Chapter 221: Face-Slapping Reversal

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Face-Slapping Reversal

After this brief interlude, the host moved on to the next segment:

"Dear viewers, and to all our guests here in the studio, it’s time for a little game!"

"Our production team has received several antiques from some generous donors. Of course, some of these items are real and some are fake. We’re now going to present them all to you. If any are found to be authentic, they will be donated to the National Museum free of charge!"

The guests all applauded after hearing this.

Then, staff members brought the items onto the stage.

The host first walked to the far left, where a mounted Ancient Painting was displayed.

The host introduced it, "This is ’White Snow and Red Plum’ by the famous ancient painter, Reginald Redding. Unfortunately, as it was passed down through generations, it wasn’t well-preserved. The bottom right corner has suffered water damage."

In the bottom right corner of the painting, a splotch of ink had bled, ruining the aesthetic of the entire piece.

The host looked toward Ophelia Warren and asked with a smile, "Ophelia, you’re quite skilled in traditional Chinese painting. In your opinion, is this painting authentic or a forgery?"

Ophelia Warren walked up to the painting, examined it carefully for a few minutes, then picked up her microphone and answered, "This ’White Snow and Red Plum’ is likely a forgery."

The viewers in the livestream chat were instantly stunned.

[Holy crap, a forgery? How can she tell?]

[Uh, I thought it looked real?]

Next, the host turned to Sienna Everett. "Sienna, what do you think?"

Sienna Everett nodded. "It’s a forgery."

[Huh? Sienna Everett says it’s a forgery too?]

[Wait, Sienna Everett, you didn’t even go take a closer look. How can you just say it’s a forgery? That’s way too hasty!]

[Everyone calm down. Miles Everett is here, isn’t he? He’s a very famous Restorer, he should be able to tell if it’s real or not!]

Sure enough, the host looked to Miles Everett, who was standing nearby. "Mr. Everett, you’ve restored many artifacts, including some ancient paintings. Could you appraise the authenticity of this piece for us, right here and now?"

Miles Everett stared at the painting for a few moments, then raised his microphone. "That’s right. This painting is a forgery."

’The production team definitely had a professional appraise this beforehand; they knew it was a fake,’ the host thought, inwardly surprised for a moment.

’It’s not surprising that Miles Everett could tell, but I didn’t expect Ophelia Warren and Sienna Everett to figure it out too.’

The host immediately turned to Ophelia Warren, the first to identify it as a fake, and asked curiously, "Ophelia, how could you tell?"

Ophelia Warren curved her lips into a gentle, elegant smile.

"I’m fairly proficient in traditional painting, so I have some knowledge of it. Reginald Redding’s paintings were all baked with pine resin oil. Even if you splash water on them, the ink won’t run. But on this piece, the bottom right corner got a little wet, and the ink bled and smudged. That’s obviously wrong."

"Also, the seal. As far as I know, Reginald Redding used Longquan ink paste for his seals. It’s a type of paste more precious than gold; it doesn’t solidify in winter, doesn’t separate in summer, isn’t damaged by water, and leaves a mark even after being burned. A seal stamped with this ink paste wouldn’t be smudged by water either. But the seal on this painting has become blurry from water damage. That’s not right, either."

After she finished, the host looked to Miles Everett for confirmation.

Miles Everett nodded, indicating that everything Ophelia Warren said was correct.

The netizens were suddenly having their minds blown.

[Oh my god, she got everything right! That’s amazing! Ophelia Warren knows so much! Baked with pine resin oil? Longquan ink paste? I don’t even understand what those are!]

[Help, I have no resistance to this kind of gentle and talented woman! I finally get why so many people like Ophelia Warren. I think I’m falling for her too!]

[Sienna Everett said it was a forgery too, so she was also right!]

[Are you kidding me? Sienna Everett didn’t even look at the painting closely. She must have just said it off the cuff. She probably just copied Ophelia Warren!]

The live chat was buzzing with heated discussion while the show continued.

The second item was a piece of original calligraphy by Roman Norland.

Just now, Ophelia Warren had not only identified the fake but had also been able to explain her reasoning point by point. So, the host turned to her first. "This original calligraphy by Roman Norland, does Ophelia think it’s real or fake?"

Ophelia Warren again walked up to it, stared at it intently for a few minutes, then shook her head. "It’s probably a forgery. Fake."

Orion Hawthorne and Rowan Rhodes didn’t know anything about these things and just made random guesses.

Then, the host looked at Sienna Everett. "Sienna, what do you think?"

Sienna Everett’s answer was succinct. "Forgery."

