Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 424: Chapter 420 Big Names Arrive

Liu Manshu sat in her seat feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She represented the An family, but the eldest daughter of the An family had married into the Liang Family, especially since Liang Junqi was sitting right beside her, naturally linking her to the Liang Family with innumerable ties that couldn’t be untangled.

Women who knew the inside scoop, when discussing the relationship between the Huang and Liang families, would inevitably throw glances her way, their eyes filled with unconscious judgment. Although they were clearly mocking the Liang Family, and even though she had not married into the Liang Family, Liu Manshu felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

Liang Junqi’s mind was on the Tibetan Mastiff King in the back courtyard, so she was somewhat distracted while sitting at the dinner table. However, when she heard these people ”slandering” the Liang Family behind her back, her expression immediately darkened, and her gaze toward those women was filled with malice.

”Aunt, who are they talking about? Who is the mistress?”

Although Liang Junqi was young, the topic the women discussed was about her own family, so it was natural for her to be unable to remain indifferent.

Liu Manshu’s face turned a shade of awkwardness mixed with discomfort, as she truly didn’t know how to explain the grievances of the older generation to Liang Junqi: ”You shouldn’t listen to them, they are just idle and gossiping.”

A flash of anger crossed Liang Junqi’s eyes: ”Our Liang family has not offended them, so why should they fabricate such nonsense?”

Liu Manshu frowned, racking her brains for an excuse to dismiss the issue, but unexpectedly, at that moment, another commotion suddenly erupted from the doorway.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the entrance, but Liang Junqi’s gaze remained on the gossiping women, her eyes flickering with a foreboding chill.

An unexpected guest arrived at the doorway, and when the Huang brothers, Huang Jiapeng and Huang Jialin, who were in charge of greeting the guests, saw who it was, they were taken aback.

”Teacher Zhou, how come you’re here?” Huang Jiapeng stepped forward, carefully supporting the elder, and while walking inside, he couldn’t help but ask.

The guest was none other than Zhou Shitao, who had previously met Huo Sining at Panjiayuan.

Just yesterday, Zhou Shitao had given Huo Sining three days to consider, but after only one night, he became impatient.

When Ji Kun tried to call Huo Sining on the phone and got no answer, Zhou Shitao became anxious. Ji Kun had no choice but to call Ouyang Jun to inquire about Huo Sining’s residence, through which he found out about the Huang family’s kin-recognition banquet being held at Chun Jing Garden today.

Upon hearing that his potential Closed-door Disciple had such an important banquet to attend today, Zhou Shitao immediately decided he must personally attend the banquet at Chun Jing Garden.

Ji Kun had no choice but to comply with Zhou Shitao’s wishes and drove him there.

Ji Kun naturally understood Zhou Shitao’s intentions. Huo Sining, an orphan girl newly arrived in the capital, was certainly unfamiliar with the capital’s ways. Although the Huang family had acknowledged kinship with her, it was no guarantee that she wouldn’t face criticism.

Moreover, Huo Sining had recently become entangled with the Gu family’s young master. The situation was complicated, and without an understanding of the details, it would be easy to give off the impression of a Cinderella scheming to climb the social ladder by marrying into wealth.

Thus, Zhou Shitao made such a grand gesture to come here, first to make another attempt at convincing Huo Sining to accept him as her mentor and secondly to lend her support.

In the Imperial Capital, Zhou Shitao held a certain status. The Zhou family was known for its scholarly heritage, and various prominent families sought to have their children accepted as disciples by Zhou Shitao, who was uninterested and disdainful of such dealings.

In the eyes of many, the threshold to become a disciple of Zhou Shitao was high, and their reputation and status were likewise higher than an average apprentice. Once fully trained, they would win the pursuit and respect of many.

Now that Zhou Shitao had personally come to support Huo Sining, many people were feeling quite astonished, and some immediately began to inquire discreetly:

”Isn’t the Huang Family from a military ruffian background? Aren’t they all military people? How did they get involved with the Zhou Family?”

”I haven’t heard anything about it. Doesn’t Master Zhou usually dislike dealing with military people? When did he become so close to the Huang Family?”

”He even made the trip in person. Does the Huang Family really have that much clout?”

It wasn’t just the guests in the banquet hall who were surprised; even the Huang Family members themselves were still bewildered.

Upon hearing the news, Huang Chengxin hurried out to meet him, while Huo Sining, learning of Zhou Shitao’s arrival, was also somewhat at a loss. Gu Xu frowned slightly, looked at Huo Sining, and asked in perplexity, ”What’s going on?”

Huo Sining recounted what had happened with Zhou Shitao at Panjiayuan the day before. Gu Xu pondered for a few seconds, then turned to Huo Sining and said, ”I remember you saying you wanted to keep the shop in Liulichang and run it yourself?”

Huo Sining nodded: ”Yes, I have that idea, so I specifically kept Li Quan. He knows more about antiques than I do; I was planning to have him be responsible for the daily operations of the antique shop later on.”

Gu Xu smiled and said, ”Your plan to be a hands-off boss is not wrong in itself, but antiques are not like your ornamental fish shop. The prices fluctuate greatly, and if you, the boss, don’t understand anything, it’s very easy for someone to tamper with the accounts.”

”Moreover, the sources of the goods are also very important. Li Quan, a little-known small merchant, has no network or channels for sourcing goods. It would be very difficult to run an antique shop well.”

”What do you mean?” Huo Sining asked.

Gu Xu looked at Huo Sining: ”Whatever decision you make, I will support you fully. However, from my experience and perspective, this is an opportunity.”

”Becoming Mr. Zhou’s disciple does not mean that you can no longer continue your studies at S University’s School of Biological Sciences. You can very well study bioengineering while learning antique appraisal; there is no conflict.”

”Moreover, whether or not you plan to engage in the field of antique appreciation in the future, Mr. Zhou’s status is there. As his closed-door disciple, it is definitely all benefit and no harm to your future development.”

Huo Sining was initially hesitant, but after hearing Gu Xu’s words, her mind became much clearer. She smiled and said:

”I was being narrow-minded, always feeling that once I became Mr. Zhou’s disciple, I couldn’t continue my studies at the College of Biology.”

Gu Xu smiled and said, ”Learning antique appraisal isn’t accomplished overnight. You can discuss with Mr. Zhou and schedule your classes well, studying antique appraisal during holidays or other free time.”

”With Mr. Zhou’s advanced age, he certainly can’t teach you every day. He will probably teach you periodically, and I think you can definitely coordinate this well.”

Huo Sining nodded, her mind made up.

Meanwhile, the banquet hall was abuzz with speculation, everyone feeling surprised and shocked by Master Zhou’s sudden arrival. Zhou Shitao himself did not offer much explanation and took his seat at the table led by the Huang brothers, where Huang Chengyi and Mrs. Gu were sitting.

Just at that moment, another commotion arose outside the door.