No wonder Lao Jin and the former president were so excited. They had only seen electronic versions of this thing, but never saw the real thing!

During the war, many cultural relics were lost, and a large part of the cultural relics that were preserved were also in the hands of personal collectors by chance.

Since it is a personal collection, there must be very few opportunities to show it out.

The host said: "Thank you very much to the collector Mr. Liu. It is precisely because of his generosity that this precious calligraphy work can meet you. You can have a glimpse of it and please give Mr. Liu warm applause! It doesn't matter if you don't think it's okay to not read enough. Mr. Cui Chenglu's copy of "Self-Portrait" will be displayed in the art gallery for a month. Everyone is welcome to watch it!"

Applause sounded in the venue. On the other side of the judges, a Chinese man in a suit and tie stood up and bowed to everyone. It should be the owner of this collection, Mr. Liu.

The audience in the venue, under the guidance of the staff, began to visit in an orderly manner. Several judges presented trophys to the winners.

Yiyi held the second prize trophy and found Zhong Ming and Jiang Wanna.

"Okay, you really won the second prize." Jiang Wanna praised.

Yiyi curled her lips: "What's the matter? I think I can win the first prize if I work hard."

Zhong Ming said: "It is a good thing to have ideals, you can't expand. It's good to win a second prize at your level. Do you still have to continue working hard to know?"

Yiyi was very unhappy: "What does 'just my level' mean? What's wrong with my level? The key is, it would be fine if a Chinese won the first prize, but it was won by a Westerner. I don't agree!"

Jiang Wanna was very surprised: "Ah? The first prize won by Westerners?"

"Yes, it's that little brat with blond hair." Yiyi pointed there.

Zhong Ming and Jiang Wanna looked along Yiyi's hands and saw the kid holding a big trophy, looking thirteen or fourteen years old, slightly older than Yiyi, with blonde hair and a standard Western boy.

No wonder Yiyi was unwilling to accept that she lost to a Westerner’s calligraphy competition. She must be very unhappy with her personality.

Zhong Ming smiled: "While Westerners are still learning calligraphy so well, it means they have worked hard. Go back and continue practicing hard, and strive to win the first prize next time."

Yiyi pouted her mouth, obviously still dissatisfied.

Jiang Wanna said, "Okay, go and read "Self-Portrait".

Several people followed the team to watch next to "Self-Portrait", and Lao Jin and President Qian were also watching.

The little boy who won the first prize before seemed to be with his father. Judging from the little boy's appearance, he liked this calligraphy very much.

The little boy's father was a tall Westerner. He came straight to Mr. Liu and said in English: "Hello Mr. Liu, my name is Macmillan. How much does this letter cost? I bought it."

Mr. Liu was stunned and replied in English: "Private collections are not for sale."

The little boy's father said, "Ten million."

Mr. Liu was stunned.

Want to buy it?

Lao Jin frowned when he heard this.

What does this Westerner mean? Is he going to buy "Self-Portrait"?

Mr. Liu didn't say anything, and Macmillan said again: "15 million, or you can offer a price, I'll consider it. My son likes this work very much."

This time, Mr. Liu was really a little shaken.

He did collect some antiques, but as long as the price is high, he will still consider it.

This "Self-Portrait" is indeed an antique, but it is not too old. It is just a work copied by a calligrapher before the war. If we look at the general auction transaction price, the transaction price of this "Self-Portrait" should be around 8 or 9 million. Considering Cui Chenglu's status and the special calligraphy value he copied has, it will be over for 15 million.

But, depending on what this Westerner means, can you increase the price?

He is a rich man!

Mr. Liu knew the value of this calligraphy very well. If it was passed down from the original work of "Self-Portrait", it would be a priceless treasure, and it would not be surprising to sell it for hundreds of millions; if it was a high-quality imitation work copied by ancient calligraphers, it would not be surprising to sell it for tens of millions or hundreds of millions; but this is just the work of a calligrapher in front of him. Although it is rare, it is far from that level.

If it can really sell for more than 20 million, Mr. Liu will also be tempted.

Lao Jin was unhappy: "Do you understand calligraphy? This is the crystallization of art belonging to all Chinese people, not measured by money!"

