"I’ve heard—" Brian began, recalling what Xiaolian had just mentioned. While writing on a blank piece of paper, he said, "I’ve heard that you, Mrs. Xiao, have an incredibly valuable painting that you want entrusted to our auction house. Did you bring the painting’s information?"

Gu Nuan nodded, "I brought it."

Zang Xiaolian, at her signal, opened the briefcase he carried and took out a document for them to see.

Brian took the document from their hands, and after carefully flipping through a few pages, a gleam flashed in his eyes, "What’s this?"

"Aren’t you preparing to auction a similar painting?" Gu Nuan asked.

"How did Mrs. Xiao know?"

"The owner of the painting you’re auctioning has the surname Xiao. What do you think my relation to her might be?"

Brian clearly knew something as well, and seeing her so direct, he didn’t hesitate to say, "If Mrs. Xiao entrusts your painting to our auction house, it will certainly have an advantage. Because if Mrs. Xiao’s painting is confirmed to be part of the same series as the one we’re auctioning, the starting price will definitely be higher. The final auction price might break the ceiling. Everyone who wants to auction here hopes for the highest price possible. I’m sure Mrs. Xiao thinks the same."

"Exactly," Gu Nuan said, "I hope to fetch a high price, but I’m afraid what you have on hand isn’t authentic."

"What?" Brian was startled by her remark.

"I said I’m afraid the painting you have might not be genuine. My husband told me that his sister is a very cunning person and would never casually put such a cherished painting up for auction. It’s said there’s hidden treasure within that painting. Auctioning it off would be a loss despite the gain."

Clearly, the information Gu Nuan disclosed was new to Brian, even though their auction house had always found something peculiar about the painting.

"Can you clarify a bit more, Mrs. Xiao?" Brian queried.

"To be precise—" Gu Nuan responded, "we are the painting’s owners. We’re its keepers. Hence, we can be one hundred percent sure about the authenticity of the painting that’s in our possession."

Brian nodded, "Yes, since you are the owners, you definitely know about its authenticity."

The auction house phrased it this way rather than seeking an expert evaluation because these paintings were clearly not by recognized masters, making expert evaluation ineffective. Whether the painting could fetch a high price depended on the secrets it held, and besides the owners, nobody could fully grasp these secrets.

"I have a way to help you verify if the painting you hold is genuine and whether it’s been swapped," Gu Nuan proposed.

Brian hesitated, scanning her face with a questioning look, "How did you come to suspect that the painting your husband’s sister gave us is definitely fake?"

"The truth is, my husband and I initially didn’t want to get involved," Gu Nuan said slowly, "But there’s no other choice. You have to understand that we’re in a family business. If this fake painting is auctioned and later discovered by the buyer, leading them to file a lawsuit against both Christie’s and us, even if it doesn’t concern us directly, it would cause immense reputational and financial damage to our enterprise."

"Then, if this one’s fake, where’s the genuine one?"

"Naturally, it’s with us."

Brian was shocked and stammered, "You say the real painting is with you?"

"Yes, that’s why I’m saying the one you hold is definitely a fake; otherwise, why would I have come to you? Didn’t I already explain my reasons?"