Chapter 69: Another Strange Encounter

  The entire auction lasted for four hours, with all 22 items being sold, and the organizer became the biggest winner.

  Although Quwen didn't take any photos, it can't be said that he gained nothing. Previously, he couldn't absorb the spiritual energy, which was enough to make his spiritual awareness and divine power increase greatly. The only thing that pained him was that he wasn't able to take a photo of the Dehua Huang glaze straight-mouthed plate. As for promising Xiong Wu's matter, he also didn't have the heart to care about it anymore. If there isn't something he likes, how can he be forced to buy it? If anything is to be blamed, it can only be blamed on Xiong Wu's bad luck.

  As he walked out of the farm and received his mobile phone, he met Zhao Mengzhi, who had once regarded him as a promising young man. However, at this time, Zhao Mengzhi's eyes were filled with contempt, but Qu Wen just passed by without understanding.

  "Director Zhao is going back, can I borrow some of your time?"

  The auction incident made Zhao Mengzhi very dissatisfied. Before this, the two parties had no intersection at all, so they didn't fear offending anyone. He snorted and said directly: "Brother Qu, you previously reminded me not to buy that pair of yellow glaze straight-mouthed plates, but you yourself bid for them with such enthusiasm, I don't know what your intention is!"

  No wonder I felt that Zhao Mengzhi's attitude was greatly different from before, it turns out it was because of this. Previously hinting to the other party not to buy, and then constantly raising the price himself, anyone would think they were being played.

  Qu Wen smiled helplessly: "This matter can't be explained clearly for the time being, why don't we find a place to sit down first, eat and talk while we're at it, just consider it an opportunity for me to explain."

  Zhao Mengzhi, after all, is a person who has been in the business world for many years. Not liking someone is one thing, but he absolutely wouldn't kill someone with one blow. Since Qu Wen is willing to explain, it's better to listen to his account, perhaps there are other hidden circumstances and he mistakenly wronged a good person.

  An hour later, several people came to a restaurant called Jiuzi Xiangla Guan on Quwen Road, and also informed Weidong to go together.

  Since Zhao Meng and his companions were from Sichuan, while Qu Wen and He Dan were from Guangxi, all four of them could eat spicy food, so the dishes they ordered were mainly flavored with fragrant spiciness.

  As soon as he sat down at the table, Zhao Mengzhi said coldly: "Brother Qu, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. If there's nothing special, I want to go check if the things I bought today are delivered to the car."

  Qu Wen couldn't help but mock himself in his heart, thinking that he was really looking for trouble by trying to please others. However, since everyone had already arrived, it would be difficult to maintain the conversation without explaining the purpose of this meeting first.

  "Isn't it strange, Director Zhao? I hinted to you at the meeting that you shouldn't buy that yellow glaze straight-mouthed plate, but you bid for it so enthusiastically."

  Zhao Mengzhi didn't say a word, only letting out a deep "hmm" and crossed his arms, waiting for Qu Wen's explanation.

  Facing Zhao Meng's slightly displeased expression, Qu Wen smiled faintly: "If I said that the yellow glaze straight-mouthed plate is a high-imitation product with an extremely high imitation degree, and I am willing to pay a high price to buy it back just to study its imitation method, I don't know if President Zhao believes it or not."

  Zhao Mengzhi heard this and didn't respond, staring fixedly at Qu Wen, because relying solely on these words was hardly convincing.

  Qu Wen paused for a moment and then continued: "The reason I'm so sure that the yellow glaze straight-mouthed plate is a high-quality imitation is because I've seen other high-quality imitations of Ming Qinghua with the same manufacturing method. Although their shapes and appearances are different, they all have one common characteristic, which is that the materials used have extremely minor deviations from those of genuine products. If you take it to a professional institution for testing, they can detect that the elemental composition on top is made of modern materials."

  The words sound reasonable, but the evidence is not very sufficient. According to what he said, his eyesight has reached the level of professional detection instruments and can see the elemental composition on antiques at a glance.

  "Qu Brother, don't you think what you're saying is a bit too mysterious?" Zhao Meng finally spoke up, his tone carrying obvious ridicule.

  Qu Wen scratched his head, and he himself felt a bit ridiculous saying this, but the fact was that he couldn't come up with a better reason for the time being. He couldn't just tell others that he actually had a special ability to distinguish between genuine and fake antiques at a glance. If he said that, others would probably be even more unbelievable.

  "I know this sounds unbelievable, but a similar fake Qinghua porcelain was sold at another regular auction house after deceiving multiple appraisers. However, the buyer of the Qinghua porcelain brought it back to Beijing and asked an expert for appraisal, and the result turned out to be just as I said."

