Chapter 163: The Curiosity of He Chaoxiang

As they made their way to the auction venue, Xia Yu presented his invitation and followed the directions into the auction hall.

To his surprise, Xia Yu's seat number was right next to He Youguang and his sister, He Chaoxiang. In fact, He Chaoxiang was seated right next to Xia Yu, while her brother, He Youguang, was seated a little farther away.

This arrangement made Xia Yu a bit uncomfortable, especially since he could occasionally see the still-flushed cheeks of He Chaoxiang and the curiosity and vague emotions in her eyes. This made him even more uneasy.

Unable to escape the situation, Xia Yu quickly picked up the auction catalog and began to browse through it.

"Ah, there are quite a few good items here. It seems they are genuinely committed to charity. I had heard that the wealthy in Xiangjiang are keen on philanthropy, and this gives a glimpse of that!"

Seeing the exquisite auction items in the catalog, which included valuable antique books and paintings, Xia Yu silently admired the display.

As he turned to one page, a particular item caught his attention and made him pause to examine it closely.

The item depicted was a painting of lotus flowers and mandarin ducks. The scene showed a corner of a lotus pond, with reeds growing densely. On the clear water's surface, a pair of mandarin ducks swam together beneath the green lotus leaves that looked like umbrellas. Several red lotus flowers were blooming, and the painting was meticulously detailed. The veins of the lotus leaves, the red threads of the lotus flowers, and the thorns on the lotus stems were all vividly portrayed, while the water ripples, aquatic plants, and reeds were sketched with light ink strokes. The brushwork combined reality and abstraction, giving the painting an ethereal and refined quality.

The painting was titled "Lotus and Mandarin Ducks."

Next, Xia Yu carefully read the description.

The "Lotus and Mandarin Ducks" painting was a silk painting by the late Ming and early Qing artist Chen Hongshou, measuring 183 cm in height and 98.3 cm in width. 

The upper left corner of the painting had the artist's inscription: "Painted by Xishan Laolian Hongshou at Qingyi Hall," with the seals "Chen Hongshou Seal" and "Zhang Hou" stamped on it.

The donor of the painting: Mei Shancheng.

Xia Yu had a distinct recollection of this painting. In his past life, while wandering in the capital, he had visited the Palace Museum and had seen this very painting.

This painting was among the top ten in lotus flower paintings and was worth several tens of millions of RMB in later years. It had been donated to the Palace Museum by a collector.

"I didn't expect it to appear at Sotheby's Auction House now. It seems it hasn't reached the collector's hands yet."

"Since I've come across it, I won't be polite. If the price is right, I'll bid for it. It will definitely be a big profit if I keep it for future generations!"

Feeling pleased, Xia Yu thought to himself.

Of course, the last statement was a joke. He understood the principle of "gold in troubled times, antiques in prosperous times."

His real intention was to acquire some antiques to keep as family heirlooms, so that even if the family's fortune declined in the future, descendants could sell the antiques to raise funds and make a comeback.

Of course, it would be best if the family never fell into decline, but it's always good to be prepared!

As Xia Yu was engrossed in admiring the "Lotus and Mandarin Ducks" painting, He Chaoxiang, sitting next to him, also came to her senses. Her curious gaze turned to the catalog in Xia Yu's hands. Seeing that he hadn't noticed her, she leaned in to look at the image he was observing.

Noticing a shadow moving, Xia Yu looked up and saw He Chaoxiang examining the catalog. Xia Yu smiled and handed her the catalog, saying, "Miss He, would you like to take a look?"

"No, thank you. I have one here," He Chaoxiang replied with a sweet smile, holding up her own closed catalog.

After a moment of hesitation, He Chaoxiang asked Xia Yu, "Mr. Xia Yu, you seemed so absorbed earlier. Is there something special about this 'Lotus and Mandarin Ducks' painting?"

"Just call me Xia Yu!" Seeing that He Chaoxiang was uncomfortable addressing him as "Mr. Xia Yu," and finding it awkward for a young girl to address him that way, Xia Yu smiled and said.

He Chaoxiang glanced at her brother and, finding no objection, sighed in relief. She gave a radiant smile, her eyes crescent-shaped, and happily said, "Alright, then you can call me Chaoxiang."

Afterwards, He Chaoxiang blinked expectantly at Xia Yu.

Seeing the innocent and eager look on the young girl's face, Xia Yu found it hard to keep his composure. He wondered whether He Chaoxiang's open and cheerful attitude was just her nature or if her brother had said something that influenced her behavior toward him.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Xia Yu decided to focus on handling He Chaoxiang first.

He gave He Youguang an apologetic glance and then turned to He Chaoxiang, smiling, and said, "Okay, Chaoxiang."

Hearing that Xia Yu didn't keep a formal distance and used her name, He Chaoxiang was visibly pleased. She once again asked in her charming voice, "Xia Yu, you still haven't answered my question. What's special about this painting?"

"This painting has high collectible value. If you have spare money, it's actually quite suitable to bid on and collect. It's not a problem for its value to increase several times."

"Moreover, this painting is a rare treasure. Even though this is just a photo, it still reflects some of the painting's essence. The painting uses the 'purity of the lotus rising from the mud, untainted and undistorted by the clear water' as its theme. The flowers are elegant, some still in bud, others just blooming..."

"And Chen Hongshou, the artist, known as Zhang Hou, also called Laolian and Huichi, was from Zhuji..."

With a smile on his face, Xia Yu began to explain.

As he spoke, He Chaoxiang became engrossed in listening, her eyes wide with admiration and surprise. Her gaze increasingly focused on Xia Yu, and she was absorbed in his explanation, her attention shifting from the painting to him. The more she listened, the more impressed she seemed.

Noticing He Chaoxiang's unusual state, Xia Yu quickly concluded his explanation, and He Chaoxiang came back to her senses.

"Xia Yu, you know so much. You don't look much older than me. Where did you learn all this? It's amazing!"

He Chaoxiang looked at Xia Yu with what seemed like stars in her eyes, amazed.

"Not really. I just read some books when I have free time," Xia Yu offered a casual explanation.

"Oh!"

"By the way, Xia Yu, I heard from my brother that you are very impressive. Not only can you write novels, but you also own two companies. The 'Jiuding Daily' and 'Economics' magazine, which are the top in Southeast Asia and Xiangjiang, are yours. You even earned over 100 million HKD from Uncle Li. How did you do all that? It's really impressive!"

"My dad says my elder brother is not as impressive as you. At your age, no one in Xiangjiang or Southeast Asia can match you. He says you are a once-in-a-century talent. Is it really that impressive? Why can't I see it?"

He Chaoxiang tilted her head slightly, as if thinking of something, her eyes brightening. She immediately asked Xia Yu, chattering away like a yellow oriole, while continuously observing him, trying to discover any differences.