Chapter 290: Seriously, You Still Want to Recruit Me?

The director of the Da Ying Museum was very anxious at this moment.

The museum had suffered such heavy financial losses, and its reputation was in tatters.

And the thief, or thieves, were still at large.

Any one of these things was enough to cost him his job.

Right now, his only hope—a desperate gamble at best—was to get the KPIs back on track. He needed the Da Ying Museum to make money, money, and more money!

Only by desperately making money would he have a chance to fight back later and secure his future.

With this in mind, Jack considered his options. Playing the victim and arguing with Gu Shengsheng… she was a huge public figure, after all. The controversy could attract tourists. ‘It might not be a bad opportunity,’ he thought.

He was more than capable of scheming against her, but the money from ticket sales alone was nowhere near enough to cover such a huge deficit. He needed a much bigger event.

So, steeling himself, he said to Gu Shengsheng, “Miss Gu, we’ve moved up the date for our Blind Box Treasure Appraisal Contest. It will start in three days. I imagine you’ve never participated in something like this.”

“It will be the perfect place for you to display your skills. The rules of the Blind Box Contest are well-known within the circle, I’m sure. We will naturally provide the artifacts for appraisal. If you have the skill, the Da Ying Museum is willing to have a massive sale.”

“But that’s only if you’re capable enough, of course.”

It was obviously a gimmick, but Gu Shengsheng was happy to play along!

An opportunity to get something for nothing, and maybe even take back some of Huaxia’s own artifacts? Why wouldn’t she be happy?

She said, “I’ll participate. Just don’t forget to inform me when the time comes, Director Jack.”

“Oh, by the way, if you’re going to hold an event, you’d better find that thief first. You wouldn’t want all your efforts to be for nothing, ending up without a single clue. People might laugh at you.”

Gu Shengsheng turned and stared, lost in thought, at a painting.

It was a restored work, but the restoration seemed off. The colors and the original background had a contrast that was too stark. It had lost its original feel, leaving behind a color palette with distinctively Western elements.

Gu Shengsheng gazed at the exquisite figures on it, her mind wandering slightly.

Jack sidled up to her. “You like it, Miss Gu?”

“Of course I like the Dunhuang Murals. We have many such works in my country. Seeing one here in a foreign land… it certainly makes one feel a bit emotional.”

Then Jack said, “This is a very famous work of art here. It is indeed beautiful. But these so-called Dunhuang Murals aren’t something only your country has.”

Then Jack said with a smile, “It’s just like your Sanxingdui Culture. It originally came from Ancient Greece. We believe it did. Just because you don’t, does that make it untrue?”

“There are controversies, and people have different opinions. Isn’t it normal for us to disagree and look down on each other right now?”

Jack was completely nonchalant.

Gu Shengsheng shoved her phone in his face. “You didn’t watch the conference held by the Federation and our various regions the other day, did you? Then again, if you had a broader perspective and a bit more knowledge, you wouldn’t be acting like such a frog in a well.”

As she spoke, her eyes glinted with sarcasm. There was no helping it. With people like him, sarcasm was the only way.

No matter how she looked at him, she felt disgusted.

She wished she could curse Jack to death. Gu Shengsheng never had a pleasant expression for people who annoyed her.

“I suggest that after work, Director, you take the initiative to watch the press conference about the Sanxingdui matter. Then you’ll know what’s going on. It’ll save you from staring at me all day. I don’t mind you showing your suspicion of me, but I’m mainly breaking a sweat over your ignorance.”

Just as Jack was fuming, an official in charge of cultural relics from Eagle Country approached. Looking at Gu Shengsheng, she said, “Miss Gu, please don’t mind him.”

“This was a mistake on our part. We’ll make him watch your press conference twenty times.”

“However, Miss Gu, I have a few things to ask you. I hope you will cooperate with the investigation.”

“Alright.” Gu Shengsheng nodded.

She then followed the woman to a private reception room and took a seat.

This woman had a powerful presence and sharp eyes; Gu Shengsheng could tell at a glance.

‘This must be about the artifact investigation. If I’m not mistaken,’ Gu Shengsheng thought, ‘they must have some leads.’

Gu Shengsheng sat across from her, neither servile nor overbearing.

The woman smiled and said, “Miss Gu, here’s the situation. We’ve reviewed the surveillance footage, studying and comparing everyone who has come here these past few days, specifically those who lingered inside the museum.”

“After a thorough investigation of these visitors, we found… not a single clue.”

“Oh? Did you find some Huaxia people? Did you want me to come over and help identify them or trick them into talking?”

The woman shook her head. “No, Miss Gu. It’s precisely because the suspect has no connection to Huaxia that your name has been cleared. Our director was being overly paranoid.”

Gu Shengsheng could tell this woman was the director’s superior. So she couldn’t help but say, “It’s not my place to say, but we’re of a similar age. I have to tell you, this museum director is completely incompetent. Never mind that he brought people to suspect me without a shred of evidence.”

“It’s just that the director has lost so many items, shows no spirit for solving the case, and is still acting arrogantly. Can’t you just fire him?”

She replied, “Mm, you have a point, Miss Gu. But he’s a relative of a chaebol from a collateral branch of the royal family. I don’t have the authority. For now, all I can do is mitigate the damage.”

“It’s like with the Dunhuang Murals you mentioned, Miss Gu. Their origin is indeed Huaxia, but they are now on our territory, and we have been safeguarding them for a very long time. So, it’s not entirely wrong to say they are ours.”

“If Huaxia has the means to take them back, we won’t say a thing. After all, it all comes down to ability, doesn’t it? This isn’t some so-called charity organization.”

She was sufficiently arrogant as she said this.

The implication was that she had also gotten where she was through her own abilities. For Eagle Country to possess these things was also a show of ability—whether through trickery or genuine skill, it was all a form of ‘ability’.

Therefore, they had no right to stand here and judge whose property it rightfully was.

“Understood.” Gu Shengsheng nodded, then turned to leave. “I’m going back to rest. I’ll come back when you hold your blind box lottery.”

“As for the investigation, I’m afraid I can’t help. After all, I’ve just arrived in this country. I’ve always been back home before, so I’m not very worldly. A major theft like this is more than I can handle.”

Hearing this, the woman nodded. “It wasn’t my intention to ask for your help, Miss Gu. I just wanted to see what you were capable of. Looking at you now, it’s clear you have little to do with the theft. We’ve thoroughly investigated your family background and everything else. This matter really has nothing to do with you.”

This was all standard procedure, so Gu Shengsheng didn’t take it to heart.