Hahaha, so what if she has fans!
His granddaughter was specially certified by the curator of the antique city. She must be more talented than Xu Qingqing!
The smile on Father Lu's face faded. He couldn't help but complain to Xu Qingqing, "Look at this old Liu. He's as happy as a monkey. What's so great about it!"
"You just didn't participate before, so the championship went to his granddaughter. There's nothing to be happy about!"
"Uncle Lu, calm down," Xu Qingqing said helplessly as she grabbed a handful of dried fruits and a bottle of water and offered them to Father Lu.
"I won't eat," Father Lu said, pushing them back. He only took the water.
Father Lu screwed on the bottle cap and sighed. Eating dried fruits would only make him more irritated.
"Let's welcome Xu Qingqing, a member of the Special Action Group for Cultural Relics, to come on stage and say a few words. Let's give her a round of applause!"
Fang Zhengsong waved in Xu Qingqing's direction to invite her.
As soon as Liu Tianjing heard the first two words "Let's welcome", she stood up and stepped onto the stage.
But when she heard that the name wasn't hers, her body stiffened. She looked at Xu Qingqing sitting in the audience in disbelief. Xu Qingqing also looked stunned and had just bitten into a sunflower seed shell.
What?
Are they kidding?
She really couldn't go on stage and say a few words!
Xu Qingqing looked panicked. She waved at Fang Zhengsong to decline, indicating that she really couldn't go up.
But Fang Zhengsong was determined to show his resistance to tomb robbers. He waved his hand again to invite her. "Is our applause not enthusiastic enough? Let's give her another round of applause!"
Sparse applause rang out again. The two people clapping the loudest were Father Lu and Li Ying'er beside him.
Everyone turned to look at Xu Qingqing. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
And she wasn't the only one who wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Liu Tianjing, standing stiffly on the stage, also wished she could find a hole to crawl into or even leave the planet!
It was so embarrassing!
Why didn't she listen carefully before going on stage?
"Ma'am, do you have something to do on stage?" Fang Zhengsong noticed Liu Tianjing beside him, whose expression was stiff and distorted. He asked with concern.
Seeing that Liu Tianjing didn't say a word, Fang Zhengsong kindly said to her, "The public toilet is 200 meters straight ahead."
Damn the public toilet!
Liu Tianjing really wanted to smash her head with a brick now!
"Thank you."
Liu Tianjing didn't even know how she got off the stage. She was like a zombie, completely lifeless.
Old Liu didn't expect the situation to reverse. The person going on stage wasn't his granddaughter but the future daughter-in-law of Old Lu, whom he had just mocked.
Thinking of this, Old Liu felt his chest tighten. He didn't dare to turn around and look at Old Lu.
He was sure that if he turned around, Old Lu would laugh at him, just as he had laughed at Old Lu earlier.
"Qingqing, since the curator has asked you to go on stage and say a few words, you should go," Father Lu said, clapping his hands and enthusiastically encouraging Xu Qingqing to go up. More importantly, he wanted Xu Qingqing to go on stage to deflate Old Liu.
"That's right, Sister Qingqing," Li Ying'er chimed in. "I heard that this curator doesn't care about anyone or anything except those he's interested in."
"He really appreciates you!"
"Okay, okay," Xu Qingqing said, covering her ears. Her heart was in a turmoil. But seeing Fang Zhengsong on the stage still persistently reaching out his hand to her.
Xu Qingqing felt a headache coming on. Why couldn't this guy just forget about her?
After being persuaded by her father and Li Ying'er in turn, and with Fang Zhengsong's unrelenting invitation.
Xu Qingqing got up awkwardly, waved to the people sitting in their seats, and then went on stage.
Xu Qingqing said the words and sentences she had just retrieved from her mind, piecing together a simple impromptu speech.
"...Finally, I wish everyone can find the treasures they like. Thank you."
After saying that, Xu Qingqing got off the stage as fast as she could. She complained in her heart that giving a speech on stage was really a technical job.
"Good. Thank you for your kind words. Now I declare the treasure hunt competition officially starts!" Fang Zhengsong slammed the gong.
As the competition officially began, a row of staff walked out from the backstage.
Each treasure hunter would be accompanied by a staff member to prevent cheating and ensure they could be sent to the appraisal department on time for appraisal.
The staff member assigned to supervise Xu Qingqing's group was a tall, sunny, and handsome young man.
The staff member led them into the ancient street. Xu Qingqing had only explored the western district before and hadn't been to the other districts.
The eastern district had the strongest ancient charm. Walking in the corridor, it felt like she had traveled through time.
Watching Xu Qingqing's back as she entered the competition venue, Liu Tianjing's face darkened. Old Liu knew his granddaughter was feeling bad. He gently patted her on the shoulder and comforted her patiently.
"Don't be angry with her. As long as you can win the championship this time, it means she can't compare to you."
"Okay," Liu Tianjing nodded and withdrew her gaze. "Grandpa, wait for me a moment. I'm going to the toilet."
After saying that, Liu Tianjing walked in the direction Fang Zhengsong had pointed and entered the public toilet.
She closed the door of the cubicle, took out her password book, and dialed the phone number. The phone was answered almost immediately.
Liu Tianjing asked nervously, "Brother Liu, is everything ready for me?"
"Of course it is. You can trust me," Liu Shicheng said with his mouth full of food. His words were a bit slurred.
"Can you guarantee that I'll get the first place?" Liu Tianjing asked urgently.
It had been so embarrassing today. She must win this competition to regain her face.
"I've only prepared a vase collected by a Qing Dynasty official for you. It's in good condition. It should be enough to get you the first place," Liu Shicheng said.
Before he could finish, Liu Tianjing interrupted him and shouted anxiously, "One vase isn't enough! You should at least prepare three vases for me!"
She wanted to show her extraordinary ability in front of everyone. She also wanted to have as many fans as Xu Qingqing.
Hearing this, Liu Shicheng said impatiently, "Have you forgotten what I told you? The surveillance during this antique treasure hunt activity is extremely strict."
"I've already spent a lot of effort getting the staff member in there. If you show off too much, you'll definitely increase the risk of being discovered..."
One of his companions had just been arrested in the antique city. He really didn't want to follow in his companion's footsteps.
"So what? Even if I'm discovered, I'll take the responsibility myself. I definitely won't shift the blame to you," Liu Tianjing said, stimulated by the incident on stage. She had lost her rationality.
Why was it Xu Qingqing and not her? She should be the champion.
Liu Tianjing's only thought now was to surpass Xu Qingqing and be more glorious than her.
"I'll pay you double the price," Liu Tianjing said through gritted teeth.
After this activity, she might spend all her saved pocket money.
"Okay," Liu Shicheng said. Since it had nothing to do with him and he could still make money, why not?
"I'll have someone prepare the antiques for you. You'd better watch out."