You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

The banquet hall of the Wangfujing Hotel is extremely luxurious. A crystal chandelier composed of tens of thousands of Swarovski crystals hangs from the ceiling, shining brightly and illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

Well-dressed men and women strolled among them, the air thick with the scent of expensive perfumes and money.

The appearance of Lin Chen and Ye Qingcheng was like a bombshell, stirring up huge waves on the originally calm lake.

Almost everyone's gaze drifted towards them, seemingly casually.

Ye Qingcheng's identity has been recognized, and the man who can be so intimately linked with this business queen, and who even goes so far as to publicly spend 50 billion to support her, Lin Chen's identity instantly becomes mysterious and lofty in everyone's eyes.

"Just who is he? When did the Su family produce such a person?"

"It's not just the Su family. Didn't you see the way Ye Qingcheng looked at him? It was practically... like she wanted to devour him whole."

"This isn't just finding a backer, it's like finding a patriarch!"

Amidst the whispers, Lin Chen seemed not to hear a thing.

He calmly accepted everyone's attention, picked up a glass of champagne, and sat down with Ye Qingcheng in a relatively quiet corner.

The banquet hall is on the second floor.

Xiao Zhen stood behind the one-way glass, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He had just listened to everything that happened at the door through his headset.

He originally intended to give Lin Chen a hard time and embarrass him in public, but he didn't expect Ye Qingcheng to slap him in the face in the simplest and most brutal way.

Five hundred billion in cash!

This number struck him like a heavy hammer blow.

Although the Xiao family is deeply rooted in the capital, it is almost impossible for them to come up with 50 billion yuan in working capital at once.

"Ye Qingcheng..."

Xiao Zhen spat out three words through gritted teeth, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes.

He never expected that there was such a behemoth standing behind Lin Chen.

"Master, what should we do now?"

The trusted confidant beside him asked in a low voice.

"What should we do?"

Xiao Zhen snorted coldly.

"The auction will proceed as scheduled! I want to see if Lin Chen can protect her, and if Ye Qingcheng can!"

He originally just wanted to recoup his funds through this auction and, incidentally, disgust Lin Chen.

But now, he has changed his mind.

He wanted to completely overwhelm Lin Chen and Ye Qingcheng in terms of financial resources at this auction and regain the face he had just lost.

The auction officially began at 8 p.m. sharp.

The first item to be auctioned was a beautifully framed ancient painting carried up by two women in cheongsams.

The auctioneer introduced the event in an enthusiastic voice.

"Distinguished guests, our first lot tonight is a surviving masterpiece by Wu Daozi, the Tang Dynasty's master painter—a fragment of the 'Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll'!"

"The brushwork of this painting is elegant and the figures are lifelike. Although it is a fragment, its artistic and historical value is immeasurable!"

"Starting bid: 50 million! Minimum bid increment: 1 million!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the audience immediately raised a sign.

"Sixty million!"

"Seventy million!"

"Eighty-five million!"

The price soared and soon exceeded 100 million.

Lin Chen glanced at the people holding up signs out of the corner of his eye; they were all unfamiliar faces. But before each sign was raised, they would subconsciously glance in Xiao Zhen's direction.

It's a toddler.

Sitting at the main table, Xiao Zhen saw the price being successfully driven up and a smug smile appeared on his face.

He picked up his wine glass and raised it towards Lin Chen, the provocation in his eyes was self-evident.

He wanted to use this method to tell Lin Chen that in the capital, in the face of absolute wealth and resources, Lin Chen's little tricks were insignificant.

Ye Qingcheng sensed Xiao Zhen's provocation, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she was about to raise her sign when Lin Chen stopped her hand.

"Don't rush, let him fly a little longer."

Lin Chen said softly, a playful smile curving his lips.

He unlocked [God-level Treasure Appraisal] and [God-level Insight].

In his eyes, the so-called fragment of the "Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll" was instantly deconstructed into countless data.

The fiber composition of the paper, the chemical composition of the ink, the wear and tear on the seal, the patina and oxidation layer of the scroll... everything was clearly presented in his mind.

[Ding! Authentication result: High-quality counterfeit.]

[Production Era: Modern.]

[Paper: Modern industrial Xuan paper, treated with potassium permanganate for an aged finish.]

[Ink: Chemical ink with trace amounts of bone glue added to mimic antique ink.]

[Value assessment: Material cost does not exceed 200 RMB.]

Lin Chen's lips twitched.

Two hundred yuan?

The Xiao family's move is truly "grand".

Offering something like this as the grand prize in a charity auction is not only an attempt to rip people off, but also an insult to the intelligence of everyone present.

At this point, the price on the stage had been driven up to 150 million.

