The tomb robber duo was indeed stunned by Lin Beifan's response!
Liu Ma hummed and lowered her head shyly.
Fatty Wang widened his eyes in disbelief, "This boss, you're not mistaken are you? This auntie is actually the girlfriend of this young man? The two of them don't seem even remotely well-matched!"
"Brother, your vision is too narrow. In the face of love, race is not a problem, gender is not a problem, let alone age difference? Don't you think so?" Lin Beifan winked slyly.
"What you said makes sense!" Fatty Wang was still perplexed. "But..."
Lin Beifan leaned over and whispered conspiratorially, "Brother, let me tell you, my brother spent a lot of effort trying to catch his girlfriend!"
"What the hell did he do?" Fatty Wang's interest was piqued.
Lin Beifan whispered, "You know, just a few days ago he accidentally fell into Liu Ma's ample bosom, and then had a terrible nosebleed! I suspect he was deliberately trying to enjoy the view!"
Fatty Wang: *coughs violently*
Lin Beifan whispered again, "In less than two days, right in front of our entire company, he was chasing after her shouting 'baby' and saying all sorts of mushy love things! If it wasn't true love, how could he have such courage?"
Fatty Wang: *more coughing*
Lin Beifan went on, "In the end, being a young virile man, he couldn't stand Liu Ma's temptation any longer and almost made a mistake that men are prone to..."
Fatty Wang's brows furrowed together so tightly it must have been hard for a heavyset man!
"But fortunately...it had a happy ending!" Lin Beifan said excitedly. "Our mother Liu was finally moved by his sincerity and persistence, so she agreed to become his girlfriend, and the two walked off together despite all the rumors!"
Fatty Wang frowned deeply, "Boss, are you kidding me? Are they really together?"
"Every word is true!" Lin Beifan nodded earnestly. "I even suspect he joined my company just to pursue Liu Ma!"
Angkor came out from behind with a dark look on his face, "Mr. Lin, that's enough, we're here to buy antiques!"
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away just now!" Lin Beifan apologized.
Angkor: ...
At this point, Fatty Wang seemed to have pieced a lot together. He looked at Angkor strangely, like "Good move, buddy!"
"So that's why you suddenly went to work as a cleaner - obviously to get closer to your sweetheart. If you want to pursue a woman, pursue a woman, brother, I won't stop you! But how did you end up with...that type of woman? Were the moldy zongzi in those tombs we robbed messing with your taste?"
Angkor was deeply embarrassed by the fat man's judgmental gaze. He desperately wanted to explain it was all a misunderstanding, not what it seemed. But with everyone present, he could only plan to clarify with Fatty later.
Then, when it was time for Angkor's performance, he critiqued a few old antiques displayed in the window, speaking eloquently to showcase his extraordinary ability to discern genuine treasures.
Fatty Wang pretended to be surprised, "It seems you really are an expert!"
"Of course, my brother Wu is the most professional in this area!" Lin Beifan said proudly. "Boss, quickly take out the good pieces in your store, and let my brother appraise them!"
"Okay, honored guests, please wait a moment!"
Fatty Wang took out several exquisite boxes from the storeroom and opened them one by one.
"I can tell you..." Fatty Wang said with feigned pride, "I bought these from some old...ahem, old friends. They are all truly exceptional pieces! If it weren't for that friend's circumstances, I could never have acquired them all!"
"Stop rambling boss, and quickly show us the goods!"
"Well done!"
Fatty Wang carefully took out a calligraphy scroll from the box.
"This is one of the treasures of our store - a copybook by the Emperor Song Huizong himself!"
"I think everyone knows that although Song Huizong was not a very capable ruler, his calligraphy and painting skills were outstanding! Especially his own 'thin gold' calligraphic style, which is one of the authoritative and well-known script forms, very famous!"
"And this copybook of mine was hand-written when Song Huizong was just 26 years old! Look at the brushwork, it's well-proportioned overall, refreshing and smooth, elegant and agile, with iron strength and silver hooks - very beautiful! Song Huizong's works are highly collectible! If you like this piece, I can let it go for 30 million!"
Lin Beifan and the others appreciated it for a moment. "Yes, it's really exquisite!"
Then, Lin Beifan leaned over and asked Angkor in a low voice, "What do you think? Is it worth the price?"
Angkor said quietly, "Mr. Lin, this is just an appetizer!"
"An appetizer? It doesn't seem worthwhile then!"
"No, although it's an opener, it's still very worthwhile to start with!"
"Why?"
"Mr. Lin, this calligraphy piece is actually a later-period copy! However, the copyist was a famous artist known as Mr. Donglin, who was highly accomplished in calligraphy and painting. Moreover, he specialized in meticulously copying famous masterworks. Although not as skillful as Song Huizong, his work is still worth five or six million!"
"Mr. Lin, I suspect the boss knows this is a copy, but doesn't realize who the actual calligrapher was! If I play dumb, maybe I can acquire this piece cheaply!"
Lin Beifan patted his shoulder approvingly, "Look at you being so crafty!"
"No problem, leave it to me!"
Angkor stood up. "Boss, this calligraphy is clearly a fake copy!"
Fatty Wang pretended outrage, "How can you say that? How could this be a fake, tell me where you see that!"
"Boss, look here...here...and here..."
Angkor proceeded to point out the telltale signs of it being a reproduction, lecturing freely with complete professionalism.
His final conclusion: "So in summary, based on all the above, this Zhao calligraphy scroll is definitely a copy work, done by someone else imitating the master! Boss, I don't believe you couldn't see such obvious counterfeiting signs!"
Fatty Wang feigned admiration, "Good eye, you truly are a seasoned connoisseur, absolutely amazing!"
Angkor said slyly, "Boss, my employer really likes this calligraphy piece. Please re-quote the price - if it's reasonable, we'll buy it. No need for foolish games!"
"Okay then, I'll quote a price of 3 million! Although this copybook is technically a fake, it's an exceptionally well-executed ancient reproduction. The calligraphy skills are masterful, and it has great collection value! If you want it, 3 million is the lowest I can go!"
Fatty Wang spoke those words with feigned reluctance. A piece worth five or six million, yet only asking three million - what a huge loss!
Angkor gave Lin Beifan a subtle nod of approval.
"Good boy, I really lucked out having you here!"
Lin Beifan said something only the two of them could understand, then made a private wish silently to himself.