"Yu Wan, you little rascal, joining in the fun again."
Ye Jingyi reached out and patted Ye Yùwán’s head; in the family, she was her favorite cousin.
"Cousin, impressive! You’ve got great taste, picking such an amazing husband. I approve of this cousin-in-law," Ye Yùwán said with a chuckle, looking at Ye Jingyi.
Ye Jingyi glanced at Jiang Chen and smiled without responding.
To one side, Ye Jianxiong and others pursed their lips and didn’t interfere with the younger generation’s affairs, while Ye Tiānmíng was so angry that he turned and walked away.
In the midst of the casual talk, soon, the birthday boy Elder Ye and the old lady ca out, and the birthday banquet officially started.
"Grandpa, Grandma, these are pearls I brought from Shānhú Hǎi, hoping you both shine as brightly as these pearls!"
"Dad, this is sothing I brought from..."
"Dad..."
The Ye Family mbers all began to present gifts, one after another, each more valuable than the last.
Before long, it was Ye Jingyi’s family’s turn.
Ye Jianxiong presented a gift on behalf of Zhou Ru; Wang Dongyang and Ye Yanni gave their gift together, and Ye Jingyi also presented hers.
Seeing the situation, Ye Tiānmíng’s eyes darted around, and he looked at Jiang Chen with mockery, "Jiang Chen, why is it only Jing Yi presenting a gift? Where’s yours? Don’t tell you can’t afford to buy one?"
Ye Jingyi quickly stepped forward, "Jiang Chen and I are husband and wife, so it’s the sa as a single gift."
The crowd imdiately laughed, thinking that this wasn’t a matter of being a couple, but of being poor.
But at this mont, Jiang Chen stood up, "I have a gift."
Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Jiang Chen took out the painting and opened it in front of Elder Ye, "Grandpa, my gift is the Painting of Longevity, wishing you fortune as boundless as the East Sea and a life longer than the southern mountains!"
"This is... a fine painting! A truly fine painting!" Elder Ye’s eyes lit up, staring intently at the painting in Jiang Chen’s hands.
"Indeed, a fine painting!"
"That painting doesn’t co cheap!"
"Must be worth at least ten or eight million, right?"
"How could soone like Jiang Chen afford it?"
The Ye Family mbers all shouted in amazent.
This shocked even Ye Jingyi and her family.
Huh? Ye Tiānmíng paused for a mont. Wasn’t this the fake painting I saw yesterday?
After a closer look, Ye Tiānmíng imdiately slapped his thigh and burst out laughing, "Ha ha! Ha ha..."
The mbers of the Ye Family were stunned, looking at Ye Tiānmíng in confusion.
Ye Jianchang frowned and asked, "Tiānmíng, what are you laughing at?"
"This painting is a fake!"
Pointing at the painting in Jiang Chen’s hands, Ye Tiānmíng confidently proclaid, "The brushwork is indeed exquisite, and the ink is delicate, but even though the painting appears old, it’s clear that it has been artificially aged. Especially if you look closely at this signature, heh, it’s definitely not the script of the Wei or Jin dynasties, far too obvious."
Ye Tiānmíng directly repeated what Jiang Chen had said in the painting store yesterday.
After finishing, he lifted his head proudly, waiting to be praised.
The Ye Family mbers were taken aback, feeling that what Ye Tiānmíng said made sense and were quite surprised.
Elder Ye, hearing this, scrutinized the painting carefully and then nodded, laughing, "Good, good, good, Tiānmíng has sharp eyes indeed! The painting truly is a fake."
Elder Ye was a collector of great renown with an exceptional eye, so upon hearing this, the Ye Family mbers were in an uproar.
"Really, it’s a fake!"
"My goodness, Ye Jianxiong, this son-in-law brought a fake painting to a birthday celebration?"
"Shaless indeed! To bring a fake painting and deserve being a son-in-law who married into the family!"
"Ye Jianxiong’s family is going to lose all face because of him!"
The Ye Family mbers all began to look down on Jiang Chen with disdain.
