Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 462: Chapter 458: Can’t Go Back Anymore

”The An family is probably out of luck this time, I’m afraid An Zhonghai’s career has peaked.”

Watching Huo Sining get into Gu Xu’s car and leave with Chief Lu, Zhang Shuang spoke.

She had heard earlier that An Zhonghai might be getting a promotion, but to her surprise, such an incident had occurred. Offending the Lu Family, and still thinking about a promotion? What a joke, it’d be good enough if he can just hold onto his current position as a department head!

Huang Hanyun scoffed, ”They got what they deserved, trying to snatch up something worth tens of millions just like that, really thought they owned Beijing City?”

Zhang Shuang strongly agreed and suddenly thought of something, asking, ”Your cousin’s status has changed dramatically nowadays, haven’t the Liang Family caused any trouble?”

Huang Hanyun shook her head, also feeling puzzled, ”Given the personality of that family, it’s not possible for them to stay calm for so long, but the Liang Family has indeed been quiet recently, which is really strange.”

”Hey, let’s not talk about these things. You just got back and started a new job, I haven’t asked you yet, why on earth did you suddenly become a police officer?” Huang Hanyun was very curious.

Zhang Shuang smiled and shook her head, ”To be precise, I’m a psychological analyst, a key person assisting the Police Department with cases, but not the kind of police officer you’re thinking of.”

Huang Hanyun burst into laughter, ”Okay, okay, you’re too glib for me to argue with you. You’ve just come back; let’s go have a meal together. I’ll treat you as a welcome back. I came from a news scene and didn’t drive, do you have a car?”

At the mention of a car, Zhang Shuang’s expression immediately turned serious, ”It was hit! It’s been sent in for repairs.”

”Hit? Are you alright?” Huang Hanyun was startled when she heard that and turned to look at Zhang Shuang with concern.

Zhang Shuang shook her head, ”I wasn’t hurt.”

”Who hit your car? Have you called the police, and how was the compensation issue resolved?”

Knowing that her friend had been abroad for several years and must be unfamiliar with domestic traffic rules, Huang Hanyun was worried Zhang Shuang might be at a disadvantage.

Indeed, it was the case. Zhang Shuang was used to international traffic rules, and running back home, she had made several violations, although the car accident wasn’t entirely her fault—the other driver was clearly speeding.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and swerved at the sight of the oncoming car; otherwise, they would have certainly crashed into each other.

Nevertheless, her car had scraped the rear end of the other car, causing minor scratches on both vehicles.

Thinking back to when she had furiously kicked the rear of the other car after getting out, Zhang Shuang inexplicably felt a little guilty:

”Both parties were at fault, so I didn’t seek compensation from the other. Their car was more seriously damaged than mine, I didn’t come off worse.”

Huang Hanyun nodded, ”As long as you didn’t come off worse, that’s good. Your temper is not much better than mine; we used to get into trouble a lot as kids.”

However, Zhang Shuang disagreed with this, ”Getting into trouble doesn’t seem to have much to do with whether one’s temper is good or bad, right? Does your cousin have a bad temper? But look at the trouble she’s brought, bigger than any we’ve ever had.”

Huang Hanyun was immediately lost for words, and Zhang Shuang laughed, ”So I say, causing trouble has nothing to do with one’s temper. Sometimes, even if you don’t provoke others, they will still come after you.”

”What we need to do is to not start trouble, but if trouble comes our way, we should not be afraid to face it.”

”Why do you think your cousin would say something like, ’Handle it as it should be handled’? She probably sees the situation more clearly than any of us,” Huo Sining was told. ”Although only a few people are startled for now, it will eventually spread far and wide.”

”Now, she represents not only herself but also the face of the Huang, Gu, Zhou, and Lu Families. If she let An Yueru off too easily, it would give the impression that she is weak and easily bullied, which would encourage even more reckless people to challenge her in the future.”

”If you’re soft like a steamed bun, you will attract dogs. But her firm stance and demand for action will serve as a warning to others.”

”The reason why Chief Lu stepped in personally is to deter those who are itching to make a move, signaling the Lu Family’s high regard for Huo Sining.”

Huang Hanyun reflected on these words.

After returning from Qianmen Street, Huo Sining paid another visit to the Zhou Family that afternoon.

When Zhou Shitao learned that Huo Sining had acquired a pair of Kangxi-Qianlong period enamels, he was extremely surprised and insisted that she bring them over for him to see.

Upon seeing the words ’Made in Jingdezhen, Zhong Jiawan’ impressed on the bottom of the bowl, Zhou Shitao laughed:

”This mark seems to have fused with the porcelain through firing, but it’s actually added later. However, the one who aged it used a kind of strong acid that made these characters seem embedded, similar to marks made by actual firing, which is admittedly quite deceptive.”

Convinced by what he heard, Huo Sining curiously asked, ”Couldn’t the strong acid damage the porcelain though? Is it possible to remove the mark?”

Zhou Shitao nodded, ”There is some damage, but if it’s just on the bottom, it won’t affect the exquisite patterns on the body of the bowl, so the impact is minimal. As for removing the mark, that’s easy – just neutralize it with a strong alkaline solution.”

With that, Zhou Shitao fetched a special strong alkaline cleaning solution from his room and carefully applied it with a brush along the bottom of the bowl.

After two or three minutes, the inscribed mark on the bottom of the bowl indeed changed; the characters that seemed embedded now appeared to be peeling off, and with a light wipe with a dry towel, part of the mark came right off.

”It’s always the toughest paths that lead to the best outcomes. Although acquiring this bowl came with several hurdles, it was truly worth it. This is a matched pair of enamels, which is even more valuable than a single piece!”

Zhou Shitao looked at Huo Sining with even greater eagerness, seeming to think that the antiquities knowledge he had drilled into the young lady lately had not been entirely without effect.

Thinking this, Zhou Shitao turned around, took a paper bag from the curio shelf behind him, and handed it to Huo Sining.

”Since you’ll be returning to S City, it might be hard for you to come to the Imperial Capital even once a month. If you insist on studying biological engineering while learning authentication from me, then you must put in the extra effort. You can’t fall behind in your lessons.”

”Here is a summary of materials and some books I’ve prepared for you. Your task is to study and comprehend them on your own.”

”If you find anything in here too obscure or difficult to understand, you can directly call me. I will assess your progress the next time we meet.”

Huo Sining looked at the thick stack of about a dozen books and materials, and her face instantly stiffened – this was... a bit too much.

Clutching the bag of books and materials to her chest, Huo Sining bid farewell to Zhou Shitao, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Out of the blue, the Zhou Family’s phone rang abruptly. After Zhou Shitao answered, his expression darkened, and his eyes were filled with seriousness.

”You can’t go back to S City tomorrow.”