Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Appraisal Event Slap in the Face (1) Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Appraisal Event Slap in the Face (1) “I’ll call!” Song Xingyu declared with a face full of righteousness.

The key point was that even if he wanted to call Qin Jingchen brother-in-law, he wouldn’t dare.

With an air of politeness, Han Dongliang said, “Sister-in-law, please notify us early for your birthday next year, we’d all like to come again.”

Everyone joined in to joke, and Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow, “Next time, I’ll only accept gifts without returning any.”

“Do we care about the return gifts? What we care about is the chance to celebrate the sister-in-law’s birthday!” Liang Tian quickly added on.

Amidst the laughter, the dishes were served and everyone started to eat.

Fen Ye asked Xun Yining, “Are you staying for a few more days, or planning to leave soon?”

“I need to leave soon, I still have to prepare for the finals of the fashion competition.”

Fen Ye then remembered the issue, “The finals haven’t taken place yet?”

“It’s scheduled for early spring,” Xun Yining explained.

“Oh, that’s a pity, I could’ve stayed a few more days,” Song Xingyu immediately said.

“Stay a few more days and have a good time. If you want to go somewhere, just look for me,” Liang Tian, who already knew him, said while patting his shoulder.

Song Xingyu glanced at Song Xingming, “It’s not really for playing, my older brother is staying to help my dad with some matters. We’re looking to see if there are any antiques and paintings around, the more authentic the better.”

At this, He Zizhou looked at Qin He, “Didn’t you buy some really good antiques last time? Where did you get them?”

“I found them in Jincheng last time, but it was Miss Jiang who helped me pick them. What do I know about these things?”

Song Xingyu’s eyes lit up, “Xiaozhe, you know about this stuff?”

“Just randomly picked for fun,” Jiang Zhe said indifferently, continuing to eat as she responded.

But even though she said that, Qin Jingchen didn’t believe her.

Randomly picked?

Everything Jiang Zhe did could almost hit full marks.

“Will you come with me to pick some?” Song Xingyu asked.

Song Xingming interrupted, “Jiang Zhe might not have that much time; don’t inconvenience her for no reason.”

“I have the time, it just depends on where we’re picking from. Without the ocean, you can’t expect to find sea sand,” she replied.

Qin He recalled something Ding Xuexue had mentioned and said, “Actually, I have a friend who’s about to attend an antique painting appreciation event. It’s been held many times, providing services to both buyers and sellers, with experts on-site for appraisals. They purchase all the high-quality items, and sometimes, shortly after acquisition, sellers would spot and take them away. There are often some really fine pieces there. The last time I wanted to buy a gift, I was unlucky with the timings and missed their event; perhaps Miss Jiang might have found even better items if she’d accompanied me to it.”

Song Xingyu was immediately interested, “Then take us there.”

“I’ll talk to my friend about it.”

“I’ll go too,” Jiang Zhe spoke up.

Qin He naturally had no objections.

Fen Ye was the first to speak up, “Looking at those things is quite boring, isn’t it? I’ll pass on this one.”

He Zizhou and the others also made excuses about having other things to do, not wishing to deal with such dull stuff.

So, only a few people remained interested in going.

Qin He checked the specific time with Ding Xuexue on WeChat.

Ding Xuexue quickly replied, “The day after tomorrow.”

“I’m coming over with a few friends, is that okay?”

Ding Xuexue had initially brought up the topic herself, and she had been worried that Qin He wouldn’t come.

When Qin He mentioned he would bring friends, she was naturally overjoyed. She promptly inquired about the number of people and sent over the details of the event’s schedule.

Upon receiving it, Qin He told everyone, “The event is like this: my friend, along with her teacher, will appraise items that buyers bring on the spot. Then they will make an offer to purchase them there and then. This time it’s her solo assignment, with the teacher only overseeing afterwards.”

“Wouldn’t that mean wasting a lot of money if they misjudge?” Xia Enci calculated the financial risks.

“That’s why it’s quite a test of one’s judgment,” Qin He said.

Qin Jingchen turned his head and asked Jiang Zhe, “Do you want to give it a try, help with the appraisals?”

“Didn’t I just hear it’s easy to waste money?” Jiang Zhe tilted his chin up slightly.

“If there’s a loss, it’s on me. Any profit is yours,” Qin Jingchen declared generously.

Jiang Zhe chuckled, and the others became interested, “Sure, sister-in-law (Xiaozhe), go for it! We’ll wait and see!”

Hearing that Jiang Zhe likely had the ability for such appraisal from their last antique encounter, Qin He encouraged her, “Miss Jiang, if you earn from it, you’ll have to treat us to a meal!”

“Okay then. Qin Jingchen, don’t be heartbroken when the time comes,” Jiang Zhe cast a sidelong glance at him, her fox-like gaze inherently enticing, even if tinged with a hint of resentment.

Qin Jingchen laughed, “Just try to find out where my bottom line of heartache is.”

Turning to the others, “Even if your sister-in-law ends up wasting money, I’ll treat you all to a meal afterwards.”

Since both Qin Jingchen and Jiang Zhe were planning to participate, Fen Ye and everyone else no longer complained about the event being dull and expressed eagerness to join as well.

Qin He therefore informed Ding Xuexue that he would be bringing a few additional friends.

He also casually asked if it was okay for one of his friends to help with the appraisal.

Ding Xuexue agreed without hesitation, “Of course! Your friend can appraise with me, and afterward we can exchange our insights. Tell me her name, and I will add it to the list at the event.”

“Jiang Zhe.”

After hearing the name,

Ding Xuexue was taken aback for a long time.

Qin He hadn’t been this enthusiastic with her for a long time, engaging in such a prolonged conversation, and she hadn’t expected that his eagerness this time would be to assist Jiang Zhe.

A sour feeling unavoidably surged in her heart, that sentiment of Jiang Zhe being everywhere, while she herself could only be overshadowed, particularly irritated her.

But having already agreed, Ding Xuexue certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for more contact with Qin He because of Jiang Zhe.

She did not show her disappointment and instead asked, “Does your friend really want to come? Does she know who I am?”

Only then did Qin He remember he hadn’t yet asked Jiang Zhe.

He looked up and inquired, “Xiaozhe, the friend handling the appraisals at this event is called Ding Xuexue, I wonder if you’ve heard of her?”

At this, Xia Enci had something to say, “Oh, it’s her.”

Hearing her tone, Qin He slowly began to realize and inwardly cursed. Could it be that Ding Xuexue is the same Ding Xuexue Xia Enci and Xiao Meng were complaining about last night, the one who had offered to help organize Miss Jiang’s birthday banquet but then didn’t show up?

No wonder he hadn’t connected the dots; Qin He had never really thought about Ding Xuexue. Though the two families were long-time acquaintances, there was a period when the Qin Family faced hardship and their interactions with the Ding Family waned.

Later, when Qin He started working with Qin Jingchen, their relationship resumed, but Qin He no longer kept close ties with the Ding Family.

Over the last few years, things had improved, but they merely interacted as ordinary friends.

“So Miss Jiang, what do you think…” Qin He regretted a bit for having taken on such a situation too hastily, causing such trouble for Jiang Zhe. How was he going to explain this to Mr. Qin?