"Yu Wan, you little rascal, joining in the fun again."

Ye Jingyi reached out and patted Ye Yùwán's head; in the family, she was her favorite cousin.

"Cousin, impressive! You've got great taste, picking such an amazing husband. I approve of this cousin-in-law," Ye Yùwán said with a chuckle, looking at Ye Jingyi.

Ye Jingyi glanced at Jiang Chen and smiled without responding.

To one side, Ye Jianxiong and others pursed their lips and didn't interfere with the younger generation's affairs, while Ye Tiānmíng was so angry that he turned and walked away.

In the midst of the casual talk, soon, the birthday boy Elder Ye and the old lady came out, and the birthday banquet officially started.

"Grandpa, Grandma, these are pearls I brought from Shānhú Hǎi, hoping you both shine as brightly as these pearls!"

"Dad, this is something I brought from…"

"Dad…"

The Ye Family members all began to present gifts, one after another, each more valuable than the last.

Before long, it was Ye Jingyi's family's turn.

Ye Jianxiong presented a gift on behalf of Zhou Ru; Wang Dongyang and Ye Yanni gave their gift together, and Ye Jingyi also presented hers.

Seeing the situation, Ye Tiānmíng's eyes darted around, and he looked at Jiang Chen with mockery, "Jiang Chen, why is it only Jing Yi presenting a gift? Where's yours? Don't tell me you can't afford to buy one?"

Ye Jingyi quickly stepped forward, "Jiang Chen and I are husband and wife, so it's the same as a single gift."

The crowd immediately laughed, thinking that this wasn't a matter of being a couple, but of being poor.

But at this moment, Jiang Chen stood up, "I have a gift."

Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone, Jiang Chen took out the painting and opened it in front of Elder Ye, "Grandpa, my gift is the Painting of Longevity, wishing you fortune as boundless as the East Sea and a life longer than the southern mountains!"

"This is... a fine painting! A truly fine painting!" Elder Ye's eyes lit up, staring intently at the painting in Jiang Chen's hands.

"Indeed, a fine painting!"

"That painting doesn't come cheap!"

"Must be worth at least ten or eight million, right?"

"How could someone like Jiang Chen afford it?"

The Ye Family members all shouted in amazement.

This shocked even Ye Jingyi and her family.

Huh? Ye Tiānmíng paused for a moment. Wasn't this the fake painting I saw yesterday?

After a closer look, Ye Tiānmíng immediately slapped his thigh and burst out laughing, "Ha ha! Ha ha..."

The members of the Ye Family were stunned, looking at Ye Tiānmíng in confusion.

Ye Jianchang frowned and asked, "Tiānmíng, what are you laughing at?"

"This painting is a fake!"

Pointing at the painting in Jiang Chen's hands, Ye Tiānmíng confidently proclaimed, "The brushwork is indeed exquisite, and the ink is delicate, but even though the painting appears old, it's clear that it has been artificially aged. Especially if you look closely at this signature, heh, it's definitely not the script of the Wei or Jin dynasties, far too obvious."

Ye Tiānmíng directly repeated what Jiang Chen had said in the painting store yesterday.

After finishing, he lifted his head proudly, waiting to be praised.

The Ye Family members were taken aback, feeling that what Ye Tiānmíng said made sense and were quite surprised.

Elder Ye, hearing this, scrutinized the painting carefully and then nodded, laughing, "Good, good, good, Tiānmíng has sharp eyes indeed! The painting truly is a fake."

Elder Ye was a collector of great renown with an exceptional eye, so upon hearing this, the Ye Family members were in an uproar.

"Really, it's a fake!"

"My goodness, Ye Jianxiong, this son-in-law brought a fake painting to a birthday celebration?"

"Shameless indeed! To bring a fake painting and deserve being a son-in-law who married into the family!"

"Ye Jianxiong's family is going to lose all face because of him!"

The Ye Family members all began to look down on Jiang Chen with disdain.

