Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Public Slap in the Face

The appraisal masters gathered around the sky-blue glazed sunflower-shaped washer, leaning in for a closer look. The more they examined it, the more doubtful and shocked they became.

They only had three minutes to inspect it.

Once the three minutes were up, they had to return to their seats. Their eyes met, each sensing the other’s astonishment. As soon as they sat down, they began exchanging opinions.

Jiang Yu still wore a gentle and serene smile, but upon closer inspection, one could see that her smile had stiffened. She felt uneasy as the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly heated. The experts, led by Li Yaoxian and a middle-aged man in a blue robe named Lin Yunzhi, began debating the authenticity of the sky-blue glazed sunflower-shaped washer.

Jiang Yu had initially thought it was just a pretty, antique-looking bowl. She had brought it as a filler item, never expecting He Youping to immediately select it for the show.

When one of the appraisal masters declared it to be a Northern Song Dynasty Ru kiln sky-blue glazed sunflower-shaped washer, Jiang Yu was stunned. Although she didn’t know much about the specific piece, she had heard of the Northern Song Ru kiln and the saying, “Even with a fortune, it’s not as valuable as a single Ru kiln piece.” She quickly convinced herself that Gu Ning must have picked it up from a flea market as a fake. But when she brought it on stage for the experts to examine, she realized she might have been wrong.

When the master appraiser confirmed it was the third surviving sky-blue glazed sunflower-shaped washer, the entire studio—both the audience and the hosts—erupted in shock. Jiang Yu was dumbfounded.

The show’s director didn’t miss this golden moment. The camera zoomed in on her face, capturing every bit of her astonishment.

The item she thought Gu Ning had picked up from a flea market was worth 200 million?!

Before she could process this, the host excitedly asked, “You must be over the moon right now! Let me interview you. Did you know this was a Northern Song Ru kiln piece? Did you know it was worth so much?”

Jiang Yu’s mind went blank. She couldn’t hear the host’s words and just shook her head.

The host chuckled, “Looks like this young lady is overwhelmed by this sudden windfall! Let’s calm down a bit. What do you do for a living?”

Jiang Yu finally snapped out of it slightly, “I’m a business manager.”

“Wow, so young and already a manager. Impressive!” The host praised her, then asked curiously, “I’m really curious, how do you feel right now? Disbelief? Or overjoyed?”

Jiang Yu’s expression stiffened, “It’s a bit unbelievable…” In reality, her mind was racing, wondering where Gu Ning had gotten this item.

“Can I ask about its origins? Was it passed down from your family, or is there another story?”

Jiang Yu, under the gaze of the cameras and microphones, blurted out, “My grandfather left it to me as part of my dowry. I had no idea it was so valuable.”

After that, she barely remembered what the host said. Her back broke out in goosebumps, and she felt dazed as the recording ended.

As soon as she stepped off stage, Jiang Yu grabbed the brocade box and her bag, rushing to the restroom. She locked herself in a stall, sitting on the toilet, trying to calm herself down.

Where did Gu Ning get this? It was casually placed next to her computer desk, not treated as something valuable… Could it be that Gu Ning didn’t know it was an antique? Or its worth? Jiang Yu’s mind raced with inappropriate thoughts. Whether from excitement or guilt, her heart pounded wildly… After several deep breaths, she finally calmed down. She pulled out her phone and saw six missed calls from Gu Ning. Her heart sank. She quickly dialed Gu Ning’s number.

The call connected almost immediately.

Jiang Yu tried to sound calm, “Hey, Gu Ning? I saw you called me a few times. Is something urgent?”

There was a pause on the other end.

Jiang Yu’s heart tightened. She strained to hear any sound from the other end, even holding her breath.

Then Gu Ning’s cold voice came through, “Oh. I saw you called me, so I thought you needed something. That’s why I called you back. Do you need anything?”

Jiang Yu quickly analyzed Gu Ning’s words. The information she got was that Gu Ning didn’t even know she had taken the item! Her heart relaxed slightly, but not completely. She tried to sound natural, “It’s about that little blue bowl in your room. It looks so pretty. Where did you buy it?” Despite her efforts, her voice trembled slightly from nervousness.

There was another pause on the other end.

Jiang Yu’s heart tightened again…

Then Gu Ning’s voice came through, sounding almost indifferent, “Oh, it wasn’t bought. A friend gave it to me as a little trinket. Why?”

Jiang Yu’s throat tightened further, “I went to your place today and saw that little bowl. It’s so beautiful. Could you give it to me?”

As if to heighten her anxiety, the other end went silent again. Normally, Jiang Yu would have snapped at Gu Ning for taking so long to respond, but today she was patient…

Unfortunately, the answer she got wasn’t what she wanted. Gu Ning said, “Sorry, it was a gift from a friend, and I really like it. I can’t give it to you.”

“Oh…” Jiang Yu said, “Gu Ning, don’t be mad at me. The thing is, it’s with me right now. I saw it this afternoon and couldn’t resist it, so I borrowed it from your aunt to play with for a bit. Since you don’t want to give it to me, I’ll return it to you another day.”

The call suddenly ended.

