QT- I’m Almost Died
Chapter 249. Your Judgment Has Failed, Teacher Fan
The laboratory’s test results were in, and they were very encouraging. Everyone was very happy, except for Fan Jialuo, who insisted that the technician had made a mistake.
Upon hearing his baseless words, Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu were furious and almost abandoned their scholarly image to hurl insults at him on the spot.
Chief Yan is a meticulous person, and having had close contact with Teacher Fan in previous cases, he knows his character well. He’s the kind of person who doesn’t talk much, but when he does, his words are always profound and unequivocal. If you take his words lightly or ignore them, you will definitely pay an unimaginable price.
The prophecies he posted online are still being frantically shared to this day and of all those who engaged in psychic communication with him, not a single one has managed to escape the predetermined fate he foretold.
What Chief Yan found even more unforgettable were the 256 innocent victims who died unjustly. If he had listened to Teacher Fan’s advice and kept the disciples of the Tianshui Sect in check, preventing them from acting on their own, the outcome would not have been as tragic as it became.
Thinking of this, Chief Yan felt a pang of pain in his heart, so he immediately reached out and invited, “Teacher Fan, let me take you to the laboratory to see those cultural relics.”
Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu were the ones most eager to settle things peacefully. Seeing that Chief Yan was still willing to believe this charlatan, they hurriedly chased after him, constantly sarcastically saying, “Do you know where these cultural relics were sent? They were sent to the Central Laboratory, which is the most technologically advanced laboratory in our country. All the equipment and personnel are the best in the world. The results from that assessment are absolutely infallible. Who do you think you are? You lack the necessary knowledge and professional qualifications, how can your assessments be more accurate than those of experts and scientific equipment?”
Fan Jialuo continued on his way without saying a word.
Song Rui spoke with a half-smile, “To the best of my knowledge, the current art authentication market in China can only be described as rife with chaos. So-called experts are nothing more than money-driven brokers. As long as the owner pays enough, a counterfeit costing only a few dozen yuan can be appraised by these experts as a priceless treasure worth tens of millions, resulting in the Chinese art market being flooded with counterfeits. The art of connoisseurship, as a technique of authentication, relies on subjective judgment and so-called reputation and qualifications. If you experts say an antique is genuine, then it is genuine, other people’s opinions are completely disregarded. Your monopoly on this knowledge is tantamount to a monopoly on the market. Whether your judgment is accurate or not, you should know best. Foreign collectors have withdrawn from the Chinese art market in recent years, leaving it to your own devices. You surely know why, don’t you?”
The reason, of course, is that the appraisal market in China is too chaotic. Appraisal experts here don’t have specialized professional licenses, and they don’t bear any legal responsibility for appraisal errors, nor does it affect their reputation. As a result, many experts have been bribed to compromise their conscience and spout nonsense. In contrast, appraisal experts abroad are licensed, and they bear full responsibility for appraisal errors, so they dare not act recklessly.
When you pit a group of rule-abiding people against a group of rule-breakers, the outcome is bound to be unpleasant. After being scammed too many times, foreign art collectors have abandoned the Chinese market.
Outsiders have a hazy understanding of the chaos in the art market, but Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu are well aware of the inside story. So, they blushed and refrained from making any more sarcastic remarks. Anyway, once they arrived at the lab and saw the definitive authentication results, they’d have plenty to talk about.
Fan Jialuo was not a person who liked to argue, consequently, so when he was misunderstood, questioned, or even insulted, he rarely spoke up for himself. But things are different now. He has Dr. Song, and so, much like those silent treasures, he has found his own voice. Dr. Song could hear the voices within him, Dr. Song could speak the words he left unspoken. This man had long since transformed into a suit of armor, enveloping him layer upon layer.
Fan Jialuo’s hurried steps suddenly stopped, then he turned to the side, staring intently at Dr. Song. When Dr. Song got close, he grasped his hand and never let go.
When the young man took his hand for the first time, Song Rui’s expression showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly recovered, lowered his eyes and smiled, and closed his fingers.
Feeling the unwavering strength emanating from Dr. Song’s fingertips, Fan Jialuo gently stroked the back of his hand with the pad of his thumb, then used the conductivity and locking properties of the magnetic field to steal a bit of his body heat, warming his own palms that he had never been able to warm no matter what.
To feel warm, to feel secure, and to walk life’s path together——maybe that is exactly what it means to be alive.
When Meng Zhong saw the two of them suddenly holding hands, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Chief Yan was also somewhat surprised, but he didn’t inquire much about it. It was their private matter, and he had no right to interfere.
Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu felt their disdain and loathing for these two individuals deepen yet another notch. Just wait until we get to the laboratory and secure the irrefutable evidence, they vowed inwardly. We will engage them in a verbal duel, humiliate them completely, and, ideally, provoke such intense displeasure in Chief Yan that he has them dragged into court!
The group, each with their own thoughts, arrived at the central laboratory, only to find Elder Liang and Elder Lu each holding a magnifying glass, examining a famille-rose ‘God of Longevity’ porcelain vase. They didn’t speak, but nodded frequently, their expressions relaxed. It was obvious they both believed the artifact to be genuine.
After observing their expressions, Director Sun suddenly felt no pain in his heart or weakness in his legs. He straightened his back more than ever before, strode over, and asked knowingly, “Two Seniors, is there anything wrong with this artifact?” As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Fan Jialuo and Song Rui.
“The rim, glaze, pigments, base, and degree of calcification are all fine. We can guarantee it’s genuine.” The two elders said in unison.
Fan Jialuo did not know this, so he remained silent.
Song Rui questioned, “Today’s counterfeiters use high technology. With just a few photos and a video, they can make imitations that are exactly the same as the real thing. Let alone the external features that are easy to identify at a glance, such as the rim, glaze, pigments, base, and degree of calcification, they can even replicate the chemical composition of the internal porcelain perfectly. You two experts must have seen many of these indistinguishable imitations. How can you guarantee its authenticity 100% by sight alone? Among the antiques on the market today that are identified as genuine, a 60% accuracy rate is considered very good. You two should be well aware of this situation, right?”
Neither Elder Liang nor Elder Lu felt offended. Instead, they produced an authentication report and earnestly explained, “Dr. Song, you are right. Visual examination is indeed a very subjective discipline with a very high error rate. But this result is not only the result of the dozens of experts present, but also the result of the world’s most advanced appraisal technology. If you don’t trust our eyesight, you should at least trust science, right?”
With a stretch of their arms, the two elders encompassed dozens of experts and dozens of advanced scientific devices scattered throughout the laboratory.
These experts, each examining a cultural relic, looked up at Song Rui’s words, their expressions displeased. They were all top talents in their field, possessing both integrity and experience, their excellent reputations having stood the test of time. When had they ever been questioned like this before?
They all put down the artifacts and glared angrily at Song Rui and Fan Jialuo.
“Elder Liang, are these the two people who filed a false report, making us work for nothing?” The youngest expert stepped forward, his tone very cold and hard, “Do you know that because of your words, these cultural relics are at risk of being moved by various machines? If they are accidentally damaged during the moving process, can you afford to compensate for it? You will go to jail for this.”
The young expert held up the appraisal report in his hand and said sarcastically, “You all have eyes, can’t you see for yourselves? The report clearly states that the composition of the bottom of the porcelain is the same as that of old porcelain from the same period.”
Fan Jialuo, unfamiliar with high technology, looked at Dr. Song.
Song Rui did not disappoint him, retorting, “As far as I know, there is a forgery method called ‘assembling,’ which involves using the base of an old porcelain piece to attach to a new porcelain piece, easily fooling the machine’s authentication.”
A vein throbbed at the young expert’s temple, he slammed his hand down on the report and abruptly raised his voice, “Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Can’t you read? Take a good look at this final paragraph. We employed one of the most advanced technologies currently available in the world to date this porcelain vase. This technique is called thermoluminescence, by analyzing the timing of the object’s last exposure to fire, it can precisely determine when the artwork was fired in the kiln. Its accuracy rate stands at a staggering 100%, while the margin of error for the estimated date falls within a mere 5 to 10 percent. This single machine alone costs upwards of ten million, it is the latest equipment we have imported from abroad, used worldwide. How could it possibly be wrong? You claim that visual assessment is too subjective and refuse to trust the collective judgment of dozens of our experts. Surely, then, you must place your faith in the power of science and technology?”
Song Rui stared intently at the last paragraph of the report, reading it carefully, without responding to the young expert’s questions.
Chief Yan also received a report, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he read it.
Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu gazed at the room filled with experts, their inner excitement all but inexpressible. Not only were Elder Liang and Elder Lu national treasure-level caliber, but the other dozens of experts were also renowned figures in the cultural relics field, their expertise and reputation absolutely trustworthy. They had all signed the authentication report, reaching a unanimous conclusion, this famille-rose ‘God of Longevity’ porcelain vase was definitely genuine! With their combined expertise, how could they possibly be wrong?
