Amidst the commotion, the tone of Ling Qingyu's whisper with Yang Qingyue was hard to discern but Tang Ziyi, Xiao Yue and Athena heard it clearly.
Before Tang Ziyi took action, Athena was swifter. Ling Qingyu's phone vibrated, capturing her attention.
She swiped the screen and discovered a message written by her cheap daughter. It was the information of the man, who was provoking her to spend more or attempting to suppress her rising prestige.
In any case, the man was already an eyesore and enemy of Ling Qingyu. Athena quickly stated the reason why the man was against her.
He was a close confidante of a fat guy who tried to encroach or commit sexual harassment. Now, Ling Qingyu understood but she didn't forget to raise the price.
"7.8 million." Her lips curled as she thought teaching this guy a memorable lesson. Offending her meant he would soon be in trouble.
Of course, so long as the man's hands were clean and had no stain of innocent blood, Ling Qingyu wouldn't retaliate too much.
Nonetheless, having a close relationship with the fat guy meant the above conjecture was impossible. The same flock of birds lived and ate together.
"7.9 mill—"
"8 million." Ling Qingyu interrupted. The price rose more and more until Ling Qingyu uttered: "12 million!"
Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at her so-called competitor. The man hesitated a little but still added another 100,000 yuan.
Every time Ling Qingyu uttered a number, he always added the same amount. This was already breaking the hidden unspoken rules among the riches.
Nobody said anything but their disdains expressed everything. No one liked having a person always finding troubles by their side like the man did. Who could say he wouldn't affect the rest?
Perhaps because the man only targeted Ling Qingyu the majority endured but once it spread the man wasn't far from trouble. The man also felt it but what could they do? He hadn't broken any laws or rules.
And he only aimed his action against Ling Qingyu. Maybe some other rich individual thought the same as him to suppress Ling Qingyu's momentum.
Many already predicted the reputation Ling Qingyu gained tonight already overwhelmed theirs. In the coming future, they might even have to crawl before Ling Qingyu, with her talent and luck.
"15 million." Ling Qingyu waited for the man's next move and as expected he followed. But this time Ling Qingyu didn't open his mouth.
The man became anxious; he didn't want to pay a colossal amount just for a mere pair of vases. Despite the deep cultural heritage, it was also a bit straining for him to pay more than 15 million yuan.
"Going once...going twice..." The host, knowing more about the world, slowed down his pacing and each of his hammers struck the man, fighting against Ling Qingyu, to panic.
The host knowingly waited for a while, feasting on many eager expressions and generating heat amongst the guests. To be frank, Shen family was also reluctant to auction the item, but if they didn't, the entire auction would become a laughingstock, where the family couldn't even come up with an excellent collectible.
What was unfolded on the stage was a piece of pearl jewelry. A large gorgeous natural pearl attached underneath shiny diamonds and strings of smaller pearl beads to form a necklace.
A mere reflection from the light illuminated the entire hall. Seeing the crowds about to move, the host professionally controlled the rhythm and introduced its history.
This pearl dated back to 600 years ago, witnessing the rise and fall of several dynasties. Originally, the jewelry was only made from a single big natural pearl, bought by the earl for his loving wife from the southeastern sea.
Later on, the possession changed hands through several officials and nobles until it reached the empress dowager and then got lost after the fall of the dynasty.
Through various hands, the jewelry was upgraded with additional diamonds and beads of smaller pearls. Owning one satisfied vanity because the pearl had been touched by various high-class ladies.
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Ling Qingyu listened with relish, not moved at all by the legends because she wasn't planning to own one at all. In contrast to many ladies with greed, she seemed too nonchalant.
Although Ling Qingyu decided to let go, the women around her would never do that. Ling Yunxiang, Zhao Xiurong, Xiao Yue and even Yang Qingyue pierced their gazes at her.
Ling Qingyu rubbed her skin and asked back with fright. The intensity her companions stared at her scared the baby to death, Ling Qingyu uttered inwardly. "What are you girls looking at?"
"Sis, you must get that jewelry." Ling Yunxiang said with gritted teeth.
"President Ling, if I have the wealth, I would participate but I can't." Zhao Xiurong sighed and said. "Just one moment for me to hold it in my arms."
"What about you, Sister Yang?" Ling Qingyu glanced at Yang Qingyue strangely. "I thought you're like me, who isn't interested in those aspects."
"Not like you, I also want to be beautiful. It's just my demand isn't much. But this time, I also want to see what it looks like on my body." Yang Qingyue replied.
Xiao Yue said nothing but her gaze explained everything. Fortunately, Tang Ziyi seemed uninterested like hers but the moment Xiao Yue expressed desire, she signaled Ling Qingyu—You better move your ass!
Being threatened and pressured by her companions, Ling Qingyu swallowed and decided to enter the bidding 'willingly'. She already saw her sister and secretary displaying their greed too, despite in a hidden manner.
As the head of a family, how could she bear to ignore the members' needs? It was a matter of spending more money and nothing else.
Ling Qingyu never had fear. It was love that moved her to participate. How much she wanted to see their smiles?
Although doing so and competing against wealthy ladies might offend several parties, Ling Qingyu dare! But what she dared not was upsetting the women around her. She had a strong premonition if she lost the bidding battle for the coming jewelry, her following days would never have sunshine.