Am I a Kamen Rider or the real young master who was switched at birth?

The VIP boxes at Zhaixing Pavilion are located on the third floor of the auction hall. Several oil paintings with gilded frames hang on the walls along the corridor, depicting the grand occasions of Zhaixing Pavilion's past auctions.

Ye Yang followed behind Lin Yumin, looking around as he walked, his fingers unconsciously touching the magenta camera on his chest.

At the end of the corridor was a double solid wood door with a gold-plated door number on it and the doorknob was polished to a shine.

Lin Yumin pushed open the door, and the entire VIP room was revealed before her.

The room was much larger than Ye Yang had imagined, and the wall facing the auction hall was a whole floor-to-ceiling glass window.

The deep red velvet curtains were half-open, offering a clear view of the auction stage and the panoramic view of the circular hall below.

The glass windows have been specially treated so that nothing inside the private room can be seen from the outside.

Several large, genuine leather sofas were placed by the window, with thick, soft cushions. In front of them was a low coffee table, on which were already set out delicate pastries and bottled water.

There was also a small wine cabinet in the corner, which displayed various foreign wines whose names I didn't know.

Next to the sofa was a high-definition tablet mounted on the coffee table, displaying a flowchart and countdown of today's auction.

Lin Xingran was the first to rush in. She collapsed onto the sofa, sinking into the soft leather.

She swung her legs around on the edge of the sofa several times before finding a comfortable position, then let out a satisfied sigh.

"So comfortable! This sofa is even softer than my bed at home. I'll take a five-minute nap, then wake me up when the auction starts."

Ye Yang looked around and then sat down on another sofa by the window.

He reached for a tablet on the coffee table, and the screen lit up automatically, displaying a beautifully designed interface.

At the top are the words "Zhaixingge Auction VIP Exclusive Service System" in large characters. Below are several modules: auction item preview, real-time bidding, catering services, customer service call, and a red button labeled "Emergency".

After Lin Yumin walked to his side, she bent down slightly and pointed to several modules on the screen.

She explained patiently to him while quickly operating the tablet:

"This tablet can be used for bidding and ordering food. The auction preview allows you to see detailed information about all the items up for auction today."

"Auction interface - you see, clicking here will take you to a real-time auction. You can set the maximum bid amount, and the system will automatically increase the bid for you."

"As for food and beverage services, you can see the menu after clicking on this menu."

She swiped her slender fingers across the screen a few times, entering an interface that looked like a bartending tutorial.

The interface features icons for dozens of base spirits, juices, and spices. You can drag different ingredients into a virtual shaker like building blocks, and the system will automatically generate a cocktail recipe, which will then be delivered to your private room by a waiter.

"You can mix your own drinks here, add whatever you like. The recipe database here was donated by our Lin family a few years ago, and some of the drink menus are only available in VIP rooms."

Ye Yang leaned over to look at the long list of unfamiliar foreign liquor names and French-labeled condiment options on the screen, then decisively leaned back on the sofa and waved his hand.

"Forget it, I can't pronounce half of these wine names, and the other half looks like the periodic table of elements. I'll just drink water."

He scrolled down the menu and found the drinks section.

Bottled water was listed first, and the volume and price below made his finger pause for a moment.

His eyes widened in surprise, then he jerked forward as if stung by something, letting out a cry of astonishment: "Holy crap! This tiny glass of mineral water costs over four hundred yuan?!"

Lin Xingran leaned halfway out from the sofa, glanced at Ye Yang with the look of someone who had been through it all, and then slowly spoke:

"That's not ordinary mineral water. Let me tell you, the water in Zhaixing Pavilion is extracted from the glacial meltwater of the snow-capped mountains in the North."

"That snow-capped mountain is several thousand meters high, and it is covered with snow all year round. The glacial meltwater has to go through several layers of natural filtration, and contains many kinds of minerals that are not found in ordinary water sources."

"The collection team can only go up the mountain to collect water in the summer. The transportation process is entirely cold chain. After arriving at Zhaixingge, it will undergo strict purification and taste adjustment."

"Moreover, each bottle of water has a unique number and collection date; the water you drink might be older than you."

Ye Yang looked down at the tablet, then looked up at Lin Xingran, whose face clearly said "I'm so amazing," and asked in confusion, "Isn't this a bit too much? Water even has numbers, why not create a family tree?"

"It really does have a lineage—every batch of glacial water can be traced back to the collection location and the people who collected it. Last time, a wealthy man bought a whole box of it and kept it at home like a family heirloom."

He said he'd open a bottle of tea when his grandson gets married, but I don't think his grandson would want to drink water older than himself.

