Obsessive Tycoon and His Swan Girl-Chapter 66 - The Calligraphy of the Renowned Expert
Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Calligraphy of the Renowned Expert
Chapter 66 -66: The Calligraphy of the Renowned Expert
The fourth cousin was pushed outside.
He took the piece of calligraphy and examined it carefully, his facial expression changing several times, growing somewhat surprised.
Then he specifically searched for the seal to see who the signature belonged to.
He looked at the seal in bewilderment, astonished, “This… is it a work by the calligrapher Lan Jun?”
“Who is Lan Jun?” someone asked.
When Ouyang Yuan heard this name, his expression suddenly turned serious as he took the piece of calligraphy and scrutinized it closely.
The fourth cousin explained to everyone, “Previously, there was a calligrapher who emerged out of nowhere, writing incredibly well. He was highly skilled at copying ancient masters’ calligraphic works, capable of creating counterfeits indistinguishable from the originals. His own writing also formed a unique style, exuding a remarkable charm that amazed everyone. He quickly established a unique presence in the calligraphy world, reaching the top spot, and held a significant status at the National Calligraphy Institute.
However, supposedly this calligrapher was very aloof, never attending events, and his works were extremely rare. In the entire calligraphy market, they were worth their weight in gold, unattainable for the common people.
The thing is, nobody even knows his real name. He’s called Lan Jun because there’s an orchid on his seal, which everyone uses as his namesake.
The seal on this piece of calligraphy is Lan Jun’s typical orchid. I’ve seen it before at the National Museum, and it looks very consistent.
This Lan Jun, a lot of people conjecture that he might be an old-school professor at the National Calligraphy Institute, unwilling to show himself publicly. Others suspect he might be unattractive in appearance, hence his reluctance to appear in public, but the true story is a matter of speculation, with no clarity to be had.
Nevertheless, no matter what, this piece of calligraphy… ”
The fourth cousin glanced at Ouyang Yuan and didn’t continue—Lan Jun’s works were more appreciated and sought after than even Ouyang Yuan’s, and some comments could hurt feelings if spoken aloud.
“So are you saying this piece of calligraphy is very precious?” someone asked.
The person who pushed the fourth cousin outside just wanted to see him declare Jiang Zhe’s gift worthless and watch Jiang Zhe get laughed at.
Who would have expected such an outcome?
Jiang Fanyue furrowed her brows upon hearing her fourth cousin’s words. How could this be possible?
Where could Jiang Zhe have obtained such a masterpiece from a renowned artist?
“Impossible,” Gu Jiaheng whispered to Jiang Fanyue. “Even Ouyang Yuan might not be able to get a piece by Lan Jun, so where could Jiang Zhe find one?”
Jiang Fanyue thought the same. Jiang Zhe at most had some talent, but it was limited, and the Jiang Family only lived in the old, rundown area of Wangjia Alley, so how could she have such connections?
But upon hearing the fourth cousin’s explanation, others grew interested and kept asking him about it.
“If it’s truly a work by Lan Jun, then it is indeed very precious,” the fourth cousin nodded and said. “But…”
Everyone understood why he hesitated; could the calligraphy brought out by Jiang Zhe really be authentic?
The calligraphy by Ouyang Yuan was written onsite, whereas the piece Jiang Zhe gave was just something she casually handed to Jiang Yunxuan.
It just didn’t seem possible that it was genuine.
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“It’s even more infuriating to deceive people with fakes!”
“Exactly. If she couldn’t give a gift, she could have bought something else to give; there was no need to stubbornly offer something like this.”
“It’s truly despicable to deceive people like this, taking advantage of Yunxuan’s young age and naivety.”
The fourth cousin thought back on the appearance of the seal attentively, reluctant to make a definitive statement, “Judging by the seal, it should be unmistaken. I remember it quite clearly.”
Everyone was startled for a moment. How could this be possible?
Could Jiang Zhe have actually obtained the real thing?
Zhang Xi, who was standing beside Jiang Fanyue, spoke up, “This definitely isn’t real. Just now, when Fanyue and I went to the back garden, I saw with my own eyes Jiang Zhe writing this character. If you don’t believe me, ask Fanyue.”
Jiang Fanyue also felt that her fourth cousin was perhaps too obsessed with calligraphy and remarked indifferently, “I did see my sister writing then, but whether it was this particular character, I’m not so sure.”
“It definitely was this character. We happened to pass by and saw it very clearly,” Zhang Xi was very certain.
Once she said this, several relatives who had come in with them also started to remember.
The second aunt spoke up first, “That’s right, I remember entering with Fanyue and seeing Jiang Zhe writing. We thought she was just playing with Yunxuan and didn’t expect that she would bring a stamp of a master calligrapher’s to deceive Yunxuan.”
“Indeed, for such a stamp, you can get three made for ten yuan outside. How could it possibly be real?”
“Yunxuan, you mustn’t be deceived by someone.”
Jiang Yunxuan guiltily looked at Jiang Zhe. When he brought out this piece of calligraphy, he hadn’t anticipated it would cause such an uproar.
Saying offhand that the piece was a master’s work was also to prevent everyone from looking down on Jiang Zhe and continually making things difficult for her, but he hadn’t expected it would backfire like this.
When Jiang Zhang and Liang Jinlan heard that Jiang Zhe was lying and deceiving everyone again, smiles on their faces became uneasy.
Although Jiang Zhe was no longer a member of the Jiang Family, after all, they had raised her. If Jiang Zhe was being discussed, it was a poor reflection on them!
Why did it always turn out like this with Jiang Zhe!
“Let’s forget about it. Pack it up. Jiang Zhe is just a student, it’s good enough that she came, and no blame falls upon her,” Jiang Zhang still had some fatherly affection for Jiang Zhe and intervened to defuse the situation.
“Miss Jiang, may I ask where exactly this character came from?”
Just as everyone was secretly shaking their heads, Ouyang Yuan suddenly stood up, holding the character sincerely in both hands and inquired.
Even his form of address had changed from before.
The second aunt was first to respond, “As we said, we saw her write it with our own eyes.”
“Was it truly written by Jiang Zhe?” Ouyang Yuan’s hands trembled with emotion as he walked towards Jiang Zhe.
Although his calligraphy was admired, only he knew that as he aged, his control over the brush had actually weakened.
And this Lan Jun, who was unknown, his characters had been outstanding from the moment they appeared on the market. Moreover, with each passing year, his skill progressed, leaving people astonished and amazed.
As an artist with high standards for himself, Ouyang Yuan had long wanted to meet Lan Jun, but never had the chance, failing to encounter him.
Seeing his reaction, everyone was especially surprised.
Zhang Xi and others had just been adamantly claiming that the character was written by Jiang Zhe, so it was natural for Ouyang Yuan to be somewhat excited.
Jiang Zhe had been sitting on the couch the whole time, silent, her eyes carelessly lowered.
Although she was calm, she was constantly at the center of the storm.
When Ouyang Yuan approached, Jiang Zhe just slightly lifted her eyelashes; her beautiful, fox-like eyes showed neither anger from being maligned nor joy from Ouyang Yuan’s reverence, but remained serenely unrippled.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this piece of calligraphy is indeed Lan Jun’s,” Ouyang Yuan approached Jiang Zhe and then suddenly turned to face the crowd, speaking with utter conviction. Jiang Zhe slightly raised her eyes to glance at Ouyang Yuan.
