Master of Ink Painting
“Miss Hill, are you planning to protect SQ’s beloved artwork for her?” Somebody joked.
Tiana smiled faintly. “This painting has always been one of my teacher’s favorites. Not only will I put the
old lady in a good mood if I purchase this and bring it back, but I can also perform charity at the same
time. So, why not do it?”
“Miss Hill, you sure are attentive.”
“That’s right. You are so considerate. It’s no wonder that you are the only one whom SQ favors!”
“You are praising me too much.” She lowered her head humbly.
Elise raised an eyebrow at those words, feeling rather annoyed. The old woman? I’ve only been married
for less than a month. I’m at the peak of my youth! When did I become an old woman!? My painting has
no reason to fall in the hands of others either.
“Two million.” Her voice rang out like the toll of a bell in the morning, seeming to awaken all the people
who were immersed in flattering Tiana.
Joey gasped at those words. She turned to the side and looked at Elise. “Why did you say no when I
offered to buy it for you just now?”
Elise shrugged nonchalantly and looked innocent. “I never said that.”
While she spoke, she parted the crowd and walked to the position closest to the cordon, where she
stood side by side with Tiana.
“I apologize, Miss Hill. I’ve had my eye on this painting for a while now. I’m afraid I can’t surrender it to
you so easily.”
“That’s right, Tiana. You can pick a different painting and put the cost on my tab.” Joey came over on her
own and observed Tiana with a wary look. Isn’t she that first-ranker who was manipulating the votes last
night? Besides, her disposition is much worse compared to Elise when I look at her in person!
The smile on Tiana’s face faded considerably, but she continued to smile. It’s Elise again. Just what
grudges do I have against this woman in my past life that I keep running into her everywhere!?
All of SQ’s artwork has room for value appreciation. If she bought this painting, it would only bring her a
steady profit over time. Moreover, she could create a good reputation for herself by preserving her
teacher’s artwork. Every move she made had been well-planned, but trouble just had to appear out of
nowhere.
Although she could raise the price a little more, the other party had already mentioned that they first had
their eye on this painting. Therefore, it would be disgraceful if she insisted on increasing the bidding price
any further.
In this case, her reputation and demeanor were much more practical than the money she spent.
“No need.” She composed her emotions and gently said, “A gentleman does not snatch another’s
beloved. Besides, the principle of ‘first come, first served’ stands in all matters. I would also like to thank
the two of you for your generosity in buying the works of my teacher.”
Her remarks were utterly foolproof. Not only did those words highlight her tolerance, but they also
allowed her to subtly resolve a dispute. So, regardless of how one looks at her, she would be regarded
as a well-educated and cultivated lady.
Elise had no idea why Tiana claimed to be SQ’s student, but she had quite a good impression of Tiana at
the moment.
“Thank you.” She politely thanked the other party. Then, she turned to the staff member and said,
“Excuse me, can you please pack all three paintings up and send them to the Sinclair Residence in the
historic town area.”
“Of course, Miss.” The staff member responded politely.
“Huh?” Somebody questioned in a puzzled voice. “Didn’t Miss Hill explain earlier that only the painting in
the middle is genuine? So, Miss, why are you also bringing the fakes back? Are you worried that these
fakes might enter the market?”
“Who said that the other two are fakes?” Elise smiled brightly.
That person seemed amused. “SQ’s student herself has already identified the painting. So, what else is
there to say? It looks like you are an outsider to this field, Miss!”
“It’s true that I don’t know much about art, but I do know a little bit.” She explained in a manner that was
neither too humble nor arrogant. “Miss Hill is not wrong. The second painting is indeed genuine, but the
other two paintings are also genuine.”
A look of delight flashed across Tiana’s eyes. An actor is an actor, after all. How can she possibly
understand the way of the elegant arts? Nevertheless, she quickly got rid of her emotions that were
inappropriate for this occasion. Then, she pretended to be kind and spoke as though intending to help.
“In truth, collecting artwork depends largely on the collector’s preference. As long as the collector likes
something, then the question of whether it is real or fake no longer becomes an issue.”
The implication behind her words was a reminder to the ‘knowledgeable’ collectors that they should
understand and respect the choices of others even if they liked to collect fakes. There was no need to
point fingers. Needless to say, she also very cleverly confirmed that Elise was not an expert in this
matter. Be that as it may, there was nothing wrong with her statement on the surface.
Even Joey couldn’t help but look at Tiana in admiration. Could it be that the mastermind behind the
manipulation of votes was not Tiana herself but her obsessed fans? Looking at how she relinquished the
painting to Elise and helped us resolve a dispute today, she seems reasonable and amicable. Perhaps I
have been gauging the heart of a gentleman with one’s own mean measure. On the surface, she seems
very gentle. She did not look like somebody who would do something so dishonorable.
When everybody heard Tiana’s words, they exchanged glances with each other and smiled meaningfully.
Moreover, they stopped being nitpicky and insulting.
Elise hated the feeling of being treated as a fool. Lowering her eyes in thought for a moment, she said,
“Thank you for your help, Miss Hill. But, it is fate for everybody to gather here today. Therefore, I will dare
to display my inferior skills before the experts.” She paused at this point, turned to look at the staff
member, and asked a question. “I’ve already purchased the paintings. Can I touch them now?”
It was the first time this staff member had ever met such an impatient buyer. In any case, he decided that
her request was entirely in line with the regulations after giving the question some thought and agreed.
“You can.”
Then, she pulled aside the red ropes of the cordon and walked over to stand in front of the three
paintings. Finally, she reached out her hand to gently touch the painting in the middle. While she handled
the artworks, she explained as though she was in a trance. “Masters in framing traditional paintings have
a special skill called clipping and uncovering layers. They can peel an ink painting apart, layer by layer.
Depending on the thickness of the rice paper, they can usually peel off three layers. As Miss Hill said
earlier, the force of SQ’s strokes can reach down to the back of the paper. Even if someone peeled the
painting apart into three layers, each layer would be almost identical. The ink of the middle painting is
darker, so it is most likely the top layer. As for the other two by the side, they are most likely the second
and third layer in that order.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone reacted as though they had been enlightened by her
perfect wisdom and were instantly frozen on the spot in shock.
The method of clipping and uncovering layers was rare, but this method was very famous in the industry.
They only used it in particular authentic works that had been handed down from ancient times. Those
who had witnessed this skill before were people who had seen many famous paintings in their life. It was
not an exaggeration to say that they were very knowledgeable.
On the other hand, Elise was just a young girl in her twenties. For her to have such profound insights just
went to show that she was not as simple and ignorant as she seemed on the surface.
Tiana was so anxious that she started to sweat. Despite studying ink painting for several years, she had
remained a nobody in the industry. It was not until somebody linked her paintings to SQ that she
gradually made a name for herself in the oil painting circles. Ever since then, she had claimed to be SQ’s
student. In order to prevent her identity from being revealed, she studied and researched all of SQ’s
artworks that had appeared on the market. As a result, nobody was more familiar with SQ’s paintings
than her.
However, such a person had appeared. Elise’s appearance had caused the image that she painstakingly
created over the years to become shaky. With just a few words, Elise had turned her identity as the
disciple who knew SQ like the back of her hand into a joke.
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