He's Actually A Sexy Girl? I Erected!

Chapter 434: [434] Experts can be unreliable too?_1
 

“Mr. Zhao, could you have possibly misjudged? How could it be authentic?”

“We’ve all had a look just now, and this bracelet doesn’t have any patina. It’s obviously a fake.”

“You must have made a mistake…”

Upon hearing Zhao Quande’s exclamation, the assembled appraisers grew unsettled, crowding around once more.

Even Wang Yang was stunned.

He had immense confidence in his Three-Second Jade Appraisal Skill, certain that such a rudimentary error was impossible.

But Zhao Quande was also a well-known appraiser in Zhonghai, unlikely to make baseless claims.

With that in mind, he hurried forward to take a closer look.

A group of appraisers huddled over it, studying intently and occasionally exchanging opinions.

Then, the color visibly drained from their faces.

After a while, they stood up one by one.

With a beaming smile, Zhong Pan’er looked at them. “Well? Now that you’ve all had a look, do you still think this bracelet is a counterfeit?”

The appraisers looked at each other, their expressions turning ugly.

Especially Wang Yang, whose face had turned ashen, forehead now covered in beads of sweat.

“This… this bracelet… indeed is… a Qing Dynasty authentic piece…”

He finally spoke up, his voice laden with bitterness.

The room fell silent for several long seconds before erupting into chaos.

“No way, it’s genuine? Did I hear that right?”

“Didn’t we already determine it was a fake just now? How did it suddenly become authentic?”

“So who actually won?”

“Nonsense, since it’s been judged authentic, obviously Mr. Tang from Elegant Pavilion won.”

“What? I thought he had lost just now? How did he win again? Are the experts that unreliable?”

“Heh, it looks to me like they were all ganging up to bully Elegant Pavilion, deliberately distorting the truth.”

“You can do that? Such a big group of experts and none as reliable as Mr. Tang…”

Suddenly, the sentiment in the room shifted.

Those who had been mocking and sneering at Tang Feng felt deceived and began to lash out at Zhao Quande and his colleagues.

Zhao Quande’s face was a swirl of green and red, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Though their words were harsh, they were indeed the truth.

He had already announced the results of the competition; who could have foreseen such a blunder?

In the end, it was Wang Yang who stepped forward to take the blame. “Listen, everyone, I made the wrong appraisal just now. I failed to notice that the patina on the bracelet had been artificially removed, so… so…”

“Psh, and he calls himself an expert, he can’t even see that?”

“Heh, he was pretty arrogant before, making a judgement without a proper look. Why isn’t he continuing his act now?”

“What a load of Three-Second Jade Appraisal Skill; more like Three Seconds of Getting Slapped in the Face Skill.”

“If you don’t have the skills of Mr. Tang, don’t try to show off…”

All sorts of unpleasant comments reached Wang Yang’s ears, causing him to hang his head in shame.

A lifetime’s reputation had been reduced to dust that day.

He would likely become the laughingstock of the entire Zhonghai Antique Circle.

Zhao Quande was extremely frustrated, quickly grabbing the holder of the bracelet. “Did you scrub off the patina on this bracelet?”

The holder laughed awkwardly. “It was scrubbed off by my foolish wife. She thought the patina looked ugly, so she cleaned it off…”

Zhao Quande nearly spat out blood.

He had taken every possibility into account, except for there being someone foolish enough to remove the patina from ancient jade.

Immediately, the holder became anxious. “Removing the patina… does that mean it’s worthless now?”

Zhao Quande, having suffered such a humiliating blow, wanted to strangle the man with his own hands.

Yet, he contained himself, replying curtly, “Obviously, with the patina it could have sold for hundreds of thousands, now… perhaps a few hundred.”

“What?”

The holder’s face fell, on the verge of tears.

Tang Feng had been watching their spectacle from the sidelines until he finally stepped forward. “Mr. Zhao, can you give me a satisfactory answer now? It would certainly help me move on.”

Zhao Quande felt as if his cheeks were burning.

He had hastily declared the outcome, never expecting such a swift turnaround.

Now, being asked to announce the results again was more painful than if someone had slapped him twice in the face.

But he had been too impulsive earlier, and now had to face the consequences of that impulsiveness.

“Round two… Tang Feng from Elegant Pavilion wins!”

“Hurray…”

When he declared the results of the second round, the employees of Elegant Pavilion burst into cheers.

They knew their Boss Tang wouldn’t disappoint them.

Many customers were also swept up in the excitement and began cheering loudly.

However, Pei Tianyuan and other antique shop owners were once again deeply disappointed.

Who would have thought that a competition, after having its results announced, could be turned around once more?

Not only was Elegant Pavilion’s reputation unharmed, but their prowess was even more solidly proven.

With so many appraisers deeming the bracelet a fake and only Tang Feng asserting it was genuine, the difference in skill was glaringly apparent.

The second round dealt a heavy blow to the morale of Zhao Quande and his colleagues, who stood there disheartened and crestfallen.

Seeing their disarray, Zhao Quande quickly cleared his throat, “Ahem, let’s proceed to the third contest…”

“Wait a moment.”

Just then, Tang Feng suddenly interrupted.

Zhao Quande was forced to turn and look at him. “Mr. Tang, do you have an issue?”

With a trace of a cold smile, Tang Feng responded, “I feel you’ve been unfair and aren’t suited to continue presiding over the contest.”

“I…”

Zhao Quande instinctively wanted to object, but he had indeed been partial, and now he was at a loss for words. “Then who do you suggest should host? It can’t be someone from Elegant Pavilion, can it? That wouldn’t be acceptable to the rest.”

“I’m not as shameless as you.”

With a cold chuckle, Tang Feng turned and pointed at Zhong Pan’er. “How about having Miss Zhong preside over the contest? That should be acceptable to everyone, right?”

“Me?”

Zhong Pan’er hadn’t expected to be called out suddenly and was momentarily dumbfounded.

Zhao Quande had assumed Tang Feng would pick someone from Elegant Pavilion to run the contest, fearing they would favor Tang Feng.

But Tang Feng unexpectedly picked Zhong Pan’er.

This left them with nothing to say.