The Birth of a New Identity

Mr. Zheng repeatedly expressed his gratitude, "Miss Ye, you've done a great favor for our auction house. We're extremely thankful!"

Ye Shengge smiled modestly, "You're welcome, it was just a small effort."

Mr. Zheng was appreciative of her humble attitude. While his initial respect for Ye Shengge might have been due to Fu Yushen, he now genuinely respected her.

The lead art appraiser among the group of experts approached and asked, "Miss Ye, may I inquire how you determined that this painting 'Ink-stained Frost Charm' is a forgery?"

Ye Shengge first glanced at Fu Yushen. She was most familiar with him in this room, so her eyes instinctively turned to him.

Fu Yushen raised an eyebrow and lazily said, "Go ahead and speak your mind."

On the side, Song Yang muttered to himself, "..."

He had never seen Mr. Fu be so indulgent with anyone before.

Ye Shengge didn't hold back and walked up to the scroll. Her slender fingers pointed to the top-right corner where the mountain lines were interrupted. "Here, the lines are broken, and the direction of the lines differs slightly from Mr. Fan Yanqiao's usual style."

The appraisers immediately looked in the direction she was pointing and carefully studied it for a while before realizing her observation.

"I see it! Right here, there's an issue with the line direction!"

"Wow, this detail is really well hidden."

"I have to admit, the forger did a superb job copying Mr. Fan Yanqiao's style. It's not easy for ordinary people to notice."

"Miss Ye, you're amazing. You're much better than us old folks!"

Ye Shengge politely smiled and then pointed to the lower-right corner where the seal was. "The color of the ink here is incorrect, it's too red compared to the seal typically used by Mr. Fan Yanqiao."

The appraisers followed Ye Shengge's finger to examine the area. They nodded repeatedly.

"I see. Out of the eight of us, only Mr. Xie and Mr. Fei noticed the issue with the ink, and we barely managed to identify the forgery based on the ink color."

"Miss Ye, may I ask if you often appreciate Chinese paintings?"

"Miss Ye, I have a grandson around your age who also enjoys studying Chinese paintings. Could I give you his phone number so you can guide him when you have some free time?"

The art appraisers, after hearing Ye Shengge's earlier words, warmly surrounded her, almost eager to ask her numerous questions. Observing Ye Shengge encircled by them, especially after hearing the phrase "a grandson of a similar age," Fu Yushen's expression immediately turned cold.

Song Yang, witnessing this scene, was utterly speechless.

What on earth was happening? Exchanging phone numbers? Initiating matchmaking already? Miss Ye was long known to be already committed; she's Mr. Fu's clandestine wife, for heaven’s sake!

Seeing Mr. Fu's countenance grow increasingly icy, Song Yang quickly intervened, "Alright, gentlemen, now that we know this painting is a forgery, let's not disturb Miss Ye any longer!"

The appraisers, hindered from their inquiries, reluctantly closed their mouths, filled with regret.

Ye Shengge finally found a chance to catch her breath and returned to her seat.

Mr. Zheng was an astute businessperson. His eyes sparkled with a plan as he warmly addressed Fu Yushen and Ye Shengge, "Mr. Fu, would it be an honor to appoint Miss Ye as our auction house's honorary consultant?"

Fu Yushen looked towards Ye Shengge with great respect, "What do you think?"

Ye Shengge, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Honorary consultant? What does that entail?"

Mr. Zheng amiably explained, "We wish to engage Miss Ye as a senior appraiser for our auction house. Don’t worry; we won't disturb you regularly. If our in-house appraisers encounter challenging pieces that they can't authenticate, we'll ask for your help. Correspondingly, we'll offer you a generous reward."

Ye Shengge understood the proposal. It didn't seem burdensome—just occasionally authenticating artworks wouldn't require much effort.

After a moment of consideration, Ye Shengge nodded in agreement, "I accept your offer, but I prefer not to use my real name."

Mr. Zheng, overjoyed by her acceptance, was elated beyond measure, more so than winning a five-million lottery. He promptly agreed, "Absolutely! We'll accommodate all according to Miss Ye's preferences. If you don't wish to use your real name, you may provide us with a code name!"

"A code name..." Ye Shengge couldn't immediately think of a good one, so she casually suggested, "Then, let's go with... Jiuge."

"Great! I'll draft a contract later. It's truly an honor to invite you as our senior appraiser!" Mr. Zheng couldn't contain his joy, showering heaps of flattery, then turning to Fu Yushen and Ye Shengge, "Please continue enjoying the auction. We won't disturb you for now."

Ye Shengge, feeling inclined to help, spoke with a crystal-clear voice, "The 'Stream and Mountain Landscape' in the corridor is also a fake."

As her words fell, Mr. Zheng was left completely stunned. Another... another fake painting? However, this time, Mr. Zheng showed no doubts or disdain towards Ye Shengge, expressing immense gratitude, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Ye. We'll replace it immediately!"

After expressing his gratitude several times, Mr. Zheng left the private room.

The room returned to quietness once again. Ye Shengge sighed in relief, took a sip of her tea, and noticed that Fu Yushen was silently observing her.

Ye Shengge blinked, "Why are you staring at me? Do I have money on my face?"

Fu Yushen remained composed and casually mentioned, "Someone just now wanted to introduce his grandson to you."

Ye Shengge nonchalantly waved her hand, "That was just an offhand remark."

Fu Yushen's profound eyes glanced at her, and he said no more.

Song Yang, standing by, shook her head helplessly. Miss Ye, haven't you noticed? Mr. Fu is jealous.

The auction was coming to an end, and Ye Shengge rested her chin on her hand, lazily observing the situation in the hall below.

She also noticed that her elder brother, Ye Mingzhe, had somehow arrived at the venue.

The auctioneer on the stage had been shouting for a long time, and his voice was hoarse, but it didn't dampen his enthusiasm for the job.

"Gentlemen, the item we're presenting now is the final piece of this auction! It's a sapphire necklace designed by the world's top designer, Violet. She spent three whole years creating this masterpiece, and there's only one like it in the entire world!"

The etiquette lady displayed the sapphire necklace to the audience below.

The auctioneer continued, "This necklace is named 'The Rest of My Life' in Chinese, and it's the result of Violet's painstaking efforts!"

"Especially the sapphires on this necklace, they are exceptionally pure and one-of-a-kind in the world! Don't miss it if you love it!"

"Now, let the bidding begin. The starting price for 'The Rest of My Life' necklace is twenty million!"

When Ye Shengge heard the name "Violet," her eyes suddenly lit up. She also showed an appreciative look when she saw 'The Rest of My Life' necklace.

Fu Yushen caught her change in expression and raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

Was Ye Shengge interested in this necklace?

On the first floor of the hall, Ye Shanshan stared intently at the necklace on the stage, unable to help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful..."

It truly lived up to being designed by the top-tier master, Violet.

Ye Shanshan had unintentionally learned that Ye Shengge was a fan of this designer and loved her creations.

If she could win this piece and show it off to Ye Shengge, she imagined the priceless expression on her sister's face.

Ye Shanshan couldn't wait to see Ye Shengge's reaction.

Beside her, Ye Mingzhe heard her admiration and smiled, "Since you like it, I will bid and get it for you."