56 Liu Ruyan

"Hmm, suspicious..."

Zhang Cai stared at certain direction with a white straw, leading to a box of soy juice placed between her lips. On her side, Hongyan chewed on the chicken nugget while her pair of phoenix-like eyes observed her colleague behavior.

"I think you just exaggerate," she raised the chopstick to her mouth and took another bite of the nugget.

"You seriously think nothing happened between those two?" Zhang Cai glanced at her before refocused her attention.

Three table away from them, Naruto and Mingyu sat together with a unique box lunch put on their table. They held each own chopsticks and ate together the fried egg balls with mayonnaise and chili sauces.

"Considering what Mingyu's going through yesterday, I think it's fair to say they relationship grow closer," Hongyan left cheek puffed as she processed the food inside.

"But why they ate separately from us?" Her violet iris eyeing the pair who conversed with a glee on their face.

"Well, Mingyu did say she want to properly thank him."

"But their behavior was too intimate, I mean Mingyu even wiped the sauce from his mouth!"

"What's the big deal about that? I'll do the same if I'm in her position."

"You could just tell him."

"And that solve what? Is more effective if I just do it myself."

"What's wrong with you?" She glanced at the ponytail woman who ate in her leisure, she gave a strong suck on the straw, "stop defending them!"

"I'm not!" Hongyan shook her head, "I just thought it's a normal relationship between friends."

"You are so helpless..." Zhang Cai sighed.

"Finish your food, don't waste your time by spying on them!"

Zhang Cai picked her chopstick and picked up her rice while eyes still fixed on them, ignoring her colleague who shook her head, waving her ponytail left and right.

Naruto twitched his lips as he sensed someone familiar's eyes settled on him and Mingyu, "Sister Cai seems like have an itchy eyeball."

"Ignored her, the girl likes to poke her nose around," Mingyu giggled.

Naruto grinned brightly with his eyes smiled along, "Maybe she's jealous."

"Well don't think yourself highly, not all the girl fall in love with you," she curled her lips.

"I'm talking about you, maybe she got a crush on you," a laugh punched through his mouth.

"Yeah? Maybe I should bail on you, chase after her instead?" She rolled her eyes.

"I don't judge," Naruto shrugged, then nodding excitedly, "I also don't mind watching girls playing some skinship, bonding time moment!"

"In your dream pervy!" She picked a fried eggball and forced it inside his mouth. His face full of agony while munching the food before gave it a big swallow and let out a mouthful of air. She giggled a bit before handed him her homemade pumpkin juice. His throat made three gulp movement then put down the rounded flask.

"You almost choke me to death..." Naruto bitterly looked at her.

"But it worked out in the end, right?" She blinked her eyes in an innocent manner.

"Sure it does, though I feared if eating it whole would cause the egg turn to a chicken later then live inside my tummy..." Naruto body shuddered.

"Oh, then why munching it, it will be fun grooming a chicken inside your stomach!"

"Sure... A man and a chicken inside his tummy, not weird at all, people can take a picture of me and post it in their Chirper, fun as hell!" Naruto snorted as he took a sip of the juice.

Mingyu laughed as she held her mouth, Naruto's face looked dazed a while then he scratched his cheek, "Mingyu, you are beautiful today..."

Red adorning her cheek, she smiled shyly while her fingers caressed a strand, "do you like my new style?"

Her previous hairs had its front length reached up until it hit her chest, her back hair fell loosely to her back, and a bang covered her forehead. Now, she tucked her left side behind the ear and pinned it with an orange ribbon, she shortened the back till it reached her neck, and she trimmed her bang into the right side, exposing the left portion of her forehead. Another color also accompanied her purple streak.

He nodded in spellbound, "how do you know I like orange?"

She smiled, "I don't." Her eyes looked at the painted thread, "At first I wanted to give it yellow or golden but I realized it doesn't match with my based hair, then I remember something about you..."

"And what is that?"

She curled her lips, "You're mysterious. You harbor normal people air but you can do things that people like me impossible to achieve, but you unwilling to use it unless it was absolutely necessary, thus I thought you like a darker color."

Naruto startled, his lips curved into a smile, "That's an amazing guess..."

"It just a luck..." She spat her tongue.

"Well, I'm not denying the luck part. The reason I like orange has nothing to do with me being mysterious," his eyes revealed a reminiscent light.

"That's a shame, maybe because it used to be your favorite clothes back when you still a child?" She tilted her head and looked upward.

"No, in fact, I hate orange at that time. It grew on me when I'm a teenager," he laughed.

