The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

The two workers were terrified.

"Officer, we didn’t do anything!" one said. "We just accidentally dug it up."

"And because you dug it up, you decided to sell it? The person who reported you said you were trying to sell large artifacts."

"The two of you were seen by many people when you set up a stall on the street. As for the stolen goods, they’re right here!"

He pointed at the object. "We have witnesses and physical evidence. Don’t waste time with pointless excuses. Just give us the details."

The two workers weren’t good with words and didn’t know what to say.

But they knew that speaking up now would only make things worse, so they simply looked at Gu Shengsheng, waiting for her to talk.

Gu Shengsheng, however, had calmed down. She spoke to the young officer who stood a head taller than her.

"Officer, this situation isn’t as one-sided as you think."

"Yesterday, they were selling Copper Coins. According to the Antiquities Law, Copper Coins, gold, silver, and jewelry can be legally sold. I was the only person who bought anything, and the owner of the stall next to theirs can testify to that."

"Secondly, as for right now, I didn’t come here to illegally trade artifacts. They dug this thing up and asked me about it. When I realized this place might be an ancient tomb, I decided to come take a look."

The inspector chuckled. "Miss Gu, we’ve heard about your exploits in the world of antique hunting. You’ve always been silver-tongued, but don’t you think you’re being a little too clever for your own good with this story?"

"You can say that now since it’s just an attempted transaction. Did you expect me to wait until after you succeeded before barging in? Is that the only way you’d admit it?!"

As he spoke, he was clearly furious, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Gu Shengsheng, admittedly, was taken aback.

"I’m not denying anything. I’m stating the facts. I’m not just making things up—I have a witness for this, too!"

One of the other inspectors laughed. "Miss Gu, you’re really something. A witness for every step of the way—how convenient! Who but you is so careful about everything they do? Unless, of course, it was all premeditated."

"..." Gu Shengsheng stared at them, speechless. "I’m just a person who pays close attention to my surroundings."

"You’re only willing to listen to the informant, but when a victim like me speaks, you refuse to hear me out?"

’Sarcasm? Two can play at that game!’ Gu Shengsheng thought, rolling her eyes at the inspector who had spoken.

Then, the team leader shot him a look. "Show some respect! Let’s hear what Miss Gu has to say."

"This isn’t a case of me knowingly withholding information. You all know I’m in this line of work, so is it really that strange for me to know people in the industry?"

"I spoke to Mr. Zhao Dehai about this last night. He said he would bring some university professors—from the archaeology and geology departments—to take a look this morning."

"If you don’t believe me, we can just wait here for him to arrive."

Gu Shengsheng was even considerate enough to pull up her chat history to show him.

The inspection team leader glanced at her.

Then he said, "I also know Mr. Zhao Dehai."

"I studied in the archaeology department at Qing University. He was my professor back then."

"Miss Gu, if you’re lying, I’ll be able to expose you at any moment. Your initial crime isn’t that serious, but lying changes everything."

"And these two workers behind you, the ones you were trading with—why do they keep looking at you? Did you agree on something beforehand?"

Gu Shengsheng said, "...No. Wouldn’t most people be scared to see you? I’m scared just looking at you! Isn’t that a normal reaction?"

"If they’re scared, you say it’s not normal. If I’m not scared, you’d also say it’s not normal. What exactly do you want from me?" Gu Shengsheng said helplessly.

Seeing the unfriendly glares from the team members, she immediately shut her mouth. ’Discretion is the better part of valor.’

There was no need to say anything more right now.

"Mr. Zhao Dehai is the head of the Antiquities Administration. We’ve rarely even seen him. Miss Gu, how is it that you can contact him so casually?"

"If you’re lying, you’d better come clean right now. It’s not too late to confess."

"..." Gu Shengsheng studied them.

She was now certain: these people didn’t know Zhao Dehai.

When she had shown them her WeChat conversation with Zhao Dehai, she had seen a flash of unfamiliarity in the team leader’s eyes.

’It must be an interrogation tactic,’ she thought. ’Claiming to know him to mess with my head.’

But Gu Shengsheng wanted to cry but had no tears—she really did know him.

"I’m not lying," she said.

"But you don’t actually know Zhao Dehai, do you? Don’t accuse me of hiring an impersonator later." Gu Shengsheng found a photo from his Moments feed on her phone, and the inspection team pulled up a photo from Baidu.

Gu Shengsheng said, "Memorize his face. And look at my chat history, my WeChat—I haven’t contacted him today, I haven’t said anything. There was no time to coordinate our stories."

She had to make herself clear.

Now, all they could do was wait for Zhao Dehai to arrive.

"How long will it take?" the team leader asked.

Gu Shengsheng replied, "About ten more minutes. We agreed on eight-thirty. The start of the workday."

"Fine." ’It’s only ten minutes,’ the team leader thought. He didn’t believe for a second that such a big shot would actually show up.

Even when they were genuinely investigating tomb raiding and the illegal sale of stolen artifacts, his inspection team would normally only liaise with a specific department within the Antiquities Administration.

How could they possibly come into contact with someone of his stature?

This Miss Gu was just too over-the-top with her claims.

She had seemed honest at first glance, but it turned out she was this type of person. He’d seen plenty of people try to stall for time like this.

Waiting ten minutes was no big deal.

「Ten minutes later...」

Zhao Dehai appeared right on time, walking in from outside with a briefcase in hand.

He was smiling as he said, "Shengsheng, you and this place certainly have a fateful connection!"

"..." Gu Shengsheng hung her head dejectedly without a word. ’A fateful connection, all right,’ she thought. ’The kind that gets me arrested.’

Seeing this scene, Zhao Dehai was stunned. "What are you all doing?"

The members of the inspection team didn’t know Zhao Dehai well, but they were very familiar with the assistant by his side.

The assistant quickly walked over. "Is there some kind of misunderstanding?"

Zhao Dehai stood in front of Gu Shengsheng.

His expression turned cold. "What happened here?"

The inspection team leader quickly reported, "It’s like this. We received a tip today that someone was illegally selling and trading artifacts here. The report included photos of a transaction last night, so we came to investigate."

"We happened to arrive just as Miss Gu and these two construction workers were about to exchange an artifact."

After hearing this, Zhao Dehai said, "So is everything clear now?"

"Yes, it is." The members of the inspection team stepped back to make way.

Zhao Dehai’s assistant patiently explained, "Here’s what happened. Right after the Copper Coin transaction last night, Miss Gu informed Mr. Zhao Dehai. They’re old acquaintances, and there wasn’t time to file a formal report."

"So Mr. Zhao said he would come and take a look in person."

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