The subsequent auctions saw over a dozen items appraised as fakes by Ye Fan.
His reasoning was sound and highly convincing.
This led to the renowned Boguzhai’s reputation plummeting.
Shen Shiyun’s face darkened, as if water could drip from it, and Zhou Youde was equally filled with rage.
Those dozen or so items were all forgeries made by them, and they had inadvertently shot themselves in the foot.
“Ye Fan, I will tear you limb from limb!”
Sun Yilang, who had just regained consciousness and was lying on his sickbed, heard this news and immediately picked his nose, spewed blood, and roared in anger…
Meanwhile, in the private room, Shen Shiyun looked coldly at Ye Fan and Shen Tianyin: “We absolutely cannot let them grow. If they are allowed to develop, the entire Jiangcheng might fall under their control.”
This was his greatest concern.
Shen Tianyin’s capabilities were clearer to him than anyone else. She was shrewd and resilient. Although she didn’t understand antiques, the losses at Tianyinge had been decreasing year by year.
Now, with Ye Fan’s help, Tianyinge’s influence was bound to flourish.
He absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen.
Zhou Youde curled his lips into a cold sneer: “Don’t worry, Ye Fan is as good as dead this time.”
With that painting, he was confident that Ye Fan would not survive…
Because of Ye Fan, the Boguzhai auction was a complete failure, and Boguzhai’s reputation hit rock bottom, becoming a laughingstock among the people of Jiangcheng.
Concurrently, the news of Ye Fan being Tianyinge’s chief appraiser spread like wildfire, and for a time, Tianyinge’s prestige was unparalleled.
Starting from the next day, customers flocked to the shop, buying and selling antiques, asking Ye Fan for appraisals, and some even offered high prices to poach him.
Ye Fan could only offer a wry smile at this, but he was also very satisfied to see Tianyinge’s business return to its normal course.
It wasn’t until a week later that the influx of visitors to Tianyinge finally subsided.
On this day, Shen Tianyin brought a man with her.
The man bore some resemblance to Shen Tianyin, with sharp brows and clear eyes, giving him an aura of righteousness.
“Ye Fan, this is my second brother, Shen Bao. He is currently the captain of the Jiangcheng Law Enforcement Team, under the jurisdiction of the City Lord’s Mansion.”
So he was from law enforcement, no wonder he had such an air of justice.
Ye Fan nodded, remaining silent. Since Shen Tianyin had brought Shen Bao, she surely had something to discuss.
Shen Bao was already well-informed about Ye Fan. Seeing him in person, Shen Bao was very satisfied.
Calm and composed, unfazed by circumstances, this young man’s mindset was even more resilient than his own.
“Second brother, you should speak.”
Shen Bao nodded, then sat down and looked at Ye Fan, saying, “Recently, our law enforcement department received intelligence that a large batch of high-value antique replicas has entered Jiangcheng, seriously disrupting our antique market. The City Lord has ordered me to thoroughly investigate this matter. Coincidentally, Tianyin mentioned that your establishment had also received a batch of high-quality replicas, so I came to take a look.”
“Brother Ye is young but possesses outstanding appraisal skills. I hope Brother Ye can lend his full support to this matter.”
This was his true purpose for coming. Firstly, he could see that his sister had developed feelings for Ye Fan, and as an elder brother, he naturally had to vet him.
Secondly, without a skilled appraiser, he wouldn’t be able to solve this antique forgery case.
“So it’s about this matter. However, I am merely an appraiser, and my ability to assist you is likely very limited.”
Ye Fan explained with a smile.
At present, Ye Fan was unaware of the situation in the City Lord’s Mansion, so he would not take risks lightly.
If this matter was related to the City Lord’s Mansion in the first place, his life could be in danger at any moment if he got involved.
Shen Bao paused, surprised that Ye Fan would refuse.
However, this made him even more satisfied with Ye Fan.
Not placing himself in unknown danger and protecting himself, such thoughtfulness was sufficient.
“The City Lord asked me to invite Brother Ye for an important discussion. After the discussion, Brother Ye can give me an answer, how about that?”
This was tantamount to blocking Ye Fan’s path to refusal.
After all, Shen Bao was Shen Tianyin’s second brother, and he had to give him some face.
Helplessly, Ye Fan glanced at Shen Tianyin and said with a wry smile, “Let’s go then.”
Seeing the helpless look on Ye Fan’s face, Shen Tianyin stuck out her tongue playfully.
This was something she and her second brother had agreed upon. She understood Ye Fan; he wouldn’t act easily without understanding all the details of the matter.
As for the City Lord’s Mansion, he was currently trying to avoid it as much as possible, so why would he go to it?
However, this matter involved too much, and the case needed to be solved quickly, which was why Shen Tianyin had agreed to help him.
“Tianyin and you have a very good relationship.”
In the car, Ye Fan sat in the passenger seat, his eyes slightly closed, and said in a low voice.
Shen Bao was stunned: “How did you know?”
Ye Fan still didn’t open his eyes: “If that weren’t the case, she would never have schemed against me to help you.”
It wasn’t that he was overconfident, but rather that he had made such significant contributions to Tianyinge.
With his presence, Tianyinge’s business was booming, but if he were to leave, many customers would likely leave with him.
Shen Bao gave an embarrassed laugh: “Don’t blame her. I pleaded with her. Ye Fan, I know you are capable, meticulous, and upright, which is why I thought of asking you for help. As for the City Lord’s Mansion, the City Lord rarely intervenes in Jiangcheng affairs anymore. Many decisions are made by Lin Yang in secret, so this matter should not be related to the City Lord.”
Shen Bao no longer concealed anything, but spoke frankly, telling Ye Fan everything he knew and guessed.
Ye Fan smiled: “A bad person’s face never says ‘bad person,’ so I cannot judge how this City Lord is without seeing him personally.”
It wasn’t that Ye Fan was stubborn, but he had his principles.
Moreover, this matter was of great importance, and he could not afford to be careless.
Shen Bao was also quite helpless about Ye Fan’s persistence, yet he could do nothing. Out of professional intuition, he felt that Ye Fan’s thoughts and actions were understandable.
After all, seeing was believing. If he lost his judgment based solely on what others said, Shen Bao would not be able to rely on such a person.
The car sped along, and after half an hour, it stopped in front of a manor.
The manor was covered with withered vines outside, giving it a sense of history.
“This is the Jiangcheng City Lord’s Mansion.”
Shen Bao said in a low voice.
As Shen Bao entered the City Lord’s Mansion, the several old villas inside further confused Ye Fan.
Why would the Jiangcheng City Lord’s Mansion be so dilapidated?
After all, this was the facade of Jiangcheng!
Seeing the doubt on Ye Fan’s face, Shen Bao sighed: “The City Lord is dedicated to governing and improving the city, dedicating all his energy to developing Jiangcheng. Therefore, the City Lord’s Mansion has been neglected for years, and many parts are in disrepair.”
Ye Fan nodded. In that case, the City Lord seemed quite diligent.