I Will Not Worship You

After separating from Lu Liang, Li Mo strolled along the Bund alone. He only took a taxi home when the sun set.

He cooked a bowl of instant noodles with prawns, dried scallops, beef cubes, and a poached egg. With less salt, it was really delicious to drink a mouthful of soup.

Before he could finish his noodles, he received a text message from Lu Liang. There were five photos. They were probably taken in a hurry. The angles of the photos were diagonal and the focus was not clear enough.

Li Mo flipped through it. The five paintings were all pictures of flowers and birds. The seals could not be seen clearly, but he could still roughly distinguish them. He enlarged one of the paintings. It was an inscription with Chinese characters that were linked together.

"I Will Not Worship You!"

Li Mo identified it for a while and felt that it didn't look like it. This was a cursive style knowledge. He must have identified it wrongly. It was impossible for five paintings of an ordinary person to hang in a mansion worth 70 to 80 million yuan, and they were made by the same person.

He dialed his master's number and heard a loud laughter. "If you didn't call me, I would have contacted you too. What's wrong with that Boss Xu from the Palace Restaurant? He comes over every day to ask about you. From the looks of it, he insists on acknowledging you as his son-in-law."

"Hey, don't mention that nonsense. Master, I have something to ask you. Is there a famous painter in history whose inscription is 'I Will Not Worship You'?"

"I Will Not Worship You?" Liu Chuanqing thought for a while before saying, "Calligraphy and painting aren't my forte, and I've never heard of this inscription. I'll tell you when I find out later. Little Mo, did you find some calligraphy and painting again?"

"No, I just saw a few photos. Master, don't ask around, lest some people suspect that I picked up a big bargain again."

"Alright, I'll hang up then. I'm eating."

Li Mo sat on the chair and pondered for a while. Then, he found Qin Sirui's number and tried to send a message.

"Old Master Qin is a collector of calligraphy and paintings. If it's convenient, I want to ask him a question."

After waiting for about five to six minutes, Qin Sirui sent a series of numbers. She even said that this was his private cell phone and that it could not be leaked.

"Thank you."

Li Mo saved the number and called. Soon, the call was picked up. Old Master Qin's voice sounded. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, Old Master. I'm Li Mo."

"Haha, so it's Little Friend Li. You must have gotten my number from Sirui, right? You young people should contact each other more when you have time and chat. It's quite good to gather."

"Old Master, you're wise. Didn't I have something urgent to ask you?"

"You're known as the 'Golden Eyes', yet you can ask an old man like me for advice. However, Little Friend Li, I have a lot of opinions about you when you left without saying goodbye last time. I still have Su Shi's Inkstone. I promised to give it to you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Old Master Qin. Su Shi's Inkstone is still a rare item at the moment. It has a very high collection value and meaning. I'm immoral and useless. How can I dare to accept Old Master's good intentions?"

"I've already said that in the antique collection world, the capable are the masters. It has nothing to do with age. However, I'm very curious. What happened to you?"

"I encountered a painting. The seal is a little blurry, but the handwritten signature is clear. The Chinese characters looked a little like the words 'I Will Not Worship You' when placed vertically. It might also have other meanings. I'm just asking if the old master has ever encountered such a calligraphy painting."

"Little Friend, are you sure that the inscription looks like 'I Will Not Worship You'? If that's the case, that painting has a huge background. This inscription actually means 'Niu Shihui'. He's an ink painter from the end of the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty. He's good at drawing flowers and birds. You might not have heard of this person, but his brother is famous."

"Which master is it?"

"Bada Shanren."

When Li Mo heard this, he recalled the information he had seen about the Bada Shanren. He was the ninth-generation grandson of the 17th son of the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Quan. The title of Bada Shanren was used by him in his later years.

"Little Friend, compared to his brother, the Bada Shanren, Niu Shihui's style and inscriptions are shockingly similar. Many people might be confused if they only look at the images. Now, the works of the Bada Shanren are very popular on the market. I remember that one of his works was sold for more than 100 million yuan at an auction in Shanghai seven to eight years ago. Even his brother's paintings' prices have surged in recent years. I reckon that a painting now costs at least 20 to 30 million yuan."

