Chapter 18

Seeing the two of them in the living room, Gu Ran sat down next to Bai Manruo and began mocking her under the guise of being helpful. “Manruo, if you want a bracelet in the future, you can just tell me. I understand these things. You really shouldn’t try to save a little money by buying these kinds of illegal goods.”

However, Bai Manruo didn’t pay her any attention at all. Gu Ran didn’t see the panicked, ugly state she had imagined; she assumed Bai Manruo was simply putting on a brave face.

Hearing Gu Ran’s words, Xu Huanxin cast a cold gaze her way. Feeling the pressure from Xu Huanxin, Gu Ran immediately reined herself in. She had looked into Xu Huanxin’s background and knew her family was powerful, so she wasn’t about to leave a bad impression on her for the sake of someone like Bai Manruo.

Besides, she had been aiming to get close to Xu Huanxin from the start; Bai Manruo’s sudden participation had just disrupted her plans. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even glance at a small-time variety show like this. If she hadn’t heard that Xu Huanxin was coming, she never would have lowered her status to be here.

But as soon as she arrived, she found that Xu Huanxin was clearly very enthusiastic toward Bai Manruo. Gu Ran hadn’t wanted to be so ruthless, but Bai Manruo had brought this on herself.

The production team was in total chaos, but the person at the center of it was calm—she even went to the director’s office to ask for her phone back. This might be the last time she’d be able to contact Miss Ji.

Just as Bai Manruo was about to send a message, a commotion broke out outside. Three or four cars pulled up, and over a dozen people in white uniforms marched inside in unison.

Are they coming to arrest me this quickly??

Did they really need such a grand display? She wasn’t going to run away.

Suddenly, phones began chiming incessantly with breaking news alerts. It wasn’t just her; everyone’s phone was buzzing. Bai Manruo clicked an alert and saw one headline after another exploding across the screen.

Frowning as she finished reading, she looked down at the bracelet in her hand, her eyes wide as she stammered in shock, “This… this is actually… real!”

Just moments ago, an authoritative article had been published online, concluding with proof that the white jade bracelet on Bai Manruo’s wrist was an artifact from the King Ling period—a one-of-a-kind, authentic treasure.

Experts and netizens finally shifted their focus, all eyes now fixed on the authenticity of the jade bracelet. The people who had been sent were actually archeology and appraisal experts. Bai Manruo sat dazed on the sofa watching them study it while the livestream continued. The entire internet held its breath to watch this appraisal.

Impossible… impossible. How could Bai Manruo have the authentic bracelet? Gu Ran muttered to herself in shock.

It took a long time for Bai Manruo to snap out of it. Her first move was to message Ji Yingqing, typing with disbelief: 【Miss Ji, is that bracelet you gave me really an antique?】

Beautiful Boss Who Should Eat More: 【Mm.】

Mm! Seeing that casual, one-word reply, Bai Manruo’s hand shook as she held her phone.

Boss, do you even know what a cultural relic is?? Why does it feel like you’re just giving away a little trinket…

Recovering from the shock, Bai Manruo figured there was only one explanation for why the boss would give her such a priceless gift. She must have mistaken a family heirloom for an ordinary bracelet and given it away. Otherwise, it made no sense why a boss would give something so valuable to a maid.

On the other side, in the castle, Ji Yingqing finished replying. The comments slandering and mocking Bai Manruo had already been scrubbed clean from the internet. After publishing that article, she had sent the people to the filming site; the archeology experts were her people. She didn’t want to appear in the media much, but seeing the comments online had stirred a bottomless chill in her eyes.

Bai Manruo held the jade bracelet with extreme care. When she had bought the fake vase at the antique street, an old lady had given her a few bracelets. Later, while eating with the boss, the boss must have seen her interest in bracelets and given her this one. Because the boss had been so casual about it, Bai Manruo had thought it was just a simple accessory.

Thank goodness the bracelet was well-protected. If it had been chipped even a little, she couldn’t pay it back even if she sold herself.

Bai Manruo let out a sigh of relief, calmed down, and looked at Gu Ran with a smile. “You just said you loved researching bracelets. How come you couldn’t tell it was real?”

Gu Ran stared at her. “Where did you get it? As far as I know, you have no source of income since leaving the company. You didn’t steal it, did you?” Even knowing it was real, she didn’t believe anyone [unauthorized copy]would give it to Bai Manruo; she knew her family background inside out.

The corners of Bai Manruo’s mouth curled up as she spat out two words: “A. Gift.”

Jealousy won’t help you; the boss gave it to me—even if she might have given it by mistake.

The internet exploded again over the series of reversals in the livestream. Seeing Bai Manruo wearing a genuine artifact to the show, people became intensely curious about her background. However, all the “dirt” they dug up showed she came from a perfectly ordinary family.

Xu Huanxin silently scanned the article. she had someone check the account that posted it, but found nothing. Recalling Bai Manruo’s reluctance to say who gave it to her and that mysterious phone call last night, a doubt grew in her heart, but she still had no leads.

Following this unexpected interlude, the show’s popularity broke records with hundreds of millions of views. The focus of the entire nation was now on Bai Manruo, speculating about the mysterious family background behind her.