Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 204: Chapter 201: Guanyin Porcelain Sculpture Chapter 204: Chapter 201: Guanyin Porcelain Sculpture “Ah?”

Huo Sining was stunned for a moment and glanced at Lu Huairu with some confusion, “What country did you just mention?”

Lu Huairu glanced at the tiny red birthmark by Huo Sining’s ear, a flicker of disappointment and doubt crossing his eyes before he shook his head, “It’s nothing, just asking casually.”

Huo Sining looked curiously at Lu Huairu, while Yin Zeyan also pondered in silence.

All three harbored their own thoughts in silence when, unexpectedly, two people rushed in from the outside. The one in the lead was an old man, holding a wrapped cloth bag. After entering, he looked around the shop.

Seeing someone come in, Su Qingqing quickly stepped forward to greet them. Upon recognizing the old man, her face lit up with a smile, “Grandpa Xu, what brings you here?”

The old man hadn’t expected to see Su Qingqing there and was briefly surprised, but he quickly recovered, “Oh, Qingqing, you’re here too. Where’s Manager Lu?”

With a graceful gesture, Su Qingqing pointed towards the inner hall. With that guidance, the old man hesitated briefly then turned briskly towards Lu Huairu, calling out as he approached hastily, “Elder Lu, quick, take a look, is this Droplet Guanyin a fake?!”

As he spoke, the man lifted the cloth from the bundle, revealing a white porcelain sculpture of the Droplet Guanyin.

This seated Guanyin Bodhisattva sculpture, immaculate and smooth, was made of pure white porcelain, both firm in body and thick in clay.

The Bodhisattva wore a flower basket crown on her head, her face round and full, with a high nose bridge, slender eyebrows curved delicately, and a white urna between the brows. Her elongated eyes gazed downward as if just barely open.

Overall, the sculpture of the Guanyin was beautifully crafted with a lifelike countenance, exuding a tranquil and auspicious presence.

Huo Sining didn’t understand the appraisal of porcelain antiques, but the meticulous craftsmanship and the faint luminescence on the surface, which conveyed a sense of bygone eras, made it appear to be a genuine antique to her untrained eye.

However, something about the Guanyin’s hand gesture struck Huo Sining as odd, prompting her to frown subconsciously.

“Old Xu, you’ve come all this way not to play chess with me but to have me appraise antiques? Are you joking?”

Lu Huairu didn’t even lift his head to glance at the Guanyin sculpture, casually collecting the white pieces on the chessboard.

“Don’t you claim to have eyesight more accurate than a scanner and never make mistakes? So what happened, did you misjudge this time?”

Xu Deqing’s pride was stung by Lu Huairu’s retort, and he looked at Lu Huairu partly ashamed and partly annoyed:

“I really can’t figure this out. Take a look for me!”

Lu Huairu was thoroughly enjoying the fact that he had finally found someone to play chess with and was feeling smug about frustrating Huo Sining. So when Xu Deqing disrupted the mood, Lu Huairu naturally didn’t show him a warm face, continuing to play with a white chess piece, ignoring Xu’s words.

Seeing that Lu Huairu wasn’t taking him seriously, Xu Deqing’s eyes darted around, and he decided to plant himself stubbornly on a low couch in the inner hall.

“Fine then, Elder Lu. I’ve always willingly played chess with you whenever you asked without conditions. Now, when I’m asking for your help just this once, you’re reluctant and making excuses. If that’s how it is, don’t expect me to come play chess with you again!”

He was as obstinate as a child playing house.

Huo Sining found it amusing inwardly, while Su Qingqing stifled her laughter behind her hand, and Yin Zeyan was left speechless, his forehead lined with a series of black lines.

Huo Sining hadn’t expected Lu Huairu to truly fall for this ploy, and when he heard Xu Deqing threaten to never play chess with him again, Lu Huairu panicked immediately. How could he accept this? Even though Xu Deqing’s chess skills were atrocious, and Lu Huairu would always defeat him decisively, it was better than nothing. Playing with Xu Deqing to pass the time was not a bad thing after all.

With that thought in mind, Lu Huairu hurriedly raised his head and glanced at the Droplet Guanyin in Xu Deqing’s hands.

With just one look, a sneer of mockery flashed in his eyes, and then he lowered his head, refusing to look at the Bodhisattva figure again:

“A counterfeit! Just smash it, the craftsmanship is so poor it’s a disgrace. Don’t desecrate the Bodhisattva!”

As soon as these words were uttered, Huo Sining noticed the man in his thirties who was following Xu Deqing, his face stiffened, turning deathly pale in an instant, and his body swayed uncontrollably.

Xu Deqing, feeling brushed off by Lu Huairu, immediately showed his displeasure, “You didn’t even take a close look, how do you know it’s fake? Look at the patina, the glaze – it all looks authentic, how can it be fake?”

Lu Huairu cast a sidelong glance at Xu Deqing and snorted coldly, “If you think it’s genuine, why bother asking me? What a waste of effort!”

Xu Deqing, silenced by Lu Huairu’s sharp tongue, couldn’t retort, and the man beside him finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Manager Lu, I must confess, this Guanyin is mine. A friend borrowed five hundred thousand from me and used this Guanyin as collateral. Everything seemed fine originally, but lately, I can’t get in touch with him at all, and I started feeling that something was amiss.”

Lu Huairu didn’t recognize the man, but since he was brought by Xu Deqing, and his demeanor was somewhat humble and sincere, Lu Huairu couldn’t just dismiss him outright.

“This item is a high-quality imitation; you’ve been swindled by your friend. If you can’t find the person, you better hurry and report it to the police!”

Liao Song’s heart sank to the bottom, yet he still harbored a slim hope and asked unwillingly:

“But I’ve consulted several experts for an appraisal, and they all said they weren’t sure. I wonder what tipped you off about the issue with this porcelain sculpture, could you enlighten me a bit?”

Indeed, not to even speak of touching it, Lu Huairu hadn’t given the sculpture a proper look yet declared it as fake. Even Huo Sining found this unreliable. However, the question that Lu Huairu asked next took everyone by surprise.

“Uncertainty doesn’t mean it’s authentic. A fake is a fake, no matter how similar or exquisitely made. If you don’t believe it, why should I bother to explain further?”

Lu Huairu lazily placed the last white chess piece into the bowl, then suddenly turned his head to ask Liao Song out of the blue, “Do you believe in Buddha?”

While Lu Huairu’s question was abrupt, everyone knew he would not ask such a question without reason; there had to be a deeper meaning behind it. So they all looked at the Guanyin sculpt, trying to fathom the intention behind Lu Huairu’s question.

Huo Sining, who had initially found the Bodhisattva’s posture a bit strange, recalled the images of the Guanyin she had seen in her previous life.

At a mountaintop near Baiyun Reservoir, close to Baiyun Village, stood a temple known as White Cloud Temple.

Inside the White Cloud Temple, there was a hall dedicated to the Guanyin Goddess.

In her previous life, before she was killed by Wu Jingyi, Huo Sining had visited White Cloud Temple to pray and make offerings almost every year.

Huo Sining wasn’t a theist, but she still held deep reverence and sincere faith in the gods and Buddhas, for she always believed in the power of a heartfelt prayer.

Seeing the Guanyin in Xu Deqing’s hands and comparing it to the one she remembered from White Cloud Temple, a thought flashed in Huo Sining’s mind, and she felt as if she had an epiphany.

Her face suddenly revealed an expression of realization.