CH 2

After the banquet, there was a charity auction arranged in the small hall next to the banquet hall.

Yang Kaiming seized the opportunity and planned to slip away, asking Qi Xing if he wanted to join him. “Let’s go, Qi Xing. There won’t be anything good at this charity auction. It’s still early. Why don’t we go somewhere else to continue having fun?”

Qi Xing ignored him and watched as Lin Zhinian and Ye Xingzhou walked side by side into the small hall. He casually put down his wine glass and followed them.

A person of Ye Xingzhou’s status naturally had someone helping arrange seats in the front row. He sat down with Lin Zhinian, surrounded by influential figures.

As for Qi Xing, he randomly picked a seat a few rows behind them, sat down with his legs crossed, and eagerly stared at Lin Zhinian in front of him. He couldn’t help but sneer when he saw Lin Zhinian smiling and radiant while talking to Ye Xingzhou.

“I see no hope for you, Qi Xing,” said Yang Kaiming, who had also followed in and sat beside Qi Xing, teasing him. “In the eyes of the great artist Lin, there is only Ye Xingzhou. You will just be wasting your effort.”

Qi Xing replied coldly, “If you have nothing good to say, then keep your mouth shut.”

Yang Kaiming shrugged and continued to watch the show.

The auction began, and the items were donated by celebrities who attended the charity event. Although the items were not bad, they were not particularly exceptional either. Qi Xing glanced through the auction catalog handed to him by the emcee but had little interest.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere was lively as everyone supported each other.

After several rounds, it came to the climax, and the item showcased on the display platform was a modern oil painting by a renowned foreign artist. The auctioneer announced the starting price, “70,000!”

As soon as the words fell, someone raised their bidding card and made a bid. The price kept increasing, quickly surpassing 1 million, with more participants bidding than before.

Qi Xing was puzzled and asked Yang Kaiming, “What’s so special about this painting? Why are so many people bidding for it?”

Perhaps as a new rich, he didn’t understand art. He couldn’t see the value of that strange-looking painting that would justify such a high price.

Yang Kaiming sighed, “Qi Xing, didn’t you hear what the auctioneer said? This painting is a collection donated by Old Chen. You know who Old Chen is, right? He’s a prominent figure in Huai City. Just a stomp of his foot, and everyone here will shake. Although he didn’t come today, he donated this painting to show respect. These people are bidding high not for the painting itself but because of Old Chen.”

Qi Xing tilted his head and noticed Lin Zhinian in front of him whispering something to Ye Xingzhou. Then, Ye Xingzhou also raised his bidding card, and the bidding reached one million five hundred thousand.

“I’m not so sure,” Qi Xing sneered.

“What do you mean?” asked Yang Kaiming.

Qi Xing replied, “It’s not certain that no one is bidding for the painting itself. sir Lin seems to genuinely like it.”

Yang Kaiming was speechless. He also saw Lin Zhinian and Ye Xingzhou exchanging whispers. Then, Ye Xingzhou made another bid.

But that doesn’t seem contradictory, right? Lin Zhinian likes the painting, and Ye Xingzhou helps him acquire it, in honor of Old Chen whilst also making Lin Zhinian happy. It’s a win-win situation.

Qi Xing laughed suddenly, “If I buy the painting and give it to Lin Zhinian, will he throw himself into my arms?”

“…I don’t think so,” Yang Kaiming replied.

Qi Xing said, “How would you know ?”

Before Yang Kaiming could stop him from being impulsive, Qi Xing raised his bidding card and directly announced his bid, “Two million.”

There was a small commotion in the crowd, and everyone’s gaze turned to him. Qi Xing leaned back calmly in his seat and smiled at Lin Zhinian when he turned around.

Lin Zhinian shifted his gaze away, and Ye Xingzhou raised his bidding card again, increasing the bid to two million one hundred thousand.

Qi Xing raised his bidding card for the second time, “Three million.”

Other participants in the auction stopped bidding, but Ye Xingzhou continued to raise the price.

Ye Xingzhou only added an additional 100,000 each time, while Qi Xing jumped a million right from the start. After a few times, the price quickly reached 5 million.

People with keen eyes could see that those two hel ad grudges, so they no longer got involved and watched to see who would have the last laugh.

There were also some who didn’t know who Qi Xing was before and asked around. Once they heard that he was the second generation of Ronghua Capital, they each understood. It turned out that he had the mannerisms of a new rich, arrogant and unafraid of offending people.

Ye Xingzhou didn’t even spare a glance at Qi Xing from start to finish. When the auctioneer repeated the price of 5 million, he finally raised his bidding card once again. With a slight parting of his thin lips, he announced the price: ‘8 million.’

The person next to him teased him, ‘Xingzhou, it seems like you really like this painting.’

Ye Xingzhou casually replied, ‘Zhinian likes it, so I’m bidding for him.’

Lin Zhinian’s eyes flickered with momentary surprise.

Qi Xing in the back row didn’t look too good. Yang Kaiming quickly held him back, afraid that he might lose his head and continue raising the price. ‘This painting isn’t worth that much. Forget it, Qi Xing, don’t indulge. If you really win it, you’ll be kicked out of the house by your father.’

It wouldn’t go that far, but buying such a shoddy painting for 8 million would at least earn him three days of scolding from his parents. Qi Xing held back and managed to restrain himself.

