My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 622 - 398 Flies Don’t Sting a Seamless Egg

Chapter 622: Chapter 398 Flies Don’t Sting a Seamless Egg

Just as Meng Lang was planning how to overtake on the curve and solve Zero’s hardware issue, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

He picked up the phone and looked at it, his expression turning slightly perplexed.

It turned out to be an alert he had set up a long time ago for "specific conditions triggering an alarm"...

"So it finally came. If you guys don’t take action, I’m starting to wonder if the future has changed again..." Meng Lang raised an eyebrow.

After operating his phone for a moment, the screen soon showed a violently shaking camera feed.

When the image stabilized, it appeared to be the ceiling of an office.

The phone capturing the footage must have been placed face-up on a desk, as the edge of the frame barely revealed a middle-aged man wearing glasses; however, due to the angle, only half of his face was visible.

Voice conversations came through the phone...

[Ah! Mr. Iwazaki, it’s not that I’m not willing to help, but this cross-national exhibition of the Mingtang Buddha head is a bit tricky...]

...

At this time, in the director’s office of the Shanghai Museum.

Li Haitao looked troubled.

"Ah! Mr. Iwazaki, it’s not that I’m not willing to help, but this cross-national exhibition of the Mingtang Buddha head is a bit tricky..."

Across from him sat two men in suits, one of whom was slightly older.

The other was a young man with a sullen look, apparently the "Mr. Iwazaki" he was referring to.

The young man smiled and spoke in fluent Chinese.

"Director Li, our two nations are close neighbors with a long and interconnected history, both part of the Great Chinese cultural sphere.

Your museum and my country have established a deep friendship through cultural exchange.

General Consul Chi Song from my country stationed in Shanghai has introduced me to you, saying that you are an important cultural ambassador between our two nations.

I come with the utmost sincerity on behalf of the Capital City National Museum, hoping to let our country’s citizens admire this newly unearthed Tang Dynasty treasure. I hope Director Li can grant us this favor!"

A hatful of compliments did not sway Li Haitao, who was accustomed to such scenes.

However, the mention of General Consul Chi Song made him take the young man before him more seriously.

"Mr. Iwazaki comes recommended by General Consul Chi Song and represents the Capital City National Museum.

In principle, as long as the request is not too difficult, we should naturally act in the spirit of good neighborliness and enhance cultural exchange between our two sides.

However, this Buddha head has just recently arrived at our museum and is currently on display. It is enjoying a high level of public enthusiasm.

A cross-national exhibition at this time might not be quite timely..."

Iwazaki was not discouraged and directly stated his price.

"We naturally understand this point. If Director Li agrees, we can offer the ’Yao Bian Tianmu Tea Bowl’ and the ’Bodhisattva Embryo Scripture’ in return for an exchange exhibition at your museum.

What do you think?"

"Hisss~" Li Haitao couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.

"Mr. Iwazaki, are you... are you serious?"

"A gentleman’s word is as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold; of course, it’s true!"

"This..."

The Yao Bian Tianmu Tea Bowl, a Song Dynasty black-glazed Jian Zhan, was originally used for tea contests by the Song people.

The Japanese describe this bowl with terms like ’universe in a bowl,’ as if it contained the starry night sky seen from the seashore, mysterious and profound.

The ’Bodhisattva Embryo Scripture’ is a national treasure-level scripture from the sixteenth year of Western Wei’s Datong era, said to be the oldest surviving transcribed scripture in the world, now housed in Capital City’s Chion-in.

These two artifacts from Country Hua, sitting in Fusang, would easily rank among the top ten national treasures.

Even if the Mingtang Buddha head is precious, exchanging two treasures for one seems like a good deal for him.

If he could truly bring these two national treasures back to Shanghai for an exhibition, it would undoubtedly cause a media sensation.

As the director of the museum, he would certainly play an indispensable role!

Moreover, the fact that the other party was able to offer two national treasures right off the bat indicated a background that was unfathomably deep.

Being able to do a favor for someone is all benefit and no harm to oneself.

However...

Li Haitao suppressed the impulse to agree immediately and said with a bitter smile.

"Mr. Iwazaki, although I would like to agree, I am very sorry, I must refuse."

"Oh? Why is that?" Iwazaki finally put away his smile and asked, frowning.

Li Haitao’s eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"I have some information here, I don’t know if you’ve heard about it, Mr. Iwazaki?"

"Oh? What information?"

"It’s said that this precious Buddha head was almost robbed by a gang of bandits recently..."

Iwazaki raised his eyebrows, but his face remained calm.

"Really? Such a thing happened?"

Li Haitao looked at Iwazaki across from him and said with a smile, "Indeed, and the masterminds behind the bandits are said to be two Fusang people..."

By saying this, he almost made his implications clear.

"To be honest, when the police delivered this Buddha head, they explicitly told us to strengthen its security to prevent it from being coveted.

If I were to send the Buddha head to Fusang for an exhibition at this time, wouldn’t it be giving away the game?

If something were to go wrong along the way, and there was an accident with the artifact...

Ha! Mr. Iwazaki, please understand, your request is really beyond my capabilities."

Li Haitao did not want to mess with these troubled waters, but he also didn’t want to offend the Fusang General Consul or Iwazaki, who clearly had a deep background.

Therefore, he made his case plain, hoping that Iwazaki would know the difficulties and back off.

But Iwazaki merely narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I was presumptuous to put Director Li in a difficult position. However, since exchanging exhibitions is not possible, I can only ask Director Li for another favor."

Upon hearing this, Li Haitao frowned.

Was I not clear enough with my words?

Iwazaki seemed somewhat oblivious, and immediately, Li Haitao’s face grew colder.

"Mr. Iwazaki, I am just a humble museum director, hoping to do my job well. I am afraid I cannot be of much help to you."

With that, Li Haitao picked up his teacup, blew on it, but did not drink.

Iwazaki, well-versed in the culture of Country Hua, knew this meant "showing the guest out," but he did not get annoyed and continued to look at Li Haitao with a smile.

"Director Li, I heard that your son-in-law also loves collecting antiques?"

The teacup in Li Haitao’s hand trembled slightly.

"What do you mean, Mr. Iwazaki?"

"Ha-ha! I also have some information, I wonder if Director Li has heard about it?"

Li Haitao slowly put down the teacup, facing Iwazaki who seemed to have full confidence. "What information?"

"It’s said that recently, at a private auction in Xiangjiang, your son-in-law auctioned off a blue and white porcelain vase he had found and sold it for a high price of 5 million.

Director Li, are you aware of this?"

"..."

Li Haitao’s heart gradually sank...

"What are you trying to say?"

Iwazaki curved the corners of his mouth, "Heh! I think Director Li naturally knows what I want to say.

You people of Country Hua have a saying, ’A fly does not bite a seamless egg.’

Li Haitao: "..."

A threat’s a threat, but couldn’t you have picked a proverb a bit more friendly to both of us?

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