My disciple, you are now invincible. Go down the mountain and wreak havoc on the world!

Ye Xunhuan slowly raised the bidding paddle above his head, casting a faint shadow under the light of the crystal chandelier.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the young man in the first row below the stage, who was chewing on candy and had his legs crossed.

He raised the price twice and then backed down twice. Everyone assumed he was just a cheapskate who only knew how to use petty tricks to disgust Young Master Lu.

Who would have thought he would dare to accept the five-hundred-year-old ice lotus as the grand finale?

In the private room on the second floor, Lu Mingchen paused, holding a glass of red wine, and then chuckled.

The voice, amplified through the microphone, reverberated throughout the venue, carrying undisguised contempt:

"Fifty million."

"Whoosh—"

The entire audience erupted in chaos.

The starting bid was five million, and it immediately doubled to ten million before anyone even raised their paddle.

The young master of the Lu family jumped straight to fifty million?

"Young Master Lu is serious! Fifty million for a single ice lotus? That's outrageous!"

"They're clearly trying to kill this kid!"

"Fifty million? Even if the Su family were at its peak, let alone now that things are going badly for them, they wouldn't just casually spend fifty million on a single flower!"

"Let's see how this kid tries to put on an act this time."

"He dared to raise the price for the first two herbs because he knew he could back out. But if he dares to match the price for Ice Lotus, Young Master Lu will swindle him out of everything!"

The murmurs surged like a tide. Su Qingyuan's fingertips were icy cold as she gripped Ye Xunhuan's sleeve, her voice trembling slightly.

"Xunhuan, how about... we forget about it and think of another way? Fifty million is too outrageous."

She knew that the Ice Lotus was the key to saving her grandfather, but she couldn't let herself be taken advantage of like this!

Lu Mingchen was clearly trying to frame and harm her, and wanted to destroy the Su family.

If you continue to follow him, you'll only be dragged down by him.

Ye Xunhuan didn't move, the orange-flavored lollipop in his mouth crunching loudly.

The candy stick twirled between my fingers, and I almost dropped it.

He's had this problem since he was a child. He's incredibly skilled at needlework and knife handling, but he always slips when spinning a candy stick or a pen. His female classmates on the mountain have laughed at him for over a decade for not being able to change it.

"What's the rush?" he mumbled, not even lifting his eyelids, as if he didn't care about fifty million at all.

"If he has money, let him shout. The higher he shouts, the more miserable he'll be in tears later."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his chin. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the quiet meeting room.

Two hundred million.

"..."

The air froze instantly.

The buzzing discussion, which had been going on just moments before, abruptly ceased as if someone had snapped their neck.

The host stood on the stage, almost dropping the microphone in his hand, his mouth agape for a long time without making a sound, thinking he had misheard.

Two hundred million? Fifty million was already outrageous enough, but this guy quadrupled it? The guests below the stage looked at each other, completely dumbfounded, and even held their breath.

Several well-known wealthy people from Jiangnan Province sat up straight in the front row, and their gazes toward Ye Xunhuan changed completely.

Someone who can casually bid 200 million for medicinal herbs can't possibly be some gigolo living with his wife!

Even if the Su family sold the entire company, they might not be able to come up with 200 million yuan in working capital!

Su Qingyuan turned her head sharply to look at him, her eyes wide open, completely dumbfounded.

"Ye Xunhuan! Are you crazy? You shouted two hundred million!" "That...that's two hundred million!"

Even if she didn't know much about it, she would know that although a five-hundred-year-old ice lotus was rare, its market price was at most twenty or thirty million. Two hundred million was an astronomical price, a complete sucker!

Ye Xunhuan turned his head to look at her, a smile playing on his lips. His warm gaze swept over her reddened eyes, and he reached out to ruffle her hair in a natural and affectionate gesture.

"What's the rush? It's not like you have to pay."

"Besides, if he dares to say my woman is begging on the streets, shouldn't he pay the price?"

His tone was light and casual, but there was no smile in his eyes.

Anyone who dares to mess with him will be skinned alive if they dare to utter a single curse.

In the private room on the second floor, Lu Mingchen's smile froze completely, and the wine glass in his hand slammed onto the table with a "clatter," spilling wine all over the table.

"Two hundred million?" He gritted his teeth, his face so dark it could drip water. "Where did this pretty boy get so much money?" His assistant panicked and quickly said, "Young Master Lu, could it be that the Su family secretly left a backup plan?"

"Or... is the Shen family backing him up?"

"The Shen family?" Lu Mingchen sneered. "Even if Shen Wenbai has some connections with him, he wouldn't possibly spend two hundred million to go crazy for him! I think he's just bluffing, deliberately raising the price to rip me off!"

He stared intently at the languid figure below the stage, his heart burning with rage.

Lu Mingchen has been running rampant in Jiangnan Province for so many years, and no one has ever dared to slap him in the face like this!

"If he gets screwed over by a live-in son-in-law today, how will he ever face anyone again?!"

Lu Mingchen's voice rang out again, filled with suppressed rage, echoing throughout the entire venue:

"Ye Xunhuan, if you have the guts, keep going! I want to see how long you can keep up your stubbornness!"

Three hundred million!

The hearts of all the guests jumped.

This is no longer about photographing medicinal herbs; this is a complete falling out and a fierce battle!

Buying a lotus flower for 300 million? Nobody would believe it if I told them!

Su Qingyuan's heart was in her throat, and she was about to pull Ye Xunhuan's arm to stop him from acting impulsively.

Then the person next to him chuckled, took the candy stick out of his mouth, twirled it casually between his fingers, and almost dropped it into his hand.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, secretly counting on his fingers how many zeros were in five hundred million—

He's never been good at math, and the senior sister is always the one who helps with accounting on the mountain. He never takes this little thing to heart.

After confirming that he hadn't miscounted, he looked up at the direction of the private room on the second floor, his voice casual yet irritating.

"Five hundred million." Ye Xunhuan looked at Lu Mingchen with an infuriating smile.

"Hey, Lu Mingchen, if your Lu family suddenly experiences a stock price crash, a bank run, cash flow problems, or is short of funds, just say so. I'll give it to you. Don't try to put on a show of wealth when you're not. It would be embarrassing if you couldn't pay and got thrown out."

A single sentence, seemingly casual, felt like a slap across Lu Mingchen's face.

Five hundred million!

The entire venue fell into complete silence; not even a breath could be heard.

Everyone looked at Ye Xunhuan as if he were a monster.

Five hundred million for a single lotus flower?

This isn't just being taken advantage of, this is insane!

Even the richest man in Jiangnan Province wouldn't squander money like this!

Su Qingyuan was speechless, feeling dizzy and her hand holding Ye Xunhuan was trembling.

Five hundred million! Even selling her wouldn't be worth that much!

Shen Wenbai sat next to him, his hand trembling as he could barely hold his teacup, and his lips twitched.

He knew Ye Xunhuan had a powerful background, but he didn't expect him to be this generous!

Five hundred million, just shouted out like that, without even blinking?

In the private room on the second floor, Lu Mingchen's temples were throbbing with veins, his chest was heaving violently, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

"Five hundred million? He laughed in anger."

"Good! Very good! Let's see how I'll trick him to death! Six..."

He was about to shout "six hundred million" when the door to the private room was suddenly kicked open.

The assistant rushed in, pale-faced and trembling with tears in his eyes: "Young Master Lu! Something terrible has happened!"