Reborn As Super Heiress

No wonder everyone was looking at Huo Sining with curiosity, it’s because this young girl, besides being a bit pretty, didn’t show any sign of having any relation to antiques.

Moreover, the girl is too young. Zhou Shitao taking an apprentice would usually require them to be over thirty and already have made a name as an appraiser in the antique circle.

This little girl, it’s hard to say what lucky break she had, managed to catch Zhou Shitao’s attention and became a closed-door disciple of such an academic titan.

Being scrutinized by so many people didn’t faze Huo Sining in the slightest. She had seen large events like the Spring Festival Gala before, so this small auction was truly nothing to her.

Although it was her first formal appearance with Zhou Shitao, she was no longer the rookie she was when she first entered the antique circle. Now, with knowledge in her belly, she was full of confidence, so she certainly wouldn’t show any timidity under their scrutiny.

Thus, as she walked through, her face consistently showed a calm and composed smile, her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes brimming with confidence, showcasing an attitude of being neither humble nor overbearing.

Huo Sining’s demeanor left a deep impression on many people, even though it remained unknown whether this young girl genuinely possessed skills in antique appraisal. But based solely on her composure and confidence, she gained a lot of points.

Entering the auction hall with Xu Shilong, Huo Sining noticed that the hotel’s auction hall was very large. It was usually a banquet hall, but now it was set up for an auction. Unlike the typical auction setups, the chairs here were not arranged in neat rows. Instead, sofas and round tables were placed around the perimeter, with teacups on top, creating a true mingling venue.

On one side, seven or eight service staff dressed in cheongsams were standing, obviously prepared to serve tea and water to the tables once the auction began.

In the deepest part of the hall, on the stage, there was a display stand which was meant to serve as the showcase during the auction.

The group led by Zhou Shitao was guided to the sofas by the window to sit down, while Xu Shilong arranged a few things and went to welcome other guests.

Zhou Shitao and Shi Qingyun, along with others, began to chat around a round table, and soon the scheduled start time of the auction arrived.

Soon, the auction commenced.

Xu Shilong took the microphone himself and went on stage to offer the opening remarks.

”All of you present are people within the circle. I am known to be a stingy person, so I didn’t hire any host—it’s too costly. It’s better for me to do it myself, so if the hosting is lacking, I ask for your patience,” he said.

Xu Shilong causally started with some self-deprecating humor as he went on stage, making everyone below burst into laughter.

He didn’t waste much time with idle talk, no company introductions, no words of gratitude, just briefly said, ”Since this is a charity auction exchange meeting, I will keep it short. Each item auctioned, fifty percent of the proceeds from our company will be donated to charitable organizations to support children in remote mountainous areas.”

”Now, let’s move on to the main event. The first auction item is a Ming Dynasty Jade Cicada, with a starting price of twelve thousand,” Xu Shilong announced after scanning the auction hall.

As the items came on stage, everyone eagerly raised their paddles. Although it’s a charity auction, people understood that so-called charity was merely a guise. Xu Shilong set up this auction as an excuse to gather people from the circle for networking. The true purpose was not charity but to strengthen social connections.

Thus, the auction items he presented weren’t extremely valuable, but under the charity banner, everyone present wanted to make an appearance, especially the few businessmen who managed to get in, striving to show themselves, frequently glancing over at the table where Zhou Shitao was, their intentions clear.

Zhou Shitao had seen many like this, so he didn’t mind, just seriously consulting Shi Qingyun and the others about their opinions, also exchanging a few whispers with Huo Sining and the other students.

Xu Shilong didn’t research much into antiques, just as Zhou Shitao said, he only had an interest in jewelry and jade artifacts. Therefore, almost all the auction items were jewelry and jade pieces in his charity auction.

Jade Cicadas, Buddha Hands, South African Broken Diamonds, Wild Pearls, Jade Pendants... These items were all of the same category, with price ranges from a few thousand to over ten thousand, and they didn’t hold much value for collectors.

The entire segment had not too many auction items, just under twenty, and while their values weren’t high, no item failed to sell. Xu Shilong handled the event well, with starting bids that were a few percent lower than the items’ actual prices, coupled with his promise of donating fifty percent to charity, so everyone was happy to honor him with this favor.

As the auction segment was about to end, suddenly another item was brought up by the staff.

Xu Shilong chuckled, ”The next item might interest the ladies present because it’s a set of Qing Dynasty Tortoiseshell Inlaid with Pearl Floral Nail Covers.”

With that, he set the box containing the item upright, revealing a beautiful set of nail covers inside.

Anyone who has watched a Qing Dynasty drama knows that women in the imperial court, especially those of status like consorts, wore such jewelry, and nail covers were often made of gold, silver, or various gems with exquisite and luxurious designs, and they came in many varieties.

In fact, nail covers didn’t originate in the Qing Dynasty, they only became popular then. In the history of Huaxia Country, the most representative of these beauties with nail coverings might have been Empress Dowager Cixi during the late Qing Dynasty.

This empress dowager, to protect her carefully tended nails, to extend their length and showcase her prestigious status, ordered palace craftsmen to gather various gems and embed them in decorative metals or cloisonné to create false nails for wearing.

Thus, historical records noted that this empress dowager had a collection of numerous invaluable nail covers, each crafted by skilled artisans with great effort.

The set of nail covers that Xu Shilong presented now, by the craftsmanship, was clearly from the Qing Dynasty. Though it was unknown which consort might have worn them, this stunning nail set indeed won over many women at the auction, even making Huo Sining’s eyes light up.