Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Inside the auction hall, the VIP seats were arranged from left to right as follows: the two brothers of the Qu Family, the two brothers of the Lu Family, then Rong Yu, and finally Jiang Baichuan and Xie Qiyan.

Media were barred from this auction. Otherwise, the sight of such a lineup would have sent cameras flashing like mad. Any random shot leaked online would have become an explosive trending topic with hundreds of millions of clicks.

A single auction item had brought the Four Great Families of Beicheng together under one roof.

Before tonight, they were brothers, friends, and business partners. But tonight, they were nothing but competitors.

Their intentions were so obvious even a passerby could see through them.

Tonight’s auction was going to be spectacular.

“Brother-in-law, what brings you here too?” Rong Yu sat with one leg crossed over the other, his expression utterly relaxed as he teased, “Don’t tell me you’re also here for that auction item.”

Jiang Baichuan shot him a glance. “Do you think I can outbid you people? Can’t you see the famous President Xie sitting next to me?”

Rong Yu arched a brow and met Xie Qiyan’s gaze. After saying, “A pleasure,” he went right back to chatting with Jiang Baichuan. “True. A single man like you definitely can’t compete with someone who has a wife and kids.”

Jiang Baichuan: “…”

If they were going to talk business, then talk business. There was no need to step on him like that.

Ever since Zhaozhao and Mumu had become Jiang Baichuan’s little wingmen, Rong Yu had risen in status by virtue of his daughters. In front of Jiang Baichuan, he had completely lost the respect a brother-in-law ought to show his wife’s elder brother.

“I heard President Xie’s girlfriend is the Little Princess of the Xia Family?” Rong Yu had just finished asking when he abruptly changed tack and continued firing at Jiang Baichuan. “President Xie seems to be a year younger than you, Brother-in-law. You’d better hurry up.”

Jiang Baichuan ground his teeth and glared viciously at the old man.

He really had married into his wife’s habits.

Jiang Yourong was born loving gossip, and Rong Yu had now fully mastered the essence of Jiang Yourong’s craft.

Xie Qiyan listened from the side and smiled silently.

Jiang Baichuan snapped, “What are you laughing at?”

A good brother was supposed to take a knife for him, not pick one up and stab him with it.

It was bad enough that he wasn’t helping. He was actually sitting there enjoying the show.

“Did I laugh?” Xie Qiyan’s expression had remained cool from beginning to end.

Jiang Baichuan: “…”

Lu Beiting, who was seated beside Rong Yu, overheard their conversation and grew interested in President Xie’s girlfriend. “President Xie’s girlfriend is Teacher Xia?”

Xie Qiyan turned to look at him, eyes narrowing slightly. Clearly, he was not very pleased by that “Teacher Xia.”

Xia Wanzhi had said before that no one called her teacher, so whenever Xie Qiyan addressed Xia Wanzhi, he liked adding “Teacher” to the end of her name.

He treated it as a little flirtation between them.

From the looks of it, that little thing had lied to him again.

When he got home, he would have to tie her up and give her a spanking.

Displeased or not, he still had basic manners, so he replied carelessly, “Young President Lu knows my girlfriend?”

“She is my wife and child’s artist,” Lu Beiting said. He had always shown respect toward anyone his wife and child liked.

News of the Zhou Family breaking off their engagement with the Little Princess of the Xia Family had spread far and wide. Everyone in their circle knew about it.

But not long after the engagement was broken, that Little Princess became Xie Qiyan’s girlfriend. It was easy to imagine that President Xie had some tricks up his sleeve.

As facts proved, even if he had no tricks, he at least had the advantage of good looks.

It seemed the trending topic from before, where he had been mistaken for the boy toy Xia Wanzhi was keeping, might not have been entirely false.

Xia Wanzhi had mentioned this as well. Back then, Xia Wanzhi’s Studio had been in quite a difficult spot, and Lu Beiting’s family had helped her quite a bit. Thinking of this, Xie Qiyan unexpectedly warmed a little toward this second young master of the Lu Family.

The two of them chatted casually across Rong Yu and Jiang Baichuan.

The two men sitting between them: “…”

It was all small talk, nothing worth hearing-until Xie Qiyan asked, “Is President Lu interested in the Heart of the Kingdom too?”

It was a pointless question.

But it was also an important opening.

Lu Beiting smiled silently.

