Save Myself from Desperation

Upon hearing Cara assert so definitively that the jewel was a fake, Ashley turned to look at her. Ashley turned to look at her. Meeting Cara’s smile, Ashley also smiled faintly, “Is that so? | think it’s genuine.”

Cara continued to smile gently, “Ashley, this jewel really is a fake.”

Bryce and Haton exchanged glances and wondered, ‘Cara sounds so certain. Does she have solid proof?”

The online viewers of the livestream, seeing the disagreement between the two, almost unanimously sided with Cara without a second thought.

[Although | don’t understand much about this, I’m following Cara’s lead!]

[Cara hasn't been wrong since the start. If she says the jewel is fake, then it’s almost certainly fake. Why is Ashley stubbornly insisting it’s real?]

[See? Once Ashley stops copying Cara’s answers, she knows nothing!]

At this point, the show’s host glanced at the card in hand, which indicated the jewel’s authenticity, verified by professionals arranged by the show.

After reading the experts’ verdict and hearing the differing responses from Ashley and Cara, the host looked at Ashley in utter astonishment. The host glanced at Ashley in great surprise.

The host thought in disbelief, ‘The experts’ evaluation matches Ashl claim! The jewel is authentic! Ashley...has got it right this time? Did s just guess correctly?’

The

host's first instinct was that Ashley had guessed, then turned to Car lifting the microphone to ask, “Cara, how did you determine this jewel is a fake?”

Looking at Ashley and speaking slowly as if teaching a student, Cara explained to Ashley, “In ancient times, subjects had to avoid using the king’s name. However, this jewel has ‘CL’ engraved in the upper right corner. If it belonged to Jean Schlumberger, his king at the time was Charles Lancaster the Third. To avoid using the king's name, Jean would never have carved ‘CL’ on it.”

After a pause, Cara added, “A jewel with the king’s name is undoubtedly a fake.” 115

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As she explained, the show's camera zoomed in on the jewel, clearly showing the engraved “CL” in the upper right corner for the livestream audience to see.

After hearing Cara’s explanation, the host turned to Charlie and asked, “Mr. Ramos, what do you think?”

Charlie, usually calm and collected, showed evident admiration. “Indeed, Cara is right. A jewel with the king’s name must be a fake.”

Hearing Charlie's agreement, the livestream’s chat erupted. [I've heard of this rule too! Ancient subjects always avoided using the king’s name. Cara’s logic makes sense!]

[Even Charlie agrees with Cara’s assessment, and he’s a professional art restorer. He wouldn’t make a mistake, so this jewel must be fake!]

[Wow, Cara is so impressive. She hasn’t been wrong at all since the start!]

[Tsk, Ashley just had to give an opposite answer to Cara, and she’s wrong again. Oh well, she should just copy Cara’s answers. Let's not be too hard. on Ashley!)

After hearing Charlie’s response, the host looked again at Cara. “So, Cara,, you're certain this jewel is a fake?” Cara nodded with a faint smile, replying, “Yes.”

The host then asked Ashley, “Ashley, do you still believe it’s auther

Ashley hummed in affirmation.

Bryce, growing anxious, subtly tugged at Ashley's sleeve and whispe know you don’t like the Ramos family, but Charlie is an expert in thi field. If he says the jewel is a fake, it’s almost certainly a fake...”

Ashley raised her eyebrows slightly. “No, it is genuine.”

Bryce was left speechless and thought with resignation, ‘Alright then. | knew Ashley was stubborn. But what can | do other than support her?”

Meanwhile, Haton watched Ashley with his worried puppy-dog eyes.

He pondered, “This is unbearable! | don’t want to see my idol get outdone by someone else!’ Upon hearing Ashley’s insistence that the jewel was genuine, the online

09-03

viewers felt helpless, thinking, ‘Why is she so stubborn?”

[Are you kidding me? How can she still think it’s real? Charlie already said it’s fake, and Cara just taught Ashley so much for nothing!]

