C60 I will Make You Suffer Even More

Upon hearing the painting's value, Guo Zipeng bristled with indignation. "You said this painting was a gift for me, and now it's worth a fortune?"

Lin Xuan replied calmly, "I did offer it to you, but you failed to recognize its worth. You dismissed it as garbage and even considered discarding it, remember?"

Matumoto Yuan, visibly astonished, inquired, "Excuse me, sir, do you truly own this 'Beauty Painting'?"

Lin Xuan simply nodded. "Yes, I do."

"No, no, I won't throw it away! I promise I won't!" Guo Zipeng hastily backpedaled in panic.

Lin Xuan observed, "An expert recognizes a gem, but you, blinded by ignorance, are undeserving of this Ukiyoe masterpiece."

Guo Zipeng's face flushed a mix of red and white, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.

The crowd was well aware of the caliber of experts invited to the Treasure Appraisal show, especially since this gentleman was the president of the Antique Appraisal Association.

If he claimed the Ukiyoe was worth at least two hundred thousand, it certainly had to be more!

Had Guo Zipeng not been so dismissive of Lin Xuan, joining Lee Baolai in ridiculing him, the Ukiyoe could have been his.

Now, many students looked at Lin Xuan with eyes sparkling with admiration, while some wore looks of regret for having mocked him earlier in their eagerness to curry favor with Lee Baolai.

Rebuilding a rapport with Lin Xuan now seemed out of the question.

In a hushed tone, Pei Qiuyu asked, "Lin Xuan, how much did you actually pay for this painting?"

With a chuckle, Lin Xuan responded, "Truth be told, it's somewhat as they guessed. Director Wang snagged it for me at a steal. I never imagined it'd be so valuable."

Annoyed, Pei Qiuyu retorted, "Then why claim it was valuable and even wager on it?"

"I simply couldn't tolerate their attitude. Besides, I figured anything from Director Wang, even secondhand, had to be of quality. Little did I know it would lead to my winning the bet," Lin Xuan explained with a grin.

Pei Qiuyu shook her head, resigned to Lin Xuan's antics.

"You're not to exploit Director Wang's generosity anymore, understood?" she whispered to him.

"Yes, sir," Lin Xuan said with a smile.

Pei Qiuyu actually held quite a bit of admiration for her husband in her heart. Despite his lack of grand ambitions, he certainly had guts and a bold spirit!

Lin Xuan spoke with gravity, "Now, I would like to present this Ukiyoe to this gentleman."

"Really?"

Matumoto Yuan was both astonished and delighted. "Thank you so much! Sir, your generosity knows no bounds!"

"It's nothing," Lin Xuan chuckled. "Since the gentleman appreciates fine art, why not gift it to him? It's far better than wasting it on someone who can't recognize its value."

Upon hearing this, Guo Zipeng was filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself for speaking out of turn and underestimating others.

But it was too late for regrets now.

Matumoto Yuan promptly pulled out a check, filled in the amount, and presented it to Lin Xuan with both hands. "Here is a check for three hundred thousand yuan. While the 'Picture of a Beauty' is worth more than this, please accept it as a token of my sincerity."

Lin Xuan gently pushed the check back, saying, "When I say it's a gift, I mean it. If you insist on being courteous, I might just take it back and give it to no one."

"This..."

Matumoto Yuan's respect for Lin Xuan soared, and he nodded continuously. "You are truly the most magnanimous person I've ever met. Thank you! I am extremely grateful!"

With that, Matumoto Yuan bent at a ninety-degree angle, bowing deeply to Lin Xuan.

Everyone in the room was stunned by Lin Xuan's gesture!

To think he would refuse a check for three hundred thousand yuan just like that—what magnanimity!

They had previously underestimated Lin Xuan, dismissing him as a poor nobody. Now, it was clear that he was a man of great stature, leaving them all feeling humbled by their own pettiness.

Lin Xuan then turned to the anxious Lee Baolai and asked with a playful grin, "Lee Baolai, how do you plan to enjoy this bowl? With a dab of green mustard, or maybe some miso for flavor? I bet it tastes quite good raw, doesn't it?"

