Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 205: Chapter 202: How Did This Guy Get Here? Chapter 205: Chapter 202: How Did This Guy Get Here? Yin Zeyan and Su Qingqing listened to Lu Huairu’s words, their gazes both fell on the porcelain sculpture.

Xu Deqing and Liao Song scrutinized the Guanyin image in detail once again.

Unfortunately, the four of them still could not see anything peculiar about the sculpture, they exchanged glances, looking puzzled at each other.

Lu Huairu had been quietly observing everyone’s expressions, seeing that Su Qingqing and Yin Zeyan were still paying attention to the patina and glaze of that Guanyin, he couldn’t help but shake his head secretly.

Huo Sining, however, had already figured out the key point, and a hint of a smile couldn’t help but appear in her eyes.

Seeing that Huo Sining seemed to have understood the crux, a trace of surprise flashed in Lu Huairu’s eyes, and he became somewhat interested.

He nodded toward Huo Sining and smiled, “Young lady, tell us what you have understood.”

Huo Sining looked up in surprise when she heard this. She thought she had managed to keep her composure, but she hadn’t expected Manager Lu to be so observant, astutely noticing the change in her mindset.

With a nod from Lu Huairu to Huo Sining, she no longer kept it to herself. Although she was a layperson, she did not shy away from speaking her mind, standing up gracefully with a slight smile, she said:

“I don’t know much about Buddhism, but when I was at home, I’ve visited temples to offer incense many times, and I’ve also seen the thirty-three manifestations of Guanyin in the Guanyin Hall. I’ve also seen the Water-Sprinkling Guanyin; either the right hand is forming a ritual gesture or holding a willow branch lightly, and the left hand carries a water vessel, as if sprinkling water; or the right hand holds a purification bottle in a pouring gesture.”

Having said this, Huo Sining paused for a moment, then pointed at the porcelain sculpture in Xu Deqing’s hand.

“Now look at this Guanyin sculpture, with the Bodhisattva’s right hand holding the bottle and pouring water, the left hand should be empty, but this sculpture unnecessarily adds a willow branch to the left hand.”

Huo Sining sighed, “At first glance at this porcelain sculpture, I just felt that there was something odd about the Guanyin’s hand gesture, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was only after Manager Lu reminded us that I remembered. Ancient people who worshipped the Bodhisattva would not dare to offend the Bodhisattva or Buddha.”

“There’s only one possibility, that this sculpture is a high-quality imitation. The person who made this Guanyin sculpture had shallow knowledge of Buddhism; therefore, they made such a fundamental mistake.”

“So that’s it, no wonder…” Liao Song moved his lips, muttering to himself.

He didn’t finish what he was saying but stopped, probably having thought of something. He just sat despondently on the low couch, looking at the Guanyin porcelain sculpture with a complex expression in his eyes.

Noticing Liao Song’s demeanor was off, Su Qingqing couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, how did you come to know the friend you mentioned?”

Liao Song looked awful, propping himself up with a hint of energy to reply, “I met him at a treasure appraisal exchange meeting last year; he, like me, was from Xi Shan, and we were both interested in porcelain sculptures, so we became familiar over time.”

“Two months ago, he told me his child was sick and needed hospitalization for surgery, and he urgently needed money. Seeing his anxious look, and also it being a matter concerning a sick child, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so I agreed to lend him five hundred thousand.”

“When he took the money, he left this porcelain sculpture at my house as collateral, saying he would repay the money after a while. I thought he was a decent man, and since we were both fellow townspeople and friends, I didn’t suspect anything, nor did I ask him to write an IOU…”

One need not elaborate further to imagine what happened next; the other party, having scammed the money, would surely look for an opportunity to slip away—why would he wait for Liao Song to discover something was amiss and come after him for the debt? Liao Song presumably couldn’t reach the person through phone calls and began to suspect the Guanyin porcelain sculpture was questionable.

Xu Deqing had a volatile temper; seeing the look of appreciation in Lu Huairu’s eyes after Huo Sining finished sharing her observations, he knew what Huo Sining said was true, that the Guanyin was merely aged to appear old.

Hearing Liao Song talk about how he was swindled, and the process, even a fool would know that this Guanyin setup was clearly a trap specifically made for Liao Song!

Xu Deqing was suddenly seething with rage, slapped the tea table on the low couch, and stood up abruptly to curse furiously:

“What kind of friend is this, or a fellow villager! Are there such friends who set up their acquaintances? This person is obviously a scammer!”

When Lu Huairu heard this, he looked up and snorted with a sneer, adding insult to injury without politeness:

“The very design of this scam is meant for acquaintances—how else would anyone believe it? Do you think everyone is a fool? I bet that guy isn’t from Xi Shan at all. He’s probably just trying to cozy up to this young man, hence the false claim of being from Xi Shan. Such a shoddy piece even fooled several experts who couldn’t see what it really was; that’s truly laughable!”

These words were a clear slap in the face. Xu Deqing’s complexion went red with embarrassment, knowing that Lu Huairu was mocking him. He opened his mouth but didn’t know how to retort.

But Huo Sining didn’t see it that way. If a fake could deceive several experts, it showed that the craftsmanship of the Guanyin sculpture was highly skilled, almost indistinguishable from the real thing. If it hadn’t been for a slipup at the Guanyin’s hand gesture, or a lack of understanding of Buddhist doctrine, even a top-tier appraiser might not have spotted the issue.

Liao Song was already angry, and Lu Huairu’s words made him even more uncontrollable. He sprang up from his stool, grabbed the Guanyin sculpture with a fierce look, and was about to smash it to the ground.

Huo Sining was startled by Liao Song’s sudden aggression and seeing the porcelain sculpture about to shatter on the ground, couldn’t help but let out a brief cry of alarm.

“Wait!”

Xu Deqing shouted loudly, rushing forward to try to stop Liao Song from smashing the Guanyin, but was it already too late?

At this moment, so brief as to be barely perceptible, a dark shadow dashed in from a side path at the door.

Liao Song only felt a numbness in his wrist, and by the time he realized what had happened, the sculpture was already gone from his hands, having somehow ended up in the hands of a man.

“All sentient beings have Buddha-nature; destroying this sculpture so carelessly would be an even greater offense to the Bodhisattva,” said Gu Xu, holding the sculpture, his stern brows slightly furrowed, speaking calmly yet with an authority crisp like the winter stars.

How did this guy get here?! Huo Sining was startled.

Sensing Huo Sining’s gaze, Gu Xu sharply turned his head towards Huo Sining, his piercing eyes clashing directly with Huo Sining’s.

Caught in his gaze, Huo Sining was so startled that her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, and she instinctively lowered her head, hastily avoiding the other’s stare.

Gu Xu’s lips curved slightly, and his dark, deep eyes held a faint hint of amusement.

Suddenly faced with this turn of events, everyone began to look at Gu Xu, the uninvited guest, with strange expressions.

“Mr. Gu, what are you doing here?”

Others didn’t recognize Gu Xu, but Su Qingqing did, and she immediately asked with surprise.