This jewelry exhibition was different from those hosted by other brands in previous years.
The venue was divided into several sections. The first few halls upon entry displayed individual jewelry pieces launched by the brand over the years.
Further inside, red carpets complemented golden walls, with the corridors documenting the brand’s origins, development, and the evolution of its sub-lines.
The jewelry exhibited in the inner area was the highlight of the evening. Many celebrities from the entertainment industry had been invited as models for the exhibition, tasked with wearing the latest jewelry pieces and showcasing their styling to each guest.
Staff members accompanied visitors throughout, explaining the design concepts behind the jewelry. Lu Rang, spotting pieces he liked, ordered several sets for his family.
Luo Ying’s household had no women, and he didn’t see anything suitable for Luo Xiaohe either.
As Lu Rang placed orders worth tens of millions in succession, the surrounding attendees couldn’t help but glance over. Luo Ying felt the staff members’ smiles were barely containable.
The final section was the auction area. Pairs of chairs were arranged with small square tables between them, where the dishes for the evening banquet would later be served.
Luo Ying had come specifically for the Missgen Blue Sapphire. He eagerly awaited the start of the auction, planning to bid for this “mythical gemstone” if the price was right.
The evening banquet began on schedule. Waitstaff moved orderly through the aisles, serving and clearing dishes according to the menu sequence.
Simultaneously, a jewelry runway show featuring celebrities took place on the T-stage.
The venue’s lighting gradually dimmed, with a spotlight shining down on the center of the hall. As the runway show concluded, the auctioneer took the stage to explain the auction process and the jewelry pieces up for bidding.
The first few sets of jewelry didn’t interest Luo Ying, so he focused on eating. It wasn’t until the auctioneer introduced the Missgen Blue Sapphire that Luo Ying looked up. A staff member stood under the spotlight holding the display case, while the large screens on both sides switched to close-up shots, clearly showcasing the gemstone to the audience.
Unlike the photos in magazines, the actual gemstone’s deep blue hue appeared even more translucent under the light. Its interior was clear and flawless, with the uncut edges full and smoothly rounded.
It lay quietly in the display case, like a tear of God that had accidentally fallen to the mortal world.
The starting bid was 580 million.
This was its collection value from the last century.
It was the highest starting bid of the evening. The previous auction for a ruby series had ended at just 420 million.
Whispers spread through the crowd. In the dim light, Luo Ying and Lu Rang exchanged a glance before Lu Rang raised his bidding paddle first.
“600 million.”
“610 million.”
“700 million.”
“710 million.”
“1 billion.”
“1.01 billion.”
The bidding between the two parties piqued the curiosity of the guests, who craned their necks to locate the bidders.
No matter how much Lu Rang bid, the other party only raised by 10 million.
While this bidding method was conservative and compliant, it inevitably felt irritating.
Lu Rang frowned slightly. It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford to bid higher, but he felt this meaningless competition only made it seem like the other party was deliberately causing trouble.
Following the crowd’s gaze, Luo Ying spotted Pei Mingyang two rows behind them in the faint light.
Luo Ying glared at him, regardless of whether Pei Mingyang could see, and mouthed the words—What are you doing?!
Pei Mingyang curved his eyes into a smile, looking smug and triumphant.
Lu Rang, seemingly annoyed, stopped raising the bid.
The auctioneer was announcing the bid for the second time.
Then, someone in the front row called out, “2 billion.”
Just stirring up trouble without caring how big it gets.
Now, even if Luo Ying wanted to bid, he’d have to consider whether it was worth twenty billion.
He tugged at Lu Rang’s sleeve and whispered, “Is the person who bid twenty billion crazy? Raising the price so high!”
“Yeah.”
Lu Rang glanced at him, his gaze as gentle as flowing warm water.
Then, Luo Ying noticed that Lu Rang didn’t even look away, his eyes fixed on him the entire time.
The bidding paddle was raised high as Lu Rang calmly called out, “Forty billion.”
Luo Ying froze for a moment. When he realized that the “forty billion” had come from Lu Rang, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Was he the crazy one, or was Lu Rang the crazy one?
Spending forty billion on a gem originally priced at 580 million?!
No matter how much Luo Ying liked the Missgen, he wouldn’t dare throw forty billion at it, especially since his original budget was only within one billion.
There were quite a few gasps of surprise in the venue. Some recognized Lu Rang as a celebrity, while others were discussing the family he represented.
With the fall of the gavel, the Missgen sapphire was finally won by Lu Rang for forty billion.
Luo Ying half-covered his face and lowered his voice, “Did your money fall from the sky? This isn’t worth spending so much on!”
After signing the bill, Lu Rang turned to him with a smile. “No. I know the gem itself isn’t worth this price, but you like it. I think spending forty billion on something you love is worth it.”
