Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 824: Chapter 820 Simplified Character for ”Clock

The coursework just started, so it’s not intensive yet. As for the registration procedures, it was fine to have someone handle them. Knowing that Huo Sining was currently learning treasure appraisal with Zhou Shitao, Qin Shaoyou didn’t ask too much. After Huo Sining explained the situation, he agreed and told her not to rush back, but to handle her matters first.

However, holding a freshly issued notice from the department, Qin Shaoyou’s eyes darkened.

”There’s something else on my side, but it’s not urgent. After you finish your business in the Imperial Capital, come see me when you’re back. You may need to be involved in this matter.”

Huo Sining was a bit puzzled, not knowing what Qin Shaoyou was referring to, but since Qin Shaoyou didn’t elaborate, she didn’t press for details and simply nodded in agreement.

It was already past nine in the evening when she landed, and Huo Sining did not waste any time. After getting into Gu Xu’s car, she had him drive directly to Zhou Shitao’s house.

When they arrived at the Zhou Family’s house, sure enough, Zhou Shitao was already waiting. Upon seeing Huo Sining, he impatiently took the box containing the Yue Kiln Secret-Color Porcelain and opened it right away.

Taking out the porcelain bowl, Zhou Shitao, wearing reading glasses, carefully examined it with a magnifying glass and a strong flashlight. Halfway through, his hand suddenly paused, and he switched to a blue glass magnifying glass from the curio shelf beside him.

Peering at the bottom of the bowl through the blue magnifying glass, Zhou Shitao’s expression suddenly turned extremely grim, his tightly furrowed brows seemed to be wringing out water.

Noticing the change in Zhou Shitao’s mood, Huo Sining was immediately puzzled: ”Teacher, what’s wrong?”

Zhou Shitao raised his head and looked at Huo Sining: ”This bowl, how did you determine if it’s real or fake?”

This question again. Huo Sining had already answered this when Qiao Zhenhuan and Director Bai asked before. But now, under Zhou Shitao’s sharp gaze, her heart skipped a beat, sensing something wasn’t right.

”It didn’t feel right; it was somewhat different from the genuine Secret-Color Porcelain I had felt before. Teacher, is there something wrong with this porcelain?” Seeing Zhou Shitao’s expression, Huo Sining felt her own nerves tense up.

Knowing Huo Sining’s talent for feeling, Zhou Shitao didn’t doubt the word ”feeling.” With a sigh, his voice filled with bitterness: ”Aside from the feeling, did you not notice any other problem?”

Huo Sining shook her head: ”This piece is very authentically replicated. From the body to the glaze to the mark, there’s no flaw. I didn’t notice any problem.”

Zhou Shitao lifted his head, showing a trace of resignation and disappointment: ”It’s not that there’s no flaw, it’s that you didn’t find it. This piece left an undeniable piece of evidence.”

”How could it be?” Huo Sining widened her eyes in surprise. She had used the Heavenly Eye to inspect the bowl but found no problems or signs of forgery.

Zhou Shitao handed the magnifying glass to Huo Sining: ”Look here at the mark. See for yourself.”

Taking the magnifying glass, Huo Sining directed it at the mark on the bottom of the bowl.

With just one glance, her face turned pale, her hand trembled, and the magnifying glass fell onto the table.

In the place where the official kiln mark was printed, nothing was visible to the naked eye except the red official stamp. But when Huo Sining positioned the magnifying glass, through the blue glass, she saw an extremely small simplified Chinese character—Zhong.

This character, in deep purple, felt like a heavy slap right across Huo Sining’s face, burning painfully.

Huo Sining’s heart tightened, her pupils dilated. She couldn’t believe her eyes, staring at the purple ”Zhong” character, feeling defeated for the first time.

Despite having the Heavenly Eye, she could still make mistakes. The hidden secret in this bowl lay blatantly before her, yet she missed it.

”Teacher, what is going on?” Huo Sining couldn’t help but ask, her voice trembling.

”The material of this magnifying glass is cobalt. It reveals the colors of special substances,” Zhou Shitao explained. ”The forger was highly skilled and deliberately wrote his name with a colorless potassium compound at the bottom before firing the porcelain, to leave a flaw in the bowl.”

”Unfortunately, the experts at Taicheng Museum all failed to notice and were played by this forger,” Zhou Shitao’s words were unintended, but to Huo Sining, they stung more than insults.

The experts at Taicheng Museum did miss it, but so did she. She failed to spot the simplified ”Zhong” character and couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with the bowl.

Feeling a pang of discomfort, Huo Sining always believed that with the Heavenly Eye, she would be invincible. But this counterfeit served as a harsh wake-up call.

Her over-reliance on this cheat led to such oversights. Despite the flaw deliberately left by the forger, she failed to notice it.

”Don’t feel bad. Your inability to spot the flaw isn’t your fault. Considering your age, being able to judge the authenticity of this bowl is already remarkable. Though I have high expectations for you, the field of antique appraisal is complex and relies on many factors. Your failure to identify the problem is not due to lack of skill, but because the forger’s level of imitation has reached an extraordinary level.”

Seeming to detect Huo Sining’s turmoil, Zhou Shitao quickly comforted her.

Though unsettled, Zhou Shitao’s words left Huo Sining puzzled.

What did he mean by the forger’s skill being extraordinary? From his words, did he know the forger personally?

Seeing Huo Sining’s puzzled gaze, Zhou Shitao sighed softly and looked up:

”You guessed right. This isn’t my first encounter with Zhong Fang. Twenty years ago, I bought an antique porcelain from Jingdezhen, which cost nearly half my life’s savings.”

At this point, Zhou Shitao’s expression turned peculiar. After glancing at the Secret-Color Porcelain Bowl in his hand, he suddenly stood up and walked towards a small attic behind his study.