"Old Master Qin also participated in that auction?"

"Haha, I was targeting the paintings of the Bada Shanren at that time, but I met a fierce person. That person was a rather famous financial tycoon in Shanghai. Although he retired behind the scenes, his strength was indeed unquestionable. That auction was still fresh in my memory. Not only did that person buy the paintings of the Bada Shanren, but he also bought five paintings of Niu Shihui in one go. His financial strength is astonishing."

Li Mo's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly asked, "Old Master Qin, do you still remember that person's name?"

"I did ask around after the auction. That person's surname is Shi. I forgot his name. Little Friend, did you encounter Niu Shihui's real work?" Old Master Qin raised his voice. "I've always liked calligraphy and paintings. Don't forget me when you have the chance."

"It's not even set yet. Isn't this asking you for advice?"

"Haha, looks like I'm not so old that I'm useless. I'll keep that Su Shi's Inkstone for you first. You must look for me the next time you come to the capital."

"Don't worry, I'm still thinking about your other collections. It's a pity that I didn't have the chance last time."

"It's a deal."

Li Mo hung up and observed the five photos for a moment before sending a message to Lu Liang.

"Brother Lu, what's the surname of the owner?"

It took Lu Liang a long time to reply: "I'll ask the supervisor. The owner's surname is Shi."

The information matched.

Li Mo suddenly stood up and paced around the living room. If the five paintings hanging in the study were all authentic Niu Shihui's paintings, they were worth more than 100 million yuan to begin with. They were hanging there openly, but no one noticed them.

Or perhaps those were all fakes.

The guess that they were fake should be more in line with the actual situation.

At this thought, Li Mo sat down again and patted the right side of his face. He was really stupid. He would confirm it tomorrow. Putting aside the calligraphy and paintings of "I Will Not Worship You", just the rosewood furniture in the house and the special price of the mansion were worth buying.

The house he was living in now was already very old. He also had the ability to improve his family's lives. He decided to buy that house.

"Brother Lu, I'll look for you tomorrow. Send me your address at work."

"You're not going to school? Alright, my workplace is close to the place where we met today. I'll send you my location later. Also, I just received a notice from the company that the owner of that mansion has decreased by more than three million yuan. The fixed price is 70 million yuan, and he will even pay all the taxes. Moreover, the owner even took out an additional 500,000 yuan as a reward to the intermediary. The real estate agents who received the notice went crazy. My girlfriend and I will go out to distribute flyers after dinner. What if a pie falls from the sky?"

Li Mo then called Zhu Mingcheng. The call was picked up very quickly, and his tone was very respectful.

"Good evening, Mr. Lee."

"Lawyer Zhu, I'll have a 70 million property deal tomorrow. I need your professional ability."

"I'll rush to Shanghai tonight. We'll meet tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

What a professional lawyer! Li Mo hung up the phone and went to his parents' room to find the household register. Everyone outside was crazy about this mansion. Since he had decided to get it, he should go over as soon as possible to prevent it from being snatched away by those rich people and big shots.

Lawyer Zhu's house was in a middle-class district in the capital. The food on the dining table was still steaming. He finished eating in two to three mouthfuls and said, "Honey, pack my luggage for me. I'll book the last flight to Shanghai now."

"Is it that sugar daddy's business?"

"Yes, don't ask so many questions. That person is not an ordinary person. This business will cost at least 200,000 yuan."

"It's a good sign that your law firm has such a big business right after it opened. Eat another bowl of rice while I pack."

"In the past few days, I realized that Caicai is a little strange. My daughter is in her puberty and in her rebellious stage. I hope she doesn't fall in love at a young age. As a mother, you have to be more careful."

Mrs. Zhu quickly packed his luggage and dragged it out. "That child is thoughtful. I'll pay attention. Your career has just started, so don't worry too much about family matters. I'll chat with Dad and Mom later and hear what good education methods they have."