He unexpectedly becomes a father at the start of his life, and the mother of his child is a national

He Muqing held the painting in her hand with the utmost gentleness, as if afraid of accidentally breaking it.

She first aligned the edges of the painting, then slowly rolled it up from one end, making it tight and neat.

Finally, he gently tied it with the rope on the scroll before raising his head, a polite yet professional smile on his face, and looking at Chen Hao opposite him.

"Mr. Chen, shall we follow the rules and sign a consignment contract?" she said, pointing to her desk.

"Same as last time, the commission is still 15%, not a penny more, is that alright?"

Chen Hao didn't think much of it, nodded slightly, and said it quite decisively:

"Okay, we'll do it your way."

He had no objections to the contract terms. They had worked together before, and He Muqing was reliable and the commission rate was reasonable, so there was no need to haggle again.

He Muqing was pleased to see him agree so readily. She turned around, opened the drawer of her desk, and pulled out a printed consignment contract.

He took out another pen, and just as he was about to bend down to write down the price of the painting, the pen nib touched the paper and suddenly stopped.

As if suddenly remembering something, she looked up at Chen Hao, her tone tinged with apology:

"Oh dear, look at my memory, I almost forgot the important matter. By the way, Mr. Chen, how much are you planning to offer for this painting?"

Chen Hao frowned and thought for a moment. He hadn't had high hopes for the painting "Autumn Wind in Ten Thousand Valleys" last time, but it was eventually sold for 160 million after bidding against the two old gentlemen.

He knew his own limitations with this painting, "Lotus and Fish Playing," and he put more effort into it than the last one. His brushwork was more skillful, and the artistic conception was more profound. Therefore, he knew the price couldn't be much lower than the last one.

After thinking for a few seconds, he said, "150 million."

As soon as she said this, He Muqing's pen stopped abruptly, and the ink smeared onto the contract paper, creating a small dot.

She quickly looked up, her eyes wide open, staring intently at Chen Hao, her voice filled with disbelief, as if she had misheard:

"How much? Mr. Chen, please say it again, I didn't hear you clearly."

Chen Hao wasn't surprised by her reaction, and repeated himself, his tone still calm:

150.

This time, He Muqing heard it clearly, and the smile on her face froze instantly, the curve of her lips becoming unnatural.

She slowly put down her pen, leaned forward slightly, and looked troubled, pondering how to talk to Chen Hao in a way that wouldn't discourage him but would still make him understand the pricing issue.

After a few seconds of silence, she tentatively spoke, trying to be as tactful as possible:

"Mr. Chen, I don't mean to discourage you, but isn't your pricing... a bit too high?" She quickly added, afraid Chen Hao would misunderstand.

"I'm not saying your painting is bad, nor am I saying it's not worth the price. Don't overthink it."

Chen Hao just looked at her quietly, without saying a word. His eyes showed no emotion; he was neither angry nor did he try to explain. He just looked at her and waited for her to finish speaking.

He knew He Muqing would definitely try to dissuade him, after all, he wasn't very famous in the calligraphy and painting circle, and the price was indeed a bit outrageous, but he had his own confidence.

Seeing that he didn't speak, He Muqing felt even more uncertain, so she quickly explained, "Mr. Chen, I really am doing this for your own good."

I know the quality of your painting; it's definitely better than the last one. The brushwork, composition, and artistic conception are all impeccable. It's an absolute masterpiece.

The problem is, you're not very well-known in the art world yet. Aside from Chairman Yu and Mr. Lin from the last auction, and people in our gallery, very few people outside the art world know the pen name 'Haolin.'

She paused, took a sip of water, and continued, "The fact that the painting sold for 160 million last time was truly a special case."

Think about it, Chairman Yu and Mr. Lin are both big names in the art world, and they both really like your paintings. They were so competitive that they kept bidding against each other, which eventually drove the price up to 160 million.

"If it weren't for their bidding war, it's hard to say whether that painting would have even sold for 80 based on your pen name alone."

"You don't know, this is how things are in the calligraphy and painting world right now," He Muqing sighed again, her tone full of helplessness.

"Those unknown painters, even if they paint well, can sell their paintings for three to five hundred thousand, which is already considered very impressive. Most people can only sell them for a few hundred thousand or tens of thousands of yuan."

"You've priced this painting at 150 million; frankly, that'll definitely scare away a lot of potential buyers."

She carefully considered her words before offering her suggestion: "I suggest you set the price at 100 million, which would be more reasonable."

This price reflects the value of your painting without underestimating its worth.

This way, it won't deter buyers with purchasing power, and the probability of it selling is much higher. What do you think?

After listening to her words, Chen Hao gently shook his head, without wavering in the slightest.

He knew that He Muqing was genuinely looking out for him, since the gallery would get a commission if the product was sold, but he had his own ideas and couldn't give in easily.

"Manager He, I know you mean well, and I understand the market rates you mentioned." He looked at He Muqing, his tone calm, but with an undeniable air of authority.

"But the last painting sold for 160 million. Regardless of whether it was an auction or not, it at least shows that my paintings are currently worth that price."

If I were to lower the price this time and set it at 100 million, people would think my paintings are worthless, and that the previous 160 million was inflated and a publicity stunt. It would then be even harder to sell them for a high price in the future.

He Muqing opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, such as, "Last time was an exception, it can't be the norm," or "If you're not famous enough, and the price is too high, no one will even bother to buy it."

But when he saw the determination in Chen Hao's eyes, he swallowed the words back.

She could tell that Chen Hao had made up his mind. Continuing to persuade him would not only be useless, but might also offend him. After all, Chen Hao was her client, and a client who could produce excellent works, so she couldn't afford to offend him easily.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Chen Hao continued, "Moreover, I believe that anyone who truly understands painting will recognize its value as soon as they see this painting."

"150 million, no bargaining. Those who want to buy will buy; those who don't want to buy, even if I lower the price to 100 million, they might not make a move."

Looking into his determined eyes, He Muqing knew that she really couldn't persuade him anymore.

She sighed helplessly, picked up the pen on the table, and wiped away the ink smudges with a tissue.

Then, in the amount column of the contract, he carefully wrote down the number "1500000". After writing it down, he checked it again to make sure there were no mistakes before pushing the contract in front of Chen Hao.