Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1848: Chapter 1751: Ill-Fated Romance

However, when the red silk was uncovered, and it was clear what the three items underneath were, Li Hang was dumbfounded.

The other guests, upon seeing these items, were equally stunned, and even those who had full confidence in Huo Sining, such as Li Jun and Adrian, looked over at her in shock.

”Pfft—”

After an indefinite silence among the guests, a sharp, piercing laugh suddenly erupted from one side.

Everyone looked toward the direction of the sound and saw two women from the Glazed Li Family’s table laughing together, one covering her mouth with her hand, the other exaggeratingly using a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, their shoulders shaking, clearly finding the items Huo Sining selected to be ridiculous.

The two laughing were Xing Jiaojiao and Li Yan, who were not on good terms with Huo Sining.

Huo Sining stood on the stage, quietly watching the two, waiting for them to finish laughing.

”A bamboo brush, a broken inkstone, and a dingy bronze censer, Miss Huo, your taste is truly unique!”

Li Hang’s face was full of sarcasm and disdain, clearly unimpressed by the items Huo Sining had chosen.

Huo Sining looked up at Li Hang: ”Young Master Li, we’re competing in treasure appraisal, not a beauty contest. It’s understandable that you’ve picked beautiful jewelry and jade artifacts, but that doesn’t mean you can look down on other items just because of your preferences. The knowledge of treasure appraisal is profound and cannot be judged by appearances alone. It seems the teacher who taught you did not instill this principle in you!”

Li Hang’s face fell at Huo Sining’s reprimanding: ”You!”

Huo Sining shook her head, unwilling to engage further in verbal sparring: ”It’s pointless to say more. Don’t forget, our competition consists of two segments. The value of these three items is just one aspect. Recognizing their origins is crucial. Young Master Li, please, I hope you can identify where these things come from, as that’s the most important and necessary skill for an appraiser!”

It was only then that Li Hang seemed to recall how Li Jun had changed the rules earlier; the competition wasn’t just about the value of three antiques but also appraising skill. His selected items were of high value but were straightforward, making them easy for Huo Sining to appraise. In contrast, what he faced was troublesome.

The three items Huo Sining picked, aside from the bronze censer, appeared quite ordinary, and at first glance, he couldn’t discern any origins.

Li Hang’s face flushed red, his gaze fixed angrily on the brush and inkstone before him, frustration boiling inside him.

It was at this point he realized just how sly the woman in front of him was. While choosing items, he only considered their value, oblivious to this layer, falling right into her trap!

Li Hang was furious with Huo Sining, yet helpless, as these items were indeed selected from the Li Family’s pile of gifts by her, without breaking any rules.

He picked up the brush, stared at it for a full thirty seconds, but couldn’t come up with a single term to describe or analyze, his mind completely blank, with only one thought flashing through:

Damn it, is this garbage also an antique? A bamboo brush, who the hell gave this as a gift? Such trash, being presented as a gift, how can anyone even show this?

Unaware of Li Hang’s rampant internal tirade, Huo Sining saw his twisted expression of anger and frustration, knowing the brush had successfully stumped her opponent.

Satisfied with her strategy, Huo Sining smiled slightly before turning her attention to the three items before her.

Although they were straightforward objects to appraise at first glance, Huo Sining decided to handle them just in case something slipped that Li Hang could use against her.

The seal was a gift she had presented herself, so there was no need to inspect it further. Huo Sining first picked up the Blue and White Porcelain Plum Vase.

The vase from the late Qing dynasty bore an official kiln mark on the base, inscribed with ”Made in Jingdezhen during the Jiaqing period.” The spiritual energy on the vase wasn’t thick, but it was genuinely an official kiln piece.

Having finished with the vase, Huo Sining turned her attention to the Red Coral. The coral’s color was brilliantly red, although it varied in depth. On closer inspection, it had intermittent textures, looking quite decent.

However, unexpectedly, when she reached out to touch the texture of the coral, she was shocked and quickly withdrew her hand.

No way, not again? Truly a cursed destiny!

She instinctively turned her head toward Li Hang, her face bearing a mixed expression of disbelief and frustration, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Li Hang, engrossed in scrutinizing the inkstone, paid no attention to Huo Sining’s odd expression.

Huo Sining felt helpless looking at the challenging Red Coral before her, finding the situation both absurd and exasperating.

To the naked eye, this coral seemed flawless and beautiful. However, under the Heavenly Eye, Huo Sining clearly saw strange black spots hidden within its apparent texture, along with many bubble-like small black holes.

Additionally, while the coral’s surface was vibrantly red and seemingly beautiful, probing deeper revealed its fossil interior as grey-black, starkly different from the Red Coral Tree she had in Jubao Pavilion.

This could only imply —

The Red Coral Fossil was fake!

Though she had never directly encountered fake finished Red Coral, she had heard of using ocean-dried branches polished and dyed to create counterfeit coral. Holding Li Hang’s gift, she felt that even if not derived from polished deadwood, it was nonetheless highly dubious.

Yet another fake, Huo Sining wished she could crack open Li Hang’s brain to see if it’s filled with garbage.

At Su Zhongqing’s last time, the fake Blood-Imbued Phoenix Harmony Jade Pendant was exposed by her, yet he wasn’t embarrassed. And now, another fake Red Coral appeared, ironically coinciding with her once more.

Is it her fate to become this professional fake buster, serving as Young Master Li’s personal appraiser?