The host finally looked to Miles Everett.

Among the guests, Miles Everett’s answer was the most authoritative. He raised his microphone. "Ophelia is right. It’s a forgery."

He only said ’Ophelia is right’, clearly only taking Ophelia Warren’s answer seriously.

The host exclaimed in admiration, "Our production team had this appraised by a professional beforehand, and you’re all correct! This calligraphy by Roman Norland is indeed a forgery."

[Damn, does she have to be so awesome?! Ophelia Warren was right again!]

[I’m seriously about to become a fan! Looking at Ophelia Warren now, it’s like she’s glowing with the aura of a scholar! She’s so classy and talented!]

[No way, how come Sienna Everett didn’t even look closely again and just answered right away? Is she really just copying Ophelia Warren’s answers?]

[I know Sienna Everett is good at a lot of things, like dancing, composing, design, and racing, but artifact appraisal isn’t something you can learn overnight. If you don’t know, you don’t know. There’s no need to keep copying someone else’s answers. People who pretend to know things they don’t are the most annoying.]

[??? What do you mean, copying? What if Sienna Everett figured it out on her own?]

[Heh, don’t you think that sounds ridiculous? I bet Sienna Everett’s next answer will be the same as Ophelia Warren’s! If not, I’ll drink toilet water on a livestream!]

Next up was a small celadon bowl.

The host once again asked Ophelia Warren to answer first.

Ophelia Warren studied it for a moment, then smiled humbly and gently. "I don’t know much about porcelain, but after looking it over, I feel like it should be authentic."

Orion Hawthorne and Rowan Rhodes again gave random answers, one saying it was real, the other a fake.

When it was Sienna Everett’s turn, she gave a slight nod. "It’s authentic."

Finally, Miles Everett gave the authoritative answer. "Ophelia is as humble as ever. You’re correct, this small celadon bowl is indeed authentic."

After speaking, Miles Everett turned to look at Sienna Everett, his brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t understand why Sienna Everett always followed Ophelia’s answers.

’When Ophelia says it’s a forgery, she follows and says it’s a forgery. When Ophelia says it’s authentic, she follows and says it’s authentic.’

’If you don’t know, you don’t know. Why insist on copying Ophelia’s answers?’

When Sienna Everett gave her answer, the live chat immediately exploded with a dense wall of comments.

[See? See? I was right! Sienna Everett gave the same answer as Ophelia Warren again. Heh, she’s obviously copying Ophelia!]

[Sigh, it’s okay not to know, but why does she have to copy Ophelia Warren’s answers? I have to say, Miss Ophelia is truly amazing. I’ve never seen a celebrity in the entertainment industry with this much talent. I’m officially a fan now!]

[Host, can you ask Sienna Everett first next time? Let’s see what she says! Once she has no one to copy, her true colors will be exposed!]

The next item was an Ancient Inkstone.

The host explained, "This inkstone was given to our show by a collector. It’s said to have been used by Xavier Owens, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties. It has immense historical value, and if it’s authentic, it will be donated to the National Museum!"

Hearing the name Xavier Owens, the entire audience watched with rapt attention.

Unfortunately, the host didn’t grant the netizens’ wish and still asked Ophelia Warren to answer first.

Ophelia put on the special gloves provided by the show—two layers made of different materials—then picked up the inkstone and examined it carefully several times before shaking her head regretfully. "Unfortunately, it’s a forgery."

Orion Hawthorne and Rowan Rhodes didn’t know, so they just gave random answers again.

Next was Sienna Everett. This time, she didn’t just stand in place. She put on gloves and picked up the inkstone, looking it over from top to bottom.

[Heh, so now she knows to put on a show and pretend to examine it? Too late! Pretending to be an expert when you’re not, what could she possibly see!]

[Her form looks pretty convincing. Is she just aping Ophelia’s movements from before?]

[I bet you again, after Sienna Everett pretends to have a good look, she’s definitely going to say it’s a forgery, just like Ophelia Warren! If not, I’ll eat shit on a livestream!]

Just then, Sienna Everett put down the inkstone and said flatly, "It’s authentic."

The words fell.

The host: ???

The livestream viewers: ???

What the hell?

[Huh? Did I hear that right? Why is it different this time?]

[She’s faking it, she’s faking it, it’s definitely on purpose! Everyone could see she was copying, so she was too embarrassed to do it again and deliberately gave the opposite answer!]

Ophelia Warren froze for a second, then smiled at Sienna Everett, her voice gentle. "Sienna, you must have made a mistake. This Ancient Inkstone is definitely a forgery."