Ye Jianxiong, his face flushed red with anger, pointed at Jiang Chen's nose and exploded, "What's the matter with you? Even the gift you bring is a fake? Is there anything about you that's real?"

Zhou Ru was even more livid as she scolded, "You bastard! You really bring shame to our family!"

Ye Jingyi was also furious, and she scolded with disappointed rage, "Jiang Chen, I've already told you, my bringing a gift was enough, why didn't you listen? Insisting on pretending to know what you don't understand! Buying some ancient painting, and now look at you, your face has been slapped by this fake, aren't you ashamed!"

Wang Dongyang and Ye Yanni, however, were hiding on the side, watching the excitement and taking pleasure in Jiang Chen's misfortune.

Confronted with everyone's accusations, Jiang Chen remained calm and collected. He glanced at the crowd and said indifferently, "Yes, this painting is a fake, and I'm aware of it."

"What?"

"He knew?"

"What does that mean?"

"So, he deliberately brought a fake painting to deceive us?"

The crowd of the Ye Family immediately exploded in anger, all of them looking at Jiang Chen with rage.

Ye Tianming, who was never willing to pass on the opportunity to press an advantage, glared at him with even more pleasure, "Alright, you knew it was a fake, so you intentionally brought a fake painting for Grandpa's birthday celebration?"

Jiang Chen nodded, "I did it on purpose, but not to deceive Grandpa with a fake painting. There's more to this painting than meets the eye."

He reached out and took the painting from Elder Ye's hands. He rubbed the edge of the painting and gently peeled off a layer of paper.

"This... a painting within a painting?!"

Grandpa Ye was stunned!

The rest of the Ye Family were also looking at Jiang Chen in surprise and disbelief.

"Back in the chaotic times of the previous dynasty, collectors often covered their valuable paintings with a counterfeit to preserve the original. This painting is just like that."

After explaining a bit, Jiang Chen glanced at the painting, then turned his head to bow respectfully to Grandpa Ye, "Grandpa, this inner painting is the real 'Painting of Longevity.' I wish you longevity without bound, and a long life of a hundred years!"

Upon receiving the real painting and examining it closely, Grandpa Ye laughed heartily, "It is real, I never expected this! This genuine piece is probably worth thirty to forty million, unbelievable."

Hearing this, the Ye Family was shocked once more.

"There really was something special hidden within it!"

"I didn't expect the son-in-law of the Ye Jianxiong family to be so impressive."

"The 'Painting of Longevity' for a birthday, and a hidden painting within a painting, what an auspicious meaning."

"And it's a genuine piece. Even Elder Ye said it, thirty to forty million, it's so precious."

A chorus of admiration ensued.

Even Ye Jianxiong and those who had just blushed with shame now lit up with excitement—this was a boost to their prestige.

Elder Ye himself was extremely excited, looking at Jiang Chen and nodding repeatedly, "Good good good, Jiang Chen, you've shown great consideration!"

"This is mine, he stole it from my hands!" Ye Tianming, with red eyes and in a fit of rage, shouted, "Jiang Chen, you did this on purpose! That painting was originally the one I was interested in. It was you in the shop who called it a forgery, using the very argument about paper and ink you just used. You convinced me to reject it. Oh, so you intended to steal my painting!"

Upon hearing this, the Ye Family members were stunned.

"Hmm? So the things Tian Ming mentioned earlier came from Jiang Chen?"

"So, that's how it is. And here I thought Tian Ming had become quite knowledgeable!"

"Right, I also thought that Tian Ming's knowledge had grown deeper. So it was like this!"

The Ye Family members then realized that their earlier impressions of Tian Ming's professional explanations had actually come from Jiang Chen.

However, the Ye Family quickly came to their senses and immediately turned to blame Jiang Chen.

"That's not right, Jiang Chen stole Tian Ming's painting."

"Pretending to be nice, just to steal from Tian Ming, how sly."

"Indeed, seeking attention at the expense of his own family members! What a despicable thing to do!"

Elder Ye, however, raised his hand to quiet them and asked Jiang Chen, "About this, how do you explain?"

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