Chapter 251: Van Gogh
“Ahem!” Lu Jingyao couldn’t help but cough violently upon hearing those four words that reeked of online novel clichés.
Hua Lao, standing nearby, evidently had excellent hearing. He glared at Xu Youyou and said, “I’m not some villain from an online novel! I wouldn’t do such a thing! What, is it strange that I like reading Chinese web novels? What’s wrong with it? After all, your web novels are so cheap! It’s a hobby that doesn’t cost much!”
Xu Youyou replied, “You can’t be sure of that. You love money so much, what if you really get impulsive? What would you do then?”
Hua Lao nearly jumped up in panic, asking, “What treasure do you have that I would covet?”
Lu Jingyao, watching the two of them argue like children, helplessly said, “Alright, alright, Youyou, stop teasing him. He’s a simple guy who just likes money; he’s not mad yet.”
Xu Youyou smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll trust him just this once.”
Hua Lao sneered, “I’m not the kind of shallow person who would kill for treasure.”
Xu Youyou led both of them down into the cellar and said to Hua Lao, “You’ve been criticizing me the whole way, asking why I’m buying a castle. Well, I’ll show you what it means to spend money and make money.”
Hua Lao, with a disdainful look on his face, still clung to his belief and said, “Saving is the most profitable business in the world!”
But in the next second, without Xu Youyou doing anything obvious, a secret door suddenly appeared in the empty cellar. Pushing it open revealed a hidden room.
Hua Lao’s eyes widened in shock, but his mouth remained stubborn: “So what if there’s a hidden room? It doesn’t mean there’s treasure inside.”
Xu Youyou stepped inside, and the items in the room were immediately clear.
There were several shelves, which seemed to have originally been used to store wine, and two bottles remained.
Hua Lao casually picked up one of the bottles, wiped off the dust, and looked at the label. His sapphire-blue eyes suddenly surged with shock.
“Sing Eagle… How is this possible?”
He carefully set the bottle down and picked up the other one. “Still Sing Eagle…”
Xu Youyou, not understanding wine well, looked at Lu Jingyao for clarification.
Lu Jingyao softly explained, “This is 1992 Sing Eagle wine, about five hundred thousand dollars per bottle.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but gasp. She hadn’t expected a bottle of wine to cost more than three million RMB. These two bottles alone were worth seven million RMB.
To put things into perspective, Xu Youyou had bought this castle for just two million euros, and it wasn’t well-known in the UK. The location was remote, so there wasn’t much competition in the auction, and she had gotten it cheaply. Just these two bottles of wine had already covered a third of her costs.
More importantly, the system’s “bargain hunt” task wasn’t about the wine, but about the painting hanging behind the wine rack.
Xu Youyou had the rack moved and personally took down the painting.
It was an ordinary oil painting, covered in a thick layer of dust, and there didn’t seem to be anything special about it.
Hua Lao leaned in to take a look and scoffed, “It’s just a worthless piece of junk. What’s so interesting about it?”
Xu Youyou ignored him and took apart the frame, peeling off the top layer of the painting.
No surprise, it was another painting within a painting.
The hidden painting seemed to have been carefully preserved, with several layers of protective material.
As each layer was removed, everyone present began to realize the significance of the painting. Even Hua Lao, who had been waiting to see the show, couldn’t help but hold his breath.
Once all the protective layers were removed, the true appearance of the hidden painting was revealed.
The carefully preserved painting was a portrait of a man.
The moment Xu Youyou saw it, a name instantly popped into her mind: Van Gogh!
Hua Lao clearly recognized the painting too: “It’s actually Self-Portrait Without a Beard! This painting was supposed to be lost forever! How could it be here?”
Xu Youyou quickly searched her phone and found out that the painting had been sold for over seventy million dollars many years ago, and then it had disappeared without a trace.
Hua Lao, with a bitter tone, said, “Even though it’s been hidden so deeply, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the real deal. What if the person who hid the painting bought a counterfeit and just wanted to play a prank by hiding it like this? Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, why would anyone with such a priceless treasure not tell their descendants?”
Xu Youyou looked at Hua Lao, who was acting like a “jealous, bitter man,” and ruthlessly shattered his fantasy: “This is the real painting.”
“Many people, until their last breath, are unwilling to pass down their family secrets, fearing their descendants will squander everything. But they forget that sometimes death comes unexpectedly.”
Listening to Xu Youyou’s words, Hua Lao, while carefully trying to cover up his defensive state, silently made up his mind to carefully choose the most trustworthy child and slowly reveal his secrets. He would never let his family heirlooms be casually handed over, like the owner of this castle had done.
Lu Jingyao softly reminded Hua Lao, “Looks like my girlfriend won.”
Hua Lao’s expression fluctuated. After being slapped in the face by reality, he quickly apologized to Xu Youyou: “Sorry, I underestimated you. You really can make money by spending it.”
Xu Youyou was more pleased by this moment than finding a priceless treasure herself, seeing the proud Hua Lao bow his head.
But Hua Lao quickly added, “But this kind of thing is like gambling. Not every abandoned house hides treasure.”
Xu Youyou didn’t explain that she had the system helping her, instead agreeing with his statement: “You’re right. Ordinary people really shouldn’t do such things.”
Hua Lao then asked, “If it’s confirmed that this is a real Van Gogh, would you sell it?”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow: “Didn’t you say you don’t like spending money? I thought your self-imposed limit was spending ten dollars a month on novels.”
Hua Lao shook his head and said, “I also have some big clients who love collecting high-priced artwork. If you’re willing, I can help you sell this painting. Since you’re Jingyao’s girlfriend, I’ll work with you at the lowest commission.”
This painting was different from the other high-priced antiques Xu Youyou had previously picked up. Van Gogh’s work wasn’t as highly sought after in Chinese circles as Chinese ancient paintings, so its buyers were likely to be wealthy Europeans or Americans. Entrusting Hua Lao to handle the sale seemed more reliable.
“Okay.”
Seeing Xu Youyou agree, Hua Lao’s face lit up with joy. He loved making money and could already see the high returns from this business deal.
Xu Youyou, intending to leave with the painting, suddenly noticed the system’s golden pointer flickering and then pointing upward toward the ceiling.
She couldn’t help but look up. Just one glance made her heart skip a beat.
