We're building a super chaebol in Hong Kong

The media outlets represented by the journalists present had been extensively reporting on the auction of the horse-head bronze statue for quite some time.

Some media outlets had even secretly received funding from France to maintain a certain level of hype around the event.

But now, Su Cheng was actually telling them that the horse-head bronze statue at the auction was a fake?

The journalists erupted in an uproar, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

They exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to react.

Some reporters quickly grabbed their equipment, recording this startling news to transmit back to their headquarters immediately.

Others eagerly pressed Su Cheng for details, microphones thrust in front of him.

"Mr. Su, what evidence do you have to prove that your horse-head bronze statue is genuine?" one reporter asked anxiously.

Su Cheng remained calm and composed, slowly replying, "I sent people to search for this horse-head bronze statue in England several years ago. At that time, the twelve zodiac animal head bronze statues had no international recognition whatsoever, so there was absolutely no point in forging them.

Besides, after retrieving it, I also invited several national-level antique experts from China, who all confirmed that this horse-head bronze statue is indeed the lost horse-head bronze statue from the Old Summer Palace!"

The journalists diligently recorded Su Cheng's words, their minds filled with conflict.

On one hand, they had previously heavily promoted the French horse-head bronze statue, but now they were being told it was a fake, which undoubtedly put them in an awkward position.

On the other hand, they also realized that this was a major news event, and if they could investigate it thoroughly, it would undoubtedly cause a huge sensation.

The news quickly spread to various parts of the world through various media channels.

In Paris, the wealthy individuals who had originally planned to participate in the auction quickly learned about the press conference held by Su Cheng and abandoned their bidding plans.

The Drouot auction house in Paris was in an unprecedentedly embarrassing situation, and they had to urgently suspend the evening's auction and begin investigating the incident.

People had serious doubts about the authenticity of the auction and were also indignant at the media manipulated by Western funds.

Relevant departments quickly intervened in the investigation, striving to restore the truth of the matter.

Su Cheng's remarks were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand layers of waves.

Those who had originally firmly believed that the horse-head bronze statue at the French auction was genuine began to re-examine the entire incident.

Some people expressed support for Su Cheng's statement, believing that he had sufficient evidence and reasons to prove that the horse-head bronze statue in his possession was the real lost relic of the Old Summer Palace.

Others were skeptical, believing that Su Cheng might be deliberately creating hype for some purpose.

Under the pressure of public opinion, the media that had once vigorously reported on the French horse-head bronze statue were caught in a dilemma.

They had to re-examine their reporting stance and conduct an in-depth investigation into the evidence provided by Su Cheng.

Some media outlets began to send out their best journalist teams, trying to uncover more inside information about the true and false horse-head bronze statues.

At the same time, the international cultural relic community was also shocked by this incident.

Cultural relic experts and scholars from various countries expressed their views.

Some experts believed that Su Cheng's statement had a certain degree of credibility, after all, the animal head bronze statues of the Old Summer Palace did not attract much attention in the early days, and the possibility of forgery was relatively small.

However, other experts believed that Su Cheng's one-sided statement was not enough to determine that the horse-head bronze statue in his possession was genuine, and more rigorous appraisal and research were needed.

In order to determine the authenticity of the horse-head bronze statue, relevant departments organized an appraisal meeting composed of top domestic and foreign cultural relic experts.

At the appraisal meeting, Su Cheng solemnly presented the horse-head bronze statue in his possession to the experts.

The experts carefully observed every detail of the bronze statue, conducting in-depth analysis from various aspects such as material, craftsmanship, and historical traces.

Then, through comparison with historical data, an appraisal was conducted.

After several days of intense appraisal, the experts finally came to a preliminary conclusion.

The experts believed that the horse-head bronze statue provided by Su Cheng was consistent with the known characteristics of the animal head bronze statues of the Old Summer Palace in many aspects.

