Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 820: Chapter 816: Bringing Disgrace Upon Oneself

Huo Sining raised an eyebrow: ”Mr. Qiao, if you have something to say, just say it directly. There’s no need to twist my meaning. I did say that learning antique appraisal requires talent, but I never said talent was more important than experience. As for whether or not I rely on my instincts for appraisals, what’s the difference? Whether an antique is genuine or not is not for me to conclude. If it’s real, it can’t be fake; if it’s fake, no matter how much it appears real, it will never be true!”

Qiao Zhenhuan set up two traps, but Huo Sining refused to fall for them. Since they had already torn off the pretense, he did not bother to beat around the bush and spoke directly, with a cold smile:

”Indeed, it’s not up to you to say whether this bowl is genuine or not, and I don’t think Miss Huo has the capability to determine its authenticity. Since you said it feels wrong, how about we make a bet?”

”A bet? Bet on what?” Huo Sining looked at Qiao Zhenhuan in surprise.

Qiao Zhenhuan said, ”I believe this bowl is real, but Miss Huo thinks it’s fake. In that case, let’s make a bet to see if your feeling is reliable!”

Huo Sining shrugged: ”I don’t understand what you mean.”

Qiao Zhenhuan was already prepared. Hearing Huo Sining’s words, a calculating look flashed in his eyes. He took out his phone and made a call: ”Sister Yanhong, please bring that box in.”

Huo Sining was perplexed, and Director Bai, who was standing nearby, was also confused, not knowing what his nephew was up to.

Soon after Qiao Zhenhuan finished the call, there was a knock on the conference room door. A chubby woman in her thirties walked in, carrying a box.

Qiao Zhenhuan walked up to her, took the box from her hands, placed it on the conference room table, and then looked up at Huo Sining:

”The items in this box came from the same batch as this porcelain bowl. Some of them have been swapped out, and only Sister Yanhong, the record keeper, knows which are genuine and which are fake. Since you trust your instincts so much, why not show us what you’ve got?”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining understood that this bet was never about testing her instincts. It was a deliberate scheme set up by Qiao Zhenhuan to embarrass her.

Even if she hadn’t mentioned her instincts, Qiao Zhenhuan’s ploy would still have been waiting for her. He looked down on her and wanted to use this trick to humiliate her at the Taicheng Museum, sending her back in disgrace.

Understanding his intention, Huo Sining glanced at the items in the box, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She then looked at Qiao Zhenhuan and asked, ”Mr. Qiao, since you call this a bet, shouldn’t there be stakes?”

Qiao Zhenhuan sneered: ”Naturally. If Miss Huo cannot determine the authenticity of these items, it proves that your previous judgment was flawed. My request is simple—publicly admit that you are not as skilled as others and then withdraw from the antique circle. Stop using Mr. Zhou’s name to deceive people!”

These words were going too far. Director Bai, who initially found this bet interesting, turned pale upon hearing the stakes and immediately tried to stop Qiao Zhenhuan’s nonsense.

Huo Sining, however, smiled and nodded, indicating she had no objections to Qiao Zhenhuan’s request, but wondered, ”Is that all? Mr. Qiao, you’re being a bit unfair, setting stakes only for my loss. What if I win?”

Qiao Zhenhuan never considered that Huo Sining might win, so he had no intention of setting stakes for himself. Now that she asked, he had to make a show of it:

”Since it’s a bet, both sides should wager something. If I lose, I will also publicly admit my lack of skill and never involve myself in the antique field again.”

Huo Sining shook her head after hearing this. The stakes seemed fair, but in reality, she was at a huge disadvantage.

Qiao Zhenhuan had just returned to the country and was not well-known domestically. Even if he lost, he could simply switch fields, and his loss wouldn’t be significant;

But Huo Sining was different. She was somewhat of a public figure. Since participating in the recording of ”Folk Treasure Hunt,” she had gained considerable fame in the antique appraisal circle. Coupled with her involvement in gambling stones and magic, her name was quite popular now.

If she publicly admitted that she was inferior to Qiao Zhenhuan, he would be stepping on her shoulders to rise, which would be a huge profit for him!

Moreover, as Zhou Shitao’s closed-door disciple, this would be a blatant slap in the face to Zhou Shitao.

Plus, Huo Sining was planning to open an antique shop. If she withdrew from the antique field, she would lose not only her fame and Zhou Shitao’s reputation but also an unknown amount of money.

Huo Sining was certainly not willing to suffer such a huge loss, so she decisively shook her head: ”I am fair. Mr. Qiao studied abroad for many years, finally returning as a success. It would be a pity to end your career now, and having you exit the antique circle doesn’t benefit me much.”

”Then what do you want?” Seeing that Huo Sining didn’t fall for it and likely saw through his scheme, Qiao Zhenhuan became more annoyed and couldn’t help but ask.

Huo Sining smiled: ”Stakes without any substantial benefit are useless to me. How about this? I’m planning to open an antique shop. If Mr. Qiao loses, my requirement is simple. Mr. Qiao should resign from the museum and work as an appraiser at my antique shop for ten years. How about that?”

Such a request would be highly desirable to others, but to Qiao Zhenhuan, it was particularly offensive.

Unaware of Huo Sining’s capability, Qiao Zhenhuan thought she was deliberately humiliating him, making the high-achieving foreign graduate work as a lackey in her small shop. What a humiliation!

Qiao Zhenhuan’s face turned red with anger as he glared at Huo Sining: ”You’re going too far!”

Huo Sining shrugged: ”Compared to leaving the antique circle, I find my stake to be quite fair.”

Qiao Zhenhuan sneered: ”I won’t lose!”

As an FGA-certified international graduate, how could he possibly lose to a girl not yet in her twenties? It was simply laughable!

This indicated his agreement to Huo Sining’s proposed stakes. Huo Sining smiled and turned to Director Bai, who was sitting nearby: ”Director Bai, could you kindly witness this? Otherwise, I worry that some may refuse to honor the bet once it’s over!”

”Hmph, it’s not certain who will win or lose!”

Qiao Zhenhuan was confident, almost certain of winning, but little did he know the kind of opponent he was up against.