“Come on, it’s forty billion, not forty million!”
“Yeah. I know.”
This is absolutely insane!!
Does Lu Rang even realize he’s just a stand-in?
Spending so much on a stand-in—is this some kind of universal quirk of every sugar daddy?
Luo Ying rubbed his temples, at a complete loss for words.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t moved. Aside from Luo Xiaohe, this was the first time someone had been willing to splurge forty billion on something he liked.
But because of this, his guilt and unease toward Lu Rang only grew stronger.
He had spent the entire night planning how to end their fake relationship, rehearsing the words he’d need to say a thousand times in his head.
Now, all of that had been thrown into chaos by Lu Rang’s sudden move.
Maybe… he should tell Lu Rang that he didn’t want to be a stand-in anymore.
If Lu Rang wanted to date the real him, Luo Ying was willing to start over with him.
To be with him as someone who had returned to the Luo family.
As the auction ended, the lights in the venue gradually brightened.
The jewelry would be delivered to Lu Rang the next day for inspection.
Luo Ying followed behind Lu Rang in a daze as they left.
“Hey, Brother Lu, what a coincidence.”
As they stepped out of the auction area, a tall, slender man approached with his arms crossed.
“Brother Lu, you’re really something. I heard from people inside that you spent forty billion on a gem. I’ve never seen you so into collecting stuff like that before.”
The man first smiled at Lu Rang, then let his gaze wander over Luo Ying, his oily eyes sizing him up like a piece of merchandise, calculating his worth.
“Isn’t this the young master Luo whose family fell from grace recently? How did you two end up together?”
Hearing himself addressed like that, Luo Ying looked up in confusion.
Who is this guy, talking so rudely in a place like this?
Oh, it’s Wang Hai, the grandson of the Haidu Land Bureau director. Relying on his family’s business and political connections, he acts like a tyrant in their circles, with no manners to speak of.
His family had once used their connections to snatch a project from Luo Xiaohe, directly causing him to lose over a billion.
From a young age, Luo Xiaohe taught Luo Ying that there was no need to directly confront such people—doing so would only make oneself appear equally low-class.
Such individuals tend to make many enemies, and plenty of people would want to take them down.
Luo Ying strictly followed his father’s teachings and paid no mind to Wang Hai’s sarcastic remarks.
“It’s not exactly a family decline. At most, my dad has just been earning a bit less money lately.”
If it had been a month or even half a month earlier, Luo Ying wouldn’t have had the confidence to say this.
Fortunately, the rumor about his family going bankrupt was false; otherwise, he wouldn’t know how many people he’d have to deal with.
Lu Rang and Wang Hai had little interaction, at most having crossed paths when Wang Hai’s grandfather reviewed the Lu family’s projects.
So, Lu Rang simply ignored Wang Hai, not even giving him a way out: “Excuse me, you’re blocking the way. Let me pass.”
Wang Hai had no intention of moving aside. He had always thought of Lu Rang as nothing more than a lousy actor. Even the Lu family’s projects in Haidu depended on his grandfather’s mood—why should Lu Rang not give him face now?
“Don’t be so distant, Brother Lu.” Wang Hai raised his eyebrows, his tone lewd and disrespectful. “Didn’t you know Luo Ying is gay? His family went bankrupt, didn’t it? How can he even afford to be here? Oh, could it be that you are keeping Luo Ying? Tsk, you really are like a beggar picking up trash—not picky at all. How can you even stomach it?”
“Are you fucking brain-dead?”
Luo Ying couldn’t hold back anymore, forgetting his father’s teachings as he stepped forward, ready to throw a punch.
Lu Rang blocked him, and as Wang Hai let out a sharp, mocking laugh, a heavy fist landed squarely on Wang Hai’s face.
Wang Hai was stunned by the sudden blow, staggering and falling to the ground.
The people around were startled by Wang Hai’s scream and quickly gathered to see what was happening.
Lu Rang leaned down and delivered another punch. Cameras from reporters waiting outside and photographers inside all turned toward the scene.
Luo Ying was the first to react, rushing over to grab Lu Rang’s arm and pull him away.
“Bro, bro, stop, don’t be impulsive.”
Luo Ying’s slight frame couldn’t control Lu Rang at all; he could only pull with all his might in the opposite direction.
Xia Xi, who had been waiting outside, heard the commotion and hurried over. Seeing the situation, he quickly dispersed the surrounding crowd and pushed Lu Rang and Luo Ying out.
Just as they were being ushered into the car by Xia Xi, a fan waiting for the celebrities to leave recognized Lu Rang in the crowd.
A wave of screams erupted from the onlookers.
“Lu Rang was fighting inside!”