"Make way! Make way!" Old Lu picked up his cane and shouldered aside a few old men who were peering into the car. Then he opened the door for Xu Qingqing himself.
"This is my assistant, and my future daughter-in-law, Xu Qingqing!"
Hearing what Father Lu said, Xu Qingqing couldn't smile anymore. It was also not good for her to expose him. So she just waved awkwardly at the people outside the car.
"Hello, everyone."
Oh my goodness! What on earth was this feeling of shame and yet being valued?
"Xu Qingqing?"
The old men were like parrots, instinctively repeating her name.
Liu Tianjing, who had been looking nonchalant, suddenly looked up at the woman getting out of the car upon hearing the name.
Xu Qingqing.
She had heard of this name before. A junior schoolmate of hers, Wang Pan, who was quite close to her, once told her that this woman was insidious and cunning.
Shy and timid Li Ying'er actually reacted more strongly than anyone else present. She excitedly rushed to the front and looked at Xu Qingqing with enthusiasm.
"Teacher Xu Qingqing, you're my idol! I once watched you identify the authenticity of an ancient painting when I was in school. I've been a fan of yours ever since."
"Identify the authenticity of an ancient painting..." Xu Qingqing lifted her chin slightly and searched her memory carefully.
She remembered. She once attended a class by Professor Zhou and had a competition with a female college student named Wang Pan. She didn't expect to have attracted a little fan.
"I remember. You're Professor Zhou's student, right?" Xu Qingqing smiled and reached out her hand to the girl proactively, winking playfully. "I didn't expect I'd have a fan."
"What's your name?"
"My name is Li Ying'er. I'm really Professor Zhou's student!" Li Ying'er excitedly shook her hand and exclaimed in her heart.
Oh my goodness, my idol's hands are so small and smooth!
She didn't need to wash her hands ever again!
Seeing this sudden star-chasing scene, Old Li was stunned for a moment. He pulled his granddaughter aside and questioned her, "What's going on? I brought you here to help me, not to chase stars!"
"Grandpa, what are you doing?" Li Ying'er looked at her grandpa complainingly and clenched her fists in annoyance.
If her grandpa hadn't pulled her away, she could have shaken hands with her idol for a while longer!
"No. Grandpa is asking you, is this woman very famous?"
Old Li frowned and asked Li Ying'er.
"Of course!" Li Ying'er nodded seriously, her face full of pride. "Xu Qingqing is one of the best among the young people in restoring ancient paintings and appraising treasures. She's my idol!"
"So amazing!" Old Li was surprised.
On the other side, Father Lu proudly crossed his arms in front of his chest and laughed heartily in his heart.
Xu Qingqing really brought him glory!
Who could understand this feeling that the opponent's assistant was Xu Qingqing's fan!
Old Liu's face on one side also looked a bit bad. He pulled his granddaughter's arm and asked about Xu Qingqing's background.
"Don't just stand there! Can you handle this person?"
"Of course I can."
Liu Tianjing said disdainfully.
Her junior schoolmate Wang Pan told her that Xu Qingqing was just overrated. Her real strength was not strong at all. Anyone could outperform her!
Moreover, she had spent a large sum of money to invite an external expert. So she was definitely not afraid!
"That's good." Seeing his granddaughter so confident, Old Liu heaved a sigh of relief. He coughed twice and took the initiative to speak.
"Alright, everyone, stop standing there. The speech is about to start. Let's go quickly!"
The antique treasure hunt was in full swing. An arched balloon was inflated with hydrogen at the east gate.
The welcome staff were all dressed in bright red. It was said that this was the color specially chosen by the curator to get rid of the bad luck left by the tomb robbers in the antique city.
On the antique-style podium, a gentle-looking middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was adjusting the microphone to test the sound.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? If you can, please take your seats quickly. The treasure hunt is about to start. Please don't walk around casually..."
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me..."
Xu Qingqing and Father Lu chose a seat in the middle, not too far upfront.
Father Lu happily gave Xu Qingqing a thumbs up. "Well done, Qingqing. Old Li's granddaughter is actually your fan!"
"Haha, you really made me look good in front of Old Li!"
"I'm glad you're happy." Xu Qingqing didn't comment much. She just smiled and picked up the dried fruits on the white plastic table beside her, peeling them and eating.
"Hey, you! Why don't we sit in the front row like Old Liu? There are so many seats. Why do you have to sit in the back!"
Old Li was dragged by his granddaughter Li Ying'er to the same row as Xu Qingqing. He kept muttering and complaining.
Li Ying'er had lost the initial fanaticism when she first saw her idol. She shyly waved at Xu Qingqing. "Sister Qingqing, can I call you that?"
"Of course you can." Xu Qingqing nodded with a smile and offered the dried fruits in her hand to Li Ying'er. "Do you want some?"
"Thank you, Sister Qingqing." Li Ying'er completely ignored her grandpa's complaints and sat down beside Xu Qingqing.
The microphone sound test was over. The gentle middle-aged man picked up the red speech manuscript and began to read.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Fang Zhengsong, a staff member of the antique city. I'm very glad that you can come to participate in the annual treasure hunt. This time, our competition system will be stricter than before..."
"Each participant will be accompanied by a dedicated staff member."
"When you choose the treasure you've found, you should hand it directly to the staff member. The staff member will send it to our appraisal room to appraise the authenticity and value of the treasure you've found..."
Hearing this rule, Xu Qingqing nodded in approval.
Xu Qingqing was originally worried that someone would secretly bring in real antiques and pretend they were the treasures they had found to gain fame.
But if a staff member was arranged to follow them, this kind of cheating would definitely not happen.
Fang Zhengsong stood on the stage and looked down. He saw Xu Qingqing at a glance.
After all, Xu Qingqing was fair-skinned and beautiful. Even though she was wearing ordinary casual clothes, her small face glowed white and was too eye-catching in the sun!
Fang Zhengsong recognized Xu Qingqing. She was a member of the special action team that came to the antique city to arrest the tomb robbers. The superstitious fire to get rid of bad luck suddenly burned more vigorously, and he started to improvise.
"As you all know, there was a particularly bad tomb robbing incident in the antique city last time. In order to completely resist tomb robbers, I've temporarily invited a guest to come on stage and say a few words..."
Hearing that a guest was temporarily invited to come on stage, Liu Tianjing unconsciously straightened her back and got ready to be called up.
She was the champion of the antique city for three consecutive years. Who else but her was qualified to go on stage and speak!
Old Liu definitely also thought that the person going on stage would be his granddaughter. He excitedly stood up, waved to Old Lu behind him, and shouted silently at him with his mouth wide open.
"My granddaughter is going to give a speech on stage!"