[No way around it. Ashley deliberately gave an answer opposite to Cara’s. Even if Ashley's wrong, she’s got to stick to her guns now.]

[Stubbornness is truly a pain!]

At this moment, the host, looking at the card in his hand, announced, “Unfortunately, only Ashley got it right this time! This jewel used by Jean. has been authenticated by professionals, and it is indeed genuine!”

The chat instantly erupted and was filled with exclamation and question marks.

They all then thought incredulously, ‘What? Genuine? Ashley was right? Are you kidding me, host?!”

Upon hearing the host's announcement, Cara’s brows suddenly furrowed, her smile fading into a sullen expression. She pondered irritably, ‘Ashley got it right? How is that possible?!”

Charlie also furrowed his brow with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Bryce and Haton, after their initial shock, felt a sense of relief as if they had narrowly escaped a disaster.

“Ashley, you really got it right! It is genuine!” Bryce said proudly.

“Ashley, | knew you were the best!” Haton exclaimed. He had a fanboy expression as if saying, “My idol is number one.” The host eagerly turned to Ashley and asked, “Ashley, how did you determine that this jewel is genuine?”

A viewer who had bet to do something absurd on the livestream if Ashley was right immediately commented: [She guessed it! She must have guessed it! Otherwise, I'll do a handstand and wash my hair on the livestream!]

With a clear and melodious voice, Ashley explained, “Indeed, this jewel. has a king's name, but the ‘CL isn’t directly engraved on the jewel. Instead, later generations applied a thin layer of sealing wax on the outside of the jewel, and the ‘CL was engraved on that sealing wax. Later individuals did it as a deceptive measure to protect the jewel. The sealing

3/5 09:03 Chapter 222

was

a faint crack near this ‘CL, and the color appears unusual. If you look closely, you can notice it.” After Ashley finished speaking, the camera immediately zoomed in on the jewel for a close-up. Charlie squinted to take a closer look and indeed spotted the fine crack. and the slight color difference that was hard to notice.

He pondered. ‘Even I, a professional art restorer, had overlooked this. How could Ashley have noticed with such precision? When did she learn all this? How does she know so much about jewel artifacts?”

Ashley continued. “The outer layer of scaling wax can be removed. This jewel is one of the four famous jewels from ancient times, owned only by royalty or the contemporary literati and wealthy merchants. Plus, being used by Jean adds to its historical value.”

The host, delighted by Ashley’s explanation, said. “Ashley, you are absolutely right! Our show had this verified by professionals, and it is indeed one of the four famous ancient jewels!”

After listening to Ashley’s calm explanation, the viewers were silent for several seconds before they came to their senses and started flooding the

chat. (Wow, Ashley actually got it right! Seems like she didn’t just guess, huh?]

[Of course not! She was so logical and consistent with the professional assessment. How could it be a guess? Can you guess something like that?!]

So, Ashley wasn’t copying Cara’s answers in the previous rounds. Instead, she actually knew?]This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.

Especially during the painting appraisal, Ashley didn’t even look closely. She just glanced and recognized the authenticity. She’s even more skilled than Charlie and Cara! Does Ashley also paint?]

Hah, | said earlier that Ashley figured it out herself, and you all laughed. at me. Now you see who's the fool! To the one who bet on doing that absurd thing, you better not chicken out!]

Hmm, when Cara was explaining about “a jewel with the king's name is undoubtedly a fake” like a teacher to Ashley, it turns out Ashley knew more than her...]

Cara then clenched her fingers tightly, but when she looked at Ashley. 09.03

she still smiled, “Ashley, you really know a lot, and you got it all right.” Ashley responded with a smile, “It was okay.”

As Charlie sized up Ashley, his eyes filled with a hint of puzzlement, wondering, ‘When did she become knowledgeable in artifact appraisal? And to such an extent?’

Three hours later, after the recording of the episode ended, Ashley had. just reached backstage when she received a call from Lester.

She wondered if he had found out whether Cara was indeed the lost heiress of the Pliskin family.