Lee Baolai felt like he wanted to die!

He could never have imagined that what he saw as a worthless painting was actually valued at over two hundred thousand yuan!

But the thought of actually eating the bowl was inconceivable. He had never anticipated losing!

If he really ate it all, wouldn't that be the end of him? Not even a gut-washing would save him now!

At that point, the tide had turned.

The classmates who had been on his side were now leaning towards Lin Xuan.

"Lee Baolai, you're the one who said you'd eat the bowl. You can't back out now, can you?"

"Yeah, we're men here; we can't just say things and then pretend it was nothing but hot air!"

"Exactly, we're all still waiting to watch!"

Lee Baolai's face soured as he responded, "Come on, we're all classmates. Isn't this taking things a bit too far?"

"Too far?" Lin Xuan chuckled. "It was your idea to make the bet. Everyone's just here to see you follow through. How can you blame us? If anything, you're the one who took it to the extreme, right?"

Lee Baolai clenched his jaw and held back his rage. "I'm sorry, I got carried away. I didn't see it coming. I'm apologizing to you, Lin Xuan, in front of everyone. Is that good enough?"

"If that's not enough, I'll pay you twenty thousand yuan to settle this. Okay?"

"Twenty thousand?" Lin Xuan gave a slight smile.

"How could twenty thousand be enough?" chimed in a classmate. "They wouldn't take three hundred thousand, so why would they take your twenty thousand?"

"Exactly, that apology didn't even sound genuine. We're not accepting it!"

Lee Baolai was sweating bullets by now. He had never been in such a predicament before.

"Don't push it too far!"

Finally reaching his limit, Lee Baolai exploded, "Eating the bowl is out of the question! One phone call to my dad, and he'll take care of each and every one of you! Believe it or not!"

His outburst had its desired effect.

The classmates who had been jeering fell silent.

They might not fear Lee Baolai, but they were certainly wary of his father's power and connections.

At this juncture, a student suggested, "I think that's enough. Lee Baolai has already apologized. Do we really need to force him to eat the bowl?"

"Yeah, let's just drop it. We're all classmates here; it's all in good fun. No need to take it to heart."

Lin Xuan offered a slight smile and posed a question, "If I were the one who had lost, do you think Lee Baolai would be letting me off the hook right now?"

A hush fell over the crowd.

True to form, with Lee Baolai's overbearing nature, victory would have gone straight to his head. He'd surely insist on Lin Xuan honoring his word.

Lin Xuan was intent on giving Lee Baolai, the show-off, a taste of his own medicine. Without a genuine apology, there was no way he'd let him slide.

Red-faced with anger, Lee Baolai retorted, "You really want to challenge me? My apology was a courtesy to you. Aren't you scared of my dad?"

Lin Xuan responded coolly, "And who might your father be?"

"My dad is Lee Degui, the Deputy Director of Customs. He's well-connected in A City. One call from him, and any leader would bend over backwards to accommodate him!"

Lee Baolai's bravado grew, "You sure you want to cross me? Go ahead, try!"

Lin Xuan chuckled, "Fine, since you're so formidable, you don't have to 'eat the bowl,' but be prepared to face the consequences."

"Hahaha, you think I'm easily frightened?" Lee Baolai burst into laughter. "Just so you know, if my dad steps in, you'll be kneeling before me without a leg to stand on!"

Lin Xuan nodded, "Okay, since you're so influential, you're excused from 'eating the bowl.'"

Smugly, Lee Baolai sneered, "Scared, huh? If you'd realized this sooner, you wouldn't be in this mess!"

Below, Lin Xuan sent a text to Ye Lingtian: "Look up information on a Lee Degui from Customs."

Ye Lingtian quickly replied: "Found him. Lee Degui, Deputy Director of Customs, has abused his authority to network his way to the top over the last two years, with no real accomplishments to his name."

Lin Xuan texted back, "Strip him of his position now, and show him the door."

"Got it!"