The CEO’s Substitute Wife Is A Genius

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Boom! Top Cultural Relic Restoration Master! Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Boom! Top Cultural Relic Restoration Master! “Is it already restored?”

The room buzzed with skepticism toward Jiang Man.

Old Master Song stroked his grizzled beard and stood in front of the famous painting, his eyes shining with astonishment.

Not a trace of the tea stain could be seen on the restored painting.

The lining and patching technique was one of the most fundamental methods in art restoration, but it was also the most difficult.

An ancient painting could have two layers peeled away, and some with thicker rice paper could have three.

At this moment, the outer layer that was dirtied by the tea had been carefully removed by Jiang Man and was lying aside to dry.

What they saw now was the bottom layer of the painting that had been revealed.

A layer of protective folio paper had been applied to the base painting without deliberately aging it, preserving the painting’s original colors.

The freshly restored painting now appeared even more antique, with its colors more distinct.

Looking at the vivid, elegantly simple lines of the painting, so lifelike as if they were about to come alive, Old Master Song could not help but be wildly overjoyed.

“Marvelous, truly marvelous! Your skill in restorationwould more than suffice for a museum!”

Before Old Master Song could finish his musings, Jiang Man had already picked up her brush and began outlining the polluted painting.

“Are you going to… restore it?”

“A complete restoration is not entirely possible, but I can achieve ninety percent,” Jiang Man said with a smile, crafting meticulously with her brush.

The tea color had been significantly lightened, leaving behind just a faint mark.

Jiang Man, with her extraordinary skill, transformed these marks into the subtle shadows of distant mountains.

When a unique Tang Yin landscape painting emerged before everyone, the crowd could scarcely believe their eyes!

The degree of restoration was nearly identical to the original painting; without close scrutiny, that faint trace of tea stain was imperceptible.

In ancient times, to protect calligraphy and paintings for longer preservation, they were often split into two to three layers.

The topmost layer was usually the mounting.

Some unscrupulous dealers would deliberately peel off the mounting to sell it twice over.

“My heavens! This mounted layer could fetch a good sum too, right? After all, it is also a genuine Tang Yin work!”

“Even without the base painting, it could sell for half its value.”

“Does that mean that Jiang Man’s restoration work has doubled the value of the painting?”

“This… this… this…” The Lu Family aunts and cousins were stunned.

They weren’t knowledgeable in the field, but they weren’t fools either.

With the naked eye, one could see that the base painting had been restored, its colors preserved excellently. Although the mounting was tinted, it had been nearly fully restored, without any major damage.

They did not know the exact skill level, but they were sure it was amazing!

“Grandpa Song, I’ve used a synthetic paper membrane to mount the base painting for you. It’s waterproof and prevents fading. Even though it’s modern technology, it’s still elegant.”

“Good, good, good! That’s wonderful!” Old Master Song held up the painting, unable to put it down.

“My girl, your skill is no less than Master Shui You! With such talent, it would be such a waste not to work for a museum! Tell me, would you consider working at the museum? I will write a recommendation letter for you.”

Hearing Old Master Song’s enthusiastic offer to introduce Jiang Man to a job, and that job being a referral to the national museum, the people around grew noisy at once.

A job at the museum wasn’t just about restoring artifacts.

It was about serving the country, an honor of the highest order.

If Jiang Man were to go to the museum, she would completely turn her life around, acquiring unparalleled honor and status.

Then, she wouldn’t just be some wild girl; she would be a national scholar!

The jump in social status that others might need a lifetime to achieve,
Jiang Man had managed in just a few short minutes of restoring the painting.

“If Jiang Man really goes to the museum, then she would indeed be a worthy match for our Zhou’er.”

“That’s like winning the lottery!”

“It’s not just about luck, though. You need real skill too. Didn’t you hear? The old master said her ability is no less than that of Master Shui You.”

“Pfft, who knows for sure, we’ve never met Master Shui You. Besides, maybe Jiang Man just got lucky and really knows a bit about restoration, like a blind cat running into a dead mouse.”

Unlike the nagging of the busybodies, Wen Jingya was absolutely stunned.

Old Master Song, actually recommending Jiang Man to the museum?

She had always worked very hard from childhood.

Though she knew she was the Lu Family’s child bride and would definitely become the Lu Family’s mistress, enjoying endless glory and wealth.

But she was even clearer that the position of the Lu madam was not easy to keep if one’s virtue did not match her role.

So from a young age, she worked hard to become excellent, not just ordinarily so, but outstanding among the distinguished.

Yet no matter how hard she worked, she could never reach a first-class level.

In the end, she only got into Beicheng Music Academy.

Although this university is very good, it still pales in comparison to Tsinghua and Peking University.

She always thought that, in the future, becoming a great musician globally renowned, standing beside Lu Xingzhou, she would be deemed his equal.

But she had just found out that all her relentless efforts to become stronger were not as good as those of a wild girl, not as good as an orphan who had been abandoned since childhood?

A single sentence from Old Master Song could change Jiang Man’s entire life, making her family go from initially sneering at her to being extremely satisfied now.

Wen Jingya couldn’t stand it, even jealous to the point of madness!

“Grandpa Song, I’m not interested in going to the museum,” Jiang Man said indifferently, her voice light as a feather.

“What?” The crowd was in an uproar.

Some thought Jiang Man was too ignorant of her own limitations.

Others thought she was a hopeless case.

Yet, Jiang Man smiled with a calm confidence, her eyes exuded self-assurance and nonchalance, “Grandpa Song, if there are any antiques that need restoration in the future, just look for me, I’m interested in that.”

“Uh,” Old Master Song was taken aback, stunned for a good while.

When he regained his composure, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily, “Good! Good! Girl, how come you’re with the Lu Family? Could it be that you are some distant relative of the Lu Family?”

“You’ve met my good-for-nothing grandson, right? He may be a bit playful, but he has a good character, is just and filial…”
“Eh? Wait a minute!” The more Lu Xuemei listened, the more something seemed off, “Old master, listening to your insinuation, it seems like you’re trying to set Manman up with your grandson Song Xiao?”

“Smart!” Old Master Song glanced at Lu Xuemei, feeling that this woman had finally used her brain for once.

The crowd was taken aback by the old master’s words.

Especially Lu Xuemei: “Old master, what are you talking about? Manman is Zhou’er’s wife, please don’t mess up the matchmaking!”

“What?” Old Master Song couldn’t believe it, his eyes sharp, he glared at Lu Xuemei, then turned his gaze to Lu Xingzhou.

He had heard his fair share of rumors about Lu Xingzhou from his grandson.

It was said that Lu Xingzhou was a workaholic with no interest in marriage.

The family had found him a child bride from a young age, and he never even gave her a second glance.

“That’s not right, isn’t Zhou’er’s wife supposed to be Miss Wen?” Old Master Song asked, bewildered.

Wen Jingya felt the old master’s investigative gaze and immediately lowered her head.

It was then that Lu Xingzhou said indifferently, “Grandpa Song, Jiang Man is indeed my wife. I’ve always regarded Jingya as a sister.”

Saying this in front of everyone, Wen Jingya was utterly humiliated.

Being a child bride yet publicly acknowledged by the young master of the host family as a sister, how could she stand her ground in this family from now on?

If she couldn’t be the child bride anymore, she would have to be driven out!

Instantly, fear struck Wen Jingya, and the color drained from her face…