Ye Yang looked down at the numbered glass of glacial mineral water in his hand, thought for a moment, then looked up at Lin Xingran and asked seriously, "Is it as good as milk tea?"

Lin Xingran was stunned for a while, her mind quickly comparing the difference between this cup of water with the family tree and the milk tea with pearls and coconut jelly that cost more than ten yuan a cup at the stall near her school.

Then she honestly shook her head: "No. Milk tea is sweet, but this water is weak. Although mineral water does taste smoother and softer than regular water, if you're talking about taste—milk tea is probably a hundred times better."

"Will I become stronger if I drink it?"

Lin Xingran shook her head again: "No. Although minerals are good for the body, it's impossible to become stronger just by drinking them. If you want to become stronger, you'd probably have to drink the equivalent of an entire swimming pool's worth."

"Will drinking this prolong my life?"

"No, that won't work either. The idea that drinking water can prolong life is a scam by health supplements. You can't even imagine buying a year's worth of lifespan for four hundred yuan. It's outrageous."

"That settles it then!" Ye Yang put the teacup on the coffee table, then spread his hands and summarized in a magnanimous tone that seemed to have seen through everything.

"Four hundred dollars—enough for me to buy a large cup of milk tea at the food street, with double the pearls and coconut jelly, and also a serving of grilled cold noodles. I could even buy a lollipop for each of Baozi and the others with the remaining money. But here I get a cup of water that's a little smoother than regular water, but it won't prolong my life or enhance my skills. So—give me a Coke."

Lin Ying chuckled softly beside her, her shoulders slightly shrugged, and her small, silvery-white eyelashes fluttered gently under the light.

Lin Yumin also looked up at Ye Yang, a faint smile in her deep brown eyes.

She put down her tablet and said with a hint of helplessness, "There's no Coke here."

After hearing this, Ye Yang leaned back on the sofa, covered his eyes with his hands, and let out an extremely exaggerated sigh:

"Why isn't there even any Coke? Isn't this supposed to be the world's largest auction? You don't even have Coke? You can sell glacial water for 400 yuan a cup, how come you can't even prepare two cases of Coke? This auction of yours is a complete failure."

He removed his hands from his eyes, leaned back on the sofa, looked at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and said in a suddenly nostalgic tone:

"Oh, I miss my Guojiao iced black tea. It's the best thing ever. A chilled drink for only three yuan a bottle, sitting on the rooftop in the summer, taking a sip while watching the sunset, it's so refreshing. Let me tell you, iced black tea with ice cubes tastes better than any champagne you drink in a banquet hall."

Lin Xingran shifted slightly as she lay on the sofa. She poked half her head out from the sofa, her short, wine-red hair disheveled from being rubbed against the cushions.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she asked with a hint of expectation in her voice:

"Wait a minute—what's iced black tea? Black tea is tea, right? Iced black tea, isn't that just iced tea? You just said it's sweet, like milk tea? Is it good? Why did you mention it with that nostalgic tone?"

"Iced tea is a beverage. It's black tea with lemon and sugar, then chilled. It tastes sweet and sour, more refreshing than cola, and more thirst-quenching than milk tea."

"The key point is that it's really cheap. You kids from wealthy families who've been drinking glacial mineral water since you were little probably don't know that there's such a thing as value for money."

Lin Xingran scratched his messy hair, looking somewhat confused.

"Is it really that good? Why have I never heard of it before? You're right, black tea with lemon and sugar, iced, does sound alright—but are there really places that sell this kind of drink? I've never seen it in Federal Supermarkets."

Ye Yang waved his hand, not bothering to explain further. He couldn't very well tell her that iced tea was a national drink in some country on Earth that didn't even exist in this world.

He leaned back on the sofa, a nostalgic smile still lingering on his lips.

At this moment, Lin Ying stood up from the sofa and tiptoed to Ye Yang's side.

She bent down slightly and pointed to the ordering interface on the tablet screen, which she found quite familiar. Her silvery-white hair slid down from her ears and gently fell beside Ye Yang's shoulder.

"How about I order for you? I know which things on the menu are good—I came here once with my older sister, and she let me try every single drink on the menu."

Ye Yang looked into her quiet, light gray eyes, then solemnly pushed the tablet towards her and said, "Please."

Lin Ying took the tablet with both hands, then lowered her head slightly to look at the screen, her fingers gently sliding across the menu.

Her eyelashes drooped slightly, casting very fine and faint shadows under the light, and a faint smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Xingran suddenly sat up from the sofa. She crossed her legs, propped her chin up with one hand, and glanced at Lin Ying, who was carefully ordering drinks for Ye Yang, before moving on to Lin Yumin, who was looking out the window.

