Chapter 5

Adrian's POV

The crowd suddenly stirred with discussion coming from all directions.

"Is Professor Quinn here?"

Ethan adjusted his tie, raising his voice several notches.

"Professor Quinn is known as a genius. She came specially to support our conference."

Veronica's face immediately showed anticipation. She quickly adjusted her expression and looked toward the entrance.

People around were discussing Sabrina's distinguished background and academic standing.

"If we could get Professor Quinn's support in medical funding, our project would be set."

"I heard Professor Quinn's child is here too. Apparently the kid's a prodigy."

Just then, the conference center's director Mr. Cooper came running over, drenched in sweat, shouting at Jeff.

"What's going on? What a mess! Professor Quinn is almost here!"

Jeff pointed in my direction, quickly deflecting responsibility.

"Some lunatic brought a kid and broke in. We're trying to catch them!"

Mr. Cooper's face went pale. He wiped his sweat while issuing orders.

"Handle it quickly! Don't let Professor Quinn see this unseemly mess! Also, has anyone seen Professor Quinn's child?"

Hearing that the Quinn family's child was missing, everyone enthusiastically looked around, hoping to curry favor.

Veronica and Ethan also joined the search, temporarily too busy to deal with me.

I ignored the chaos behind me and walked straight to the core exhibition area.

In front of an antique painting display in the corner, I spotted my son.

He held a small portable magnifying glass, standing on tiptoes, reaching out to touch the painting hanging on the wall.

That was the antique Ethan had been bragging about all evening.

"Pull your hand back."

I quickly stepped forward and grabbed my son's wrist.

My son pouted and put the magnifying glass back in his pocket.

"Dad, it's just a piece of junk paper. What's so special about it?"

I followed his gaze and glanced at the painting.

One look and I frowned.

The paper was too white, the heat treatment incomplete, with obvious machine-made grid patterns on the edges.

The seal's ink color sat on the paper's surface, clearly a product of computer scanning, inkjet printing, and artificial aging.

This was the so-called national-level conference's centerpiece treasure.

Absurd.

"Stop!"

A sharp rebuke interrupted my thoughts.

Ethan strode over, blocking the exhibit, righteously pointing at me.

"Your lack of manners is one thing, but bringing a child to destroy cultural relics? This is an antique! You couldn't afford to replace it in several lifetimes!"

Veronica followed behind him, looking at me with furrowed brows, her eyes full of disappointment.

"Adrian, to get my attention, you'd actually have a child vandalize such a valuable exhibit?"

Jeff led several guards over, seeking credit with the arriving Mr. Cooper.

"Sir, this is the one! Trespassed into the core area and attempted to destroy cultural relics!"

Mr. Cooper didn't even see my face clearly. He only heard "destroy cultural relics," and being in a rush to welcome Sabrina, simply waved his hand.

"Restrain him first! Get the child away from the danger zone!"

With Mr. Cooper's order, Ethan became even more unbridled.

He bent down, putting on a kind face for my son, trying to pull the child over.

"Stay away from this rude man. I'll take you to find your parents. Don't let him be a bad influence."

My son stepped back in disgust, avoiding Ethan's outstretched hand.

He turned and hugged my leg, and under everyone's gaze, spoke crisply.

"Dad, this painting is fake."

The scene fell into deathly silence.

Ethan's smile froze on his face.

Veronica looked at the child in disbelief, seeming to think he'd gone crazy like me, willing to say anything for attention.

My son pointed at the painting and delivered another blow.

"The paper's too new. The seal is inkjet."

Ethan snapped back to his senses and shouted furiously.

"Nonsense! This child has clearly been corrupted by you, spouting lies!"

He turned to Mr. Cooper and security, his voice shrill.

"What are you all standing around for? Arrest this father and son with no manners! Call the police! This is slander, it's causing trouble!"

To calm the situation, Mr. Cooper gave the security a knowing look.