“Mr. Wen, this is your bidding paddle, please hold on to it. Wait a moment and I will lead the two of you to the second-floor private box.”
Wen Qi nervously accepted the bidding paddle. Amidst the bustling crowd filled with successful elites engaging in business discussions, laughter echoed continuously through the clinking of wine glasses. The man behind him politely declined the staff member’s offer to lead the way.
“Young Master, let me guide you,” Jin Yin said, making an inviting gesture.
Wen Qi had been cluelessly coaxed by Duan Linrang into participating in the auction, but as it turned out, Duan Linrang had a meeting he could not reschedule.
Consequently, he had arranged for his other special assistant, Jin Yin, to accompany him instead.
Wen Qi walked into the spacious and brightly lit VIP parlor. The interior was luxuriously decorated, with a leather sofa placed in the center and the code name of their private room inlaid in black gold along the clear glass side.
“D-Master-201.”
Formed from the initials of Duan Linrang’s name.
The mellow fragrance of red wine lingered faintly in the air, and the motorized floor-to-ceiling windows slowly slid open to both sides.
Looking down from the central VIP room on the second floor, almost everything on the ground floor was visible at a glance.
Jin Yin instructed the staff to replace the red wine with tea.
Wen Qi stood rigidly by the window, the glass insulating him from the voices of those so-called wealthy elites.
“Young Master, please have some tea.” Jin Yin handed over a freshly brewed cup. “There are about ten minutes before the auction officially starts. I’ve confirmed with President Duan that he is currently unable to make it here.”
Flattered, Wen Qi took the tea and took a small sip.
Having never stepped foot into an auction house before, Wen Qi was completely unfamiliar with the proceedings.
He asked Jin Yin, “Assistant Jin, I heard you mention on the phone yesterday that this auction is very important. I hope I won’t ruin things.”
“To President Duan, an auction is merely a pastime outside of work. In his schedule, it is usually listed as important, but the degree of importance depends entirely on him. It was only after our conversation last night, when President Duan took an instant fancy to the finale item, that I was granted the authority to come and bid.”
As another special assistant, Jin Yin’s job responsibilities were fundamentally similar to Ding Tong’s.
However, Wen Qi’s appearance had changed Duan Linrang’s daily life and work routine, including those subtle, easily overlooked habits of his.
Jin Yin was even more meticulous when arranging Duan Linrang’s work schedule, and his authority remained strictly separate from Duan Linrang’s private life.
Meanwhile, Ding Tong leaned more toward managing Duan Linrang’s private life with a smaller share of work responsibilities, while also shouldering the task of looking after Wen Qi.
Jin Yin added:
“President Duan specifically instructed that if Young Master sees any items you like, you can take them.”
Wen Qi turned his head without saying a word.
Right at that moment, several familiar figures unexpectedly appeared on the floor below.
Wen Jiangwu brought Wen Wenyan with him to take a seat in the front row.
Wen Qi stared fixedly at the father and son. Wen Jiangwu laughed and chatted freely, as if sparing no effort to introduce Wen Wenyan to other wealthy elites.
Perhaps they were discussing Wen Wenyan’s excellence, or perhaps something else.
Inside, his heart remained undisturbed.
He felt no jealousy toward everything Wen Wenyan possessed; in his eyes, Wen Wenyan was nothing more than an unadulterated illegitimate child.
Suddenly, Wen Wenyan turned and looked up toward the second floor.
Two pairs of eyes, each harboring their own thoughts, locked onto one another.
Wen Qi quickly averted his gaze.
Wen Wenyan narrowed his eyes. No wonder he always felt like someone was staring at him.
It turned out to be his… charming yet pitiful older brother.
“Welcome everyone to the 12th auction hosted by Wang’s Auction Company. I am the host for today’s event, and I will be explaining the rules, bidding procedures, and other details. If you have any questions, please present them to us before the auction begins.
“First, regarding the rules…”
Straightening his back, Wen Qi sat stiffly on one side of the sofa.
Jin Yin lowered his gaze. “If there is anyone making you unhappy, Young Master, I can arrange for them to leave right now…”
“No, no, no,” Wen Qi gave an awkward smile. “There’s no one.”
