The auctioneer raised the gavel and his voice.
"One hundred thousand. Who'll go higher?"
Silence. Then, a small gesture: Bai Xue discreetly raised her paddle.
"One hundred twenty thousand."
Chen Yong tensed up.
"She's bidding…"
Li Wei nodded without speaking.
"One hundred twenty thousand. Any other offers?"
Across the hall, a man in a dark gray suit lifted his number. His face was firm, emotionless, his eyes hidden behind the gleam of reading glasses. He never spoke. Just held up a number: one hundred fifty thousand.
The auctioneer repeated it. Bai Xue raised her paddle again.
"One hundred eighty thousand."
The tension rose. Not because of the book's value, but because of the people who wanted it.
The man in gray didn't hesitate.
"Two hundred ten thousand."
Chen Yong clenched his fists.
"He's going to win…"
Li Wei said nothing. He was watching the man—not because of the money, but because of his presence.
The auctioneer lifted the gavel.
"Two hundred ten thousand, going once…"
Bai Xue hesitated. She didn't raise her paddle.
"Twice…"
Chen Yong stood up.
"Two hundred fifty thousand," he said clearly.
Everyone looked at him. Even Bai Xue.
Li Wei closed his eyes for a second.
The man in gray looked up. For the first time, he focused—not on Bai Xue, but on Chen Yong.
And that gaze cut like a blade.
"What are you doing?" Li Wei whispered.
"Helping," said the young master, full of pride.
"No. You only know how to make things worse."
The auctioneer grinned, delighted by the drama.
"Two hundred fifty thousand going once… twice…"
The man in gray didn't move.
"Sold!"
The gavel struck. A collective murmur spread through the hall. Bai Xue looked forward, expressionless. The man in gray held his gaze on Chen Yong for one more second… then vanished into the crowd.
Li Wei stepped closer to the young master.
"You've just painted a target on your back. And all for a book you don't understand… and a woman who doesn't need you."
Chen Yong swallowed hard.Victory tasted like blood.
But the book was only the beginning.
As the auction continued, Bai Xue raised her paddle again. A cracked jade amulet, described as "symbolic funerary art," had caught her attention.
When the price passed her limit… Chen Yong jumped in.
"Two hundred eighty thousand."
"Again?" Li Wei muttered.
The next item was a worn ceramic piece, illegible markings, incomplete form. Bai Xue seemed uncertain. But when someone else placed a bid…
"Three hundred fifty thousand," the young master announced with pride.
Li Wei no longer knew if he was more annoyed by the spending or by the foolishness.
And then came the worst: a broken pot, lidless, with a charred rim.
"This isn't even good for storing rice," Li Wei grumbled.
But when Bai Xue raised her paddle one last time, half-heartedly… Chen Yong outbid her without blinking.
"Four hundred thousand," he said boldly.
The room fell silent.
The auctioneer, ecstatic, nearly trembled with excitement.
"Sold!"
Beside him, Li Wei rubbed his face. The pain in his temple pulsed. His suit felt like a wet suit of armor.
"You know how many enemies you've just made?" he asked in a low voice.
"As many as I need to impress her," Chen Yong replied, elated.
Li Wei turned to him slowly, looked him up and down… and for a moment, considered knocking him unconscious.
A quick blow to the neck. Clean. Not fatal. Just enough to prevent further social tragedy.
But he held back.
Barely.