Occasional Misjudgment

The muscles on Situ's face twitched twice. It was obvious that his heart ached. He said, "Miss Sharma, I've checked this vase many times and confirmed that it's from the Great Vijay Empire. There's no mistake at all. I trust my judgment."

Several other experts also came on stage, picked up the fragments, and looked at them. They said, "We've seen it before as well, and there's no problem with it. At that time, it was even tested. This is simply a waste of God's gift!"

The experts' faces were filled with heartache and regret, causing the others to feel even more heartache.

"Isha, you heard it. These experts and Situ said that this vase is definitely authentic. Now that you've smashed it, you're the one to blame. You're also the one to bear the losses. Even though you're the one to bear it, you can't afford to bear the responsibility of treating the treasure of human civilization so willfully. I hope you can be more careful in the future. Don't let down everyone just for the sake of your selfish desires," Yami said righteously.

However, Isha did not feel ashamed at all. Instead, she stretched out her finger and dug through the fragments. Then, she raised a small fragment in her hand and said with a smile, "Was there Doraemon in the Great Vijay Empire? The civilization back then was really advanced, huh!"

She held up her slender fingers. Her jade-white wrist was raised high. On one of the fragments of porcelain was a vivid image of Doraemon. Its round hand was on its belly. It was a classic image that this generation was all too familiar with.

"What's going on?"

"How could there be such a thing on that fragment?"

"Did Isha put it in at the last minute?"

"Good heavens, is it really a fake?"

Yami and Situ's expressions changed. "Isha, you!"

"Me? You want to say that I put this here, right? But just now on the stage, I was under everyone's noses. If I really did something, everyone would've been able to see it, right? Did anyone see me doing anything?"

No one had actually seen her do anything even though everyone had been watching her closely.

Under these circumstances, there was nothing Isha could have done.

Isha smiled faintly and continued to say to the experts, "The experts are here as well. You can take a look and see if the texture, color, and patterns of this fragment match the others. Then you'll know if I'm telling the truth or not. Even if I can do magic, it's impossible for me to randomly swap a fragment that fits perfectly with the others, right?"

The expert immediately stepped forward and took the fragment from her hand. He pieced it together with the other fragments. Sure enough, it fit.

Moreover, the pattern on the piece Isha took out was indeed identical to the others.

However, there was a Doraemon on that fragment. It was very telling. It was impossible for such an image to appear back in that dynasty.

Not only did this mean that this item was not from the Great Vijay Empire's dynasty, but it was also not even an ancient item. It was just a modern imitation.

It wasn't even worth a fraction of a hundred million, let alone a hundred million.

The experts looked unusually serious. They went forward and picked up the fragment. They looked at it carefully, pondered, and then said, "Miss Sharma, we're sorry for our arbitrary decision just now. This vase was indeed made using a modern process. It's just that the surface was too realistic, and we couldn't take it out to examine it carefully, so we were blinded. Now, we'll correct our judgment and apologize to everyone."

As soon as they said that, Yami's heart skipped a beat. If the experts determined that this was a fake, it meant that she had to bear the loss herself. Isha would be completely uninvolved.

A whole hundred million!

It hurts!

A bad heartache!

These experts were all especially famous people. Their courage to admit their mistakes on such an occasion changed Isha's impression of them. Her tone became more respectful. "Experts, this is indeed not your fault. After all, it's easy to fool everyone if someone deliberately falsifies an antique piece according to the standards of the test."

"Miss Sharma, you're saying that someone deliberately faked it according to the standards..." The experts looked at Situ.

His expression changed slightly before turning serious. "Miss Tiwari and I bought this vase from an elder back then. It turns out that it's actually fake. The appearance is really too realistic. All the experts were fooled, and I was wrong. It was really a miscalculation!"

He was indeed smart enough to shirk responsibility with a few words.

Yami's expression relaxed. She and Situ were both prepared for this. They could still win.

Isha chuckled and asked calmly, "Then what about the other items? Will the same thing happen again?"

"Of course not. We've tested them all seriously—" Situ immediately defended himself.

"You guys tested this vase as well." Isha's smile was very bright as she pointed out the contradiction in his words. Yami found her smile exceptionally dazzling.

Yami's expression changed, but she was still calm. "Isha, everyone makes mistakes occasionally. There definitely won't be such mistakes in the other items. Besides, since you already know that this vase is fake, you should know if the other things are fake too, right?"

She was very sure that Isha couldn't possibly know the authenticity of all the pieces, and Isha couldn't take the risk to destroy everything to verify it either.

Therefore, Isha could only come this far with this incident.

However, what Yami did not expect was that Isha still maintained a proper smile and said, "You're right. I do know the authenticity of the other items. Yami, the items you're auctioning this time and all the antiques and jade pieces that were auctioned off just now are all fake!

"All of them look extremely real on the surface. This is because Situ is the person who knows the expert test standards the best. He deliberately replicated fakes according to the standards to fool everyone.

"Not only were the experts deceived, but everyone else was also deceived by him!"

"Isha, you're slandering me!" Yami scolded sternly. "You said that we deliberately faked our goods. Where's the evidence? Are you going to smash everything to prove it? I think you're clearly doing it on purpose. You know that one thing is fake now, so you're deliberately saying that the other items are fake too to confuse others!"

