Withdrawal

"No, I feel nothing!"

A thin layer of sweat broke out uncontrollably on Gu Ming's forehead as she stared wide-eyed at the porcelain bowl in her hands.

This drew Professor Zhang over to take a clandestine look, making it seem as though this mysterious item was actually a fake.

Gu Ming carefully ran her left hand over the porcelain bowl from top to bottom, but her left hand did not register any warmth, nor did she feel anything unusual. Compared to the Yuan Qinghua porcelain plate she examined earlier on the shelf, the difference was stark.

"What's wrong?" Bai Fangfang, who had been anxiously watching Gu Ming, couldn't help but ask upon hearing her voice.

Not only Bai Fangfang, but even Professor Zhang cast puzzled looks her way.

"Nothing," Gu Ming immediately replied.

She glanced around furtively and noticed that others in the room were paying attention to her due to her sudden movement, making her feel somewhat at a loss.

Originally believing the extremely valuable porcelain bowl to be a prized possession, Gu Ming now felt it was like a hot potato. To avoid drawing further attention and to confirm whether her left hand's judgment was correct, she forced herself to remain calm and carefully examined the bowl again.

The porcelain bowl had a thin and fine porcelain body, with regular and robust shaping, complete and flawless. The base was pure white, neither leaning towards blue nor yellow, with a smooth and clean surface without blemishes. The bowl was vividly and gently colored, with bright and soft hues.

Kangxi-era enamel-colored porcelain mostly featured colored backgrounds, with colors like red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and rouge, which matched the porcelain bowl in her hands. No matter how she looked at it, the bowl seemed to be a masterpiece.

However, her left hand...

Or perhaps she needed to take it to a specialized institution for carbon-14 dating to confirm the artifact's age? But carbon-14 testing requires sampling, which would inevitably damage the artifact's perfection.

Gu Ming tried to keep her expression as natural as possible, gently placing the porcelain bowl back on the table. After obtaining Professor Zhang's permission, Bai Fangfang also picked up the bowl to examine it.

As a student specializing in ceramic appraisal, Bai Fangfang had much more enthusiasm and knowledge about porcelain appraisal than Gu Ming. She took out her magnifying glass and examined it meticulously, occasionally whispering questions to Professor Zhang about aspects she didn't understand.

As long as Bai Fangfang didn't ask questions about the bowl's authenticity, Professor Zhang did his best to explain in detail.

This enamel-colored porcelain bowl was meant for sale in the shop, and with a few potential buyers present, Professor Zhang wasn't as oblivious as Bai Fangfang. At this moment, casually discussing its authenticity could offend someone, so the most prudent approach was to remain silent.

After Gu Ming and Bai Fangfang had retreated to the side, they returned to Professor Zhang's side, with the man in the checkered shirt closely following.

"What's wrong, Mr. Smith?" The appraiser hurriedly caught up with the man in the checkered shirt.

"I have my own plans," the man in the checkered shirt replied firmly.

The appraiser, startled by his intense gaze, lowered his head and dared not speak another word.

When the man in the checkered shirt looked up again, Professor Zhang had already left the shop with Gu Ming and Bai Fangfang in tow, leaving no trace behind.