Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1098: Chapter 1094: Playing for Sympathy

Obviously, this method is very effective for kids. As soon as Qibao heard the idea of pinky promises, he immediately happily stretched out his little finger to hook onto Huo Sining’s hand, chanting as he did so: ”Golden hook, silver hook, if you lie, you’re a little dog!”

Having made the promise, the little one finally felt at ease and no longer followed Huo Sining persistently. He ran joyfully downstairs, restoring his previous mischievous and lively demeanor.

Downstairs, Su Qingqing was already waiting. Her visit to Huo Sining was not without purpose; it was about going to Antique Street to hunt for treasures.

”Going to Antique Street again? We’ve already combed through everything there; what good stuff could you possibly find?”

Huo Sining had acquired a large batch of artifacts from Dongyang, and now, when she looked at the domestic antique market with its mixed-quality, counterfeit craft items, she felt a bit unimpressed. Hearing Su Qingqing say she wanted to visit Antique Street, she was instantly a bit disinterested.

Normally, if Huo Sining didn’t want to go, Su Qingqing would at most complain a few times but wouldn’t force Huo Sining to join her. However, this time, she said a whole basket of good things hoping to persuade Huo Sining to accompany her.

This made Huo Sining feel a bit puzzled: ”Why, is there good stuff waiting for you there, or why must you go today?”

Su Qingqing seemed a bit embarrassed and after a pause, she laughed sheepishly: ”Well, I failed my final exam again, and Professor Xie said I wasn’t focused enough. He insisted that I must find a genuine item on Antique Street today to show him. If he’s satisfied, I can pass my finals.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but burst out laughing, rocking with laughter.

”Did Professor Xie really say that? Haha, who’d have thought you’d face this day. Professor Xie’s tactic is brilliant; you always skip his classes, so if he let you pass, that’d be strange. What’s that called? Smart people outsmart themselves; bad people have other bad people to handle them!”

”Who are you calling bad? I just skipped a few classes; does he need to be so relentless? The professor is really too unkind!” Su Qingqing looked quite aggrieved.

Huo Sining helplessly waved her hand: ”You’d better go by yourself. Isn’t this Professor Xie’s exam question for you? Asking me to choose for you is cheating, which is unacceptable. If I really go along with it, wouldn’t that be aiding and abetting?”

Upon hearing Huo Sining’s refusal, Su Qingqing was immediately anxious: ”I didn’t ask you to choose for me. I’m worried I might find something fake and embarrass myself in front of the professor. Just accompany me so I can buy a few more things. Then, you can evaluate them and tell me which one’s valuable, and I’ll show that one to the professor. How about it?”

Huo Sining rolled her eyes at Su Qingqing with a not-so-friendly attitude: ”You pick out a few items, but in the end, aren’t you still asking me to choose? You’re really good at twisting concepts!”

”Please, Ningning, look at our deep sisterly bond and how long we haven’t seen each other. Help me this once; your good sister’s final exam results depend entirely on you!”

Unable to reason with her, the rascal began playing the emotional card, shamelessly pleading with Huo Sining, who understood Su Qingqing’s level of brazenness, pointed at her, and helplessly shook her head: ”Wait for me; I’ll go change clothes for Qibao and myself.”

This counted as reluctant agreement. Realizing this, Su Qingqing jumped from the sofa in joy with a shout: ”Yay!”

Places like Antique Street are a mix of good and bad, and after so many years of rummaging, the truly valuable items have almost been depleted. Most of what’s left are some worthless imitations, so trying to find a genuine item in a single day isn’t easy.

But to reverse the tragic outcome of failing the exam, Su Qingqing had no choice but to return to this street and strive to apply her knowledge, hoping to find a few items she considered genuine.

Only, Su Qingqing’s idea was too optimistic, and among the items displayed by street vendors, the chances of finding a real object were indeed very small. Su Qingqing flipped through several stalls in succession without finding a single item she fancied.

In fact, during Su Qingqing’s search, Huo Sining felt each item over as well, and indeed found nothing genuine. The only real item was a broken porcelain bowl from the Republic of China period, whose Spiritual Energy was so faint it could almost be ignored.

This situation was truly frustrating and depressing, utterly dull, and Huo Sining absentmindedly drifted around with Qibao behind Su Qingqing, losing interest in the crafts. Seeing Su Qingqing bargaining with a vendor over a screen obviously replicating Tang Dynasty style, she refrained from interrupting and just pulled Qibao along to continue ahead.

As a result, while walking, they arrived at a small stall, and while Huo Sining wasn’t paying much attention, she couldn’t move Qibao along. Looking back, she found the little guy standing still in front of a small stall beside her.

Huo Sining paused in surprise and looked at the owner of the stall.

Watching over the stall was a little girl, about ten years old. Beside her squatted a tiny child, perhaps three or four years old, and both were shabbily dressed, indicating their family was likely not well-off.

The little girl seemed to have been instructed by adults, so she sat motionless on a small stool, only her eyes closely watching the passersby on the street, observing their clothing and facial expressions.

In front of the little girl, there was a piece of hard cardboard with a few lines written in neat script: A family disaster has struck, father bedridden due to a car accident, mother left the family, and needs funds urgently for father’s medical expenses and living costs for we two siblings. To make a living, selling a family heirloom Jade Buddha at a low price, earnestly begging kind-hearted people for help!

On the cardboard, wrapped in a white handkerchief, lay a Jade Buddha no larger than a hand, showing a faint hint of green.

Huo Sining wasn’t a cold person, but with her professional eye, she could tell from the quality of the Jade Buddha that this so-called family heirloom was merely a cheap stone worth tens of dollars, not even deserving to be called Jadeite.

Moreover, anyone with half a brain would know that if this Jade Buddha were truly Superior Jadeite, the adults wouldn’t let two such tiny children come to the Antique Street to sell it. The reason they let the kids shiver in the cold was merely to elicit sympathy.

Huo Sining didn’t want to directly call them scammers in front of the children, but deep down, she felt extreme disdain for adults who exploit children’s innocence to make money. She intended to pull Qibao away immediately.