Seeing that the time was right, the auctioneer raised his gavel and announced loudly.

"One hundred and fifty million once! One hundred and fifty million twice! Is there anything higher? This is an authentic work by Wu Daozi. If you miss this opportunity, you'll have to wait another hundred years!"

Just as he was about to bring down the gavel, a lazy voice came from the corner, not loud, but clearly carried throughout the entire arena.

"I'll pay two hundred yuan."

The entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone turned around and looked at Lin Chen as if he were crazy.

The auctioneer was stunned for three seconds, then flew into a rage.

"Mr. Lin! Please don't cause trouble here! This is a charity auction, not a place for jokes! If you continue like this, I will have to ask security to remove you!"

Xiao Zhen's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Lin Chen! What do you mean?!"

Lin Chen ignored them completely. He put down his wine glass, stood up, and strode onto the auction stage under everyone's gaze.

"What...what are you going to do?"

The auctioneer was so intimidated by Lin Chen's aura that he took two steps back.

Lin Chen didn't speak. He walked up to the painting and, instead of carefully examining it with gloves like an expert, picked up a glass of red wine from the waiter's tray.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, he flicked his wrist and poured the entire glass of red wine, from top to bottom, evenly onto the ancient painting worth "155 million"!

"You're insane!"

"Oh my God! He destroyed it!"

Xiao Zhen was so angry that he trembled all over, pointed at Lin Chen, and couldn't even speak.

"You...you...Guards! Arrest him!"

However, a miracle occurred the instant the Xiao family's security guards rushed onto the stage.

The original antique style of the painting faded rapidly on the scroll soaked in red wine, and the ink spread like watercolor.

Even more bizarrely, a line of extremely tiny simplified Chinese characters, which could only be printed with a modern printer, slowly seeped out from the interlayer of the scroll.

——"XX Art Reproduction Factory, High-Quality A-Grade Imitation, Wholesale Price 188 Yuan, Discounts Available for Bulk Orders".

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone's eyes were wide open like saucers, and their mouths were agape enough to fit an egg.

Lin Chen dipped his finger in the faded ink, smelled it, and then explained in an extremely professional tone.

[God-level Chemistry Knowledge] Unlocked.

"Genuine Tang Dynasty mature Xuan paper uses natural mineral pigments and pine soot ink. When it comes into contact with water, especially with a weakly acidic liquid like red wine, the paper will only turn slightly yellow, and the ink will solidify further. It would never spread out like this."

He pointed to the line of small print and sneered.

"As for this, I don't think I need to explain it further, right?"

"Master Xiao, you used this counterfeit item, which has a wholesale price of 188 yuan, to hold a so-called charity auction, and even arranged for a few shills to inflate it to over 100 million yuan."

"The scale of your Xiao family's operations has truly broadened my horizons."

"boom!"

The audience erupted in chaos.

"Shameless! This is outright commercial fraud!"

"Are you treating us like fools? The Xiao family must give us an explanation!"

"A charity gala? I think it's more of a scam!"

Those present were all prominent figures in the capital, and they valued face above all else.

Enraged by the Xiao family's blatant mockery, they all stood up and began to condemn them.

Xiao Zhen's face changed from liver color to pale white, and then from pale white to iron blue.

He felt as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his chest, and a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down.

His meticulously planned successful start turned out to be the biggest joke in the world!

After this farce, the atmosphere at the auction became extremely strange.

The next few items were indeed confirmed to be genuine by experts on site.

But the Xiao family's reputation was ruined, and no one dared to raise their paddle easily anymore.

Whenever Xiao Zhen or his henchman raised their paddles, trying to bid on something to save face, Ye Qingcheng would slowly raise her paddle.

"A Qing Dynasty jade ruyi scepter, starting bid eight million. The Xiao family bid ten million."

"One hundred million." Ye Qingcheng's voice was cold and domineering.

"A Xuande incense burner from the Ming Dynasty, with a starting bid of 20 million. The Xiao family offered 30 million."

"Three hundred million." Ye Qingcheng didn't even bother to lift her eyelids.

……

No matter what price the Xiao family offered, Ye Qingcheng would immediately offer ten times the price.

She didn't even look at what the items were; she wasn't bidding on antiques, but on the reputation of the Xiao family.

Slap after slap, using pure financial power to pin the Xiao family to the ground, relentlessly rubbing them in the dirt.

In the end, Xiao Zhen didn't even have the courage to hold up the sign. He slumped into his chair, his eyes lifeless, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He knew that after tonight, he, Xiao Zhen, and the entire Xiao family would become the biggest laughing stock in the entire capital.

The instigator of all this, a young man named Lin Chen, was holding a wine glass, looking at him with a half-smile.

That look seemed to say: The game has only just begun.