“First up is our opening lot: a meticulously designed jade gemstone from Beijing Tower, which took seven months to complete. The starting bid is one hundred thousand.”
“Two hundred thousand.”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Five hundred thousand.”
“Bidder number nine offers five hundred thousand. Are there any higher bids? Going once for five hundred thousand, going twice”
The auctioneer brought down the gavel. “Congratulations to bidder number nine for winning the first lot of the evening. Next is our second lot… please look forward to it.”
With a cool expression, Wen Qi watched as lot after lot was auctioned off. In truth, his mind was wandering and he lacked any real interest, failing to pay close attention to the items.
Yet the escalating bids made Wen Qi admire these people from the bottom of his heart—money came easily, and it flowed away just as fast.
“This next lot is a Patek Philippe luxury watch. It is a limited global release, and currently, this is the only piece available in all of Beijing. The starting bid is one million.”
Resting his chin calmly on his hand, Wen Qi watched. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have agreed to Duan Linrang. I still have to go to work at the gaming arcade.”
Jin Yin said, “Rest assured, we have already submitted a leave request to your supervisor.”
“Oh…”
Until Wen Wenyan raised the number 24 bidding paddle and called out a bid of one.5 million.
The drooping corners of Wen Qi’s eyes lifted slightly as he cast a slightly sarcastic glance at Wen Jiangwu sitting beside Wen Wenyan.
As others opened their mouths to call out bids, the price suddenly skyrocketed to five million.
Yet that five million still came from Wen Wenyan’s lips.
“Five million, going once”
“Five million, going twice”
“Six million!”
Wen Wenyan wasn’t the only one who had his eyes on the luxury watch.
“Six million, are there any higher bids?”
“Six million five hundred thousand…”
Wen Wenyan raised his bidding paddle once more. His thick hair partially shadowed his eyes as the corners of his mouth hooked upward slightly. Lazily leaning back against his seat, he coldly stated an even higher price: “Seven million.”
He knew Wen Qi would be looking at him.
Unsurprisingly, seeing this scene caused a faint, dull ache to blossom deep within Wen Qi’s heart.
He couldn’t help associating it with how he had to scramble to piece together a mere three hundred yuan for a hotel room.
They flowed with the blood of the same family and shared the same father, yet their lives were worlds apart.
The warning pain in his chest reminded him inch by inch that he shouldn’t have come here.
“Seven million, going once…”
“President Duan, this way please. If you have any instructions, feel free to call upon our staff at any time.”
“Seven million, twice…”
Click— The door to the private VIP room swung open. Duan Linrang’s polished leather shoes stepped into the room first. The indoor temperature was relatively cool, so he smoothly removed his overcoat.
Jin Yin nodded respectfully as Duan Linrang tapped his index finger back and forth.
Catching the hint, Jin Yin raised the bidding paddle just before the auctioneer brought down the gavel: “Twenty million.”
Shocked, Wen Qi looked over at Jin Yin. Twenty… million?!
Seven million and twenty million were simply on completely different levels; how was anyone else supposed to continue chasing that price?!
Before he could recover from his shock, an overcoat suddenly draped over his shoulders, the sandalwood fragrance instantly dispersing around him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the hands of the man who had draped the coat over him. Following those vein-prominent hands upward, he turned his body halfway, tilted his head back, and upon seeing that it was Duan Linrang, he blinked. “You… finished your meeting.”
No matter how terrible one’s mood might be, it would gradually calm down upon seeing such a dazzling, peerless man.
Duan Linrang bent down slightly, his warm, shallow breath brushing against Wen Qi’s neck, causing Wen Qi to instinctively shrink backward.
“I came right over as soon as I finished,” Duan Linrang gazed straight at him. “You… just sat there enduring their provocation.”
With a dark expression, Wen Qi shook his head, assuming Wen Wenyan was merely showing off how well Wen Jiangwu treated him.
Without a word, Duan Linrang sat down beside him.
Not a single person in the hall dared to place a higher bid.
“Twenty million, going once…”
“Twenty million, twice”
The entire venue fell into complete silence.
