Chapter 038: Utterly Speechless
After a brief hesitation,
Cai Guosheng could only brace himself and vehemently deny, "Although this appraisal certificate bears my seal and signature, it was forged by someone else."
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Zhang!"
"The Yongle blue-and-white porcelain vase and appraisal certificate you brought today are both fake."
Zhang Daye nearly spat blood upon hearing this, trembling as he angrily pointed at Cai Guosheng and indignantly said, "You..."
"Eight years ago, it was you who personally authenticated this blue-and-white porcelain vase as genuine during a paid appraisal event held by an appraisal agency. I've cherished it as a family heirloom ever since."
"Now you're telling me it's a fake, and even saying the appraisal certificate is false? I've lived this long and never seen someone as shameless as you."
Cai Guosheng was somewhat speechless after hearing this, so embarrassed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
In a moment of desperation, Cai Guosheng realized that the appraisal agency on the certificate had closed down many years ago, and due to the long passage of time, it was impossible to trace the authenticity of the appraisal certificate.
No one could prove that Cai Guosheng himself had collected the appraisal fee, signed, sealed, and issued the appraisal certificate back then.
So, Cai Guosheng, going against his conscience, continued to deny, "You must have been deceived by someone impersonating me. I, Cai, have never sealed or signed, or issued such an appraisal certificate."
"You..." Zhang Daye was so angry he couldn't speak.
Gong Jiarui said, "The antique collection world is a mixed bag, full of chaos. It's always a case of assuming your own risks and rewards. When you collect, if you buy a fake, you have to bear the consequences."
"I am very familiar with Cai Guosheng's handwriting. The signature on the appraisal certificate is vastly different from Cai's handwriting."
"I can guarantee with my character that the signature on the appraisal certificate is absolutely not Cai's own signature handwriting." Gong Jiarui forcibly whitewashed his old colleague and friend, Cai Guosheng.
Lin Lang thought to himself, "Your character isn't worth anything, yet you're shamelessly guaranteeing for others. I'm literally laughing my ass off!"
Zhang Daye looked at Gong Jiarui angrily and indignantly said, "You two are birds of a feather, neither of you is any good."
"Uh..." Gong Jiarui gave an awkward laugh.
Lin Lang, enjoying the spectacle, said, "Actually, it's very simple for Cai to prove his innocence. Just do a handwriting analysis. After all, what's real can't be faked, and what's fake can't be real."
Zhang Daye's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately said, "Yes, yes! Then let's do a handwriting analysis and see who's lying."
Cai Guosheng broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, feeling extremely guilty.
Ten thousand alpacas stampeded through Cai Guosheng's mind, and he couldn't help but inwardly curse Lin Lang's ancestors.
The beautiful director Marry Yang, sitting behind the camera monitor, saw Lin Lang slyly digging a pit for Cai Guosheng, and a mischievous smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
"This kid Lin Lang is truly mischievous!"
"It seems likely that the appraisal expert Cai Guosheng won't dare to do a handwriting analysis. After this episode airs, it will be full of talking points, and the ratings are guaranteed."
AI generated image of Marry Yang
After a brief hesitation, Cai Guosheng said, "Can I really go and do a handwriting analysis every time a fake appraisal certificate appears with my forged signature and seal on it?"
"With my reputation in the appraisal world, I wouldn't be able to do anything else every day. All my time would be spent proving my innocence and doing handwriting analyses with others, and I still wouldn't be able to keep up!"
Zhang Daye's face turned red and his neck swelled with anger. He picked up his blue-and-white porcelain vase, unwilling to argue further with such a petty person, glared fiercely at Cai Guosheng, and then left the program recording site indignantly without looking back.
Seeing Zhang Daye, the owner of the treasure, leave in a huff, Cai Guosheng wiped his cold sweat, strategically took a sip of water, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A barely perceptible mischievous smile flitted across Lin Lang's face, which Marry Yang caught sight of on the camera monitor, causing her to Can't help it secretly smile.
Before one episode was even finished recording, Lin Lang, who was filling in for his master Zhou Zhongdang on the show, left a deep impression on the mixed-race beauty director Marry Yang.
Immediately after, the host quickly tried to smooth things over, easing the awkward atmosphere at the program recording site.
The female host said, "The collection world is very deep. Audience friends, when you collect, you must not blindly trust so-called appraisal certificates, as they can all be forged."
The male host echoed, "That's right!"
"The path of collecting is rugged and bumpy. Being able to discern accurately and precisely is the prerequisite for making a collection."
The female host echoed, "Exactly!"
"Honing your discerning eye is the most important element of collecting. Blindly trusting appraisal certificates will only leave opportunities for scammers. All audience friends must take this as a warning."
The male host said, "Next, let's welcome our next treasure holder with applause."
Amidst the applause of the live audience, the third treasure holder appeared...
During the subsequent program recording, the appraisal expert Cai Guosheng, feeling disgraced, spoke little and stubbornly completed the program recording.
The appraisal expert Gong Jiarui, also feeling humiliated, passively gave all opportunities for appraisal valuation and on-camera limelight to Lin Lang during the program recording.