The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

She watched him walk away without crying, just standing there. "Sister-in-law," she said, "I’ll have Lin Kai take me home first."

Without waiting for Gu Shengsheng to reply, she turned to run out.

A worried Gu Shengsheng wanted to chase after her, but Jin Ran said, "It’s fine, don’t worry about her for now. You can check on her later. Lin Kai is very reliable."

"Worry about me instead! I was set up on this blind date. What am I supposed to do? How am I going to explain this when I get back?"

Gu Shengsheng thought for a moment. "Here’s an idea. We can skip a few steps. You say you cheated on me, then I’ll call you a scumbag. Our families will have a falling out, and that’ll be the end of it."

Jin Ran was dumbfounded. ’Huh? Isn’t that a bit of a leap? Did I hit the fast-forward button?’

’Fast-forwarding is one thing, but why do I have to brand myself as a cheater?’

Gu Shengsheng was in a hurry to leave and paid him no mind. She had given him a solution.

Whether he used it or not was up to him.

As she reached the door, she bumped into a man wearing a hat. He was so tall, it was like running into a wall.

Just as Gu Shengsheng was about to say "I’m sorry," she realized it was her neighbor.

"Mr. Neighbor? What a coincidence. I just saw your brother, and now I see you."

"Not a coincidence. I came to talk to you about something, Miss Gu."

She had been planning to leave in a hurry, but then she saw a message from Lin Kai: Miss Lu has calmed down. I’m taking her to get some seafood now. Don’t worry, Miss Gu.

Gu Shengsheng felt relieved. There was no point in chasing after her now; she would just see her at home later.

After she put her phone down, she asked, "What is it?"

He knew that Gu Shengsheng’s mind was occupied by only two things: making money and antiques. To get her to talk, he had to present a tempting offer.

"I have an invitation to an appraisal competition. I’m one of the organizers. All sorts of strange and rare items will be appraised, not just antiques. The prize money is substantial."

"Details?"

A moment ago, Gu Shengsheng had been in a frantic hurry, her expression clearly stating that she and her neighbor were practically strangers. Now, she led him back into the coffee shop and offered him the seat Jin Ran had just vacated.

Poor, wronged Jin Ran: "..."

He got up and left on his own accord, pretending nothing was wrong... He was suffering inside, but no one knew, and no one cared.

Seeing that Gu Shengsheng was interested, Lu Shijing stopped talking about business for the moment and casually asked, as if it were an afterthought, "Were you on a blind date, Miss Gu?"

"Yes. I was helping my sister with her blind date," she explained, her tone straightforward.

For the sake of the event and the prize money, Gu Shengsheng was temporarily on her best behavior, even forcing out a smile she hadn’t used in a long time.

Though the resulting smile was uglier than crying.

"Oh." He seemed to have just been asking casually, with no intention of pressing further.

Gu Shengsheng didn’t ask, but he continued, "I’m here to find my wife."

"..." She looked around. "Where is your wife? Should we ask her to join us?"

"You’re having a meal with a woman who isn’t your wife. Don’t you need to explain that to her?"

Lu Shijing said, "No need."

’...’ ’Talking to a man like him is just exasperating.’

’He leaves you hanging, he’s so cold, and he barely holds a conversation.’

’His only saving graces are his handsome face and great body. He looks... impressive...’

’But paired with a personality like that, it’s a tough choice.’

’What poor woman had the misfortune of becoming his wife!’

Gu Shengsheng silently offered a three-second moment of silence for his wife.

Seeing Gu Shengsheng remain silent, he said, "Miss Gu, you live across from me, but I rarely see your partner."

She smiled and said, "That’s right. My partner is rather socially anxious and shy. He doesn’t much like to be seen with me."

"I also like to go out alone."

’...’ Lu Shijing thought, ’Since when do I have a personality like that?’

Gu Shengsheng was not one for small talk. She asked directly, "Um, Mr. Neighbor. What’s your name? It’ll be easier to address you in the future. After all, we’ll be cooperating. My name is Gu Shengsheng."

"Ryan," he said. He didn’t feel like picking a new Chinese name; the local business owners all called him by his English name, so it wasn’t unusual.

Gu Shengsheng took his business card and nodded.

"I’d like to ask about that appraisal competition you mentioned. How much is the prize money, exactly?" She was well and truly hooked by the money.

"Third place, five hundred thousand; second place, five million; first place, fifty million."

"I’ve seen your livestreams, Miss Gu, so I know you currently owe fifty million, right? If you win this competition, you’ll be able to clear it in one fell swoop."

Gu Shengsheng secretly calculated in her mind.

’Fifty million is indeed a tempting number.’

’In the past, it took me ages and a burst of incredible luck to save up over a hundred million from appraising antiques. I know full well that earning so much was due to good fortune—finding valuable treasures and running into fools like Mrs. Yang, who lost ten million to me.’

’Of course, there was also the land deed, and selling all those treasure boxes...’

’I can’t be that lucky all the time. It would be perfectly normal if I had a hard time finding any hidden gems for the next few years.’

’That’s just how you survive in this line of work. Eighty percent luck and twenty percent skill.’

’But as for that skill, most people don’t even have one percent of it.’

’These days, it’s really not easy to find treasures on the market. Most antiques are valued in the millions at best, which is already considered very good.’

’Reaching ten million, let alone fifty million, will be very difficult in the short term.’

Gu Shengsheng nodded. "I’ll participate. Even if I don’t make money, I can’t possibly lose money, right? It’s good to see what’s out there, anyway."

Lu Shijing smiled. "Actually, it’s very possible to lose money. No one knows what the items at this place are; it’s like opening blind boxes the whole time. The entry fee is five million."

"Furthermore, you might not be able to appraise a single thing you get. I wonder if you remember the bankruptcy of the very popular appraisal master Chen Gang five years ago?"

"I remember. He used to be active in the Antique Appraisal World. Now he’s always hosting appraisal shows and has entered the entertainment industry. The gossip is that he’s appraising things in showbiz to pay off his debts. Don’t tell me that’s actually true?"

Lu Shijing nodded. "So, there might be more than just the competition going on there. There could be other temptations. Of course, that has nothing to do with what you’re there for. You’re just there to compete."

"Anyway, Miss Gu, you need to be careful and protect yourself when you go. If you really earn that fifty million, leave immediately. Those are all gray areas."

Gu Shengsheng looked at his tense expression and smiled. "Wait, why do I get the feeling you’re worried about me?"

"I’m not," he replied, his expression turning cold again.

’In truth, he wasn’t worried she’d get into trouble. He would be there to protect her.’

’He just had to make the risks clear. Gu Shengsheng might not get the fifty million, but with her abilities, ten million was certainly within reach.’

Lu Shijing knew her personality.

He also knew what career she was passionate about, and he would always respect and support it.

Before, these things would have had nothing to do with him; he had always been a self-centered person.

But things seemed different now. He actually found himself remembering details related to the career of this wife who was a stranger to him.

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