The material, craftsmanship, and historical traces of the bronze statue all showed that it had a high degree of authenticity.

However, in order to ensure the accuracy of the conclusion, the experts still needed to conduct further research and verification.

While waiting for the final conclusion, public opinion continued to ferment.

People's attention to this incident became higher and higher, and they all looked forward to the early revelation of the truth.

And those conscientious journalists were also actively following up on the progress of the incident, conveying the latest news to the public with an objective and impartial attitude.

Finally, after nearly half a month of waiting, the experts gave the final appraisal result.

They unanimously determined that the horse-head bronze statue in Su Cheng's possession was indeed a cultural relic lost from the Old Summer Palace.

When this news came out, the whole world was shocked.

People expressed their admiration for Su Cheng's courage and persistence, and at the same time, they condemned the media manipulated by foreign funds.

As the truth came to light, the horse-head bronze statue at the French auction was confirmed to be a counterfeit.

Relevant departments investigated and dealt with the institutions and personnel involved in the auction to maintain the order of the cultural relic market.

The time has come to August 20th. Twenty-one days have passed since Su Cheng held a press conference to expose the fake animal head bronze statue.

During this period, the popularity of the twelve zodiac animal head bronze statues has basically not decreased.

Now that it has been confirmed that the one in Su Cheng's hands is genuine and the one at the Drouot auction house in Paris is a counterfeit, Su Cheng's influence has also been further enhanced.

He is no longer just a successful businessman, but in the eyes of many Chinese, he is a hero who protects Chinese cultural relics.

People's admiration for him is like a滔滔江水 (turbulent river), endless.

Su Cheng's name frequently appeared in the headlines of major media outlets, his deeds were widely praised, and he became a popular topic of conversation among people.

And the Drouot auction house in Paris has completely lost face this time by actually auctioning counterfeit antiques.

Once, it was one of the world's famous auction houses, known for its professional appraisal team and rigorous auction process.

However, this incident caused its reputation to plummet.

Many customers lost trust in it and said that they would be more cautious when choosing an auction house in the future.

The management of the auction house fell into deep self-blame and reflection. They began to re-examine their appraisal process and internal management, determined to take a series of measures to restore their lost reputation.

After the result came out, the Drouot auction house in Paris formally issued a public apology to the world.

In their statement, they expressed deep guilt and remorse for the incident, vowing to take responsibility and promising to strengthen internal management, improve appraisal standards, and ensure that similar incidents would not occur again.

While this apology alleviated some public anger, fully restoring their reputation would require time and demonstrable action.

Meanwhile, the antique forgery appraisers involved also confessed their crimes.

They understood that their actions had violated the law and hurt countless antique enthusiasts and collectors.

Faced with the severity of the law, they chose not to evade but bravely confront their mistakes.

Their confession was not only a reflection on their own actions but also a warning to the entire antique market.

The Chinese-American antique restorer and the foreigner who specialized in the forgery business were quickly apprehended by Italian police after fleeing to Italy.

The impact of this incident was simply too great, drawing worldwide attention.

Their capture demonstrated the international community's determination and strength in combating cultural relic crimes.

This also served as a warning to those who attempt to profit through forgery and illegal means, making them understand that illegal and criminal behavior will eventually be punished by law.

As the incident further unfolded, governments and cultural relic protection organizations around the world increased their oversight of the antique market.

They intensified their efforts to combat the smuggling and forgery of cultural relics, strengthening international cooperation and information sharing.

Su Cheng, however, paid little attention to these developments, and his life gradually returned to peace.

For him, the fact that a mere auction had greatly increased his influence was actually quite beneficial.

Now, although his life was lived in a low-key manner,

In reality, he hoped his reputation would continue to grow.

Everyone desires 'fame and fortune'.

Su Cheng was no exception.

However, within his own social circle, he remained very discreet.

He rarely ventured beyond the Tseung Kwan O and Clear Water Bay Peninsula areas.

