"So, I heard there's a second painting?" Before Lu Li's ecstasy could boil, Alan directly interrupted his celebration. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 InfoObviously, the painting itself is what Allen is concerned about rather than the hidden commercial value behind the painting.

Lu Li had to temporarily collect his emotions, waiting for Alan to continue to firm the Chrysler Building, and the expectation in his heart was eager, since Degas might be real, why couldn't the Chrysler Building? Perhaps the three sketches in the Spatial Ring may have been made by some master......

However, Lu Li's fantasy bubble was quickly punctured.

"This painting should have been created in the thirties, judging from the use of pigments and the trajectory of the brush, it should be an amateur who is quite accomplished in fine arts." Allen's sentence directly cut off more possibilities, "After the completion of the Chrysler Building, it stole the limelight from the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, and became the favorite of countless artists. ”

Alan began to pack up the appraisal tools next to him, "This painting is not from a famous artist, but the quality is very outstanding, and I think there should be many collectors who are willing to keep it." The painting can also be left if you wish. ”

The amount of information was a bit large for a while, and Lu Li needed to digest it well. Alan didn't stay long, and after the appraisal was completed, Shi Shiran left the room, coming and going in a hurry.

Jennifer took over the scene, she put on her gloves again, carefully sealed the Degas, and then sent it to the laboratory for further examination, the professional and gentle movements looked like art, pleasing to the eye.

"Sir." After completing the sealing of Degas's paintings, Jennifer looked at Lu Li, "Does this Chrysler Building also need to be inspected?" ”

According to what Allen just said, this painting can be put up for auction, and many art lovers should be very willing to collect it, but Lu Li thought about it, maybe this painting can be auctioned for thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars, which is also a lot of income for their family; But he had already decided to auction Degas, and the Chrysler Building was not so important in comparison, so it was better to keep it as a thought, as a gift left by the owner of the space ring.

"No need." Lu Li rejected Jennifer's proposal, but even so, Jennifer carefully wrapped the painting to avoid being treated as simply and rudely as Lu Li again. Of course, if Jennifer knew that Lu Li had found a hidden place to take the painting out of the space after arriving at Sotheby's, and guaranteed that it was not damaged, she would not have thought so.

After the work at hand was completed, Jennifer sat down face to face with Lu Li again, "That Degas will then be sent to a professional laboratory for testing, and the cost should be ......" Jennifer handed Lu Li a complete list of tests, "Four thousand eight hundred dollars." This fee needs to be paid today. ”

Four thousand eight hundred, this is already equivalent to Lu Li's four months of living expenses, he can afford to pay this money in his bank card now, but this is already the largest expenditure except for tuition, Lu Li will inevitably have a habitual pain.

"However, if you are willing to entrust our auction house to handle the subsequent auctions at its core, this fee can be deducted." Jennifer's next words made Lu Li's eyes light up, "All costs will be included in the commission fee." ”

Sure enough, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Lu Li also reacted at this time, after the test of Jennifer and Allen, although there is still the last level, they can basically determine the authenticity of the painting, and naturally hope that Lu Li will keep the painting and hand it over to them for auction. Compared with the commission fee, the appraisal fee of 4,800 is only a drop in the penny.

"How much does it cost?" Lu Li didn't grind and chirp, and made a decision right away.

Jennifer's smile widened, "If the auction is sold, we will charge a commission fee of 13% of the transaction price. This fee not only covers all related services, but also insurance, and we will ensure the safety of the painting; and related services afterwards to ensure that your interests are not lost. ”

Thirteen percent, it's really ruthless.

As a journalism student, Lu Li's mind was very quick, and he quickly considered an important question, "What if the auction ends up failing?" Although it is said that there is no possibility that Degas's painting will not be auctioned, Jennifer deliberately ignored this possibility when introducing it.

Jennifer tapped her chin slightly, a little surprised, but not surprised, "Then we will charge two percent of the estimated price as a storage fee." Of course, the appraisal fee is also deducted. ”

Two percent, that's a lot of people.

