sjar Chapter 7: Breath as fragrant as orchids, words as enigmatic as a deep well.
Chapter 7: Breath as fragrant as orchids, words as enigmatic as a deep well.
The auction has begun.
The stage lights were bright and dazzling, and the auction items were brought out one by one and placed on the display stand in the middle of the stage.
The auction was hosted by a woman with a loud, clear voice, a standard broadcasting tone, and she was very professional.
The first item auctioned was a jade pagoda string, decorated with a beast-face pattern made of intricate incised lines.
The starting bid given by the host was 50.
Sitting next to Wen Tingye, Ning Yao could see that the workmanship was exquisite and flawless, but she had no idea what the maximum value was. She would have to rely on Xiao Liu to check it out, since she was the one who truly possessed this spiritual spring ability.
Little Liu looked at the items on the display stand not far away in the space, examining each pattern with utmost care. After a while, he quietly told his mother the maximum price.
He then continued to silently observe the handsome man who appeared to be his father in the space.
People behind Ning Yao were already starting to get restless and were raising their paddles to bid, but she calmly crossed her legs, looking relaxed.
Her dress had a side slit, which revealed her slender, fair legs, making her incredibly alluring.
"What are your thoughts, Mr. Ning?" Wen Tingye casually picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and swallowed noticeably.
Strangely enough, Wen Tingye had seen many women with more alluring and sexy figures than Ning Yao, but only Ning Yao gave him a strange feeling. Even just seeing her legs made his heart heat up, and his body felt strange as a result.
Ning Yao smiled, raised her long, beautiful hand and beckoned to Wen Tingye, signaling him to come closer.
This is not a suitable occasion for loud conversations, as it avoids having others overhear one's bids and judgments. Whispering is naturally more convenient.
Wen Tingye's eyes darkened slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he leaned closer.
Ning Yao whispered her opinion in his ear, her lips moving slightly.
Wen Tingye suppressed his inner turmoil, his brows furrowing slightly as he glanced towards the display stand.
The auction price had already been driven up to 700,000, and no one was bidding any higher. The auctioneer had already picked up the gavel and was ready to count down.
When the auctioneer called out "two," Ning Yao glanced at Wen Tingye and saw that he hadn't made a bid yet.
If you don't raise your paddle soon, this good thing will slip away.
Just as the auctioneer was about to strike the gavel, Ning Yao raised her paddle and called out with a smile, "One million."
Previously, everyone was adding 20,000 to the price, since it wasn't a well-known antique in the industry. In most people's eyes, this thing was only worth 600,000 to 700,000, and it wasn't worth adding any more.
Unexpectedly, the woman beside Wen Tingye immediately added 300,000 yuan, directly driving the price of the jade artifact to one million yuan.
"Is the lady accompanying President Wen out of her mind? It's just a single beaded necklace with an animal face pattern. The craftsmanship is valuable, but how could this thing be worth a million?"
"She's either stupid and rich, or she's just trying to show off because she's a woman brought by President Wen."
Ning Yao heard a few people whispering behind her, but she didn't pay any attention to it.
What do they know? This jade piece is worth a million; getting it would be a huge profit!
"Any further bids? One million once, one million twice, one million three times, deal!"
As the auctioneer brought down the gavel, Ning Yao's eyebrows curved into crescents, her eyes brimming with laughter, making her look like a cunning fox.
Wen Tingye watched thoughtfully from the side, finding this woman truly interesting, seemingly unlike any other woman he had ever met.
Ning Yao was oblivious to Wen Tingye's gaze, completely absorbed in the joy of making money.
She really made a fortune; her precious little sixth child has helped her earn a lot of money over the years.
The money she used to start the company was the first pot of gold she and her daughter made in the jade gambling market.
"Excuse me, miss, may I pass?"
Suddenly, a gentle and polite voice came from behind Ning Yao, like a warm April breeze sweeping across the earth, but it sent chills down Ning Yao's spine.
The person behind her was Ning Yao's fiancé, Shen Haoxuan, dressed in a black tuxedo and wearing a gold half-face mask.
The woman holding his arm was his "good sister" Ning Man. As if afraid that others wouldn't know she was a young lady from the Ning family, the white veil on her face was almost transparent, serving no purpose whatsoever in terms of masking her face.
When Ning Yao saw the two of them, the hatred from her past life surged up, and she wished she could tear them apart and smash their bones to pieces immediately, but she knew that now was not the time.
Ning Yao, disguised and masked, remained calm and slowly lowered her leg with elegant movements.
Shen Haoxuan and Ning Man brushed past Ning Yao, completely unaware that this woman was the one they had been searching for for many years.
They sat down not far to Ning Yao's left and front, whispering intimately without any attempt to hide their relationship, probably because Ning Yao had been missing for many years and no one remembered that Shen Haoxuan was Ning Yao's fiancé.
Ning Yao's gaze remained fixed on them without them noticing, but it did attract Wen Tingye's attention.
Ever since the Shen family heir came over to talk to her, the woman beside her seemed to have changed her mood.
"Does President Ning know President Shen and Miss Ning?"
Wen Tingye's voice interrupted Ning Yao's thoughts. She turned her head to look at Wen Tingye, and alarm bells immediately went off in her mind.