Lao Jin said it in Chinese, but Macmillan smiled, obviously understanding it.

Then, Macmillan said in Chinese with a very skilled but a little accent: "Is this the art crystallization of all Chinese people? No, no, it is Mr. Liu's personal belonging. Moreover, it is ridiculous for you to say that I don't understand calligraphy. My son just won the first prize in this competition."

Lao Jin was stunned. It was true that this Western son was the blond boy who won the first prize.

Macmillan said again: "If you think it is a priceless treasure, you can buy it at a higher price than me and donate it to Ming'an Art Museum, I believe the director will be very grateful for your generosity."

"You!" Lao Jin's face turned a little red because of the suffocation. He was so angry!

President Qian also came and explained: "Sir, I wonder if you understand the value of this character in calligraphy? Huaisu's "Self-Portrait" is called the world's number one cursive script, but the original style is no longer verified. In other words, this character is the closest work in the world to "Self-Portrait". Lao Jin is right, this character cannot be measured by money."

Macmillan nodded solemnly, "So that's it, thank you for your introduction."

Lao Jin breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to say that this Westerner is quite sensible.

As a result, Macmillan turned to Mr. Liu and said, "Then, 20 million, 5 million is for its artistic value."

"You..." Lao Jin was so angry that this Westerner dared to offer a price!

Mr. Liu was really shaken this time, and according to the meaning of this Westerner, if he adds another four or five million, he can add it!

"Mr. Liu, you can't sell this word!" Lao Jin frowned, "I have no objection to selling Chinese things to your own people, and it is absolutely not possible to sell them to Westerners!"

Macmillan smiled disdainfully: "Sir, I wonder what identity you are asking Mr. Liu not to sell this work?"

Lao Jin said: "I am a member of the Calligraphy Association, can I?"

Macmillan smiled and said, "Ok, OK. But I think this highlights the incompetence of your calligraphy association. If you really have real talents and knowledge, then I should be paying a lot of money to buy your works, rather than arguing with you about the price of this character."

President Qian pulled Lao Jin and shook his head slightly, meaning to forget it.

There is no way. Although he and Lao Jin both liked this calligraphy very much, there was no way. Now this calligraphy is a personal item. If Mr. Liu really wants to sell it, what reason do they have to stop it?

Lao Jin was so angry that it was not that he had any prejudice against Westerners, but the key point was that McMillan obviously had no attainments in calligraphy, but it was just because his son was learning calligraphy, so he had to buy it.

But to put it bluntly, this kind of ancient monument is just a piece of paper. If it is placed in the Calligraphy Association, an art gallery, or even Mr. Liu, it will definitely be kept properly.

But how much attention will Macmillan care about it? It may not be possible. It may not take long to wait and get tired of it, so he will be sold for auction.

In other words, Lao Jin didn't want this letter to fall into the hands of an outsider and was ruined in vain.

Macmillan looked at Mr. Liu: "How about it, Mr. Liu, 20 million?"

Mr. Liu hesitated and said: "This painting will be exhibited in the art gallery recently, so we might as well talk about it in detail later..."

Lao Jin's face turned black in an instant: "Mr. Liu! Do you really want to sell it to foreigners?"

Macmillan smiled and said, "If you don't want to sell it, that's fine. Why not ask this gentleman from the Calligraphy Association to write a letter of the same level, so that you can have the best of both worlds."

Lao Jin was choked and said nothing.

If I could write it out, would I still talk nonsense to you?

The noise here was not loud, but it still caused a little commotion. The director of the art museum came over and said to Lao Jin: "Mr. Jin, I can understand your love for calligraphy. But this is a private transaction..."

In fact, if Lao Jin didn't know this, it would have passed. But it was really hard for him to sell such a precious calligraphy work to a Westerner who didn't know much about calligraphy in front of him.

Zhong Ming listened to the situation here with his ears.

What does it mean? It seems that Macmillan wants to buy this calligraphy?

It can be seen that Lao Jin was really unhappy. In fact, this is understandable. Although there was no concept of country after the war, Chinese and Chinese culture still have the same roots and origins. Of course, Lao Jin did not want this work to fall into the hands of Westerners, let alone Westerners who do not know much about calligraphy at all!