"Oh, then why?" She clasped an egg and took a bite.

"Let's just say something inspire me to take a liking upon it."

"Still playing mysterious, huh?" She chewed on her food.

"Men gotta have their secret, besides, it boosting my charm doesn't it?" His lips curved one side.

"That it does," she let out a giggle.

They continued chatting happily until Zhang Cai and Zhao Hongyan came over then returned together to their work floor.

Somewhere miles away from Yu Lei, a building with a green shade shone on its surface, in a room where gold and red decorated their space, people wore expensive suits and dresses sat together on their own seats. A charming presenter stood on the stage positioned in the front of audience arranged seats, "Before we enter the main event, let us hear a couple of words from Liu Corporation CEO, Ms. Liu Ruyan!"

A figure clad in a red dress stood from the first row seats and minced toward the stairs leading to the stage. Her smoking hot figure and rosy fair skin bubbled every male's blood in the room. She swayed her slim waist as she climbed the stairs, making her heart shaped bottom enticingly turned left and right, drowning every man with their own drool. The triangular face she owned and the face's attributes that decorating it made some part of the audience thought she's part of goddess lineage while another thought she's part of vixen lineage.

Alarm sound rung inside Ruoxi's mind, despite her careless attitude toward her own beauty, she actually took a pride of it and felt the woman in front possessed the appearance that harbored a threat for her, Must not let Naruto see her, ever!

Poor Liu Ruyan, blacklisted by every female in the room by just appear on the stage.

"Ahem, thank you, first of all, I want to say thank you for the city Mayor for gracing us with his presence in this hall, I hope you find our hospitalities live up to your expectation, second..."

Her voice sang throughout the space, introducing every person who occupied the first row seats, but Ruoxi noticed, out of seven people who sat there, she only introduced five of them.

Why she purposely missed the other two?

"Charity, a kindness from people who contributing the part of their wealth to those in needs around them. It's not only in a form of green cash but also foods, medicines, shirts, and many other based on the requirement. They donated it individually or through much available organization or event such as You Not Alone or White Cross, depended on their own field, but today!

Today... we focused on the hope school and the orphanage, two places with different names yet actually correlate and inseparable. They shared the same objective and one objective only! The well-being of the children...

The children, who left by their parents on the desolate side road, cramped inside a dirty box blended in with the rubbish around, they cried... shouted their lonely soul, feeling unwanted and scared, but no one cares, no one... not to mention a proper study, even a cluster of breadcrumbs they failed to gain... These two places are their only hope.

A hope for them to regain their human right! A hope for them to rise back on their feet!

A hope to be loved... to feel safe and warm... a place where someone put them on the soft bed, coated them with a warm blanket, and sent their sleep with a beautiful lullaby.

But these places, they not a miracle worker, they need support, they need our support; money for provisions, materials for walls, books for studies, medicines for healths. Where they could have that beside from our bits of help? Which arms shall help them if not our arms?

Remember, your hand gives hope to these places, a place where more hopes will be nurtured and groomed, where they can create a better future for our world, and it all starts... from your hand."

Silent visited the hall as if a giant vacuum sucked all the sounds away, tranquil froze the people's face, and peace embraced every soul, one by one.

Ruoxi closed her eyes, even when applaud started ringing, her solemn face remained the same akin to an impenetrable fortress.

"They have a wounded soul," a man voice reverberated within her mind, "I'm just a man who tried to make them happy, no matter what cost I have to pay."

"Ruoxi, if one day a hand reached for your help," a venerable woman voice penetrated her mind, "you should try to grasp it, no matter on what cost."

Ruoxi opened her lids, a sad smile curved her lips, "these two... why so keen on helping people?"

Liu Ruyan smiled, she handed the microphone back at the presenter.

"Thank you for the speech Ms. Liu, it's very touching and heartful." Her voice shivered with a light wave, "next, the event that many guests have await, let us delay no more and begin together the banquet auction~"

Cai Yan stared at the stage with a bored expression, "Remind me again why we follow this auction?"

"Don't you hear the speech? We're helping people!" Ruoxi said without looking at her.

"Yeah, I helped people by throwing scums to the jail every day," she sneered, "besides, no matter how cute they promoted this event, it still no more than a place for rich people to flaunt their wealth and show off they so-called benevolent."

"Yanyan, mind your words," cold sweat broke from her forehead as she felt angry gazes directed toward them, "you offended these people!"

"They should be, no one like the truth after all," Cai Yan closed her eyes and crossed her arms, she leaned her back against the chair as if she prepared to sleep.

