Chapter 734: Fakes

Shen Li’s finger gently tapped on the phone screen.

This man…

She held her phone as she followed Shen Zhijin.

“Zhijin.”

A 40-year-old blonde-haired, blue-eyed male foreigner smiled and greeted Shen Zhijin. However, his gaze fell on Shen Li who was behind him.

“So, this is your daughter, Tangtang?”

The man spoke fluent Chinese.

Shen Zhijin nodded and introduced the two of them.

“Tangtang, this is Professor Carroll from the Department of Art History at Morley University.”

“Carroll, this is my daughter, Shen Li.”

Shen Li accessed the man in front of her. He had deep-set eyes and angular facial features. He was extremely handsome.

Even though he was already 40 years old, he still looked extremely charming.

He smiled and extended his hand.

“Hello, Tangtang.”

The corners of Shen Li’s lips curved slightly. She shook his hand.

“Hello, Professor Carroll.”

Carroll winked and smiled.

“I was your mother’s schoolmate at Sutton Public School in Baicheng. You may just call me uncle.”

Shen Li looked at Shen Zhijin and saw him nod slightly.

Sutton Public School was a noble college in Baicheng. The tuition fees were high, and the students were all from wealthy families.

Gu Tingyin had attended high school there.

Shen Li was a little surprised. She had not expected Gu Tingyin’s former classmate to have come tonight.

It sounded like he had had a pretty good relationship with Gu Tingyin.

In Shen Zhijin’s case…

Being able to get Shen Zhijin to specially introduce them was already enough of an indication.

Shen Li followed his advice.

“Uncle Carroll.”

Professor Carroll was obviously very happy. His gaze lingered on Shen Li’s face for a long time before he looked at Shen Zhijin and smiled.

“I used to be very curious about what the daughter produced by both you and her would look like. Now that I look at her, she’s even more beautiful than I imagined.”

Shen Li’s face perfectly combined the best of Shen Zhijin and Gu Tingyin’s features.

Her brows and eyes resembled Shen Zhijin’s. The bridge of her nose and the corner of her lips were extremely similar to Gu Tingyin’s.

She appeared to have a cold temperament and when she looked over with her pair of dark and clear peach blossom eyes, she appeared to be even more indifferent and cold.

However, when she smiled, her dimples were faintly discernible, and that raised arc was almost a perfect copy of Gu Tingyin. It was rare for her to reveal some sweetness, so it had unknowingly diluted the distant feeling, merging into a unique and beautiful beauty.

Upon hearing the praise for Shen Li, Shen Zhijin’s handsome face also relaxed into a faint smile.

“Tangtang is more like Yin Yin.”

Shen Li became more and more curious. To be able to talk to Shen Zhijin like this, the relationship between them seemed to be even closer than she had expected.

“Is the “Seventeenth Night” is your painting?”

Carroll asked with a smile.

Shen Li was Ning Li, so naturally, she was also Tree’s Shadow.

Ever since she had revealed her identity previously, it had caused quite a stir in the local art circle.

However, she had not expected Carroll to have also heard about this matter.

He came from abroad and was a professor at Morley University. Logically speaking, he should not have paid too much attention to the things that happened locally here.

However, when she thought about how he taught art history theory, it seemed to make a lot more sense.

“Yes.”

She nodded slightly.

Carroll said, “Speaking of which, I once saw that painting at a student’s place.”

Shen Li was stunned. “What? You’ve seen it before?”

How was this possible?

When that painting had been completed, she had sent it directly to the Yunzhou Art Association and had them auction it off on her behalf.

The person who had bid for the painting was Lu Huaiyu.

From that time until now, Lu Huaiyu had kept the painting well hidden and had never taken it out.

Even if Carroll had seen it, it should have been at that auction and not at the students’ place.

As if he could read her mind, Carol shrugged and smiled helplessly.

“I only found out a while ago that it was a fake.”

Shen Li frowned.

A fake.

She had also seen a fake of “Seventeenth Night” in a gallery in the Capital.

“When I saw that painting, I had admired it greatly. Unfortunately, I found it to be slightly flawed, and I kept feeling that it looked a little strange. At that time, I only thought that the painter was not talented enough and felt that it was quite a pity. I didn’t expect it to be because it was a fake painting.”

Carroll said this, seemingly with some regret mixed with some relief.

“I merely said that the overall appearance of that painting could have been better.”

There was still a huge gap between a real painting and a fake painting.

Ordinary people might think that they were not that different and looked pretty much the same, but Carroll was a professional.

He taught the theory of art history and was also a famous expert art appraiser.

An excellent original painting would definitely be imbued with the painter’s thoughts and emotions.

Every stroke on the canvas, in addition to skill, would reflect the painter’s own thoughts.

It was a complete and natural work.

However, a fake painting was not.

Having to follow the same pattern, the strokes were mechanically stiff. They were just following the path of others, step by step, like a puppet without a soul.

Therefore, even though Carroll had not known that it was a fake at that time, he still had a hunch that something was wrong with the painting.

“I heard that the real painting is in… his hands?” Carroll said and raised his chin in a certain direction.

Shen Li turned around and saw Lu Huaiyu talking with two men.

Of course, Carroll was referring to him.

“Yes, it’s with him,” Shen Li said.

Carroll nodded and said with a smile, “Tsk, how enviable. I wonder if it would be convenient for me to see the real painting in the future?”

There were too many people who wanted the paintings produced by Tree’s Shadow. However, there were only so many paintings that she had produced in the past few years. Moreover, the moment each painting that had been released had quickly been bought for private collection.

No one else could even take a look at it.

Shen Li smiled.

“Then, I’ll ask him later.”

Although it was her painting, it belonged to Lu Huaiyu now. It was still necessary to ask him.

Carroll could not help but laugh.

“Would he be willing to refuse you?”

During tonight’s banquet, Shen Li and Lu Huaiyu had not interacted much with each other.

However, Carroll could clearly see that Lu Huaiyu’s gaze had never left her.

His intention could not be more obvious.

“Carroll,” Shen Zhijin glanced at him.

He was still the same as before, completely unrestrained. He was even teasing Tangtang.

However, Carroll did not heed his words and lightly clicked his tongue.

“In the past, when you pursued Yin Yin, you weren’t much better than that kid.”

And now he was putting on airs.

Shen Zhijin, “…”

The corners of Shen Li’s lips curled into a smile. It was rare to see Shen Zhijin being defeated.

Then, she thought of another matter– the fake “Seventeenth Night” painting.

At the moment, she was not sure if the one he was talking about was the one that had appeared in One Gallery.

However, she had a hunch– Perhaps, it was possible!

She deliberated and said, “Uncle Carroll, you said that you saw the fake one at a student’s place. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to reveal who that student is?”