear, right? "
Chi Guohua snorted and said, "40 million is still considered a low price! If this painting were to be auctioned at Sotheby's in Hong Kong, it could be sold for 50 million or even higher! "
Li Rui cried out involuntarily, "How is that possible?" He thought to himself that this painting was just casually hung on the wall after the girl finished painting it. How could it be sold for 50 million?
Chi Guohua said, "How is it not possible? This is Mr. Wen's painting. His paintings are worth that much. Moreover, this painting is one of his early works. It's even more precious and unparalleled. You actually gave it to me without asking clearly. Kid, let me tell you. I'm old now and my temper is better. If I were young, I would definitely beat you up. "
Li Rui looked at him blankly. He was only recalling the details of his meeting with the beauty.
Chi Guohua waved his hand and said, "Why are you looking at me? Let me tell you. Although you gave the painting to me carelessly, I can't accept it carelessly. Take the painting back. I won't accept such an expensive painting! "
Li Rui came back to his senses and shouted, "Ah? What? You won't accept it? How can you not accept it? We only prepared this gift for this trip. You can't not accept it. You must accept this painting. Uh … You don't have to care about its value. As long as you like it, please accept it. "
Chi Guohua said angrily, "I like it. Of course I like it. But how can I accept such an expensive painting? Hurry up and put it away. Don't make me talk nonsense! "
Li Rui rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Principal Chi, did you see wrongly? This painting isn't authentic at all. It's a fake. My friend might have casually copied it. The chapter was also specially made to look cultured. In fact, the entire painting is fake. It has nothing to do with that Mr. Wen. You can accept it."
"Bullshit!"
Chi Guohua was furious and said, "Are you insulting my intelligence? Are you insulting the judgment of the dean of Shannan University's School of Art? I just asked him to appraise it. He has done a lot of research on the works of famous Chinese painters. At a glance, he can tell that this is Mr. Wen's early work. The brushwork is a little immature, but it's smart. It's less restrained and dignified than the later works. From this, we can see the detailed changes in Mr. Wen's state of mind during the process of art advancement. For a painter, it's tantamount to a vivid image and endless advanced course. "
Li Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If it weren't for the vivid action of blowing his beard and glaring his eyes, he would have thought that he was acting. He was puzzled. Who was that beauty? Why did Chi Guohua and the others think that her painting was Wen Xing's work? And the seal on the painting was also used by Wen Xing in his early days? Was she Wen Xing's student or a relative of his niece? There was only one thought in his mind, and that was to hurry back to Qingyang and ask about the true identity of that little beauty.
He composed himself and said seriously, "Principal Chi, I don't care what you say. I brought this painting today and gave it to you. You must accept it. I won't take it back. How can I bring back a gift that has been given out?"
Chi Guohua looked at him in disbelief. It was as if he was looking at an idiot.
The assistant also looked at Li Rui with a strange expression. He thought to himself, "Is this guy stupid? The principal has already pointed out the market value of this painting, but he still doesn't take it to heart. He keeps saying that he must give it away. Is his brain flooded with water? Or is his family so rich that he doesn't take this painting seriously?"
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