The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

"With that whole incident at the tomb yesterday, we were outside and couldn’t see a thing—we were worried to death! We just heard a brief explanation, but either way, Sister Gu must have gone through a life-or-death ordeal in there."

"I’m gonna go re-read *Grave Robbers’ Chronicles* so I can help Sister Gu next time."

"LMAO at the comment above. If you want to read the novel, just say so! HAHAHAHAHAHA."

"..."

Gu Shengsheng’s Emotion Value was skyrocketing, so fast the number hadn’t even popped up yet.

Then, the director of the archaeological exploration department removed his microphone. Gu Shengsheng and Zhang Zhengyi caught the hint. He clearly had something to discuss, so they removed their mics too.

What was the director of the exploration department up to? Neither Zhang Zhengyi nor Gu Shengsheng quite understood.

The director said earnestly, "Shengsheng, Zhengyi. I know this trip has been very difficult for you."

Gu Shengsheng took a moment to think. She’d watched plenty of online videos made by civil service applicants on how to talk to superiors, analyzing high-EQ speech word by word. Now was the time to say something pleasant.

As the most junior person there, she nodded and said, "Thank you, Director. It’s my duty to work hard. As they say, a strong general has no weak soldiers. Working under you and Mr. Zhang, I know I must strive to do even better."

Zhang Zhengyi raised an eyebrow. ’This kid is surprisingly smooth. She didn’t seem like this in the tomb...’

’But in front of the director, she’s suddenly all flattery.’

Hearing Gu Shengsheng’s words, the director’s expression visibly softened.

He said, "You certainly have a way with words, child. There was actually something I needed to discuss with you both. Now I feel a bit embarrassed to bring it up."

"Ah," he sighed.

"..." ’I knew this couldn’t be good,’ Gu Shengsheng thought. ’And by the looks of it, this is about the burial shroud I had my eye on.’

She knew it would be difficult to take the shroud home and had already planned for this. ’If I can’t have this item, then I need to secure more benefits for myself—something of at least equal value.’

Gu Shengsheng knew her artifacts and their prices. The burial shroud was worth a hundred million. ’So,’ she schemed, ’I’ll just have to find a way to get several other artifacts instead.’

’It’s no big deal. Being shameless has always been an excellent character trait, after all!’

So, she decided to feign a retreat. "Is this about the artifacts?" she asked. "If it is, please don’t worry, Director. I’ll appraise every single one of them. My skills might not be perfect, but I can work hard."

"I’m happy to contribute to society and to our archaeological efforts in any way I can."

The director looked even more guilty. He said helplessly, "There are plenty of other artifacts... about that burial shroud, Mr. Zhang promised it to you, didn’t he?"

"Our experts here in Anxi have now appraised it, and it’s the finest piece from the find. The most valuable, too. It will likely need to be kept in the museum’s collection."

His old face flushed with embarrassment as he said this. "Don’t worry, Shengsheng. You have such a righteous mindset, and you’re such an outstanding young person. I will apply to get you even more compensation."

Zhang Zhengyi immediately sighed. "What kind of nonsense is this!"

"Director, with all due respect, this was something I promised. How about I just buy it and give it to Shengsheng? You’re completely disregarding my reputation here."

"We’re at a press conference right now. If I happen to do something... unseemly... don’t you blame me! I’ve been in a bad mood lately, a little mentally unstable, you could say. And after all the hard work we put in."

"Can’t you just let me and Shengsheng have the shroud? I’ve never met anyone like you!"

The Director: ’...’ ’Why is Mr. Zhang kicking up a fuss?’

’Shengsheng is such an understanding child. Sigh, I must get her something more.’

He had originally reported to the organization that Gu Shengsheng would be compensated with five artifacts. Now, gritting his teeth, he pushed back against the pressure and said, "Shengsheng, I’ll give you ten artifacts. You can pick them yourself. But this burial shroud must be placed in the museum. It will become one of our signature pieces."

"I know this compensation still isn’t enough. If you need anything in the future, you come to me, alright?"

Gu Shengsheng secretly fought to keep the corners of her mouth from turning up, suppressing her inner delight.

’It would be too awkward to laugh out loud right now.’

’Never mind that everything I brought out of the tomb was top-quality. A random piece would easily fetch ten or twenty million.’

’Ten pieces... and I get to pick them myself...’ She couldn’t believe it. Gu Shengsheng felt she had made out like a bandit. More importantly, if she brought the burial shroud home, her grandmother might not even let her keep it in their courtyard house.

’Indeed, having it in the museum’s collection was the best solution.’

’Mr. Zhang was helping me the whole time, one of us playing good cop, the other playing bad cop. Not a bad strategy at all.’

Then, putting on a deeply thoughtful expression, Gu Shengsheng said, "Thank you, Director. Since the burial shroud is so important, I certainly wouldn’t dare to accept it. I’ll do as you say immediately. Thank you for going through all this trouble."

"Mm! You truly worked hard this time. You deserve any reward you get."

’If Shengsheng weren’t so wealthy and capable on her own... Promoting her within the system would make her an excellent asset!’

The more the director thought about it, the more of a shame it seemed. Once this was settled, he would have to go file a report. He’d have to explain the situation with the artifacts, discuss the various procedures, and handle the official process for Shengsheng’s compensation.

The reason was simple: this young woman had managed to rescue an entire archaeological team, ensure the excavation concluded safely, and recover so many artifacts. That in itself was a monumental achievement.

He, an old codger like himself, was more than willing to help a young woman like her!

To help the future hope of Huaxia!

Gu Shengsheng, for her part, had no idea she had left such a positive impression on the director.

After the director left, Zhang Zhengyi pulled her aside. He said earnestly, "In the future, you must fight for your own interests. If something is yours, don’t ever let it go."

"Okay, I understand, Mr. Zhang. You said that in the tomb on purpose and made sure everyone heard you. That way, once we were out, I could use it as leverage to negotiate for my own benefit."

Zhang Zhengyi smiled. "You’re not too dense, after all."

"You’re a down-to-earth kid, taking things one steady step at a time. This outcome is also the result of all the help you’ve provided before. I’ll probably call on you again for things like this in the future, because you’re worth it."

"Shengsheng, you’re very capable, but I hope you can be capable in many different areas. I see you have a bachelor’s degree. You could take the entrance exam for graduate school and apply to be my master’s student. From there, you could go on to a Ph.D.... even a postdoc."

"I want to see you become even more outstanding, so we can see you flourish in all sorts of ways!"

Gu Shengsheng nodded. "Okay, I’ll think about it."

It was true. ’In this timeline, I’m just a kid from a rural village.’ Even though she was considered to have done well back home by getting into a second-tier university, she could still barely support her grandmother.

’When I was later acknowledged by the Gu family, I was just as clueless, not knowing anything.’

’My parallel-universe self might be far more formidable, but in this timeline, my education is definitely lacking.’ When she had the time, she would prepare for the graduate school entrance exam. ’Qing University is indeed the best choice.’

With her mind made up, Gu Shengsheng no longer felt afraid of anything.

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