Chapter 89: A Picture Within a Picture!

"I make a wish: The price of the antique calligraphy and paintings I choose will skyrocket a hundredfold!"

Ding! Wish failed!

"Alright, then ninety times!"

Ding! Wish failed!

Lin Beifan continued, trying again and again.

After fifty attempts—

Ding! Wish successful!

"Fifty times?" Lin Beifan was surprised.

Back when he bought rough jadeite, the system had only allowed for a twentyfold increase, citing practical considerations. But now, it granted fifty times the value.

This suggested one thing: The value ceiling for antique calligraphy and paintings was much higher!

Lin Beifan couldn't help but feel that he was about to make a fortune.

With a smile, he turned to Angkor. "Brother Wu, are you sure this is the antique calligraphy and painting you picked for me?"

Angkor immediately nodded enthusiastically. "Mr. Lin, buy it! Trust me, you won't lose a cent!"

"Brother, with your words, I'm relieved!" Lin Beifan readily took out his bank card and completed the purchase.

With that, the calligraphy and painting officially belonged to him.

Just then, an elderly man with white hair but a sharp, energetic demeanor entered the store, supported by several people.

Fatty Wang's eyes lit up in delight. "Elder Sun, you're here!"

"You, Fatty, finally willing to take out something good today?" The old man, Sun Zhou, laughed heartily.

"It's not every day we have an expert visit!" Fatty Wang chuckled.

Song Yuqing asked curiously, "Who is this?"

Fatty Wang immediately introduced him. "His name is Sun Zhou, but everyone calls him Elder Sun. He's a billionaire entrepreneur and a highly respected collector. His private collection is truly astounding!"

Fatty Wang then enthusiastically gestured toward the calligraphy. "Elder Sun, come take a look. Let me know what you think!"

Fatty Wang was thrilled.

He had initially been unhappy about selling the piece to Lin Beifan at a loss. Every penny less felt like cutting flesh from his own body.

But now, Elder Sun was here.

If he took an interest in the piece and competed with Lin Beifan for it, perhaps Fatty Wang could recover some of his losses—or even make a profit.

However, Elder Sun ignored Fatty Wang and instead focused on the calligraphy in Lin Beifan's hands. He smiled and asked, "Young man, may I take a look at what you bought?"

"Of course, no problem!" Lin Beifan handed over the copybook.

Elder Sun was very meticulous. First, he put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, then carefully donned disposable gloves before handling the copybook. Under the light, he examined it closely.

"Song Huizong's Thin Gold Script… Hmm! A pity, it's a waist product!" Elder Sun shook his head.

He then asked, "Young man, how much did you pay for this copybook?"

Lin Beifan held up three fingers. "Three million!"

"Three million? Hahaha… you've made a fortune!" Elder Sun burst into laughter.

"Although this is a waist product, it was copied by the famous ancient calligrapher, Mr. Donglin! He was renowned for replicating works of calligraphy masters, often to the point where they were indistinguishable from the originals. He is well-known in the collecting world! If you resell this, you can easily make two to three million in profit!"

Lin Beifan's group was instantly thrilled.

"I can flip it immediately and earn two to three million? What an easy profit!"

"Making money this fast is unreal!"

Only Lin Beifan remained composed.

Elder Sun's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. "Young man, you seem very calm. Did you already notice this before?"

Lin Beifan shook his head and gestured toward Angkor.

"It wasn't me who noticed—it was my brother, Wu! He had already determined that this was a waist product and identified it as Mr. Donglin's work, which aligns perfectly with your evaluation, Elder Sun!"

Elder Sun looked at Angkor with admiration. "I didn't expect a young man like you to have such expertise. Impressive!"

Lin Beifan also praised him. "Brother Wu is truly talented! Not only is he skilled, but he's also a man of integrity—loyal and trustworthy! One of the few people I trust completely!"

"Elder Sun, President Lin, you flatter me!" Angkor was overjoyed.

His efforts today had truly earned Lin Beifan's appreciation.

Even though he had lost out on a couple million, it was worth it!

At that moment, Elder Sun turned to Fatty Wang with a teasing smile. "I never expected a shrewd businessman like you to miss something like this!"

Fatty Wang forced a bitter smile. "No one can win all the time, right?"

"That's true!" Elder Sun nodded and continued to examine the copybook.

Suddenly, his expression changed. "Wait! What's this?"

He leaned in closer, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"There's another layer! This copybook has a hidden layer!"

"Elder Sun, what did you say?"

"You found something?"

"Look!" Elder Sun pointed at a specific area on the copybook.

"When I shone the light on this spot, I noticed a faint curl and some ghosting marks! Based on my years of experience, this painting has an interlayer!"

"If there's an interlayer, that means... there's a picture within a picture!"

"A picture within a picture?" The crowd was puzzled.

Elder Sun excitedly explained, "In ancient times, wars were frequent, people were displaced, and valuable calligraphy and paintings were easily lost. To protect them, scholars and calligraphers developed a method—a picture within a picture!

"They would use a fake painting as a cover, hiding the real one underneath. This way, the real artwork would be preserved and protected by the fake one!"

Everyone finally understood.

This meant that the outer painting was fake, but inside, there might be a genuine masterpiece hidden away.

Fatty Wang and Angkor suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Elder Sun turned to Lin Beifan, his voice filled with excitement. "Young man, I have studied this technique extensively. I can carefully remove the interlayer and extract the hidden painting intact. Would you like me to give it a try?"

"Elder Sun, please! I'd love to see what's inside!" Lin Beifan grinned.

"Thank you! I'll begin immediately!" Elder Sun was eager to start.

He quickly instructed his assistants to retrieve the necessary tools from his home.

About fifteen minutes later, they returned with the equipment.

With expert precision, Elder Sun worked carefully, extracting the hidden painting layer by layer.

Twenty minutes later, the two paintings finally separated.

As the true artwork was revealed, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone gasped in shock.

"This is…!"