Lu Fenglin looked at Xu Qingqing with a meaningful smile.
"Does Miss Xu really want me to marry a Miss Lin so much?"
Stared at like this by Lu Fenglin, Xu Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine. She quickly averted her gaze. "No, I'm just giving you some good advice. Although our Xu family is quite good at antique appraisal, we still can't compare with the Lin family. The Lin family is large and powerful. Only by cooperating with your Lu family can there be greater benefits."
Lu Fenglin chuckled. "Then I'd like to thank Miss Xu for her kind advice. However, I've always liked to compete with others. If something isn't fought over by others, I find it uninteresting."
"Moreover, that Miss Lin clearly has her own strong opinions and doesn't want to be restricted by her family. A woman like this won't make the sacrifice of a marriage alliance for the sake of the family."
"Unless... the Lin family is facing some huge crisis. If they don't form a marriage alliance, the Lin family will go bankrupt. Only then might she step forward."
"Miss Xu, do you think it's not cruel to mess with the Lin family just to force them into a marriage alliance with our Lu family?"
Hearing Lu Fenglin's words, Xu Qingqing's eyelids twitched.
What a crazy psychopath! She had just mentioned it casually, and Lu Fenglin had come up with all this.
Although she had to admit that Lu Fenglin was really good at seeing through Lin Ran's character at a glance, it would still be terrifying for anyone to bankrupt the other family just to marry a daughter-in-law.
"Fine, fine, you're amazing. Just pretend I didn't say anything. You, Lu Fenglin, have your own ideas, and no one can change them."
Xu Qingqing ended the topic helplessly. At this time, a gentle and elegant man slowly walked onto the podium.
He seemed to have a kind of magic power. The noisy classroom immediately fell silent.
He had handsome and delicate features, and his complexion was even fairer than that of most girls. He had the elegance of an ancient scholar, yet also a hint of toughness.
It was rare to see such a complex combination of qualities in one person.
He smiled and greeted the audience. "Hello, everyone. My name is Zhou Runsheng. I've been invited by the school to give you some lectures. I also have some antiques with me and would like you all to help appraise them to see if they're genuine."
After the introduction, he started his lecture, and Xu Qingqing listened very attentively.
Although she could tell the age of antiques at a glance, many of the things Professor Zhou talked about were completely new to her.
If the Xu family focused more on practical hands - on experience to judge whether antiques and ancient paintings were genuine, Professor Zhou systematically told the stories of cultural relics from different eras throughout history.
Unlike other teachers' rigid teaching methods, in Professor Zhou's words, each cultural relic was like a token that conveyed a story, bringing its own story and emotion. People were so enthralled that they didn't want to interrupt him or do anything else.
After Professor Zhou finished his lecture, the classroom erupted into thunderous applause.
Some people couldn't wait to raise their hands and ask Professor Zhou questions, and he patiently answered them one by one.
When it was finally Wang Pan's turn, she gave Xu Qingqing a smiling look and then asked Professor Zhou, "Professor Zhou, I'm your fan. I lost to a girl named Xu Qingqing at the ancient painting copying competition. I'm lucky to have invited her here to listen to your lecture today. I heard that you have some antiques to be appraised. I'd like Miss Xu Qingqing to come on stage and show us. Please allow it, Professor Zhou."
Seeming afraid that Professor Zhou would not agree, Wang Pan continued, "You once told us that in the field of antique appraisal, we need to have more debates to find the truth. So I invited Miss Xu Qingqing here today to have a debate so that everyone can gain more knowledge from this practical experience."
Hearing Wang Pan's words, Professor Zhou nodded. "Your intention is good. Where is this Miss Xu Qingqing?"
Seeing that things had developed to this point, Xu Qingqing stood up voluntarily.
"Hello, Professor Zhou. I'm Xu Qingqing. I'm really lucky to have listened to your lecture today. I've learned a great deal."
Professor Zhou nodded with no visible change in his expression. Then he looked at the students in the classroom. "If everyone has no objections, I'll invite Miss Xu Qingqing and Miss Wang Pan to come on stage to appraise the authenticity of the ancient paintings for us. Of course, if there are any interested students, they can also come up, but not too many."
"I'll come!"
"I'll come too!"
In the field of antique appraisal, everyone was clearly very interested. Those who wanted to raise their hands and participate compared with each other. If they thought the other person was more professional, they would let that person go on stage. In the end, including Xu Qingqing and Wang Pan, a total of five students went on stage.
Apart from Xu Qingqing and Wang Pan being girls, the other three were all boys.
After seeing the three boys, Wang Pan deliberately introduced them to Xu Qingqing with a smile. "These three are the top students in our archaeology department. They are Zhang Yu, Li Ze, and Song Yi. They've been to many places with their tutors. Miss Xu, you have to be careful."
"Miss Xu was able to beat me last time. Maybe it was just luck. But these three classmates are different. Their experience far surpasses mine."
Hearing Wang Pan's words, Xu Qingqing just smiled and then counter - questioned Wang Pan, "Since their abilities are above yours, why did only you go to the copying competition that day, and the three of them were nowhere to be seen?"
"I've also been to college. Generally, the students sent to participate in competitions must be the best. Is it that our school's tradition is different from other schools, or is there some secret that can't be told to others?"
Xu Qingqing always had a smile on her face when she spoke, but her words were full of aggression. If Wang Pan admitted that the three boys' strength was above hers, she couldn't explain why the school sent her instead of them. Was it because Wang Pan had a good image, or because she was favored and biased by the teachers above?
If Wang Pan's strength was actually above theirs, then why did she say that their experience was far richer than hers?
This was a self - contradictory statement, and Xu Qingqing caught the logical error and counter - attacked neatly.
Wang Pan's smile immediately became a bit awkward.
"Well, the three classmates happened to be out and couldn't make it back in time. And I'm more interested in ancient paintings, so I got the spot in the end."