There were only the few of them in the VIP seats, and no one had bothered to lower their voices. Qu Huai, who sat at the very front, was also determined to get that necklace. Hearing the exchange, he could not help but look over.

One moment they had been exchanging pleasantries, and in the next, the air was thick with gunpowder.

Xie Qiyan had always been shameless. Seeing everyone’s eyes fall on him, he said with a perfectly solemn face, “I, Xie, also want the Heart of the Kingdom as a proposal gift.”
Rong Yu arched a brow.

Jiang Baichuan looked at him with a touch of surprise.

Fine, fine, so this was how competitive they were going to be.

Out of the whole row, he was the one lagging farthest behind.

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone who heard them shared a knowing smile.

The Head of the Xie Family might be young, but his skin was certainly thick enough.

When the time came, the auction officially began. For the first hour, the few Big Shot figures in the VIP section barely made a move. It was only later that they successively placed bids and bought a few little antique trinkets.

They were all men with wives, after all. They couldn’t very well go home empty-handed.

Except Jiang Baichuan.

As the auction neared its end, the most anticipated finale item of the evening, the Heart of the Kingdom blue diamond necklace, made its grand appearance. Even from a distance, the pigeon-egg-sized blue diamond was dazzling, brilliant, and radiant.

It was indeed a precious piece, perfectly suited to be used as a proposal gift.

Everyone present knew that the four great families, Qu, Lu, Jiang, and Xie, had all come tonight for this necklace. No one had the ability-or the nerve-to compete with them for it, but they certainly had the nerve to watch the show.

A top-tier battlefield like this was bound to be thrilling and lively.

After the auctioneer announced the starting price, everyone saw Xie Qiyan, who was seated at the end of the row, raise the paddle in his hand. “Twenty-five million.”

The starting bid was twenty million, with each increase set at five million.

Just as everyone held their breath, waiting for the next Big Shot figure to raise the bid, the entire hall fell into silence.

Everyone: “???”

They all looked over in unison.

Where was the promised battlefield?

What was with this harmonious, brotherly, loving scene?

Jiang Baichuan lifted a brow and glanced at Xie Qiyan.

This, he truly had not expected.

What surprised him most was that thick skin could apparently be this efficient.

Naturally, Xie Qiyan was delighted. Before the auction began, he had deliberately let it slip that he wanted the necklace as a proposal gift.

All for the sake of this very result.

But now, as he silently repeated the number twenty-five million to himself, his brows drew together slightly.

Twenty-five million-two thousand five hundred in shorthand.

That was just two-fifty with a zero tacked on.

It sounded bad. Unlucky.

The auctioneer waited for a while, and when there was still no movement in the hall, he began to panic. A bead of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

For this item, they had imagined the final bid would soar past a hundred million.

But now it was stuck at twenty-five million…

The Big Shot figures were all acting out of character tonight.

What on earth was going on?

He swallowed and tried to keep his voice steady. “Twenty-five million, going once…”

After waiting a few seconds, his heart uneasy, he continued, “Twenty-five million, going twice…”

It wasn’t just the auctioneer. Everyone in the hall had their hearts in their throats.

Just as the auctioneer was about to call it for the third time, Xie Qiyan nudged Jiang Baichuan with his elbow. “Two-fifty is unlucky. Raise the bid.”

Jiang Baichuan gave him a sidelong look, his face practically saying, Are you insane?

Contempt was contempt, but he did it anyway. “Thirty million.”

The auctioneer’s tense heart eased a little.

Everyone else was stunned.

Didn’t everyone say Jiang Baichuan and Xie Qiyan were close?

Were they actually going to witness brothers turning against each other tonight?

But that was as far as it went.

The auctioneer continued with the procedure. Xie Qiyan, confident, determined to win, and visibly relaxed, raised his paddle. “Thirty-five million.”

The auctioneer continued the process. No one else raised the bid. In the end, he weakly called out, “Thirty-five million, going three times! Sold! Let us congratulate this gentleman…”

The auctioneer’s palms were slick with sweat. In his heart, he had already collapsed and died crying.

A wave of disappointed murmurs swept through the room.

So much for the promised battlefield. That was it?

Xie Qiyan arched a brow, then turned slightly and nodded in thanks to the row of Big Shot figures who had cleared the way for him.

After the auction ended, Xie Qiyan obtained his proposal gift, looking for all the world like a male peacock preparing to fan out his tail.

Jiang Baichuan couldn’t bear to look. “…”