CHAPTER 325: CHAPTER 110: THE FAKE PELLO

How could an art appreciation meeting invite such a reckless person? Su Ziceng also frowned.

Upon seeing the newcomer’s face clearly, Su Ziceng was even more shocked, "This person looks so much like Pello." Indeed, the newcomer was almost a spitting image of Pello, except Pello’s features were carved delicately and refined, while the newcomer’s features seemed to be crudely crafted by a rushed artisan.

This was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in the playboy attire of GAS, with pale golden long hair and eyes that looked imperiously at the people in the room. He was also carrying a somewhat heavy tungsten iron case in his hand.

"This is really hellish; I cannot fathom what’s crammed into these Japanese people’s heads, making me, a viscount, attend such a stifling art appreciation event," the young man with a stature around one meter eighty-five made the room, which was not too cramped to begin with, appear even smaller.

Most people in the room did not react to what the young man said. If those Japanese connoisseurs understood him, they would probably immediately kick him out. Japan isn’t like China, where the mindset prioritizes treating their own countrymen well, and considers others as merely such and such.

The reason nobody rebuked this impolite foreigner was because the young man was speaking French. Even the female student studying abroad next to Su Ziceng didn’t react much. This time, only Su Ziceng could understand what was said.

"Where is everyone?" the young man made the exquisitely crafted sliding door clap loudly, and the door made of paper pulp was pulled askew by him. From the outside corridor, a Japanese interpreter hurried in, wiping sweat and continuously apologizing with gestures—it seems this person, like the young man, also rushed over to attend the art appreciation meeting without understanding the language.

The young man seated himself with great arrogance, ignoring the protest of those nearby, extending his legs and clearing a space for himself. The interpreter explained that the newcomer was a viscount from France, and he came here today due to his interest in attending the art appreciation meeting.

As the saying goes, citizens don’t fight with officials. Even though this viscount was an external official with no relation to the Japanese Government, the Japanese collectors who didn’t like trouble refrained from further protest and just kept to themselves.

The former Chief Secretary began explaining the central content of today’s art appreciation meeting, and through the translation of the female student, Su Ziceng learned that, for safety reasons, the actual art pieces were not brought in. Instead, they provided a small booklet called an appreciation guide, which contained unordered lists of the items awaiting appraisal.

This kind of informal exchange nature of the art appreciation meeting was very casual, but the participants were not, as Su Ziceng could not have had the opportunity to attend without a museum director’s recommendation.

As the Chief Secretary was explaining, the appreciation guests each received a booklet with a silk-red cover from the Tea Girl waiting on the side. The tie-dyed washi paper of the appreciation guide, when flipped open, gave off a scent of dry ink.

The young man sitting at the forefront didn’t even bother to look at the booklet, complaining, "When is this going to start? I don’t have time for these people’s ramblings. Just appraise my item and let me get out of here." His gaze moved across the neatly wrapped Tea Girl and the expressionless appreciation guests before finally resting on Su Ziceng’s position.

Su Ziceng pretended not to see him and whispered to the female student, leaving only his dark hair-top visible to the young man. The French Viscount withdrew his gaze, feeling bored; he was a man who liked to flirt and had come to the countryside of Japan on his father’s advice, but he found Japanese women boring to the point where he couldn’t even bother flirting.

"Tell them that my item is very precious, for sure the most valuable, and should be appraised first," the French young man impatiently stroked his nose.

He only resembled Pello slightly. Su Ziceng observed his behavior secretly; he lacked Pello’s refinement and grace. He also seemed a year or two younger than Pello, and judging by his previous actions, he most likely was a pampered scion of a wealthy family. Su Ziceng felt a certain kinship, having herself been similarly brash in front of others; she now felt somewhat embarrassed.

The Japanese interpreter, pressured by the generous salary, had no choice but to convey the young man’s intentions diplomatically. Nonetheless, he was careful with his words, merely stating that the young man had traveled a long distance to Lanshan and needed to catch the next flight.

After all, Japanese understand Japanese; though the crowd did not think highly of the arrogant and disrespectful young man, they made an allowance when they heard that he needed to catch a plane, due to the Japanese people’s strong sense of time.

The French youth welcomed the attention that converged upon him, becoming somewhat excited. He relished being looked upon with respect and admiration.

Everyone could tell that the tungsten iron box in the young man’s hands was no ordinary item; just by its exterior, it could compete with civilian planes or even the black boxes used by the military.

As he opened the box, the young man’s expression grew solemn. His treasure, collected over more than half a month, was about to be properly evaluated. To avoid causing a sensation, he chose not to return to Europe to seek a professional assessment but instead hid away in Japan seeking these unofficial experts. All this was to limit the knowledge of this rare treasure falling into the hands of the Olsen family.

When the lock of the box was opened, there was, surprisingly, another smaller box within. This moderate-sized black box was like a Russian doll, which required opening five layers before revealing a square jewelry box.

Su Ziceng’s eyes suddenly grew intense, and her mind thundered at that moment. The black velvet jewelry box—it was the box that lay on her dressing table in her life’s final moments.

Everyone held their breath, a few of the seated appreciation guests began to shift uneasily, their legs relaxing; everyone was craning their necks, eager to see what kind of treasure was inside.

"Yellow Love," Su Ziceng’s hands rested on the tatami mats, feeling the sweat beginning to form in her palms.

The jewelry box slowly opened with a "clack"; everyone froze.

The Olsen family’s young scion, Viscount Orleans, looked around triumphantly. Indeed, the appearance of "Yellow Love" had shocked the entire audience.

Among everyone, the girl sitting in the corner had the most peculiar expression. Her eyes were somewhat vacant, but... she exuded a unique mysterious beauty characteristic of Eastern people.

Viscount Orleans stroked his chin, thinking he should go over and strike up a conversation later. (To be continued. If you like this work, please consider supporting it by casting your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)