After collecting the auction catalog, Lu Zhu hurried over to Zhou Lingjing’s side, sat down hastily, and handed it to him.
His handsome face was dotted with sweat from rushing over in a hurry.
Zhou Lingjing glanced at him and said calmly, “You didn’t have to rush so much. It wasn’t too late.”
“No, I was just afraid of delaying your business, Mr. Zhou,” Lu Zhu replied.
Zhou Lingjing leisurely flipped through the booklet in his hand. The various expensive items listed inside seemed to stir no ripples in his eyes.
The auction items were dazzlingly diverse—antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jewelry, and more, everything one could imagine.
When he reached the last page, a ruby necklace caught his attention.
Each ruby was like condensed flame, full and brilliant, shimmering radiantly. They were arranged in an orderly fashion along the exquisite chain, like stars in the night sky, twinkling with an intoxicating glow.
“This might actually suit that little one’s picky taste,” Zhou Lingjing murmured softly.
Soon after, the auction began. The auctioneer held the bidding paddle, his expression serious and focused. His gaze swept across the crowd, his voice loud and compelling.
The unveiling of each item elicited gasps and enthusiastic discussions from the attendees.
The auctioneer skillfully controlled the pace of the auction, filling the venue with tension and anticipation.
The bidding segment was the most thrilling part for everyone—each raise of the paddle was a contest of wealth.
It wasn’t until the dazzling ruby necklace was finally unveiled that Zhou Lingjing’s gaze turned serious.
Auctioneer: “Ladies and gentlemen, we now come to the highlight of tonight’s auction. This ruby necklace is the final item of the evening, the grand finale. The starting bid is twenty million!”
“Twenty-one million!”
“Twenty-two million!”
“Twenty-three million!”
“Twenty-five million!”
Auctioneer: “Twenty-five million! This gentleman bids twenty-five million. Any higher bids?”
“Thirty million!”
A German man made the bid, appearing determined to win.
“Fifty million,” Zhou Lingjing’s low voice rang out.
With his bid, he drew the attention of the entire room.
Everyone saw a distinguished Chinese man with handsome features, a straight nose, and a cool, detached expression.
They hadn’t expected him to raise the bid by such a large margin right away.
“Are you crazy?!”
The German man who had been bidding against him widened his eyes and exclaimed. He seemed shocked that someone would offer such a high price.
“I am just bidding within my ability range,” Zhou Lingjing replied calmly, his deep gaze meeting the other man’s.
Auctioneer: “Alright, this gentleman now bids fifty million. Any higher bids?”
People around whispered among themselves, but no one raised their paddle to bid further. They all knew the price had far exceeded the ruby’s actual value.
The German man sighed helplessly and said, “OK, you win. This treasure belongs to you.”
Zhou Lingjing gave him a slight nod, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth. “Thanks.”
In the following days, Su Zhaotang was busy with the opening of her studio and had no time to spare for Zhou Lingjing’s affairs.
She had hired three designers and one assistant. Almost as soon as she settled the staff, before she could even take a break, design orders started pouring in.
Rose was very satisfied with the cheongsam Su Zhaotang had designed for her earlier. She took a photo of herself wearing it and posted it on Instagram:
“Thank you, my dear Su. The dress she designed is absolutely beautiful. I love this Chinese-style cheongsam,” and she tagged Su Zhaotang.
Rose already had a massive fan base, and with this post combined with internet searches, many people directly found Su Zhaotang’s “Tang Shang Zhi Zuo Design Studio” and sent private messages requesting custom-designed clothing.
“Oh my god, even hanging oneself requires catching a breath,”
Su Zhaotang felt utterly despondent. She didn’t dare imagine how busy she would be in the coming period.
“Can’t finish designing, simply can’t finish designing.”
She wailed inwardly.
From morning till night, Su Zhaotang was practically holed up in the shop all day, barely leaving her desk, and even lunch was just a quick bite.
“Sweetie, not back yet? Are you coming home for dinner tonight?”
A ding-dong sound—a message from her mother.
Seeing the text, Su Zhaotang glanced out the window and noticed the sky was already growing dim.
She put down the brush in her hand, stood up, and stretched. As she moved, her fair waist was revealed, so slender it seemed one could easily encircle it.
She picked up her phone and replied, “Yes, yes, yes! Coming right back, I’m starving!”
She added a crying emoji.
As she went downstairs, she saw the others still working in the office and quickly called out to them,
“Alright, alright, everyone, head home and rest for now. Work tasks can wait until work hours.”
Upon hearing this, assistant Tang Tang let out a heavy sigh of relief. After all, she had been running around all day and was exhausted.
“Thank you, boss~” she immediately chimed in.
“Whoever leaves last, remember to lock up,”
Su Zhaotang left these words before hurrying off—after all, she was eager to get home for dinner too!!
That night, Su Zhaotang had just finished showering. She stepped out of the bathroom, gently drying her hair with a towel.
Changing into a soft camisole nightgown, she felt the fabric lightly caress her skin, incredibly comfortable.
She walked to the bed, casually picked up a box of face masks, and lay down.
Carefully applying the mask, the essence nourished her skin. The bedside lamp cast light on her face, making her complexion appear even fairer.
Su Zhaotang’s eyes were fixed on her phone screen, browsing through messages on social media, occasionally letting out soft laughs, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Just as she was comfortably lying in bed scrolling through videos, a WeChat chat window popped up.
Seeing the sender, Su Zhaotang widened her eyes slightly.
Zhou Lingjing: 【Are you asleep?】
Su Zhaotang hesitated for a moment before replying.
【Not yet, what’s up?】
Zhou Lingjing: 【Are you free to come downstairs now? I’m outside your villa.】
Seeing this message, Su Zhaotang immediately sat up in bed. She rolled off, ran to the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked outside.
Sure enough, that dazzling Maybach was parked quietly there.
The man sending the WeChat message leaned casually against the car door, his posture relaxed.
His features were firm and resolute, with sharp eyes and brows. The tailored suit he wore exuded an air of restraint. Moonlight reflected off the car’s surface, casting a play of light and shadow across his face, creating a striking silhouette.
Holding a lit cigarette between his fingers, he took a deep drag. Amid the swirling smoke, he appeared even more mysterious.
Su Zhaotang quietly averted her gaze.
[Then wait for me to get ready, I’ll come down soon.]
After replying, she set down her phone and immediately rushed to the bathroom to peel off the face mask. She washed up quickly.
In the mirror, her natural beauty shone through—her complexion fair and flawless. Looking at her impeccable features, Su Zhaotang smiled with satisfaction.