"Yanyan..." Ruoxi sighed with a sadness filled her heart, she knew the reason why Cai Yan so aggressive toward this people, one of the reasons why her sister was taken away in the past because of the agreement made by the rich people and her parent. It's her the one they supposed to take but her sister sacrificed herself instead, thus Cai Yan bore hatred to these kinds of people.

On the stage covered in a red carpet, a man with a box in his hand walked from the backstage, he stopped in the center and faced toward the audience.

"The first item of the auction today, a piece of porcelain hail from the era of Qing Dynasty, it's inspired from the art of Han ethnicity who famous for their early practice of Taoism..."

As the presenter talked about the background of the item, the man beside her opened the box and exhibited a white vase with a black peony patterned on its surface. The vase outline resembled of a woman hourglass figure with an extremely thin waist and the size it possessed reached a bit over one foot.

A lot pair of eyes started gleaming with an excitement, after all, the art displayed in front of them categorized as an antique crafted at millennia years ago, definitely made every die-hard history collector heart rose in enthusiasm the moment their eyes laid upon it.

"The starting price begins from 100,000 dollars and increment each bid at least 50,000 dollars..." The presenter threw a charming smiled at the audience, "you may begin... now!"

"I bid 150,000!"

"200,000!"

"350,000!"

"600,000!"

"800,000!"

"1,000,000!"

"4,000,000!"

No other people sounded after the last bid, the presenter's eyes swept the audience, "4,000,000 million? Is there anyone willing to beat this price?" Whisperers clattered at every side of the crowds, hushing and buzzing entered her both ears, "I'll begin the countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... sold!" The presenter clapped her hand in a cheerful manner, "the peony vase go to Young Master Chen at the price 4,000,000 dollars!"

"Esteemed guest wishes to claim the item or we should deliver it into your residence?"

"Deliver it to my residence!"

"Noted! Next, the second item will be..."

After the peony vase, the auction started selling their items in sequence: 500,000 dollars jade pendant, 200,000 dollars old painting, 350,000 dollars antique flute, and 100,000 dollars pearl necklace. There is little bit fiasco after the selling of jade pendant, apparently, people dissed the man who bought it, calling him a fool and started insulting him, a woman with ojou-san appearance came by and joining the crowd, then the man who bought the pendant shockingly slapped this ojou-san, then a fight broke out.

Because Cai Yan is not on her duty, she's too lazy to help clear out the fight, she even mocking them, telling them a bunch of children who fight over a stupid pendant. Yeah, since Ruoxi and Cai Yan much less have no clue about antique at all they both actually harbor the same thought. Few minutes passed, the conflict solved and the man seemly wanted to go home, but the beauty beside him, which caused another alarm broke inside Ruoxi but not as terrible as the Liu Ruyan woman since this beauty looked like had cold temperament, stopped the man from going and they sat back in the first row.

Naruto couldn't possibly like cold beauty right? Who like a woman with such temperament?

"Alright, we finally reached the last item for today's auction..." the presenter frowned a bit before awkwardly smiled toward the audience, "regarding this item, we actually not really clear about its background, it said that once this item used by a knight who fights under a British king but committed a treachery by having an affair with the king's wife."

"Wait, are you saying..." One of the audience called out in alarm, "you saying this item used by Lancelot?!"

"What?!"

"Are you serious?!"

"The treacherous knight Lancelot?!"

The audience started clamoring like a bunch of people on a market, they shouted the presenter to quickly showed them the item.

"Esteemed guests, please calm down!" She started panicking and glanced at the man beside her, he nodded and ran toward the backstage, then come with a quite large item covered in a white sheet on his hand. The people roared with another exciting tone, some even stood from their seat to gain a better view.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present it you, Arondight!" She walked closer to the man and pulled down the white sheet.

"..." everyone face froze, their previous burning spirit toned down as quickly as an apple fell from their tree. That's Arondight? A black charcoal piece of stick that imitated a figure of a sword? A magical supreme sword that cast a darkness upon an army and swallowed their soul into eternal nothingness, just a mere sword with absolute blackness that made the cheapest iron sword even looked fantastic?

"Are you kidding me?!"

"What is that?! A wrought fence?!"

"Even my brother wooden sword far better than that piece of shit!"

"You moron, you don't have a brother!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I mean my neighbor brother!"

The presenter face filled with a paleness, she glanced at Liu Ruyan who frowned her seductive face, it seems she felt discontent with this 'over-menacing' looking sword. She stood up, turned around, and faced the high-class angry mob, she bent her body, "On the behalf of Liu Corporation, I'm very sorry for the insult we cause, as the compensation, everyone in this hall can buy all of our product with 20% discount!"