Situ's face was also full of gloom. "Isha, you know that we can't smash everything else to prove ourselves, so you deliberately said such things to mislead everyone with one of my items. What are your intentions?"

He turned to everyone below the stage and said, "Everyone, don't be deceived by Isha. I can guarantee that everything I have has been verified by my conscience. However, no one is perfect. It's indeed inevitable for me to make a mistake. I can guarantee that the things I verified can withstand scrutiny, and I'm willing to take responsibility for my occasional mistakes."

The people below the stage were originally very doubtful after Isha smashed the vase.

However, now that Yami and Situ had said that, they felt that their words made sense too. Isha's words were indeed too exaggerated.

This was especially true for those who had already bought a few items in the past. They were still waiting for their items to appreciate in value before they rushed to sell them. After that, they would make a huge profit. If it was proven that the items in their hands were also fake, how could they sell them? Moreover, it was impossible to get someone to compensate them for their previous purchase. They might as well insist that the items in their hands were real. When the time came, they could still recover their losses.

Apart from a small number of people who actually liked the items they bought, the rest of them were investing in the items. As long as it didn't depreciate in their hands, it didn't matter if it was real or fake.

Therefore, the people below the stage immediately echoed, "Mr. Situ is right. It's indeed inevitable to make mistakes. You can't say that everything else is fake just because he made a mistake once. At least, we've never heard of instances where someone went home with a fake."

"That's right. It doesn't make sense for you to say that the rest are fake after you found one fake, right? Isha, don't be too aggressive. We know that you were chased out by the Tiwari family and find it unfair, but that's not a reason for you to cause trouble at the auction, right?"

"Isha, please come down first. We still have to continue the auction. Don't waste everyone's time."

"I hope you'll settle your family matters at home without taking up everyone's time!"

"Isha, this isn't your stage! We still have to continue the auction!"

Isha looked coldly at the people who were talking below the stage. Sure enough, all of them were profiteers who valued profits. The truth didn't matter to them. What mattered was whether they could make money.

When these people cried in the future, she hoped they could keep their voices down so that they wouldn't reach her ears and disturb her contentment.

Yami was certain that Isha would not ask to destroy all the items to verify their authenticity. No one would dare to do such a thing!

Therefore, she smiled and said, "Isha, I advise you to step down quickly. Don't waste everyone's time."

"I'm going to step down. But Yami, let me put it this way. In a while, you'll get someone to personally smash all the items. I hope that when that time comes, you'll still be able to smile like you are now." Isha smiled brightly. Her facial features were beautiful, and the people below the stage felt that their eyes were bright. If it weren't for the fact that they had to prioritize their interests, they would probably stand on Isha's side.

Of course, Yami thought that Isha was exaggerating. She smiled and said, "Then please don't leave yet. Otherwise, you won't be able to see a good show."

"I'm not leaving. I still have to see you break the items."

Isha turned around and strode down the stage. Her supermodel aura and steps made people involuntarily follow her silhouette.

"Start over," Yami instructed the auctioneer.

The auctioneer picked up the auction mallet. According to Yami's instructions, they had to continue the auction immediately. There was still a long night ahead. Apart from the dozens of antiques that had been auctioned off, there were still many more to be auctioned.

The experts stood on the stage and looked at each other.

"Seniors, I made a mistake with the vase that Isha smashed just now because I didn't examine it properly when I bought it back, which led to this problem. But things won't be so coincidental that all the other items are problematic too," Situ said. "In the future, I'll specially focus on the surface of the antiques and examine each piece properly. I'll never make such mistakes again. So let's proceed with the event now."

The experts looked at each other, exchanging glances.

Yami said in a low voice, "Experts, Isha's words are just one-sided. Just because she found a problematic item, it doesn't mean that every item is problematic. I hope that you'll still look at the big picture and not be affected by a small setback."

The experts were indeed very discouraged just now. They had watched helplessly as something went wrong with their appraisal.

However, Yami's words made sense. Were they going to give up just because of a setback? That was naturally impossible.

They would stand up where they fell. They chose to believe in Yami and Situ. The incident with the vase was a one-time thing.

Several experts resumed their seats in the front row.

The people below the stage also felt relieved. Even the experts had remained seated, which meant that there was nothing wrong with this auction. Isha's matter was just a small interlude.

Most of the people who came were still counting on the auction items on the stage to make money. It was good for everyone to continue.

"So now, the auction continues. The next item to be bid..."

Everyone's gazes seemed to be sizing up Isha, who was sitting at the back. They seemed to be mocking her for everything that she did just now. Some of them even had sympathy for her.

Isha leaned back in her chair, ignoring these gazes. She looked indifferently at the stage.

Yami and Situ looked at each other and smiled disdainfully. How dare she cause trouble at the scene today?

At this moment, a group of people walked in from the entrance of the auction house. The sound of them striding over attracted everyone's attention.

All eyes turned in that direction as several uniformed officers entered the room.

They all wondered what was going on.

Yami stood up and walked forward in confusion. Her tone was still calm and composed. "May I ask why you're here today?"

"We're investigating a case of cultural relics smuggling involving a series of incidents involving your company's sale of national cultural relics to foreign countries. You're now required to cooperate with the investigation."

The police calmly took out their official documents and unfolded them in front of Yami and Situ.

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