  "Oh, I don't know who took the high imitation of Qinghua porcelain back, and in the end, it was Master who helped to identify the fake?" Seeing Qu Wen's serious and sincere expression, Zhao Mengzhi began to believe a little.

  "I can't reveal the name of the person who returned the high imitation Qinghua porcelain, but I can tell you that his surname is Zhang and he's the boss of a listed company. The master who appraised the fake was named He Haoshi. For some reason, that piece of high imitation Qinghua porcelain was given to me in the end."

  Qu Wen did not want to reveal the buyer's name, and naturally he had his reasons. In this line of work, no matter who buys a fake product, it is considered a very embarrassing thing, unless they are very good friends, otherwise they will never speak out randomly. Since everyone is like this, as an insider, Qu Wen cannot afford to talk nonsense.

  In 2003, there were only over a thousand listed companies nationwide. With the surname Zhang and living in Beijing, it's not hard to guess after some thought, even if it's not correct, it won't be far off. Moreover, He Haoshi's name is renowned in the appraisal industry, along with Gu Quan from the south, they are known as the northern and southern masters of appraisal. Since he was the first to discover it, it's likely to be genuine.

  Zhao Mengzhi involuntarily took a cold breath, and Qu Wen's ability to get along with these two people showed that his personal relationships and background were not simple.

  He thought for a moment, at the auction site with so many people, why did Qu Wen remind him alone. If he really wanted to monopolize the Huang Yu straight mouth plate, he should have spoken badly in front of everyone, rather than reminding him privately.

  Zhao Meng's face involuntarily turned red, and he smiled awkwardly at Qu Wen: "Brother Qu, this...this...I was wrong to suspect you, mistaking kindness for a donkey's liver...This meal is on me, order whatever you want, don't be polite, consider it my apology."

  In Qu Wen's eyes, apart from men and women, there are only friends and enemies. Since they were friends, he would never blame the other party. He smiled: "Let Zhao call me Awen, it sounds pleasant to hear, but since Zhao insisted on treating me, I won't be polite."

  As soon as he heard Qu Wen's words, he knew that he was not angry. Zhao Meng's nervous heart slightly fell, and when he looked at Qu Wen again, he felt even more pleasing to the eye than in the meeting room.

  "No need to be polite, I should have said it at the meeting hall. This meal was originally supposed to be on me. If you don't mind, just call me Zhao Ge or Old Zhao. If it weren't for you, I would have lost big time today. To be honest, I had planned to bid on that yellow glaze straight-mouthed plate."

  Earlier at the auction, Zhao Haifeng had been puzzled as to why Qu Wen and Tao Jingying were fighting tooth and nail over a yellow glaze straight-mouthed plate. But Qu Wen's mood didn't seem very good at the time, so he didn't ask any more questions. It wasn't until they arrived at the restaurant and heard the two of them clarify their conversation that he finally understood the ins and outs of the situation.

  "A Wen, I remember that Qinghua piece from last time. If what you said is true, wouldn't that mean there's a super master forger of antique porcelain among the folk?"

  Although he had never met the person, Qu Wen had indirectly interacted with him twice before. His spiritual awareness and divine sense would always be repelled by the strange aura on the high-imitation porcelain, which only increased his curiosity about the other party.

  "Being able to replicate something to this extent, it can no longer be called a counterfeit, and it's not an exaggeration to call it a work of art. If I had the chance, I really want to meet that person, which is also why I invited Zhao Ge over."

  Zhao Mengzhi heard and showed a surprised expression. He didn't know the person who made the fake, so he couldn't understand what Qu Wen's words meant.

  "A Wen, I don't know anyone who makes counterfeit goods, big brother can't help you with this."

  Qu Wen smiled and said, "Of course I know that. I asked you to come because I want to ask for your help. Can you help me get in touch with the organizers of this auction? That way, I might be able to find out where the Huang Yu Zhikou plate came from and what clues it holds."

  Qu Wen originally wanted to ask Xiong Wu for help, but his position seemed too low to talk about. On the other hand, Zhao Mengzhi was a special guest at the auction, and he must have known higher-ups, so asking him for help would be better.

  Zhao Mengzhi's ability to appreciate antiques is not high, but he is a powerful buyer. In recent years, he has made multiple purchases at large and small auctions across the country, so he is regarded as a VIP by major auction houses.

  This time's underground auction, the organizer sent an invitation to Zhao Meng early and arranged for a special person to receive him, so Zhao Meng also got to know one or two high-level officials of the organizer.

  "Alright, I'll introduce you, but be careful since the other person has a special identity."

  Everyone, please collect and vote, it's not enough. The last time the common people finally made it to Sanjiang, but the results were really bad. Hope you can spare a moment to collect and vote after reading this.

  There will be an update later tonight.