The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

Gu Shengsheng decided to make the best of the situation and quickly composed herself.

The live stream had started before the lots were drawn.

She looked at the live comments.

Without exception, they were all trying to console her:

"Don’t worry, Streamer. He’s Elder Geng’s personal disciple. It’s totally normal for someone self-taught like you to lose to him."

"There’s an online poll on who’ll win, and the winners get to split a cash prize. I’m rooting for you, Streamer, but my money’s on Cai Pingfan."

"Sorry, Streamer, Cai Pingfan’s appraisal record in Anxi City is just too incredible. His reputation is a tad better than yours was in Beijing, so I voted for him too..."

"Streamer, I’ve got your back! I’m your die-hard fan."

Gu Shengsheng smiled at the live stream. "It’s fine. Where is this poll? I’ll vote for myself too."

’The outcome is uncertain, and the odds of me losing are high. But how can I not believe in myself?’

Lu Shijing sat alone in a private box reserved for the organizers, a wide smile on his face as he watched her live stream on his phone.

’That’s my wife, all right.’

Lin Kai, who was standing nearby, felt his lips twitch. "Seriously? And you’re still stubborn enough to say you don’t love her? You’re clearly head over heels and don’t even know it!"

"Boss, shouldn’t you go check on Miss Gu? Facing a guy like that in her very first match has to be tough."

"I have faith she’ll win."

Then, he too went online and cast his vote for Gu Shengsheng to win.

—

Meanwhile, Gu Shengsheng was now seated face-to-face with Cai Pingfan.

A large black box sat between them.

The contents were a mystery. The first person to correctly identify the item within would be the winner. Alternatively, a win could be secured if one’s opponent forfeited.

Of course, there was a 24-hour time limit.

However, most appraisals were completed in half a day at the longest. If an appraiser couldn’t identify an item after that long, it generally meant they never would.

Thus, in the history of this competition, no one had ever exceeded the 24-hour mark and still provided a correct appraisal.

Cai Pingfan looked at Gu Shengsheng, his tone deceptively modest. "Miss Gu, I’ve seen your live streams. You are quite a rare talent."

"You flatter me, sir..." Gu Shengsheng started to say, but she hadn’t finished her polite reply or had a chance to return the compliment.

But Cai Pingfan cut her off, his expression dead serious. "However, Miss Gu, you’re up against *me*. In our school of appraisal, someone of your skill level wouldn’t even be considered a novice."

"You’re just a self-taught amateur, pulling a few tricks to fool the viewers watching your stream."

The live chat...

"I’m speechless. This Cai Pingfan guy is so toxic. Who does he think he is, looking down on her like that?"

"He’s basically saying our streamer is a fraud, and we’re all just a bunch of brainless NPCs—gullible idiots who got duped. Or that we’re all just fake followers she bought."

"Holy crap, this guy is vicious!"

"Streamer, destroy him!"

"..."

Gu Shengsheng just smiled. "Mr. Cai, since you doubt my skills, why don’t we just let the results speak for themselves?"

"An amateur like Miss Gu, who only got into this competition through connections... I’ll have this appraised in less than ten minutes."

’Gu Shengsheng was speechless. ’Talk about arrogant, dude!’’

’Even Zhao Dehai couldn’t get past this round, and this guy thinks he can?’

’With that much confidence, why don’t you just go sprout wings and fly?’ Gu Shengsheng was cursing him out in her head, but her face remained fixed in an elegant smile.

She said, "Let’s begin."

At that moment, a staff member opened the black box between them.

Inside was a sculpture of three figures—three faces and three bodies, with the heads all clustered together.

The wood was somewhat blackened and faded, but its original form was still discernible: three heads crowded together.

Two adults and one child...

’I’ve never seen a sculpture like this. It feels strange, a little... off. I feel like I’m missing something...’

Gu Shengsheng could only try to slowly organize her thoughts, muttering to herself, "Wood carving techniques rose to prominence in the Han Dynasty, but they existed as early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties. I’ll have to examine it carefully to figure this out."

As she prepared to take out her small tool kit for a closer examination, Cai Pingfan shot her a disdainful look from across the table.

"Miss Gu, it’s such a simple piece, and you need to think for this long? Can you even call yourself a Treasure Appraiser?"

He raised his hand and addressed the staff member. "This is a three-faced wooden sculpture from the Han Dynasty. As Zhang Yanyuan of the Tang Dynasty once wrote in his *Record of Famous Paintings Through the Ages*, the renowned Eastern Jin scholar Dai Kui spent three years carving an Amitayus Peach Statue for a treasure temple from a single, whole tree."

"Wood carving was practiced from the start of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, but it had already risen to prominence during the Han Dynasty."

"In my opinion, both the type of wood and the carving techniques employed are consistent with the conventions of the Han Dynasty. It’s obviously a three-faced wooden sculpture from the Han Dynasty. Even if I’ve never seen it myself, I’ve heard of it."

Meanwhile, Gu Shengsheng was still examining the strange, square-faced figures. Looking closer, she noticed their reproductive organs were prominently displayed.

’Clearly, people in our country’s Han Dynasty would not have been depicted in this manner.’

’But if it had to be from within the country, the Han Dynasty was indeed the most plausible era. However, Gu Shengsheng’s thoughts turned to another possibility...’

The staff member looked at Cai Pingfan, a faint smile playing on their lips.

They asked, "Mr. Cai, are you certain about this artifact’s origin? Perhaps you’d like to take another look?"

Then they added a reminder, "Remember, you are representing not only yourself but also Elder Geng."

Cai Pingfan paused to think. Images of countless artifacts flashed through his mind. With so much experience, he was sure he couldn’t be wrong.

He said, "Yes. Even if I spent another half-day appraising it, my conclusion would be the same."

"I’m not like *some* people, who have no real skill and just pretend they know what they’re talking about!"

Gu Shengsheng: "..." ’Seriously? Could that jab have been any more obvious?’

The staff member simply smiled without a word.

"Mr. Cai, you may wait on the side. I will announce the final judgment after Miss Gu has reached her conclusion."

"Fine." He nodded, not sparing Gu Shengsheng a single glance.

Another half-hour passed. Gu Shengsheng scribbled numerous notes on a piece of paper before she finally recalled an artifact she had heard about in her previous life.

The description was a close match, but she had never seen the actual object, not even a picture of it.

She had only ever heard it described.

’Whatever,’ she thought. ’It’s the only thing that fits.’

Gu Shengsheng stood up and raised her hand to get the staff’s attention.

The viewers in the live stream were also on edge:

"I think that guy already gave the right answer. If our streamer gives the same answer, isn’t she going to get flamed for copying!"

"What can she do? Even if the answer is the same, Cai Pingfan will still win because he was first."

"I hope our streamer wins. That disciple of Elder Geng is way too arrogant. I can’t stand that smug attitude of his."

With all eyes on her, Gu Shengsheng began to speak:

"I believe this is an anonymous wood carving from Black Africa. In a way, it’s similar to the three-faced wooden sculpture that Mr. Cai Pingfan mentioned earlier."

"Black Africa has a long and rich cultural history. This piece would have been produced around the same time as our Huaxia’s Han Dynasty. The decorative patterns were also influenced by cultural transmission from our part of the world."

"It also incorporates their own cultural traditions—specifically, a fertility culture. Back then, their productivity was low, and the size of the population determined a tribe’s strength. This cultural focus persists even today."

"As for my evidence that this piece is from South Africa, it has nothing to do with these superficial characteristics." She paused, looking directly at the camera for the live stream. "It’s because I found what I suspect is evidence of an international spy!"

The moment she finished speaking, the live stream was shut down.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!