Jiang Yu stared at her phone for a while, then suddenly stood up, grabbed her bag, and rushed out. She began searching for He Youping. When she found the guest lounge, she saw He Youping chatting with other guests.

He Youping, spotting Jiang Yu, rushed over excitedly before she could even greet him, “Jiang Yu! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! I thought you’d run off! You’ve hit the jackpot! That antique is real! If you auction it, it’s worth 200 million! Where did you get it? Don’t forget about me, your senior! If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even know it was worth so much!”

Jiang Yu suddenly grabbed He Youping’s hand, her eyes flashing with a cold light. She stared at him intently, “Senior, can we not air this episode?!”

He Youping was stunned, “Of course not! Do you know how much it costs to get those experts on the show? Especially that old gentleman. We went through a lot of trouble to get him here…” He suddenly stopped, looking at Jiang Yu strangely, “What do you mean?”

“She wants to keep something that doesn’t belong to her.”

A sudden voice rang out.

The voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough to be heard by everyone in the lounge, including the appraisal masters and the old gentleman walking down the corridor outside.

Jiang Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Her entire body stiffened as she turned toward the source of the voice. She saw two people walking in through the door. One was Gu Ning, and the other was a tall, stunning redhead. Jiang Yu was sure she had never seen this woman before. The redhead was Zhuang Chen, and the earlier statement had come from her.

Jiang Yu was considered beautiful by anyone’s standards, but compared to Zhuang Chen, she seemed plain.

Everyone in the lounge, including He Youping, was momentarily stunned before they noticed the cold-faced Gu Ning standing beside Zhuang Chen.

Gu Ning’s striking short blonde hair and pale complexion, paired with a gray tracksuit, made her look more like a delicate boy. Her aloof and cold demeanor, though not as striking as Zhuang Chen’s, wasn’t overshadowed by her either.

Are they a new singing duo from the next studio?

He Youping wondered.

It wasn’t surprising he thought that. Both Zhuang Chen and Gu Ning, with their striking looks and “unique” hair colors and auras, didn’t seem like “ordinary” people.

Jiang Yu, however, was staring intently at Gu Ning. Her face turned pale as she remembered the phone call. Panic set in, “Gu Ning, why are you here?”

Zhuang Chen crossed her arms, glancing at the brocade box in Jiang Yu’s hands, “She’s here to help me retrieve my belongings.” Her expression turned icy, her sharp gaze cutting into Jiang Yu like a knife, “Miss Jiang, taking someone else’s property without asking and then claiming it as your own on a TV show? I happened to overhear you asking if this episode could be canceled. Seems like you’ve developed some improper ideas about its value and wanted to keep it for yourself. I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you.”

Jiang Yu’s face turned from green to purple. Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, she was in complete disarray but still tried to maintain her composure. She turned to Gu Ning, “Gu Ning, let’s talk about this later.” She gave Gu Ning a few meaningful looks. However, Gu Ning remained unmoved, standing aloof and just coldly watching her.

He Youping and the others were dumbfounded. They never expected that the antique was something Jiang Yu had “stolen” from someone else, and she had been caught red-handed…

He Youping glanced at Jiang Yu, then turned to Zhuang Chen, “Miss, could there be some misunderstanding?”

Zhuang Chen smirked, looking down at Jiang Yu with a mocking tone, “If there’s a misunderstanding, then Miss Jiang, please explain. Or, do you dare claim this item is yours?” She waved her phone, “Feel free to prove your innocence loudly, Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Yu looked at the phone in Zhuang Chen’s hand, thinking about the earlier phone call. Her face turned even paler. All the plans she had thought of in that moment were shattered. She bit her lip, staring at Gu Ning without saying a word.

Seeing Jiang Yu like this, it was clear to everyone what had happened. He Youping looked at Jiang Yu in surprise, unsure of what to say, so he remained silent.

The others, however, immediately began whispering. The guests who had been envious of Jiang Yu earlier now didn’t hide their schadenfreude.

“Since Miss Jiang isn’t denying that this isn’t yours, then please return it to its rightful owner,” Zhuang Chen said, extending her hand toward Jiang Yu, even gesturing for her to hand over the sky-blue glazed sunflower-shaped washer. She didn’t leave Jiang Yu any face.

No one had hit her, but Jiang Yu felt as if she had been slapped over a dozen times, her face burning with shame.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the lounge and the curious onlookers in the corridor, Jiang Yu stiffly placed the brocade box into Zhuang Chen’s hand. She opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, but as soon as Zhuang Chen took the box, she turned and left. Gu Ning’s final glance, filled with mockery and coldness, sent a chill down Jiang Yu’s spine.

It took her a while to snap out of it. She gritted her teeth and rushed out of the lounge, chasing after Gu Ning and Zhuang Chen.

He Youping, noticing the director had also entered the lounge, asked, “Director, are we still airing this episode?”

The director looked at him as if he were an idiot, “Of course we’re airing it! Go to the publicity department and brief them on what just happened. Have them highlight a few key points and start spreading the news online. Make sure the editing is sharp!” The director’s eyes gleamed with excitement, “If this episode doesn’t skyrocket our ratings, I’ll eat my hat!”