Moreover, this place has the world’s most advanced scientific equipment, and its identification results will be more accurate than those obtained manually. This report can be described as definitive and unshakeable, even if you bring together all the big names in the cultural relics field, they would not be able to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu were completely relieved. Their tight and dry throats suddenly relaxed, and they immediately burst out laughing.
Fan Jialuo stepped forward, hovered his hand above the porcelain vase, lowered his eyes to sense it for a moment, and said firmly, “From it, I can’t feel the weight of history or the accumulation of years, only a lingering coldness. It is new, yet it is also dead.”
“Mr. Fan, I know you’ve become quite famous lately, but everyone has their own expertise. Your fame isn’t a tool to mislead others. You should cherish your reputation more. You know, reputation is something that can be quickly squandered if it’s not carefully protected and managed.” The young expert threw the report at Fan Jialuo’s face and said angrily, “Here you go, although I don’t expect you to understand it.”
While the two were talking, the two Nine Tripod Cauldrons, which were being appraised in a hurry, also yielded definite results.
A technician waved the authentication certificate, still warm from the printer, and exclaimed excitedly, “Both of these bronze vessels are genuine!”
“Let me see the report.” The young expert immediately went over.
Director Sun and Deputy Director Liu quickly followed.
The group passed the appraisal report around and then eagerly handed it to Chief Yan.
Chief Yan carefully examined all the data, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. He grinned and laughed heartily.
Seeing his delight, Director Sun pressed on, saying, “Chief Yan, so many precious treasures have been moved around, increasing the risk of damage. You can’t just turn a blind eye and pretend this never happened, can you? We accept that the bronze tortoise was indeed replaced, but these are all national treasures. How can they be arbitrarily accused of being counterfeit by some random person? Now even the highest leader has been alarmed. You should at least give your superiors an explanation, shouldn’t you?”
As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Fan Jialuo, as if he wanted to burn several holes through the man.
The fact that the case turned out to be a hoax is indeed cause for celebration, however, drafting the official report on the matter is proving to be a tricky business. A national treasure is not something just anyone can move, even when foreign nations wish to borrow one for an exhibition, they must submit applications through layer after layer of bureaucracy, a process that often culminates in a personal phone call between heads of state to address security protocols.
However, they hastily transported this batch of national treasures based solely on a few baseless remarks from Teacher Fan. The higher-ups will surely be furious upon learning the truth. Who will bear this responsibility?
Chief Yan wasn’t the type to kick someone when they’re down, but he knew that even if he wanted to take full responsibility, the higher-ups wouldn’t let Teacher Fan off the hook. Teacher Fan’s hard-won reputation would be ruined in an instant, and he would be severely reprimanded by the national leadership, making it very difficult for him to survive in the country.
In his heart, Chief Yan really liked Teacher Fan and couldn’t bear to see him fall into that situation. However, he couldn’t find a way to exonerate him, and a layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Director Sun said confidently, “Very well, it seems you want to protect Fan Jialuo and cover for him. Then I will write this report. I have connections with several leaders, and I will definitely make them deal with it seriously. This matter has had a very bad impact on our Central Museum, and we will never let it go!”
Deputy Director Liu echoed his sentiments, insisting that his name should also be added to the report.
The dozens of experts hastily gathered together, except for Elder Liang and Elder Lu, all surprisingly gathered around, demanding that they jointly write a letter of accusation. Fan Jialuo’s irresponsible actions had put these national treasures at enormous risk and nearly destroyed the entire cultural relics field, they absolutely had to teach him a profound lesson.
Seeing the increasingly agitated group of experts and scholars, Meng Zhong secretly felt a chill for Teacher Fan.
Meanwhile, Fan Jialuo, who was in the eye of the storm, was still intently holding his hand up, sensing the porcelain vase.
“I saw a beam of light shining on it, giving it a deep blue hue. It was originally new, but it gradually aged within this beam of light, acquiring the marks of time. This beam of light is somewhat similar to my magnetic field, possessing both radiation and penetrability, it is right here.” Fan Jialuo opened his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over the machines placed in the laboratory, finally locking onto an X-ray scanner.
Hearing his inexplicable words, everyone thought he was making a last-ditch effort. Only Song Rui strode towards the scanner, looked around, then put a ceramic pen holder from a technician’s desk into the scanning chamber and pressed the start button.
“Hey, what are you doing! Don’t touch the machines in our lab. Can you afford to pay for them if you break them?” A technician shouted angrily.
Meanwhile, Fan Jialuo and Song Rui stood calmly beside the machine, awaiting the scan results. No one knew what trick they were up to.
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