Chapter 25: A Masterpiece

Xiao Ran held the porcelain plaque up before his eyes, examining and admiring it with great care.

The green-and-white landscape porcelain plaque was set within a modern, minimalist solid wood frame. Despite the two items being stylistically mismatched, they did not look particularly jarring together. There was no need to ask; it was certain that a foreigner had framed it.

Xiao Ran could find no signature or seal of the artist on the porcelain plaque. There was only an ancient poem written in flowing, elegant calligraphy, describing the beautiful summer scenery of West Lake. The poem was catchy, its artistic conception profound, and it resonated perfectly with the landscape depicted in the painting. It was truly a case of "a painting within a poem, and a poem within a painting."

After admiring it with intoxication, Xiao Ran turned the plaque over to look at the back. Unfortunately, the back was covered by the frame's backing board, completely obscuring the reverse side of the porcelain. Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly.

He carefully returned the plaque to the shelf and picked up another. Unlike the first, this one depicted a beautiful autumn scene. It was still the Jiangnan region, still the scenery of West Lake, and still featured a profound ancient poem, but the season was different. Furthermore, this plaque also featured an old man fishing, yet it likewise lacked any artist’s signature or seal. The back was covered just like the first.

The third plaque depicted the spring scenery of West Lake, while the fourth showed a winter scene. Neither of these bore any signature or seal, but both featured an old man fishing and a corresponding ancient poem. The scenery in each was exquisite, not a whit inferior to the first two.

After examining all four, Xiao Ran said with excitement: "This is a set of four paintings representing the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The scenery is simply breathtaking! It’s mesmerizing!"

"Although I’m no expert on porcelain plaques, I can tell that these four are definitely not simple."

"Coming to Beverly Hills today was absolutely the right move. I never expected to make such a huge discovery."

As he spoke, the live-stream chat exploded.

"Xiao Ran, did you step in dog dung on your way out? Your luck is defying the heavens!" a close friend who had joined the stream just two days ago chimed in.

Immediately after, the excited voice of a wealthy follower came through: "These four plaques are definitely the work of a master; the artistic conception is beautiful, and the technique is highly sophisticated."

Before the words had faded, another user, "Half-Dreaming, Half-Awake," jumped in: "Indeed. Just look at this green-and-white landscape; without decades of practice, it would be impossible to paint this."

The next moment, a user named "Demons and Monsters" remarked dismissively: "Isn't he just a second-generation rich kid with some spare cash? Why is he pretending to be an appraisal expert?"

"Let's talk business. Xiao Ran, I’m reserving this set. I’ll take them even if I have to sell everything I own!"

Hearing this, others grew anxious. "Why do you get to reserve them? You’ve got some nerve! I want them too."

"Name your price, Xiao Ran. I won't haggle. The 'Venus' sculpture went to that wealthy guy for cheap; I won't miss out on this treasure."

In the blink of an eye, the live-stream chat turned into a brawl. This was exactly what Xiao Ran wanted to see, but he didn't make a decision immediately. After a moment of thought, he smiled and said: "Everyone, don't argue yet. I'm still clearing out the warehouse. Let’s discuss the sale once I’m back at my apartment."

"Just like before, everyone take screenshots and find an expert you trust to verify the origin and value of this set."

With these words, the hot-headed viewers calmed down slightly. Just then, Elaine walked over. Her eyes lit up when she saw the four plaques.

"These are beautiful. I’ve seen similar things at the Louvre. These are Chinese porcelain plaques, right?"

Xiao Ran nodded proudly. "That’s right, Elaine. These are indeed Chinese porcelain plaques, a category of Chinese ceramic art."

"More importantly, this set is likely the work of a master and an antique of some historical significance. They are worth a fortune."

Before he could finish, Elaine exclaimed in excitement: "Oh! You mean they are valuable antique artworks? That’s incredible!"

"Your luck is just too good. It’s truly enviable." As she spoke, she leaned toward the shelf to get a closer look.

Xiao Ran stopped her. "Elaine, the environment here is terrible; it’s not the place to appreciate art. Let’s finish clearing the warehouse first. We can admire these treasures properly once we're back at the apartment."

Elaine hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. They continued their work clearing out the pottery studio warehouse. In truth, there wasn't much left to clear. They selected a few pottery pieces that had caught their eye and packed them into two storage bins. Among these were several pieces with initials that looked like those of Hollywood stars. Xiao Ran didn't plan to take anything else; he intended to sell the rest to other professional treasure hunters.

Before long, they were finished and carried the set of plaques and the two bins out of the warehouse. Xiao Ran then pulled out his phone to call Sylvia.

Hearing that he was planning to sell the pottery warehouse, Sylvia and Garcia rushed over, afraid of missing out. They had been very interested in this warehouse, only to have it snatched up by Xiao Ran.

Within five minutes, the couple arrived at the warehouse door. Seeing the plaques and the bins outside, they were curious.

"Sean, did you find something good in there and leave the rest of the junk for us to deal with?"

That was exactly what happened, but it couldn't be said that way! Xiao Ran shook his head and smiled: "These two boxes just contain some small pottery pieces that I found interesting. I’m taking them back as decorations; they aren't anything special."

"I haven't taken a single piece of the studio equipment. There’s actually more than you saw before. Some small electric equipment on the shelves was covered by cloths, so you didn't see it."

"That equipment is more valuable, and I’ve left it all for you. If you aren't interested, I can contact Jeremy and the others instead."

He downplayed the situation and didn't mention the plaques at all. As expected, Sylvia and Garcia’s eyes lit up. They had participated in the auction specifically for that equipment. Hearing that it was all there—and in greater quantity—they couldn't resist.

"Let us take a look first. If everything is as you said, we would be very happy to buy this warehouse."

"No problem, Garcia. Go ahead and take a look." Xiao Ran gestured for them to enter.

Sylvia and Garcia walked into the warehouse to inspect and evaluate. The result was obvious! When they came out, they were wearing satisfied smiles.

The two parties began discussing the price. After some bargaining, Xiao Ran sold the warehouse for $4,200—a profit of $1,000 over what he had paid.

This move caused another small stir in the live-stream chat.

"Wow! That move was smooth. He didn't spend a cent on the warehouse and made a $1,000 profit flipping it. Incredible!"

"What’s even more incredible is that he also picked up a set of valuable porcelain plaques for free. Where is the justice in that?"

Amidst the chorus of envy and jealousy, Xiao Ran and Elaine left the storage facility with the green-and-white landscape porcelain plaques and the two bins of pottery.

At that moment, Xiao Ran did not yet know that the set of plaques he had discovered would soon stir up a storm in the world of antique and art collecting back home.