Ye Jianxiong, his face flushed red with anger, pointed at Jiang Chen’s nose and exploded, "What’s the matter with you? Even the gift you bring is a fake? Is there anything about you that’s real?"
Zhou Ru was even more livid as she scolded, "You bastard! You really bring sha to our family!"
Ye Jingyi was also furious, and she scolded with disappointed rage, "Jiang Chen, I’ve already told you, my bringing a gift was enough, why didn’t you listen? Insisting on pretending to know what you don’t understand! Buying so ancient painting, and now look at you, your face has been slapped by this fake, aren’t you ashad!"
Wang Dongyang and Ye Yanni, however, were hiding on the side, watching the excitent and taking pleasure in Jiang Chen’s misfortune.
Confronted with everyone’s accusations, Jiang Chen remained calm and collected. He glanced at the crowd and said indifferently, "Yes, this painting is a fake, and I’m aware of it."
"What?"
"He knew?"
"What does that an?"
"So, he deliberately brought a fake painting to deceive us?"
The crowd of the Ye Family imdiately exploded in anger, all of them looking at Jiang Chen with rage.
Ye Tianming, who was never willing to pass on the opportunity to press an advantage, glared at him with even more pleasure, "Alright, you knew it was a fake, so you intentionally brought a fake painting for Grandpa’s birthday celebration?"
Jiang Chen nodded, "I did it on purpose, but not to deceive Grandpa with a fake painting. There’s more to this painting than ets the eye."
He reached out and took the painting from Elder Ye’s hands. He rubbed the edge of the painting and gently peeled off a layer of paper.
"This... a painting within a painting?!"
Grandpa Ye was stunned!
The rest of the Ye Family were also looking at Jiang Chen in surprise and disbelief.
"Back in the chaotic tis of the previous dynasty, collectors often covered their valuable paintings with a counterfeit to preserve the original. This painting is just like that."
After explaining a bit, Jiang Chen glanced at the painting, then turned his head to bow respectfully to Grandpa Ye, "Grandpa, this inner painting is the real ’Painting of Longevity.’ I wish you longevity without bound, and a long life of a hundred years!"
Upon receiving the real painting and examining it closely, Grandpa Ye laughed heartily, "It is real, I never expected this! This genuine piece is probably worth thirty to forty million, unbelievable."
Hearing this, the Ye Family was shocked once more.
"There really was sothing special hidden within it!"
"I didn’t expect the son-in-law of the Ye Jianxiong family to be so impressive."
"The ’Painting of Longevity’ for a birthday, and a hidden painting within a painting, what an auspicious aning."
"And it’s a genuine piece. Even Elder Ye said it, thirty to forty million, it’s so precious."
A chorus of admiration ensued.
Even Ye Jianxiong and those who had just blushed with sha now lit up with excitent—this was a boost to their prestige.
Elder Ye himself was extrely excited, looking at Jiang Chen and nodding repeatedly, "Good good good, Jiang Chen, you’ve shown great consideration!"
"This is mine, he stole it from my hands!" Ye Tianming, with red eyes and in a fit of rage, shouted, "Jiang Chen, you did this on purpose! That painting was originally the one I was interested in. It was you in the shop who called it a forgery, using the very argunt about paper and ink you just used. You convinced to reject it. Oh, so you intended to steal my painting!"
Upon hearing this, the Ye Family mbers were stunned.
"Hmm? So the things Tian Ming ntioned earlier ca from Jiang Chen?"
"So, that’s how it is. And here I thought Tian Ming had beco quite knowledgeable!"
"Right, I also thought that Tian Ming’s knowledge had grown deeper. So it was like this!"
The Ye Family mbers then realized that their earlier impressions of Tian Ming’s professional explanations had actually co from Jiang Chen.
However, the Ye Family quickly ca to their senses and imdiately turned to bla Jiang Chen.
"That’s not right, Jiang Chen stole Tian Ming’s painting."
"Pretending to be nice, just to steal from Tian Ming, how sly."
"Indeed, seeking attention at the expense of his own family mbers! What a despicable thing to do!"
Elder Ye, however, raised his hand to quiet them and asked Jiang Chen, "About this, how do you explain?"
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