My Ares Son-in-Law

Yun Yuyan breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally settling down. She quickly accepted the invitation, instinctively tugged at Xiao Chen's sleeve, and hurried toward the manor entrance, afraid that if she lingered for even a second longer, she might encounter something embarrassing.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Xiao Chen smiled. "Our invitation isn't fake. Are you afraid of being kicked out? Qin Xianglan personally delivered this invitation to me. If they really kick us out, I'm afraid the auction won't be able to proceed!"

"I'm not nervous at all!" Yun Yuyan retorted stubbornly. "I just... wanted to walk faster and get inside to see the treasures as soon as possible. Besides, don't brag. Even if they kicked us out, would Qin Xianglan really suspend the auction for you? I don't believe it!"

Xiao Chen smiled and said nothing more.

No matter what he said, Yun Yuyan thought he was just bragging. But Yun Yuyan didn't know that, let alone this small auction, even if Xiao Chen wanted the Qin family to stop, it would be an easy thing for him.

The interior of the manor is even more magnificent and luxurious than the exterior, showcasing the strength and foundation of the Qin Group.

After passing through the antique-style archway, there is a wide passageway paved with bluestone. On both sides of the passageway, various stone carvings and precious bonsai are neatly arranged.

Each stone carving is exquisitely crafted and of considerable value, leaving visitors dazzled by their beauty.

At the end of the passageway stands a magnificent three-story antique-style building.

Above the main entrance hangs a black plaque with gilded characters, "Wanbaoge" (meaning "Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion"), written in a powerful and majestic style. It is said to be the original work of Mr. Shen Mo, a contemporary master of calligraphy, and is priceless.

This plaque alone is enough to demonstrate the profound heritage and status of Wanbaoge.

Upon entering the main gate, the hall was already packed with guests, bustling with activity.

Guests gathered in small groups, exchanging pleasantries over elegant champagne glasses. The men, dressed in tailor-made suits, stood tall and exuded an air of distinction; the women, adorned with jewels and exquisite makeup, displayed the elegance and sophistication of high society with the swaying of their skirts.

Yun Yuyan pulled Xiao Chen to a relatively secluded corner to sit down, her hands still tightly clutching the invitation, extremely nervous, almost like a thief.

She looked around at the wealthy and influential guests around her and felt quite uncomfortable.

"When does the auction start?" Xiao Chen asked, somewhat speechless.

Such occasions were commonplace for him. He didn't even glance at anyone in the entire auction house, after all, they were not on the same level.

"Ten o'clock." Yun Yuyan quickly looked down at her phone. "There's still an hour left. We'll have to wait a while."

"So you're just going to sit here like this?" Xiao Chen asked with a smile.

"Otherwise what?" Yun Yuyan asked in astonishment.

“Look at these people, they’re all either business tycoons or scions of wealthy families, all rich and powerful. I don’t know any of them. If I go up to them and make small talk, what should I say? I can’t exactly go up to them and say, ‘Hello, I’m Yun Yuyan, just an ordinary office worker. May I ask what you do?’ That would be too embarrassing.”

Xiao Chen couldn't help but chuckle: "You, you, it's not the old society anymore. How much difference can there be between people's status? You don't need to belittle yourself. Don't forget, you are now the general manager of Xunjiang Group. With your status, they have to give you some face."

"What are you laughing at!" Yun Yuyan glared at him. "I'm serious! Although I'm the general manager of Xunjiang Group, frankly speaking, I'm just an employee. Besides, Xunjiang Group is just a new company. How can we compare to those big shots? What's worse, I'm just a penniless nobody." "So what if you're a penniless nobody? You came in with a proper invitation. You're just like them, a guest of Wanbao Pavilion. No one is inferior to anyone else. There's no need to be intimidated," Xiao Chen said. "Moreover, you have the most prestigious VIP invitation here, which is higher class than anyone else's."

Yun Yuyan stared at him blankly, momentarily lost in thought.

This man was wearing an ordinary jacket, driving an old domestic car, and looked quite unremarkable.

But when he uttered those words, his innate composure and majesty made people want to believe that he was the true master of this place, and that all the extravagance around him was just fleeting smoke in his eyes.

She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and the unease on her face gradually faded. She carefully put the invitation into her bag, and her eyes became more determined: "You're right, I came in with my own invitation, so there's nothing to be afraid of. I didn't sneak in!"

Just then, a piercing sound suddenly came from behind, instantly breaking the silence of the corner and attracting the attention of those around.

"Oh...isn't this Xiao Chen? Who do we have here? Turns out it's you, the gigolo!"

Yun Yuyan's body tensed instantly. Without turning around, she knew it was Zhou Hao.

Zhou Hao, that guy, stole the invitation that should have belonged to the Zhou family head of the Western Region. That invitation belonged to Zhou Keying's father, and Zhou Keying's father had already promised to give the invitation to Yun Yuyan.

As a result, that bastard and that old lady Zhou stole her love away.

They actually came to cause trouble again; they're like a persistent ghost.

Yun Yuyan slowly turned around and, sure enough, saw Zhou Hao swaggering over with two cronies.

Zhou Hao had his hair styled in a sophisticated slicked-back style, wore a well-tailored dark blue bespoke suit, and sported a gleaming Patek Philippe watch on his wrist.

They act like they're so rich, but everyone knows they can't even afford building materials now, and have even suspended their business in the eastern suburbs.

His two cronies were also spoiled brats from wealthy families in the provincial capital. They wore designer clothes, had flamboyant hairstyles, and wore strange smiles on their faces. They followed behind Zhou Hao like two dogs wagging their tails and begging for mercy.

"It really is you." Zhou Hao walked up to Xiao Chen, his face full of disdain and contempt.

"I saw a beat-up domestic car at the entrance just now, and I thought it was some construction worker's car. I didn't expect it to be you driving here. Xiao Chen, you're living such a shabby life! You're with Zhou Keying now, can't you buy a nicer car? Let's not even talk about luxury cars, but buying a car worth two or three hundred thousand yuan should be fine, right?"

"I don't have money, give me some! Give me some, and I'll go buy it right away!" Xiao Chen smiled, not caring at all.

Zhou Hao was on a completely different level from him; for him to speak to this guy was already an overstatement.

Yun Yuyan also said, "Zhou Hao, we're here for the auction today, not to argue with you. You'd better not provoke us. Your invitation should have been for Ke Ying; you're lucky you even got in. What are you pretending for? Do you know anything about antiques? Do you know anything about auctions?" (End of Chapter)