She sure lived up to her reputation and position as CEO, as soon she said her piece of words, the overreacting audience piped down in the instant, sat peacefully on their seats with joy in their face.

Liu Ruyan nodded, she glanced at the presenter, "Get rid that garbage!"

"R-right away CEO!" She wiped the cold sweat on her head, and about to cover the sword with a white sheet once again.

"Wait!" A feminine voice from audience halted her action, causing the presenter eyes to glance at the source with confused eyes, not only her but the rest of participant also directed their gaze, even Liu Ruyan who face glossed with a doubt.

"I take the sword," Ruoxi stood from her seat and faced her front with an absolute poker-face.

Silent.

Everyone stared at her as if she's an unidentified flying object which just strolled in the sky.

"I-I'm sorry, I must hear it wrong, are you saying you buy this sword?" The presenter wrinkled her eyebrows.

Ruoxi nodded her head without any hesitation.

*Boom!*

A nuclear explosion just went off in everyone mind, followed by a massive shockwave toward its surrounding, shivering every pair of lips that present before they made a gap and a deafening laugh burst out.

"Bahahaha!"

Everyone laughed as if it was the funniest joke they ever heard, their body trembling in ridicule and face full of mock. Ruoxi kept her poker face steady despite her inside already shedding tears.

Stupid Naruto, asshole, jerk, evil, pervert, animal! her mind threw every insult and curse recorded in her vocabulary then launched them all at once toward a certain blondie who yawned while playing minesweeper in his computer.

*Pa!*

"Stop playing and help me copy this!" Mo Qianni appeared behind him as she smacked his head with the files.

"Oh crap, Chief Mo! I'm not playing! This is what we called "trap-avoiding practice"!" Naruto abruptly stood from his chair with a pale face.

"I don't care! Get this done in 10!" Mo Qianni snorted. He grabbed the files and dashed toward the printer's center. Mo Qianni looked at his disappearing figure before glanced at his computer, her eyes looked toward her surrounding, then she leaned toward the monitor and clicked his mouse.

<Sorry, you lost this game, better luck next time>

Oh, shoot! She turned around and left his desk in a swift.

"Shut up! You dare to laugh at her, I'll rip your tongue!" Back at the banquet, Cai Yan stood from her chair and glared frostily at them. Most people zipped their hole immediately, few actually still sneering. Cai Yan lingered her eyes for a couple of seconds then turned her face with a worry, "Xixi, are you OK?"

"I'm fine Yanyan, thank you," Ruoxi nodded and smiled at her bosomy friend.

"Xixi, are you really want to buy that item?" Cai Yan wrinkled her eyebrows.

"Yes, he trusted me to buy this for him, even if it was a piece of garbage, I won't let him down!" A clear conviction reflected on her eyes.

"He? Your boyfriend?" She frowned.

Ruoxi nodded slowly, Cai Yan gritted her teeth, "I'm gonna beat the shit out of your boyfriend for making you laughing stock like this!"

Ruoxi shook her head, "I'm forcing this on my self, he even told me not to insist on buying it."

Cai Yan startled before she let out a sigh, "Woman in love is scary indeed..." she turned her face and smiled at her, "Go on, I'll support you, Xixi."

"Yanyan..." Ruoxi smiled beautifully before she turned her face back at the presenter, "so how about it? What's the starting price?"

"It's..." The presenter gave out a ponder expression, "a hundred... dollars?"

"Deal!"

The presenter wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, this today event full of weird events for her, "So the uh... Arondight sold for a hundred dollars to miss..."

"Lin Ruoxi."

Gasped could be heard anywhere in the place, people started whispering among themselves. Some shook their head in pity, the other sneered without restraint.

"I couldn't believe this is goddess Lin..."

"Yeah, we can see four beauty today, clearly not a waste of time."

"Sadly, she seems not quite right in the head?"

"I heard the Xu young master relentlessly chasing after her, maybe she frustrated and you know... became a loony?"

"Such a shame..."

Ignoring the audience rambling, Ruoxi stared at the presenter with a solemn expression, the presenter nodded her head, raising her hand to clap, she said at the same time, "the famous sir Lancelot sword, Arondight go to Miss Lin Ruoxi at the price-!"

"Wait!" When she about to clash her palm, another beauty with cold yet elegant voice halted her movement, she rolled her eyes and glanced toward her, "what can I do to help you, Ms. Xue?"

"I want to bid!"