Chapter 688: Chapter 685: The Parachuted Vase

Zhao Qingchu showed a bitter smile, “Anxiety disorder? I’ve had a parachuter thrust upon me, and I have no idea what Master Zhou was thinking, sending his little apprentice to gain experience in our show. Now I’m the one suffering. I still don’t know what to expect for tomorrow’s recording.”

“Master Zhou’s little apprentice? You mean this time the guest isn’t Master Zhou himself?” Yao Yujia was stunned.

Zhao Qingchu nodded, “Yeah, didn’t you know? Look, this is who it is, not even twenty years old. What can she know about appraising?”

Yao Yujia took the stack of documents from Zhao Qingchu and as she saw the name on the first page, she was taken aback.

“Huo Sining?”

“That’s the girl. I can’t chat with you anymore, I still need to organize a few more documents. We can’t afford any slip-ups during tomorrow’s recording. This young lady is, after all, Master Zhou’s apprentice. No matter how dissatisfied I am, I can’t let Master Zhou lose face. I’d better prepare a few more documents in the hope they’ll come in handy.”

Yao Yujia looked at the documents in her hand, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes.

“Dear viewers and friends, this is ‘Folk Treasure Hunt,’ a major event in the art collection field hosted by the Imperial Capital’s Channel Six. Our program has authoritative expert resources, covering ceramics, paintings, jade artifacts, bronze, and various other cultural collection fields. The program team has invited many antique appraisal experts to provide free appraisals for the vast number of collectors here, so we welcome everyone to actively sign up and participate…”

That morning, following the TV station’s invitation, Huo Sining went to the recording site of “Folk Treasure Hunt.” The beautiful female host, holding a microphone, began recording the program’s opening on the platform amidst the booming crowd. In the center of the stage filled with noise, ten tables were arranged, with staff adjusting microphones on them.

Because the recording studio was set up in the small square, as soon as the host kicked off, the venue was immediately packed, and the police had to come to help maintain order. The busy staff were also making fervent preparations all around, arranging for the recording.

The reason for such a high popularity, on the one hand, was that “Folk Treasure Hunt” had already been broadcast for one season, which received high ratings and good reviews. Additionally, with the considerable amount of money spent on promotion by the TV station, even more people signed up to participate in the second season’s recordings.

Besides those coming to the treasure hunt contest, many in the audience were there just to watch the excitement.

Seeing the treasure appraisal like watching a play, Huo Sining couldn’t help but frown, disliking such a method.

But the TV station didn’t care about Huo Sining’s slight unease. As long as the program was interesting and the ratings were high, that’s all that mattered.

Huo Sining was attending the treasure appraisal event simply as a guest and didn’t need to worry too much about exposure. Thus, although she felt somewhat uncomfortable, she didn’t dwell on it too much.

Huo Sining was about to walk to the venue when she was stopped just a few steps away by a staff member wearing a work badge: “Miss, if you want to watch the program recording, please go that way.”

The staff member was pointing to where the onlookers were gathered to watch the hubbub. Huo Sining was about to explain that she was a guest for the program recording when a woman came dashing from backstage and asked, “Excuse me, are you Miss Huo Sining?”

Huo Sining smiled and nodded, “Yes, I am.”

The woman sized up Huo Sining a few times and, after confirming, extended her hand with a smile, “Hello, I’m Zhao Qingchu, the program producer and director. Please follow me.”

Seeing this, the staff member expressed skepticism: “Sister Zhao, this is…?”

Zhao Qingchu said, “She was invited by the program team.”

Huo Sining also quickly reacted, took out an invitation letter from her bag, and handed it over to a staff member for inspection. Only after checking did the staff member allow her to pass.

After leading Huo Sining to the backstage makeup room for the program, a makeup artist was already waiting. First, they gave Huo Sining a set of women’s Cheongsam with an ancient charm, then had the makeup artist apply makeup to her.

“Miss Huo, this is our program’s Director Liu, and this is our TV station’s Station Head Jiang.”

By the time Huo Sining had changed her clothes and finished her makeup, two middle-aged men appeared next to Zhao Qingchu.

The two middle-aged men seemed somewhat surprised to see such a young girl standing in front of them.

“Station Head Jiang, Director Liu, nice to meet you. I am Huo Sining. I only have a rudimentary understanding of appraisal, and I am here at your esteemed station to participate in the filming of ‘Folk Treasure Hunt’, hoping to seek advice from the other experts through this program,” Huo Sining said modestly.

Director Liu, upon hearing what Huo Sining had said, shook hands with her enthusiastically.

However, Station Head Jiang appeared rather cold and unenthusiastic, maintaining a leadership demeanor with a hint of disdain and dismissiveness in his eyes. He probably thought Huo Sining was just a decorative figure and looked down upon her quite a bit.

“Young lady, at such a young age, you’ve earned Master Zhou’s favor; no doubt you have some skills. But as a young person, it’s better to remain humble and willing to learn. Our program is a serious and earnest one, and I hope when the time comes, you will observe and listen more, think thrice before you speak, and learn from the senior experts.”

Station Head Jiang’s words were loaded with sarcasm and clearly showed his distrust of Huo Sining.

When he learned that Zhou Shitao had sent a teenage girl as a guest, Station Head Jiang felt annoyed. All the experts invited by the program team were notable figures in the circle, but Zhou Shitao refused to play along and sent an inexperienced young girl, which made Station Head Jiang feel he had lost face.

However, Station Head Jiang didn’t dare to get angry at Zhou Shitao, so he vented his frustration on Huo Sining instead, and that’s why he didn’t show a welcoming face when they first met.

Huo Sining didn’t take much notice of it but simply glanced indifferently at Station Head Jiang who had just made a snide remark.

When she agreed to Zhou Shitao’s request to participate in this program, Huo Sining had anticipated such a situation. However, in the antique appraisal business, it’s not about age, but sharp eyes and genuine skill. She had no intention of arguing with these people and wanted to let her abilities speak for themselves.

Gradually, other guests entered the backstage one after another. It was obvious they belonged to the same circle, as they greeted each other familiarly upon arrival. However, they paused and looked confused when they saw Huo Sining, exchanging glances with each other.

Huo Sining did not know these people, so she sat in a corner playing with her phone.

Worried that Huo Sining might not be aware of the specific details, Zhao Qingchu had her come to the recording site early to discuss the program’s process ahead of time.

She was prepared to go over some materials with Huo Sining when, at that moment, someone else walked in from outside.