His work and life were primarily centered in this region.

On the stage of commerce, Su Cheng was like a dazzling superstar, radiating brilliant light.

Thanks to the development of these years, his enterprises had achieved remarkable success in various fields.

Wealth flowed to him like a tide, and the numbers in his accounts continued to climb. At this stage, money for him was truly just a number, no longer possessing the exciting and coveted magic it once had.

In Sai Kung, Su Cheng had specifically bought an island.

This decision was not a whim but a carefully considered one.

When he first heard of the island's existence, he was captivated by its unique charm.

The island was far from the hustle and bustle of the world, like an isolated paradise.

It was located in the southeastern sea of the Sai Kung area, near Clear Water Bay Peninsula, surrounded by crystal-clear waters, and white beaches shimmered with charming light under the sun.

The island was lush with greenery, with various exotic flowers blooming in competition, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance and the salty taste of the sea, intoxicating people.

Su Cheng spared no expense to acquire this island, in order to create a quiet and comfortable private space for himself.

He personally commissioned Mr. Bei, the world-renowned architect, to carefully plan and transform the island.

While preserving the island's original natural scenery, he added many modern facilities and comfortable living spaces.

Luxurious villas, spacious swimming pools, beautiful gardens, and private docks were all available, making this island a true paradise on earth.

The island had beautiful scenery. Occasionally, he would sit on a yacht and slowly sail towards the island from a distance.

When the yacht approached the island, Su Cheng's mood was always exceptionally pleasant.

On the island, Su Cheng also invited some of his top subordinates or close friends to visit.

In addition to enjoying leisurely time, Su Cheng would also think about some important business decisions on the island.

The tranquil environment here allowed him to think more clearly and help him make more informed decisions.

Besides occasionally vacationing on this island, Su Cheng most often went to Central, where he also owned his own large flat on the top floor of the Xiangjiang World Trade Building in Central.

From here, you could overlook the entire Xiangjiang.

In fact, due to the height of the floor, he could even faintly see several buildings over two hundred meters high in Pengcheng to the north.

These buildings were all invested and built by Sus Group and Hutchison Whampoa, and now they were either completed or capped, and had already become landmark buildings in Pengcheng.

In the past few years, with Su Cheng's massive investment, the development speed in the north was simply ridiculously fast.

It could be said that compared to the mainland in another world, the development of Pengcheng in this world had at least reached the level of the mid-1990s in another world.

And now, it was only 1985.

With Su Cheng's own efforts, Pengcheng's development had already surpassed Pengcheng in another world by a full 10 years.

This was the benefit of large-scale investment.

Like Dongying and South Korea, with the help of the United States, their economic development had become very terrifying in just twenty years.

Especially Dongying, which was now rumored to be able to buy the entire United States.

Therefore, with sufficient funding for development, even the originally very backward Pengcheng had undergone earth-shaking changes.

The streets were full of high-rise buildings, and it already had the foundation of an international metropolis.

Because, with Su Cheng's leadership, it was not only their companies that were investing, but also many Xiangjiang businessmen such as Bao Yugang and Li Jiacheng, whose investment efforts were not small at all.

These investment efforts had already far surpassed those in another world.

In addition to Pengcheng, Wancheng, Yangcheng, etc., were also the same.

It could be said that Su Cheng had completely changed the development speed of the mainland in this world with his own strength.

According to the current situation, by the 1990s, it might even reach the development level after the millennium.

Tseung Kwan O, Su's villa, Su Cheng sat on a recliner, looking at the report data from the mainland branch.

Behind him, Guan Jiahui was massaging his shoulders.

Guan Jiahui had graduated from Xiangjiang University for more than a year. After graduation, she joined a company under Su Cheng's banner.

Now, she was already a middle-level manager.

In the future, Su Cheng would train her to become a senior manager. After all, even the most beautiful vase could become tiresome after a while.

Just then, the mobile phone next to him rang.