The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

"’Jiaxuan’ is a technique for tampering with Xuan paper. A double-layered sheet can be split apart, while a triple-layered sheet can have two of its layers separated. The forger takes advantage of the paper’s high absorbency to let the ink bleed through, controlling the pressure carefully."

"It’s like extending the original painting. This forgery technique can create a copy so convincing it’s indistinguishable from the original."

"The original artist might not even be able to tell the difference if they were still alive."

Gao Liu frowned. "But this technique is incredibly difficult to execute. In all my years, I’ve never seen a single case..."

’Indeed, the Antique Appraisal World is a fascinating place. Everyone has their own unique skills, all scheming to make a buck.’

’You might see some guy on the street slacking around in board shorts, but he could be a hidden master. Not everyone is like that, though.’

Just then, Gao Liu took out the other painting and placed it in front of Gu Shengsheng.

"This," he said, "I picked it up from your neighbors in the complex on my way here."

Gu Shengsheng was pleasantly surprised. "I was just about to remind you to go get it. I didn’t expect you to bring it with you."

"The self-discipline of a museum director." Gao Liu clearly enjoyed Gu Shengsheng’s praise. "There’s no way they would have given it to you. I had to use my status as the museum director to bring it over."

"They were shocked when I told them. Apparently, their family spent about 200 million to acquire it."

"Something so valuable, and they didn’t come themselves?"

Gu Shengsheng had barely finished her question when there was a knock at the door. Standing there was a well-maintained woman with her son, who looked to be around eighteen, tall and handsome.

The mother and son stood in the doorway.

Behind them followed an entire team of appraisers.

Gu Shengsheng was speechless.

’Is this how the super-rich make an entrance?’

"Miss Gu, the director told me about you. My name is Liu Li, and this is my son, Chen Yufan. He’s the one who posted the short video online that led people to track us to the Wanliu District, causing all this trouble."

The boy looked at her, a flash of irritation on his face at his mother’s words, clearly embarrassed. Still, he greeted Gu Shengsheng, "Hello, Sister Gu."

Gu Shengsheng replied, "If your Yufan hadn’t posted it online, we wouldn’t have known that our family has an identical one. It’s a good thing we can now determine which is real and which is fake."

Liu Li nodded. "My husband spent two hundred million on this. We even had an international team of appraisers verify it. It can’t be a fake."

"As for yours... perhaps your grandparents are getting on in years, don’t understand these things, and got scammed?"

"Miss Gu, my son told me about your livestreams, about an ordinary girl trying to make it in Pan Garden. It’s impressive that you’ve managed to climb the social ladder and make it to our Wanliu District."

"But you are who you are, and there are some things you just don’t understand. This painting, the one our family bought, cannot be fake. Could it be that the one your elderly relatives bought is no good, too low-grade, so you’re deliberately trying to frame us?"

"How much do you want? I’ll pay you." As she spoke, she prepared to pull out money and throw it in Gu Shengsheng’s face.

Though she pretended to be sticking to the facts, her words were dripping with contempt for Gu Shengsheng.

Moreover, she absolutely refused to entertain the idea that Gu Shengsheng’s painting was the real one.

Mrs. Lu Sr. hadn’t intended to intervene, but now she was so incensed that she stood up. "Mrs. Chen, your husband, Chen Kang, is a senior manager at one of our company’s subsidiaries, isn’t he? If I recall correctly, I’ve seen you at the annual gala."

At these words, Liu Li was instantly terrified. ’Don’t tell me Gu Shengsheng’s grandmother is Mrs. Lu Sr. herself!?’

’Oh my god, how could this be? It feels like my world is collapsing!’

It was too late for damage control.

She could only force herself to say, "I’m so sorry, Mrs. Lu. I didn’t realize this was your family’s residence."

She only knew that this Gu Shengsheng was a fledgling in the Antique Appraisal World who had humbled quite a few established appraisers. No one had ever told her that the woman had such a powerful background.

’I’m screwed. This time, I’m really, truly screwed.’

’I wonder if this will affect my husband’s position.’

Chen Yufan ignored his mother’s attitude and stepped forward to look at Gu Shengsheng. "Sister Gu, have you already made a judgment?"

"Sister Gu, I watch your livestreams every day. I trust your judgment."

Gu Shengsheng nodded, a little surprised. She looked at him and said, "Thank you for enjoying my streams."

"The director and I just analyzed it. We both agree that one painting was split into two. The forgers cut the original in half and then extended each piece into a full painting. We can tell by the thickness of the Xuan paper. We’ll need to take them to the Beijing Museum to run proper tests."

At this point, Gao Liu was already speaking to the large team of appraisers Liu Li had brought with her.

He explained their initial theory about the forgery and that further analysis would require specialized equipment.

In the end, everyone was left speechless, unable to find a single flaw in the reasoning.

Liu Li had been so certain that her painting was authentic. She had arrived aggressively, but now all she wanted to do was kneel before the matriarch.

She could only vent her frustration on the appraisal team behind her.

She snapped, "I really don’t know what I’m paying you for! If I had known Miss Gu and Director Gao had already figured it out, I wouldn’t have brought all these people here to make a fool of myself."

"My apologies, Young Madam Lu, and Mrs. Lu Sr. I was indeed reckless today."

Gu Shengsheng didn’t want to get involved in other people’s drama and didn’t reply.

Mrs. Lu Sr. pushed Shengsheng behind her. "Liu Li, Chen Kang is a professional manager who diligently runs one of our family’s subsidiary companies. How can you, his wife, be so reckless and look down on people like this? How are you supposed to manage his household?"

"For the sake of Chen Kang’s hard work for the Lu Family, I can forgive your disrespect."

"But you will apologize to my granddaughter-in-law."

The old madam’s voice rang with authority. "Your mouth is filthy, going on and on about social class. I’ve lived a long life, and I’ve never bothered with any of that ’class’ nonsense."

"I’m sorry, Young Madam Lu." It was the first time in her life that Liu Li, a woman of her age, had to apologize to a young girl like this.

’She hadn’t paid any attention to what that girl who married into the Lu Family to ward off bad luck looked like. If she had, she wouldn’t have shot herself in the foot so spectacularly.’

Gu Shengsheng said, "I hope that next time, you will address me as Miss Gu, and not just because I am Young Madam Lu."

She was Gu Shengsheng, not just Lu Shijing’s wife.

Mrs. Lu’s face was full of approval. The more she looked at Gu Shengsheng, the more pleased she was.

Her voice softened. "Shengsheng, you should take them and the paintings to the museum for the appraisal. Grandma will wait for your news at home."

"It seems some people still don’t know you’re the Young Madam of the Lu Family and think they can bully you. I won’t let you suffer such an injustice."

As she spoke, the old woman began to get angry again.

"The day I introduced Shengsheng to everyone, we held a reception. You were there too, weren’t you, Liu Li? How is it that you’ve become so high and mighty now?"

Liu Li said nothing, clenching her teeth so hard they might crack.

Chen Yufan nodded, thinking that Mrs. Lu Sr. was right.

"Exactly! Mom," he said. "Your attitude is wrong. You shouldn’t look down on anyone, no matter who they are. You’re rich, so what? People with less money haven’t done anything to you, so why do they deserve your contempt?"

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