A work must be able to be able to achieve its greatest value in the hands of those who really like it.

Zhong Ming even felt that this character should be kept by the Calligraphy Association, or placed in an exhibition cabinet so that all Chinese people can view it.

However, Zhong Ming also knew very well that this was a private transaction. If you want to get the painting, it would be fine. Just pay more than Macmillan's bid.

But the problem is that Macmillan's offer is 20 million.

Not to mention that Zhong Ming doesn’t have this money now, even if he has it, he wouldn’t be able to buy this calligraphy. He became a sucker for nothing and gave him a bargain.

Zhong Ming saw that although Mr. Liu was a Chinese, he was obviously a cultural relic dealer. Maybe it was because of some chance that he got this calligraphy, saying that he was collecting it himself. In fact, the other party's bid was slightly higher and he planned to sell it.

But the question is, who does he know Macmillan is? Can he treat this well after buying this calligraphy?

As he saw that the conversation here was about to end, he wanted to sell it, judging by Mr. Liu's meaning.

If it really sells, it will be difficult to take it out of Macmillan again.

Zhong Ming happened to come to the neighborhood of this group of people and sighed: "Hey, some people are willing to spend 20 million to sell this kind of work. They are really stupid and have a lot of money. It seems that they can't buy culture or IQ if they have money."

Macmillan could understand Chinese, and his face turned dark at that time.

This sentence is obviously a satirizing him!

Macmillan said coldly: "Strange, I spent money to buy something I like, why are so many people coming to stop me? You said that this letter is very valuable, and then you said that it is not worth 20 million. Please let you guys come to make trouble, at least you will make a unified statement first."

Lao Jin and President Qian were also stunned for a moment, not knowing the intention of Zhong Ming's move.

Zhong Ming smiled: "Mr. Macmillan, I am a man who speaks more straightforwardly. But I heard what you said before. I bought this letter because of your son?"

Macmillan nodded: "Yes, my son likes it very much. As long as this calligraphy can improve his calligraphy level, I will be willing to spend this money."

"Hey, that's the reason. Mr. Macmillan, I understand your love for your son very much, but in my opinion, there are actually many problems with this calligraphy. Although this is the work of Master Cui Chenglu, it was written by him in his early years. At that time, his artistic level had not yet reached the level later. His copying of "Self-Portrait" was naturally much worse in terms of artistic value."

Mr. Liu can't listen anymore. What does it mean? Is this a belittle my collection?

"It's nonsense, what's the early years? Is it important? After talking for a long time, can you take out the works of Master Cui Chenglu in his later years?" Mr. Liu frowned, "This is the original masterpiece in the world that is closest to the original version of "Self-Portrait". You said that its artistic level is low, so why don't you write one? If you can write it better than a master, I won't sell this painting and donate it to Ming'an Art Museum!"

Zhong Ming hurriedly said, "Don't, donate it to the Calligraphy Association."

Mr. Liu was so angry: "You... are you dreaming?"

Macmillan also frowned and said to the director: "Can an unreasonable person drive this arrogant person out?"

Zhong Ming smiled and said, "I really dare to write, Mr. Liu, are you really dare to donate?"

Mr. Liu turned his face directly.

Lao Jin showed joy on his face and hurriedly stopped the director of the art gallery: "Don't drive people away! I'll testify to him, he can really write! Hurry up, prepare your pen and ink!"

The director looked at Macmillan and then at Lao Jin.

He knew Lao Jin, and now that Lao Jin has spoken, of course he can't really drive Zhong Ming out.

Macmillan sneered: "OK, let him write, I want to see what he can write. If this oriental person doesn't mind making a fool of himself in front of hundreds of people, I would be happy to see it."

Lao Jin pulled Zhong Ming and quickly walked away from the crowd and came to an empty table.

During the previous competition, I prepared a lot of pens, inkstones, paperweights, etc., so I didn’t need to prepare any more.

Only the paper, "Self-Portrait" is several meters long and needs to be written in a special scroll. There are also some in the art gallery, and the staff quickly brought it over.

Lao Jin asked in a low voice: "Can you really write? How confident are you?"

Zhong Ming didn't say anything, but just picked up the pen and dipped it ink.
Chapter completed!