Chapter 173: US Reporter: Such Behavior from Huaxia’s Richest Man? Is He That Incompetent?

The Imperial Palace Museum exhibition was being livestreamed, drawing countless viewers.

Some were there for the drama, some were interested in the cultural artifacts, and even more were there for the appraisal streamer, Gu Shengsheng.

The public outcry over this incident had been enormous. However, thanks to some powerful fan pulling strings behind the scenes, all the trolls from last night had their accounts deleted!

That kind of power was incredible.

Even A-list celebrities couldn’t make their trolls disappear as quickly as Gu Shengsheng’s did.

Before the Forbidden City exhibition even began, netizens were already in a heated discussion:

"Damn, I heard Gu Shengsheng’s fans are insane! They straight-up got all the trolls’ accounts shut down."

"There isn’t a single negative story about her now. I didn’t even do anything, but I’m so proud of Sister Gu!"

"Putting that aside, the museum artifacts are the main event today. I heard something messy happened with these artifacts in Anxi City. There are a lot of rumors online, so I’m here to see for myself."

"I also saw online rumors saying Gu Shengsheng secretly pocketed the exhibition artifacts... Isn’t that ridiculous?"

"Not only that, they say Gu Shengsheng took a lot of genuine artifacts from Anxi, worth hundreds of millions."

"She just did a good deed with the archaeology trip in Anxi. I thought she was on the path to becoming a respected public figure, but I guess she’s still doing shady stuff like this..."

"Whatever, whatever, let’s just watch Shang Jinhao first!"

"..."

As the largest donor of cultural artifacts today, Shang Jinhao was scheduled to give a speech. Gu Shengsheng and Lu Shijing sat in the audience below the stage.

A slight curve lingered on Lu Shijing’s lips, showing that he was in a good mood.

Gu Shengsheng also felt he was easier to get along with today.

But the atmosphere felt a little strange. She said, "Aren’t you swamped with work? You’re not heading back to the office?"

"No," he said. "I enjoy watching exhibitions."

"Oh." Gu Shengsheng nodded. "I’d never heard you had this hobby before."

"I didn’t before. I do now."

She froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to change the subject.

She turned her head, silently scanned the room, and said, "People from Japan, the United States, and Korea are all here... but there aren’t many reporters."

’They’re probably mostly here to cause trouble.’

Zhang Zhengyi and his group were sitting around Gu Shengsheng, while Zhao Dehai and Gao Liu were in the front row.

Lu Shijing said, "It’s fine. They wouldn’t dare act recklessly."

Gu Shengsheng was also full of confidence. "I’m never afraid of this stuff. I’m just worried that if I’m too restrained later, I won’t be able to perform at my best."

As soon as she said this, Zhao Dehai, who was sitting in front, warned her, "Shengsheng, you really can’t speak carelessly later."

"Many important figures will be arriving soon. This matter is no small thing. This is when we display our image as a great nation, so you must act according to the situation."

"The Cultural Relics Bureau and I, as well as Gao Liu from the Beijing Museum and Zhang Zhengyi from university research, will all support you. If something happens, remember not to panic."

"Because we’ll all be here."

If Shang Jinhao hadn’t run into problems, Gu Shengsheng wouldn’t have to go up, save the day, and become a target.

But looking at the current situation, it seemed Gu Shengsheng would have to step up.

Still, everything depended on how things unfolded.

After Shang Jinhao finished his speech, a reporter from the United States stood up and asked a sharp question, "Mr. Shang, I recall that your previous donation was a calligraphy painting by Sima Xiangru. At the time, you had spent three billion on it. When you accepted our interview, you were beaming and in high spirits."

As these words were spoken, Shang Jinhao grew tense. He knew the media would bring this up; overcoming his own feelings about it had been the hardest part.

For the richest man in the country to admit he’d been scammed... it was truly mortifying. What’s more, when he bought the painting, he had boasted extensively, even saying he would use this artifact to bring glory to the Imperial Palace Museum.

But now...

His gaze flickered. He looked toward Gu Shengsheng, and their eyes met. She gave him a very confident nod, signaling that everything was fine.

Shang Jinhao then took a breath. ’I have to face this eventually.’

He turned to the American reporter and said, "Yes."

"I did indeed say such things."

A large group of foreign reporters and artifact enthusiasts immediately burst out laughing, showing him no courtesy whatsoever.

A reporter from Japan asked, "Mr. Shang, why have you switched to this worthless artifact today? Was the one you bought before no good? Or did you just not want to bring it?"

The American reporter continued, "I heard there was a problem with the artifact Mr. Shang bought, and that you then tried to shift the blame to our American authentication lab, claiming we were the ones with the problem. May I ask how you could say such a thing? What did you do, Mr. Shang? Do you dare to say?"

A Korean reporter added, "Mr. Shang, as the richest man in Huaxia, for you to do something like this, after making such bold claims... now that there’s a problem, have you brought shame upon Huaxia? If so, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"..."

At that moment, the reporters from various countries seemed to have locked onto Shang Jinhao, barraging him with a chaotic volley of shouts.

The onslaught of sharp questions left Shang Jinhao even more bewildered.

For all these years, he had always represented traditional Huaxia enterprises, even though he often traveled abroad.

But he still honestly ran his core business—he was still the guy who dealt in corn, and he was often mocked abroad by those "high-class" people.

But he was rich, so what could they do! And because he was rich, those same people would flock to him, showering him with all sorts of praise.

He had long grown accustomed to flattery, so watching these people speak to him now with such veiled sarcasm was jarring.

He felt helpless, especially since they were dragging Huaxia into it, using him as a means to attack the country... This left Shang Jinhao at a loss for words.

However, he quickly composed himself and said to them, "I truly do have a patriotic heart, but I myself fell short. I did make a mistake in judgment, and I admit it."

"This is my own problem. Please do not drag my family into this."

As he spoke, Shang Jinhao bowed, his face filled with apology.

But the questions from the crowd below only grew sharper.

The expressions on everyone’s faces became increasingly thought-provoking. In short, Shang Jinhao was being torn to shreds.

The Huaxia appraisal team sitting below watched with grave expressions.

Gu Shengsheng asked again, "Can I go up and speak?"

Zhao Dehai’s face was also conflicted and serious. "The higher-ups haven’t responded yet. The impact of this incident is now very severe."

"This is already touching on fundamental issues. Shengsheng, if you go up there and don’t perform well, or if you become emotionally unstable, the consequences will be enormous."

"Mr. Shang probably considered this as well, which is why his words have been so measured."

"The higher-ups are currently considering whether they can send a diplomat over."

"..."

Gu Shengsheng frowned. "There might not be enough time. Those people are being aggressive, like they want to curse us to our very bones. Mr. Shang can’t hold them off at all."

Gu Shengsheng said, "I’ll call that person from the Ministry of State Security and ask him to figure something out."