“Congratulations to the distinguished guest in VIP Room D-Master-201 for winning this lot at the price of twenty million.”
Clenching the bidding paddle in his hand, Wen Wenyan let out a cold scoff. Having backing really made a difference; anything could be snatched away right before your eyes.
Wen Jiangwu patted Wen Wenyan’s shoulder. “Xiao Yan, it’s just Dad’s inability that prevented me from buying it for you. Once the company’s cash flow eases up a bit, Dad will buy you anything you want.”
“It’s fine, Dad. Since Older Brother likes it, I’ll let him have it.”
Wen Jiangwu was completely baffled:
“What older brother? You mean the person who just bought that worthless watch is Wen Xunqi? How is that possible, how would he ever get the chance to come to a place like this?”
“Besides, Wen Xunqi has snatched away so many good resources from you since childhood; what face does he have left to show up in front of you? If he dares to show his face, I’ll beat him every single time.”
Wen Wenyan said nothing, quietly waiting for the final lot to be presented.
“Our final lot for today is a seaside luxury villa located in the center of Beijing, personally designed by a world-renowned designer. The starting bid is twenty million.”
The moment the host’s voice fell, those in the venue eager to bid grew restless—after all, everyone wanted to claim the grand finale item.
At that moment, Jin Yin’s voice rang out across the hall once again:
“Two hundred million.”
The bidders turned to look toward the so-called “VIP Room D-Master-201.”
They had no idea who was inside.
Such formidable financial strength.
Very few people were willing to compete against that price.
The moment anyone attempted to raise the bid, Jin Yin’s calm voice would ring out once more.
Wen Qi remarked, “So you came here today specifically for this house.”
“Mm… not entirely.” Unable to keep his hands idle, Duan Linrang reached out to tidy Wen Qi’s coat himself. “I also came for you.”
Wen Qi deflated like a punctured ball:
“If I’d known you’d say things like that last night, even if it killed me…” I definitely wouldn’t have come.
Duan Linrang cut him off. “That sounds unpleasant.”
Wen Qi replied obediently, “I know.”
“Congratulations to D-Master-201 for winning the final lot of this auction at the price of six hundred million.”
“Today’s auction has officially concluded. Will all bidders please proceed to the backstage to sign the documents and settle the payment for your lots.”
Standing up, Duan Linrang extended his hand. “Let’s go, we’re going home. Jin Yin, go backstage and handle the paperwork.”
Jin Yin: “Understood, President Duan.”
“Would you be willing to attend tonight’s banquet with me?” Duan Linrang asked.
“That depends on whether you decide to run away at the last minute again.” Wen Qi gripped his hand tightly.
Without Duan Linrang around, the Qi family had little to do with him, and regardless of what identity Wen Qi used or what situation he encountered, handling it alone would likely prove exceedingly difficult.
“I won’t,” Duan Linrang said.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Run away once, and all the brownie points I built up before get wiped out completely?” Duan Linrang chuckled teasingly.
“You… I’m just speaking objectively.”
“Alright, you’d better keep a close eye on me then.”
Wen Qi frowned. “What do that mean? Are you going to keep working?”
“Hard to say.” Duan Linrang purposefully gave an ambiguous answer.
Wen Qi shook off his hand.
Shamelessly, Duan Linrang grabbed his hand back, sliding his fingertips through the youth’s interlinked gaps and tangling them inextricably with the youth’s delicate, smooth palm.
“Then Qiqi should just tie me by your side so wherever you go, I go.”
Flattering him endlessly, the auction organizer led Jin Yin into a conference room off-limits to ordinary people. “These are the items President Duan just successfully bid on. I’ll have someone deliver them to President Duan shortly; Assistant Jin, please sign here.”
With a soft “Mn,” Jin Yin swiftly picked up a pen and boldly signed two large characters at the bottom of the document: “Wen Qi.”
“The property ownership certificate and transfer procedures for the final lot will take some time to process. If I may boldly ask, is President Duan the registered property owner on the deed?”
Without lifting his head, Jin Yin replied:
“Wen Qi.”