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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xueqing turned to face Shen Mo Ting directly. "Are you worried about the auction failing, or are you concerned about the reputation of Shen Group?"
"I am worried that someone will use subjective assumptions to deny the truth of history," Shen Mo Ting replied as he stood up. "This comb not only has complete provenance but also has letters from the descendants of Lang Shining to support it."
"Written evidence does not equate to scientific fact."
"Then explain this." Shen Mo Ting opened his laptop and pulled up a video. "This is a test under ultraviolet light; look at this dark pattern."
On the screen, the comb revealed a series of ancient numerical symbols under the special light source.
Lin Xueqing frowned. "I've seen this before, but..."
"This is a mark unique to Lang Shining." Shen Mo Ting's voice was filled with confident assurance. "Unless you believe someone could perfectly replicate a mark that even experts cannot distinguish?"
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly grew tense.
Lin Xueqing took a deep breath. "Give me three days."
"The auction is the day after tomorrow."
"Then make it one day." She locked eyes with Shen Mo Ting. "Let me examine that mark in detail. If I'm wrong, I will publicly apologize."
"Interesting." Shen Mo Ting raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "But what’s the cost?"
"If I am right, Shen Group must publicly acknowledge that this is a counterfeit."
A collective gasp filled the conference room. This was tantamount to forcing Shen Group to tarnish its own reputation.
Shen Mo Ting fell silent for a moment before suddenly laughing. "Deal. Tonight at eight, at the Shen Family Museum. We will verify it in person."
Lin Xueqing's hands trembled slightly as she packed up her equipment. She knew she was playing with fire, but her professional integrity would not allow her to back down.
As she left the conference room, she overheard someone behind her whispering, "That girl is crazy; she actually dares to go against the Shen Group."
The sunlight outside was just right, casting a long shadow on the ground that was strikingly clear.
Just like her determination at this moment.
The underground laboratory of the Shen Family Museum was even more advanced than Lin Xueqing had imagined. High-precision microscopes, spectrometers, and 3D scanners were all present.
"I didn't expect President Shen's private lab to be so professional," she remarked while inspecting the instruments.
Shen Mo Ting leaned against the doorframe. "Did you think we were some second-rate collectors?"
The harsh white light elongated their shadows. Lin Xueqing put on gloves and carefully took out the Peach Wood Comb from its protective case.
"Is President Shen leaving this for me to examine?"
"Afraid you might tamper with it."
Lin Xueqing chuckled lightly. "Likewise."
Her focus on the inspection was intense. Lin Xueqing operated like a precision instrument, each step executed with an almost rigorous exactness. Shen Mo Ting watched in fascination; the way this woman worked was a stark contrast to the rumors of the "madwoman from the Forbidden City."
"Interesting," Lin Xueqing suddenly spoke up three hours later.
"What did you discover?"
"This mark," she pointed to a spot under the microscope, "is indeed drawn with a special pigment, but..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the lights in the laboratory suddenly went out.
"Power outage?" In the darkness, Lin Xueqing's voice sounded a bit anxious.
"Impossible." Shen Mo Ting quickly walked toward the door, only to find that the electronic lock had failed.
"Don't move!" he suddenly hissed, "Someone tampered with the lab's power supply."
Lin Xueqing instinctively reached for the comb on the table, but only found emptiness.
"The comb is gone!"
"Damn it." Shen Mo Ting pulled out his phone, only to discover there was no signal.
In the darkness, a rustling sound came from the ventilation duct. Lin Xueqing reflexively lunged toward the source of the noise but was grabbed by Shen Mo Ting.
"Don't act recklessly." His voice whispered in her ear, warm breath brushing against her skin.
"But the comb..."
"The emergency exit!" Shen Mo Ting grabbed her wrist and ran, "There's a backup power supply over there."
They hurried through the darkness, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. Lin Xueqing felt her wrist being squeezed painfully yet found an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
The door lock to the backup power room was mechanical. Shen Mo Ting fumbled in the dark to unlock it while Lin Xueqing stood guard at the entrance.
"There are footsteps," she whispered.
The footsteps grew closer, echoing sharply in the silent corridor.
Just then, Shen Mo Ting finally opened the door. He pulled Lin Xueqing inside and shut the door just as a shadow flashed past at the end of the hallway.
The backup power would take two minutes to activate. In those one hundred and twenty seconds, the two pressed against the wall, even their breathing quieted. Lin Xueqing could clearly feel Shen Mo Ting's heartbeat, strong and steady.
Suddenly, the lights flickered on, blinding them momentarily.
When they rushed back into the laboratory, the Comb lay untouched in its original place, as if it had never been disturbed.
"Something's not right," Lin Xueqing said as she examined the Comb. "Someone has tampered with it."
Shen Mo Ting's expression darkened. "Check the surveillance."
But the footage had been pitch black since the moment of the power outage; nothing was visible.
"Do you believe me now?" Lin Xueqing stared at Shen Mo Ting. "Someone is going to great lengths to create this counterfeit, and they don’t want us to uncover the truth."
Shen Mo Ting remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Comb on the lab table, his eyes deep with thought.
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