Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1308: Chapter 1304: Ma Liwen

Huo Sining didn’t speak. Zhou Shitao had his reasons for bringing this up; otherwise, he wouldn’t have mentioned it for no reason.

Sure enough, seeing that Huo Sining remained silent, Zhou Shitao didn’t hold back and directly said:

“Here’s the thing, in November, there’s going to be an international appraisal conference in New York. I heard that those Dongyang people actually intend to exhibit that set of gold-threaded jade burial suit at this international venue. This is obviously an attempt to embarrass our fellow countrymen. No one can tolerate this, so a few old folks have been telling me that someone needs to go and teach those arrogant brats a lesson. You know, I definitely can’t find the time, nor can I trek all the way to New York, so I nominated you.”

International appraisal conference? Huo Sining frowned; she hadn’t agreed to go.

“I took the liberty to make this decision without your consent, but even with a nomination, it doesn’t mean you can definitely attend the appraisal conference. Many experts want to participate this time, so the Forbidden City has decided that the five spots for this conference will be determined through a competition. So, you should prepare more over the next few months, and in September, there will be an expert appraisal conference held in the Imperial Capital. Once the specific arrangements are out, I’ll notify you.”

“But teacher…”

Before Huo Sining could finish her sentence, Zhou Shitao interrupted her: “What’s there to worry about, just tell it like it is. I know your abilities. It’s just an appraisal conference; nothing to be concerned about. But let me remind you, you’re my disciple, Zhou Shitao’s disciple, so don’t deliberately hide your abilities and embarrass me.”

Huo Sining was speechless for a moment; her mentor had made the decision and left her with no choice but to participate in this appraisal conference.

In fact, Huo Sining wasn’t really in the mood to attend any appraisal conference lately. First, the Mizhi incident had left her exhausted, and she wanted to rest at home for a while. Secondly, the domestic jewelry industry was undergoing a reshuffling, and if Jade Beauty wanted to expand, she needed to seize the opportunity, leaving her no room to be distracted by other matters.

Additionally, she planned to take some time off and go for a sea trip.

She had been too busy recently to attend to anything else, and she had long wanted to take Qibao to the sea to let loose and release that Old Turtle, while also solving the mysterious coordinates she had seen in that Wax Pill.

But since Zhou Shitao had already nominated her, she couldn’t refuse, and besides, due to the damage done to the Thousand-Year Ancient Tomb, she felt her father’s actions left her with a sense of guilt and a feeling of debt. She didn’t dare to bring up her father’s matters, so she tried to make up for it in other ways as much as she could.

Huo Sining stayed home resting for a week before starting to gather various appraisal materials. Although she had the Special Ability of the Heavenly Eye to cheat, it wasn’t omnipotent.

Zhou Shitao had also mentioned that her basic knowledge was still too weak.

Treasure appraisal is different from relying on luck; in treasure appraisal, one not only needs to verify authenticity but also needs to address the origin and history of the antiquity. Without solid foundational knowledge, even if one can determine authenticity, it’s empty talk and won’t convince others.

Therefore, what Huo Sining needed to do during this period was to memorize all the unknown knowledge so she could later articulate the history of those antiquities and make authenticity judgments more easily.

After cramming for about two months, September came, and Zhou Shitao called to discuss the details of the appraisal conference.

Huo Sining, pushed unexpectedly, handed Jade Beauty over to Bai Yishan and Wu Jun to manage entirely, while she headed to the Imperial Capital to prepare for the upcoming appraisal conference.

“This appraisal conference is divided into three parts: initial selection, followed by a midterm match, and after the midterm, the remaining twenty will proceed to the final.”

Zhou Shitao explained: “I have already filtered through the participants for this competition and highlighted the stronger opponents. Take a look at these materials, and if you have questions, just ask me.”

Huo Sining quickly took the materials, and as she saw the dozens of profiles, she couldn’t help but twitch her mouth.

Zhou Shitao had obviously given her insider knowledge—was this a case of having an advantage due to close proximity?

Most of the competitors in the materials were in their forties or fifties. An appraisal expert as young as Huo Sining was indeed a rarity.

Moreover, Huo Sining’s status as an appraisal expert was actually phony; the expert credentials she held were all arranged by Zhou Shitao on her behalf.

Even though these credentials were obtained through legitimate channels, Huo Sining hadn’t even participated in any evaluations to receive the certificates. Seeing the stamp on the certificates always made her feel guilty.

“The day after tomorrow morning is the initial selection. It’s quite simple. After the midterm match, you’ll be meeting these opponents head-on. Don’t worry about it too much; this shouldn’t be too challenging for you.”

Having seen her abilities multiple times, Zhou Shitao had a blind trust in Huo Sining, almost as if he believed she had been concealing her powers all along.

If Huo Sining knew what Zhou Shitao was thinking, she would surely be amused.

She wasn’t hiding her abilities; she was merely putting on a brave face. Although she didn’t have any issues with judging authenticity, this didn’t mean she truly understood treasure appraisal.

Even now, she had only acquired half-baked knowledge; she could judge authenticity but was still shaky when it came to proper appreciation.

Moreover, the opponents she would face next were all professor-level experts; as a counterfeit, how could she compete with them?

“Ma Liwen?”

Flipping through the stack of materials, Huo Sining stumbled upon a familiar name after just a few pages.

Ma Liwen was the antique paintings and calligraphy expert from the Forbidden City she had encountered at Diecuiyuan, and later at the Taicheng Ancient Tomb, the mentor of Feng Yang. Due to the “Li Duanduan Drawing,” Huo Sining had developed a grudge against this expert, and she was nearly framed by one of his students at the Taicheng Ancient Tomb. Therefore, she remembered him quite vividly.

However, Huo Sining hadn’t expected Ma Liwen to be participating in this competition as well, which came as quite a surprise to her.

“The Forbidden City has sent out quite a few young appraisal experts to compete, and Ma Liwen, with his specialty in ancient paintings and calligraphy, is among them.”

Zhou Shitao, aware of what was on Huo Sining’s mind, didn’t have a favorable impression of Ma Liwen either, but out of respect for Ma Liwen’s mentor, Jia Bingrong, he refrained from opposing outright.

Does being an expert from the Forbidden City automatically make one superior to a private treasure appraiser?

Recalling Ma Liwen’s previous performance at Diecuiyuan, Huo Sining chuckled to herself, giving no definite answer.