spring bite mark

Chapter 57 The Extravagance of the Yan Family

The charity event will open soon.

The charity event was hosted by people from the Imperial Capital Auction House. After a brief opening speech, they got down to business:
"It is a great honor to participate in this charity event today, which is spearheaded by the six super families of the capital and attended by many social celebrities. All proceeds from the auction will be used for public welfare and charity, and will be supervised by a professional supervisory committee."

After a round of enthusiastic applause, the host announced, "Now we move on to the first item of today's auction. Please welcome the representative of the Zhu family, a prominent family in the capital, to the stage to present their auction item..."

Young Master Zhu walked up with a famous painting in his hand and began to speak eloquently. He was a playboy in private, but in this setting, he adopted the demeanor of a scion of a prominent family, appearing elegant and refined without a trace of frivolity.

In the VIP room, Chen Mohan flattered the head of the Zhu family: "Your eldest son has become more and more capable of handling things on his own since I last saw him. Unlike my bunch of good-for-nothing spendthrift sons, I really envy them!"

The head of the Zhu family smiled and said, "Brother Chen, why belittle yourself? Although I have many sons, they are not as good as your first son, Chen Jinzhou. Just based on the fact that he is very close to the Crown Prince and treats him like a brother, his future is immeasurable."

"Not at all, Young Master Zhu and the Crown Prince are also very close..."

The head of the Zhu family snorted coldly: "My unfilial son only knows how to do things that are not respectable. Several times his attempts to please the Crown Prince have backfired. Brother Chen, please don't make fun of me."

Chen Mohan chuckled and said, "How dare I! I really like the painting in your son's hand. If none of you here are interested, then I will not hesitate to bid for it."

At the auction on the first floor, after Young Master Zhu finished introducing the items, the representative of the Chen Group, who had been notified, offered a high price and acquired the items.

Next, the Chen family brought out an antique inkstone, and Chen Jinzhou, standing at the front of the Chen family delegation, introduced it with ease:
"This is a Duan stone cat and butterfly inkstone from the Ming Dynasty..."

Ten minutes later, the Duan stone cat and butterfly inkstone was auctioned off for 800,000 yuan to a wealthy family in the capital.

Following closely behind, the Li family of the capital also put up their auction items...

As each item was auctioned, the atmosphere at the charity event grew increasingly lively. Later, many socialites and young masters from prominent families in the capital brought out their unused items to liven things up. Among them, Liu Ershao, Liu Zhi, a well-known playboy from the capital, even brought out a gemstone bracelet worth hundreds of thousands of yuan, pushing the atmosphere to an even higher point.

Sitting among a group of wealthy and powerful families, Madam Ning gripped her husband Ning Musheng's sleeve tightly: "Those are the items on the betrothal gift list that the Liu family gave to Xinyue. How dare he!"

Ning Musheng's expression also turned sour: "Alright, he's acting so recklessly because the Crown Prince is standing behind him. We have no choice but to swallow this insult. Keep an eye on Dianxin Yue and tell her not to cause any trouble, lest she become a laughingstock."

"That scoundrel brought three mistresses on the cruise ship." Madam Ning clutched her chest in anger. "He's already made a laughingstock of himself, and the Ning family has completely lost face."

“Even if you lose everything, you have to bear it.” Ning Musheng closed his eyes. “Your good daughter, just half an hour ago, went to the Crown Prince’s wife and made a scene again. The Crown Prince’s special assistant just came over, saying he wanted to pass on a message for his Crown Prince.”

"W-what words?"

“From now on, every time Xinyue appears before the Crown Prince and his wife, the Yan family will devour one-tenth of the Ning family’s fortune.” Ning Musheng looked coldly at his wife. “If you still want to live a life of luxury, you’d better think about it.”

This time, Madam Ning's face turned completely pale.

Halfway through the charity auction, over one hundred items had already been sold, raising a total of eighty million yuan for charity. The host raised his voice slightly:

"The next item for auction is a piece of jade red coral, personally prepared by the Crown Prince of the Yan family, the most prestigious family in the capital, and his wife. This red coral once appeared at a London auction and was purchased by the Crown Prince for 120 million. It has been specially brought out today. Let's wait and see who will win the bid! Now, please welcome the representative of the Yan family to the stage."

The entire charity event fell silent for a moment, and then erupted in cheers!
"As expected of the Crown Prince, I was just feeling the pinch when I put up an item worth a few hundred thousand, and he just spent over a hundred million in one go!"

"I remember the red coral was purchased by the young master six years ago, right? With prices soaring now, 120 million should have ballooned to at least 150 million!"

"Apart from the super families in the capital, who would be willing to buy it! Ordinary wealthy families would probably have to think twice, after all, this thing is flashy but impractical, and it's not very useful except for looking at it."

The focus of attention in the socialite circle was different. At this moment, many socialites sat up straight, looking around, and some were already whispering:
"With the Crown Prince absent, could the Yan family's representative be... his wife? They've been hiding for years; are we about to see her true face?" "You're overthinking it. How could the Crown Prince's wife possibly appear on stage for everyone to see? Haven't you seen other powerful families just sending their young masters as a token gesture? None of the heads of these families have shown up..."

Discussions rose and fell. On the stage, Yan Changye's assistant, Shen Zongqian, appeared as the representative of the Yan family and, amidst the disappointed gazes of many socialites, placed a delicate 30-centimeter-tall jade red coral on the auction stage.

Inside the VIP room on the second floor.

The head of the Li family, one of the six great clans, sighed, "The Crown Prince really knows how to play the game. The most expensive thing the other clans brought out was only 12 million. All of us combined are not worth the value of this one coral. Shame on us!"

Chen Mohan smiled wryly: "Your items all started at several million, while my inkstone only fetched eight hundred thousand. I should be the one who feels most ashamed. I'm not going to say anything more. I'm going to add another item to the auction now to show off the prestige of the super family."

The head of the Zhu family looked at the coral and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this item is extremely valuable for collection. I am prepared to bid 180 million. Would you like to bid against me?"

"I'm sorry, but our Li family has also taken a liking to it."

……

While everyone in the VIP room was chatting animatedly, Jiang Manman stared blankly at the red coral.

“I remember this jade coral.” It was Xie Yuheng who spoke.

His eyes, hidden in the dim light, held emotions that were difficult for others to understand.

Six years ago, he had just moved from Hong Kong to the capital, where he met Jiang Manman and quickly fell in love with her, spending every day with her.

Yan Changye walked over from afar, carrying the shimmering jade coral, exuding arrogance, pride, passion, and allure.

Xie Yuheng knew at a glance that this would be the most powerful nemesis he had ever faced in his life.

Jiang Manman nestled affectionately in Xie Yuheng's arms.

The exquisitely handsome young master's bright, peach-blossom eyes suddenly turned dark and deep, and he coldly scrutinized the two of them.

"Yan Changye?" Jiang Manman was somewhat surprised.

“You said you liked this coral last time, so I took a picture of it while I was in London,” Yan Changye said casually. “However, it seems you don’t need it anymore.”

After saying that, he glanced at the two figures leaning intimately together with a nonchalant and indifferent look, then strode away.

Jiang Manman asked Xie Yuheng blankly, "What is he saying? I don't understand."

Xie Yuheng replied meaningfully, "He means that you already have me."

Jiang Manman was even more confused: "You and Shanhu are not like fish and bear's paw, can't you have both?"

Xie Yuheng smiled but did not answer.

Coral is readily available.

Xie Yuheng and Yan Changye could not have both.

(End of this chapter)