"What is your estimated price for this Degas?" Lu Li couldn't help but be a little curious, he used to see a painting of Van Gogh selling for 100 million pounds in the news, but he didn't know how many zeros followed him, but he didn't expect that now he would have the opportunity to become one of them.

Jennifer hesitated for the first time, after all, the painting still has to go through the last layer of inspection, and the specific appraisal must also ask professional appraisers, but after thinking about it, she still explained the complexity of the appraisal - the auction house is not stupid, and it is natural to be cautious if it sacrifices its own interests casually, "But just now Alan made a rough estimate, the current market price of this painting should be between five million and six million, and the specific number still needs to be evaluated by professionals, and some fluctuations may occur." ”

Five million dollars? That's nearly 40 million yuan!

"If you're willing to commission an auction with our auction house, we're going to hold a small exhibition in New York, and then we're going to advertise it, with the media and the internet, to attract more potential buyers, and when the time comes, the auction price will be higher than expected." Jennifer's words made Lu Li laugh, simply put, it is called "hype", which is really familiar to Lu Li, a person who studies communication and journalism.

Jennifer didn't know why, but she didn't express her doubts, and continued, "Generally speaking, the final transaction price can be 30 to 50 percent higher than estimated. This Degas is a precious painting of Degas, valuable to art lovers and historians alike, and with the right publicity, the price can be a surprise. ”

The right way to publicize it, in Jennifer's mouth, is Sotheby's.

Lu Li smiled dumbly, but he didn't take Qiao, nodded and gave an affirmative answer, "Then let's do it." ”

"No problem!" Jennifer showed a big smile, "Trust me, you made the right choice. ”

A boulder finally fell, but Lu Li thought of another thing in his mind: after having this money, his parents would no longer have to worry about it, and he could even retire early, and his father could finally recover well, but how should he explain the origin of this money to his parents? Also, does Grandma know the secret about this ring? If he reveals the truth, what kind of ripple effects will it cause?

Immediately, Lu Li thought of Liz's inheritance.

He didn't know why Liz had left the inheritance to himself, a stranger who had only been together for less than a month, and the friendship was so heavy that it weighed on his chest. But that aside, Liz not only left Lu Li with a ranch, but also with Lu Li with a choice, a choice about the future.

This reminded Lu Li of the conversation with Fred last night, if he had a choice, would he choose the city or the countryside? Now, he really seems to have a choice.

In the blink of an eye, Jennifer returned to the appraisal room with a thick stack of materials, and under her guidance, Lu Li read the documents in detail, and then signed them one by one.

"Very well, now your painting is in full hands with Sotheby's!" Jennifer held out her right hand to celebrate the success of the collaboration, "We will do our best to serve you and ensure that this painting can be auctioned smoothly." ”

Lu Li grabbed Jennifer's right hand and said jokingly, "Huh, I'm throwing the hot potato to you now." This made Jennifer laugh heartily.

After leaving Sotheby's, Lu Li only felt a lot lighter on his shoulders, from yesterday to today, things happened a little too fast, too intensive, the news of the inheritance gift has not had time to digest, then the ring space was discovered, and then Degas's paintings, overnight, his life seems to have changed dramatically - at least with the possibility of qualitative change.

One by one, Lu Li once again found a hidden corner, put the Chrysler Building back into the space, and then walked towards the subway station. Before the auction, he was still a poor student, and it was the right choice to do the subway honestly, but Lu Li did not rush back to school, but came all the way to Wall Street.

Will, Goschel and the Mangers Law Firm are on this high-cost street, and he now needs to settle the second matter, visit Mark in person to find out what is going on with Liz's legacy.

When you step out of the elevator, you can see the high-rise building across the street through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in front of you, the iron-gray brick walls seem to have no temperature, the towering buildings make the sky appear high and far, and the thin sunlight seems to be projected onto the ground after thousands of miles, causing the whole city to reveal a lingering coldness. The orderliness in the law firm is even more combing and indifferent, and standing in the indoor environment at this time, even if there is heating, people still can't help but shiver.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?"