76: Chapter 76 Oil Painting Takes Action

When Zhang Wei arrived at the door, he saw two movers taking photos with Liu Haorui. Unlike his usual smug self whenever he met fans, Liu Haorui was smiling rather reluctantly at this moment.

Zhang Wei ignored him and walked into the living room to take a look. An Xiaoxi was busy adjusting the 100-inch smart screen.

"Your speed is too fast; we just talked about wanting a big TV, and it's already installed?" Zhang Wei said in surprise.

An Xiaoxi gave a thumbs up: "Jingxi, simply awesome!"

At this moment, Liu Haorui sent away the TV installation workers and walked in listlessly.

Zhang Wei hurriedly asked: "What exactly happened to you guys yesterday? Zhu Pengfei was also stammering and couldn't explain it clearly."

Liu Haorui pulled Zhang Wei to sit on the sofa and said with a complicated look in his eyes: "Old Zhang, yesterday Old Zhu took me to a quite high-end nightclub. There was a girl who was chatting happily with me, and afterwards... we went to a hotel."

"Isn't that great? Why aren't you happy at all after getting a girlfriend?" Zhang Wei asked, feeling a bit strange.

"I was quite happy at first," Liu Haorui said with a complicated expression. "When we got to the room, that person said they wanted to take a shower first. I thought there was nothing else to do, so I lay on the bed to watch some TV."

"I have to talk to you about this," Zhang Wei was speechless. "What era is this? You, a grown man, don't pay attention to personal hygiene at all. How can you not take a shower?"

"Brother Rui, you are too dirty. What happened next?" An Xiaoxi on the side looked disdainful, but her ears perked up, fearing she might miss a single detail of the gossip. She didn't move an inch, as if her feet had taken root.

Liu Haorui pulled a long face and said: "The other party didn't mind, but when he came out, I realized that everything about that person had changed; it was actually a boy."

"Cough, cough, cough." Zhang Wei almost choked on his own saliva.

An Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter while clutching her stomach. She pointed at Liu Haorui and said: "Oh my, I can't take it anymore. Is this what the internet calls 'Brother Jie, don't'? Good brothers should complete each other? Zhang Wei, you better be careful when you go to the restroom with him in the future, hahaha!"

Liu Haorui was trembling with anger and pointed at An Xiaoxi: "The nightclub was too dark, and that person was dressed as a woman, so I didn't see clearly. Stop laughing, you sharp-tongued little loli!"

Zhang Wei nodded on the side. Liu Haorui asked: "Old Zhang, you think she's sharp-tongued too, right?"

Zhang Wei shrugged: "It's obvious, we only have one little loli at home." It seemed Liu Haorui's road to losing his virginity remained difficult and full of obstacles.

The three of them made a scene for a while, and Liu Haorui, being thick-skinned, temporarily forgot his embarrassing incident. At this time, Zhang Wei's stomach began to growl, and the three discussed what to eat.

Zhang Wei suddenly remembered that the Intelligence System mentioned today that the French expert introduced by Hong Yue was coming to see the painting. So he waved his hand: "We've already eaten at the Criminal Police Brigade cafeteria; there's no reason to let the Shenghai Museum cafeteria off the hook. Let's go! Let's drain Uncle Yu's meal card."

An hour later

Yu Hongtao looked at the three people in front of him patting their bellies and picking their teeth, and anger welled up in him. He was working at the time, and these three rushed in and dragged him to the cafeteria to treat them to a meal.

As the head of the Museum, treating someone to a cafeteria meal was not a big deal at all. But these three not only ate the amount of six people, but after eating, they also made all sorts of critical comments, insisting that their Museum's cafeteria was not as good as the Criminal Police Brigade's. They were also being picky about everything. That Zhang Wei was even more excessive, saying he would come back in a few days to check if there were any improvements. He really treated this place as his own home!

"After you're done eating, get to the office immediately. That French expert has been waiting there for a long time. If you don't go, people might think our Museum doesn't know etiquette." Yu Hongtao said with a dark face, shooing them away.

"This is Professor Anatole, an appraisal expert from the Louvre in France, who is here specifically to discuss purchasing the Picasso painting." As soon as the three entered the door, Hong Yue stood up to introduce the old man in front of them.

Professor Anatole appeared very enthusiastic and immediately gave the three a hug: "You are the ones who discovered the painting in the interlayer? My God! This is incredible! The whole thing could even be written into a novel and published."

Zhang Wei smiled and said: "If there is a suitable opportunity, I am also quite interested in publishing this story."

Professor Anatole nodded. He turned around and pointed to the framed oil painting: "Let's talk about this painting! This is a work from Picasso's transitional period; he had already begun to form his own unique style, and it has great research value. I wonder if you are willing to sell it?"

"This old man is actually quite nice," Zhang Wei thought to himself. Usually, when people buy things, even if they want them badly, they find all sorts of faults and try to lower the price. It is rare for this old man to start by praising it non-stop.

Hong Yue noticed Zhang Wei's confusion and said: "Don't blame Professor Anatole for being excited. Although Picasso was born in Spain, his entire painting study and creative career were in Paris, France. Therefore, the French people's admiration for Picasso has always been extremely fanatical."

Zhang Wei nodded and smiled: "Understood, understood. I wonder how much this old gentleman can offer?"

Anatole said without hesitation: "Last year in New York, USA, Picasso's painting 'Woman with a Watch' was finally sold for 139 million USD (1 billion RMB). However, that was a work from Picasso's peak period. This one might not reach such a high price; we at the Louvre can offer up to 600 million RMB. This is the highest price the curator gave me before I left, and I hope we can reach a deal. The French people need to bring Picasso's paintings home."

Zhang Wei pondered for a moment; this old man was clearly an artist and not a person who knew how to negotiate business. In just a few sentences, he had revealed his bottom line. Considering that auction prices are usually inflated, the old man's offer was quite sincere.

Finally, with Hong Yue as a witness, both parties shook hands and reached a deal. At this time, Yu Hongtao reminded him from the side: "You kid, now that you've got 600 million, remember to pay personal income tax. Don't be confused about this matter."

Zhang Wei laughed: "Uncle Yu, don't say that; I don't have to pay a single cent of tax on this money. And believe it or not, the tax authorities won't even investigate me."

He was deeply moved after hearing the Old Lady's story earlier, and he planned to use this huge sum of 600 million to hire a caregiver for the Old Lady, and donate most of the rest to the Great Northwest. It would be used for maintaining the memorial hall and planting trees to prevent desertification of the Gobi.

Yu Hongtao was very pleased to hear this and patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder: "The families of heroes should not be forgotten. Don't worry about the caregiver; I will help you find a way."

A few days later, the Old Lady, Wang Hongfang, looked at the room she had lived in for her entire life with reluctance, preparing to leave.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and she thought the new owner of the house had arrived. Opening the door, she saw an enthusiastic middle-aged woman smiling and saying: "Is this Old Lady Wang? I am a caregiver specially sent by the nursing home affiliated with the City Name Federation of Trade Unions. From now on, I will be responsible for your daily life; if you need anything, just tell me."

The Old Lady said in surprise: "But I didn't hire a caregiver?"

At this time, a young man's voice came from the hallway: "Old Lady, I hired her, and I also bought the house and gave it to you. The nursing fees will be automatically deducted every month, so you don't need to worry about it. Just spend your remaining years in peace."

Zhang Wei was standing in the hallway, holding the Old Lady's property deed and smiling at her. Beside his feet was the tulip oil painting. The warm sunlight shone through the glass window onto the painting; at this moment, time seemed to have frozen.