Once seated, Gu Nian dismissed the attendants, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, if you insist on becoming a monk, you don’t have to drag me along. If I’d managed to strike up a conversation, maybe I could’ve gotten their contact info.”
He clicked his tongue and muttered appreciatively, “That one… I don’t even know whose daughter she is. Didn’t see her face, but that aura one word: perfect.”
Snap.
The flame licked the cigarette tip, casting a flickering crimson glow. Shen Luli, dressed in a black shirt, appeared slightly distorted in the curling white smoke.
Hearing Gu Nian’s ramblings, he bit the cigarette between his teeth and toyed with the metallic lighter in his hand, its surface worn smooth and warm from years of handling.
He casually said, “Just a vase, nothing more.”
Gu Nian’s mouth twitched. “A vase? Nothing more?”
This guy’s standards must be through the roof!
So arrogant now… let’s see what happens when he meets a woman he likes and can’t get her ends up in a chasing-wife disaster!
On the other side, He Qiuyu leaned toward Shi Sheng. “So that’s Shen Luli?”
Although she and Shi Sheng were close, He Qiuyu had grown up in an orphanage and hadn’t mingled in the elite circles. Plus, Shen Luli had been abroad for years she’d never seen him.
Shi Sheng took a small sip of tea. “Just an illegitimate child.”
She wasn’t dismissing his identity; it was just that the Shi family was so eager to tie her to him, even going so far as to endanger He Qiuyu, that it made her blood boil.
Though this had nothing to do with Shen Luli, she lashed out anyway.
As for the few times she had visited the Shen family as a child, she had long forgotten them. People irrelevant to her were never worth remembering.
Soon, the auction began.
One by one, items were presented with the auctioneer’s eloquent commentary, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.
Shi Sheng leaned back on the leather sofa, quietly watching the large screen.
Normally, this screen was for guests in the room to view the items, but this one was different.
On the HD feed, Ye Xiangwen and Shi Yiyan, dressed in haute couture, were surrounded by a group of high-society ladies, smiles painted across their faces in pride.
Shi Mingqian, meanwhile, held a glass of champagne, speaking quietly with those nearby, exuding the air of a successful man.
If Jiangcheng’s elite circle were a pyramid, the Shen family was undoubtedly at the very top, with the Shi family in the second tier.
So even with the scandal of the real and fake daughters, people still sought to curry favor.
He Qiuyu popped a lollipop and sneered. “This family’s really showing off today. I heard that to cover up some recent bad press, Shi Mingqian donated three Hope Schools in one go big money.”
She zoomed in the screen, clicking her tongue twice. “See Ye Xiangwen’s jade necklace? Over 50 million paid just to flaunt it tonight.”
Shi Sheng’s lips curled slightly. “Hope they’re as happy when it’s their turn.”
As items sold for record prices, the excitement reached its peak.
Everyone knew the evening’s highlight was Master “Kong”’s new piece.
From one perspective, the value of this work surpassed all others.
After all, Master “Kong” had maintained a rule of releasing only two pieces per year.
Some had tried to buy extra works at high prices, but no one in Jiangcheng could track Master “Kong”’s identity, let alone find them.
It was a mystery how Cimei had managed to convince Master “Kong” to release a third piece.
Inside the private room, unlike the crowd’s anticipation, Shen Luli exuded coldness, his gaze sharp and unfriendly.
“So, my privilege is void?”
Tang Yu swallowed nervously. “Sorry, Mr. Shen. At Master ‘Kong’’s request, this work must be auctioned.”
The room fell completely silent for three minutes.
Just as Tang Yu felt his heart leap into his throat, a soft laugh sounded nearby.
Shen Luli tapped his tongue against his cheek and said cryptically, “Fine. Let’s see what tricks this Master ‘Kong’ is playing.”
When the auctioneer took the stage with the scroll, the entire hall fell silent. Guests, who had been whispering occasionally, now stared at the stage, breaths quickening.
All the lights dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the center of the display.
The auctioneer’s voice, slightly trembling with excitement, echoed through the speakers:
“Ladies and gentlemen, up next is tonight’s most anticipated highlight the latest work by Master ‘Kong’!”
As the red silk covering the scroll was lifted, a unified gasp swept the room hard to believe their eyes.
Master “Kong” excelled at both painting and calligraphy, but previous works always featured either one or the other.
Yet this piece combined both.
Though painted in summer, the faint fragrance of red plum blossoms on the rice paper seemed almost real, calming hearts that had been racing moments ago.
Yet the characters in the upper right, appearing casual but hiding sharpness, made one’s chest tighten again.
Slap!
No matter the price, it had to be won.
This was the thought of every guest, including Shi Mingqian.
“Special notice,” the auctioneer paused, then continued, “At Master ‘Kong’’s request, this piece will not be auctioned by price, but by the bidder who can cause the largest loss to the Shi Corporation!”
The hall erupted in chaos.
Shi Mingqian’s expression froze, the crystal glass in his hand shattering, champagne spilling over his expensive tailored trousers.
Ye Xiangwen’s smile vanished, eyebrows twisting comically in disbelief.
“What… what does this mean?” Shi Yiyan shrieked, but no one answered.
The ladies fawning over Ye Xiangwen and her mother quickly found excuses to leave, smirking with schadenfreude.
They didn’t know exactly what the Shi family had done, but they knew Master “Kong” had been deeply offended and tonight, the Shi family would likely fall from their second-tier status.
In the blink of an eye, the room was left with just the family of three, looking pale and ashamed.
And things were about to get worse.
As the “auction begins” announcement sounded, within seconds, someone pressed the bidding device.
“I have evidence that the Shi Corporation falsified its finances for three consecutive years.”
Ye Xiangwen turned pale, trembling as she grabbed her husband’s arm. “Mingqian… what do we do?”
Shi Mingqian ground his teeth in fury.
Even if turned to ashes, he would recognize that voice it was his mortal enemy, the Qin family.
Such a secret, if there wasn’t a leak in the company, they wouldn’t have access to it.
Before he could process it, the bidding device sounded again no, it wasn’t a bidding device, it was the voice of death itself.