Her expression unusually devoid of her usual carefree and playful demeanor, and her voice became more serious as she spoke:

"Big sister, do you really think anyone would be so foolish as to make a scene at this once-every-five-years auction? Even Dad has been called in to do security work."

"He left before dawn today, not to mention the Han family members and several plainclothes officers from the military region were also present. Not counting the bodyguards in the square outside, the energy barrier on the dome alone would be enough to give most people a hard time. If anyone dares to cause trouble here, how ruthless must they be?"

Lin Yumin placed her hands together in front of her and looked out the window at the security personnel who were patrolling in formation.

She remained silent for a while, then turned to look at the people in the private room and said in a calm voice:

"That being said, we should still be careful. Have you forgotten what happened at the mall last time? Besides, the Zero Organization is best known for infiltration."

"Their members are scattered across all social strata; some are wealthy businessmen, some are retired military officers, and some may even be on the list of buyers attending today's auction. They will be watching everything we do here."

As Ye Yang listened to Lin Yumin's words, his gaze lingered for a moment on the tablet on the coffee table.

Just then, the door to the private room was knocked on several times from the outside.

Before the knocking had even finished, Han Shuang's voice rang out loudly from outside the door: "Lin Xingran! Open the door! It's me—your father!"

Lin Xingran sprang up from the sofa. She flung open the door to the private room and roared at the grinning face outside, "Dare you say that in front of my dad?!"

Han Shuang poked half her body in from outside the door, made a face at Lin Xingran, and then slipped in from beside Lin Xingran like an eel.

Han Li followed behind her and nodded slightly to Lin Xingran.

Zhou Zhi walked at the very back with a calm and elegant gait, her hands clasped in front of her, the hem of her cheongsam swaying gently with her movements.

Ye Yang looked at the three uninvited guests and asked with some curiosity, "You three—don't you have your own private room? What are you doing here?"

Han Shuang had already squeezed down next to Lin Xingran and sat down, and even picked up a pastry from the coffee table and stuffed it into her mouth.

"It was so boring there. I was all alone in my private room, and Han Li just kept walking back and forth in the corridor, completely ignoring me. The only entertainment I had in there was counting how many pieces of glass were in the dome. It's so much more lively here with so many people, and Lin Xingran is here too. I can argue with her when I'm bored."

Zhou Zhi calmly sat down on another single sofa, then picked up the teacup on the coffee table and took a small sip.

"And we can also help you find what you need, right? I've looked at the auction list, and there are a few items involving Silent Beast Cells and rare medicinal herbs, which are exactly the kind of things you're looking for, Ye Yang."

"My eyes are getting tired from watching all this alone in the private room, so I thought I'd come and watch it with you all. We can take pictures together and then split them later. The Zhou family doesn't need those; my main task is to identify the medicinal herbs."

Listening to her nonchalant tone and glancing at the open document on her coffee table, Ye Yang thought that this Miss Zhou had probably planned to come here a long time ago.

Just then, a distant and solemn bell rang out from downstairs.

The bells rang nine times in a row, echoing several times under the dome before slowly dissipating.

Han Shuang immediately stopped arguing with Lin Xingran, Zhou Zhi gently put down her teacup, and Han Li subconsciously straightened up.

Lin Yumin turned slightly to face the floor-to-ceiling window.

A circular platform in the center of the auction hall was slowly rising. A ring of golden lights was embedded around the edge of the solid marble platform, giving it a warm glow under the light.

An elderly man dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit stood on the platform.

He was probably in his sixties, with his gray hair neatly combed.

The old man had a kind and gentle face, with a warm smile on his lips, and even the Zhongshan suit he was wearing gleamed softly under the light.

He walked to the center of the stage, bowed slightly to the audience, and then raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

His movements were very light, but the noise in the entire auction hall instantly quieted down.

He smiled at the audience, his gentle voice carrying to every corner: "Distinguished guests, good morning. Welcome to the Star-Picking Pavilion—"

Ye Yang sat on the sofa, looking at the kind-faced old man on the stage through the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

His brow furrowed slightly, and he tapped his chin several times with his fingers.

He felt that the old man looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

He turned to look at Lin Yumin standing by the window, and asked with a hint of confusion in his voice:

"Who is this old man? He looks so familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't remember where."

Lin Yumin followed his gaze to the old man in a Zhongshan suit in the center of the stage, and then said, "He is the organizer of the auction, the head of the Zhaixing Pavilion, and also the honorary lifetime president of the Federal Auction Association."