Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 96 - 89 True or False_2

Chapter 96: Chapter 89 True or False_2

I deserve such high remuneration!

Since that’s the case...

"Come with me,"

Zou Fan maneuvered his wheelchair to a nondescript little door in the collection room.

Upon opening it, Feng Yi saw the collectibles inside.

The ones placed outside were for others to see, but the ones in the secret room were generally not shown to outsiders; it contained some important items.

Zou Fan took out a long box from inside, put on his gloves, opened it, and took out the erhu from the box.

"It’s this one."

Feng Yi looked at the erhu.

He could not identify the wood, nor could he discern its age from the details, but the skin on the erhu told Feng Yi too much information.

Thinking of Lu Yue’s reminder, Feng Yi pondered how to phrase his words more tactfully.

Zou Fan glanced at Feng Yi, as if he saw through his thoughts, and said with a faint smile, "Just say it."

Feng Yi took a deep breath, "The skin on this erhu doesn’t quite seem real."

After speaking, Feng Yi observed Zou Fan’s expression and found that the mogul’s face remained unchanged; instead, he calmly nodded.

Feng Yi then analyzed the scent of the air, which represents changes in emotions, using his super sense of smell.

There was no change.

This person’s heart was as calm as his appearance, without much fluctuation.

Feng Yi raised his eyebrows slightly.

This isn’t what Lu Yue said at all!

Either Mr. Zou didn’t care about the erhu as much as he claimed, or, the situation had been under Mr. Zou’s control all along, so he was not in a hurry.

Considering Mr. Zou’s demeanor when he spoke about the erhu and his engrossment while playing it, the former possibility was slim. He truly loved the erhu and must care about that particular one as well.

If it’s the latter case, why would he have Feng Yi over for appraisal if everything was under his control?

Feng Yi was curious but did not ask. It was better just to get paid for the job and not be overly inquisitive.

"What’s the material of the skin?" asked Zou Fan.

"Medusa Genus Seven," replied Feng Yi.

"If it’s seventh generation, it means the forgery hasn’t been long ago."

Zou Fan made a phone call, asking his assistant to come upstairs and hand him the erhu.

"Send it for appraisal, expedited, accept damage risk assessment. Report to the police once the results are out."

"Understood."

The assistant didn’t ask any questions and didn’t even show an extra expression; he took the erhu, put it back in its box, and left with it.

Feng Yi wondered if his task for the day was now complete? Was this client satisfied? Should he be getting paid now?

He was about to give a gentle reminder when he heard Zou Fan ask, "I heard from Lu Yue that you’ve been with the scientific expedition team in the mountains for two months recently?"

Feng Yi didn’t understand why Zou Fan would ask this, but he replied: "Yes, in the Nan Chong conservation area for two months."

There was nothing to hide about this; anyone could verify it with a simple check.

"Was the focus of your expedition mainly on snakes?"

"Yes. Mr. Zou, are you interested in this?"

"I have always been following the news in this area, and I also read about the Nan Chong conservation team’s expedition. Your Team 6 has discovered more snakes than before."

"It’s only because we were lucky this time. Overall, the number of snakes in Nan Chong conservation area is still not substantial," Feng Yi replied.

It was due to Feng Yi joining the expedition team that he could identify the scent of snakes, thereby increasing the team’s chance of discovering them.

Without Feng Yi, Team 6’s findings wouldn’t have been much different from previous years, perhaps missing the Burmese pythons and king cobras.

Zou Fan asked further, "Do you think they might relax the strictest protection laws in the short term?"

"How short is short-term?" asked Feng Yi.

Zou Fan seemed to calculate something, then thoughtfully said, "40 years. Is it possible they’ll ease up within 40 years?"

Feng Yi recalled the conversations he overheard during his scientific expedition in Nan Chong’s conservation area with Professor Zhou and others.

"It’s unlikely," said Feng Yi.

A clear disappointment appeared on Zou Fan’s face.

Seeing this, Feng Yi speculated about Zou Fan’s previous words and deeds.

The atmosphere in the room became silent.

After a while, Zou Fan sighed deeply, as if speaking to Feng Yi and yet as if lamenting to himself:

"When I was a child, I listened to my grandfather play the erhu. He said that the erhu is a spiritual object, an instrument that encapsulates the essence of nature, with the spirit of animals and plants within it. Every little change affects its timbre..."

For Zou Fan, imitation skin is just imitation and cannot replace genuine skin!

Even if the sound produced is incredibly similar, it lacks spirit!

Feng Yi also heard that this person was always obsessed with when the strictest protection law would be repealed or relaxed, hoping to craft his own python-skin erhu someday!

But wild pythons are now too scarce, and the strictest protection law still hangs like a knife above the warning line, ready to strike down anyone who dares to cross it.

The conservation bureau is also vigilant, consistently following up on poaching, smuggling, and other such cases.

As an ambitious and successful businessman, Zou Fan couldn’t allow such a blemish.

Just like Lu Yue, who found out he was tricked, wearing a watch and carrying a wallet made from real snake skin, he didn’t dare let anyone know and had to handle it secretly.

In such an environment, no matter what one thinks internally, they cannot be tainted by such a stain!

Erhus made from wild, old python skin are decreasing; if one is lost, it’s gone for good.

No one knows what the future holds, but for the moment, it’s impossible to find wild, old python skin erhus, at least ones that can be openly recorded, in the short term.