Even 800,000 for that painting would be an inflated price, let alone 8 million. Even if it was for the sake of paying honor to Chen Lao, that was indeed quite an over the top gesture.

Those around Ye Xingzhou who heard his words looked at Lin Zhinian with different eyes, as if they were truly examining his relationship with Ye Xingzhou.

After the auctioneer repeated the bidding three times, the hammer fell, and the deal was made.

Lin Zhinian lowered his eyes and, amid a mix of laughter and congratulations, whispered a ‘thank you’ to Ye Xingzhou.

Ye Xingzhou crossed his long legs and leaned back in his seat, continuing to chat casually with the big shots next to him.

At half-past nine, the auction ended, and the night’s excitement finally dispersed.

Qi Xing still had his legs crossed lazily in his seat, his hands folded in front of him, his face darkened but no one knew what he was thinking.

Yang Kaiming was about to ask him if he wanted to leave when the people sitting in the first row stood up and walked over, talking together. He instinctively fell silent and looked at Qi Xing.

Qi Xing lifted his eyelids slightly and lazily spoke when Ye Xingzhou and his group passed by them, ‘Ye Xingzhao, what a generous offer, spending 8 million on a relatively unknown painting. It’s truly impressive. I’m sorry, because of my impulsiveness, you ended up spending several million more. But charity is also a good thing, I believe you don’t mind spending a bit more money.’

Ye Xingzhou halted his steps and turned his head. The elegant young man in front of him was lounging in his seat, looking up at him leisurely with a mocking and provocative look in his eyes.

However, Ye Xingzhou seemed completely indifferent to the hostility displayed. He maintained his composure and replied, ‘I yield.’

Afterward, he didn’t say anything more and continued chatting with others as they walked toward the exit.

Ye Xingzhou’s nonchalant reaction made Qi Xing even more frustrated, but he didn’t show it. When his gaze fell on Lin Zhinian, he relaxed again.

Lin Zhinian felt somewhat uncomfortable, nodded quickly, and turned his gaze away, quickly catching up with Ye Xingzhou’s fast pace.

After the people left, Qi Xing’s face turned cold . Yang Kaiming watched as the group walked away and casually sighed, ‘Ye Xingzhao is really impressive.’

Qi Xing rolled his eyes at him and said, ‘Are you interested in him? Then go pursue him, and if you succeed, I’ll give you a big red envelope.’

Yang Kaiming replied, ‘Stop it. At least I like someone with an impressive chest, okay?’

Qi Xing couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore and left.

It had been raining outside all night, and it hadn’t stopped.

At the hotel entrance, Ye Xingzhou personally escorted the elder senior into the car. Once the car drove away, he suppressed his smile and signaled to Lin Zhinian, who was following behind him, “Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”

A black business car pulled up in front of them, and the umbrella-wielding bodyguard stepped forward to open the door. Ye Xingzhou got into the car first and Lin Zhinian took the umbrella from the bodyguard’s hand and went around to the other side of the car.

Just as he was getting into the car, someone called out to him, “sir Lin.”

Lin Zhinian looked up and saw a lazily standing young man with his hands in his pockets, swaying under the lights, inexplicably catching people’s attention. “Sir Lin, I just forgot to ask you, can we exchange WeChat?”

Lin Zhinian pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking out his phone.

As he was operating his phone with his head down, Qi Xing’s gaze fell on his face, openly staring at him without any avoidance.

As he looked closer, Lin had rosy lips, fair complexion, and delicate features, indeed quite to his liking. Qi Xing’s heart began to wander, and his gaze drifted away for a moment, glancing past Lin Zhinian’s face. Through the late-night rain and mist, his gaze collided with another pair of cold black eyes that were looking back at him.

The rear window of the Maybach was halfway down, and the man in the car simply looked at him coldly without saying a word. With distinct eyebrows and eyes, he exuded a sharp aura, but most of it was hidden by the silver-framed glasses, giving the illusion he was kind-hearted.

However, perhaps due to a cautious wariness towards a rival, Qi Xing felt uncomfortable as soon as he saw him. Being stared at by those eyes gave him an inexplicable sense of unease.

Not wanting to lose his momentum, he provocatively raised his chin and raised his eyebrows.

Ye Xingzhou didn’t bother with him, retracted his gaze, and looked down at his phone, patiently waiting for the person who was still outside the car.

Lin Zhinian glanced at Qi Xing’s WeChat card, put away his phone, and said, “here.”

Qi Xing glanced to confirm that he had been added and said with satisfaction, “sir Lin, you’re having an art exhibition in a few days, right? I’ll come and see it and after that shall I treat you to a meal?”

Lin Zhinian nodded slightly, “Let’s make plans when the time comes.”

After exchanging a few words, Lin Zhinian said his goodbyes and walked back to the car, opening the door and getting in.

Qi Xing’s gaze shifted back to Ye Xingzhou, who was in the car next to him. His side profile had smooth and sharp contours, a near-perfect curve. He was actually quite good-looking, but there was a vague aura of danger emanating from him, which made people dislike him.

The car window slowly rolled up, gradually blocking Ye Xingzhou’s face and interrupting Qi Xing’s somewhat wandering thoughts.

The car drove away, and Yang Kaiming, who was behind, caught up and asked, “Young Master Qi, are we still going for a drink?”

“I’m not going anymore,” Qi Xing loosened his tie and waved his hand casually. “I’m going home. Don’t you see what time it is now?”