Brian whispered in his ear, "I think this might actually be true. She really is related to the second young lady of the Xiao Family. Her husband is the only son of the Xiao Family, and it’s said he gets along quite well with his other sisters. Besides, she’s here telling us these things, if she had any ulterior motives, it wouldn’t make sense."

This was the very dilemma Elgar felt. If Gu Nuan had any motive to claim the painting, she definitely wouldn’t have come to them with these words, because no matter what, they could never hand the painting over to Gu Nuan. Moreover, Gu Nuan never expressed any interest in seeing the painting from the beginning to the end. In other words, Gu Nuan didn’t care about the content of the painting at all.

Only if Gu Nuan was sure the painting was fake, like the reason she mentioned, would she come to them and make such a statement.

"We could apply a little bit of this solution to a tiny part of the painting to test it?" Brian suggested again, "After all, whether this matter is true or false will affect Christie’s reputation built over many years!"

If people find out that Christie’s auctioned a fake painting, it would be over, completely over; no matter how much the painting sold for, it would be meaningless.

At this point, Brian added, "Anyway, the owner, the second young lady of the Xiao Family, has become mad, so nothing she says can be taken as evidence. Her daughter is in prison and can’t help her defend her rights. We, on the other hand, happen to have her other family members as witnesses on our side—"

Elgar frowned and decided, "Okay, you try out a bit of the solution and report the results to me quickly so I can handle it."

As Brian was about to leave, Elgar suddenly changed his mind and said, "Wait, let me ask someone else first."

Seemingly knowing whom he wanted to ask, Brian leaned into his ear again and said, "That person isn’t surnamed Xiao, not part of the Xiao Family, right? Could they actually know the ultimate secret of the Xiao Family? Could they be a victim of deception?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Elgar’s hand froze mid-air as he was about to dial a number.

Zang Xiaolian drove Gu Nuan home, praising her non-stop, "Sister-in-law, you’re so clever! How did you come up with such an idea?"

Gu Nuan stared ahead, not responding with a single word.

Seeing her deep in thought, Zang Xiaolian said, "Sister-in-law?"

"It’s nothing. Nothing is conclusive yet, we still need to wait and see the outcome."

She had laid the bait and was watching to see if they would bite. This time, she had learned from her husband: use money to crush them!

There was no other way; at this point, only money could play a major role. If she couldn’t use money to buy the painting, then she must spend the money where it would be most effective.

Until halfway back, Gu Nuan’s phone rang, and Lingxin leaned in to listen, hearing a voice speaking to his mother.

"Mrs. Xiao, it’s all been settled, and I’ve received the money. I think Elgar will contact you later, Mrs. Xiao."

Was that Brian’s voice?

Lingxin was taken aback, looking at his mother.

When did Gu Nuan and Brian make a deal? Wasn’t today their first meeting?

Zang Xiaolian suddenly remembered that there had been an arrangement for Gu Nuan to meet Brian this morning, so he must have talked with Gu Nuan last night about meeting someone, only with Gu Nuan’s consent could such a meeting be arranged. In other words, Gu Nuan had actually reached some agreement with Brian last night through contact.

How could someone like Brian be willing to work for her, Gu Nuan? It must have involved reasoning and money. Besides providing enough benefits, she had to ensure that Brian wouldn’t engage in illegal activities.