The day of the auction.
Pei Yuzhou arranged for a driver to pick Meng Shuyao up at the school gate.
At six-thirty in the evening, they arrived at the harbor.
The venue for this auction had been set aboard a cruise ship with seven decks. Its facilities were complete, including a shopping area, restaurants, bars, a performance venue, and dozens of guest rooms.
At the entrance, a dozen or so armed police officers patrolled while staff verified the guests’ identities. Only after passing security could they board.
The security was tight; the scale of it was impressive.
With priceless collectibles on board, caution was only natural.
Meng Shuyao sat in the car, watching people board one after another in the distance.
The sky was gradually darkening. Rosy sunset light spread across the sea, and the waves surged endlessly.
By nearly seven o’clock, most of the guests had already boarded.
Leaning against the window, Meng Shuyao had grown bored from waiting. “Has Mr. Pei still not arrived?”
A rumble came from overhead, the rotor blades spinning at high speed.
The driver stuck his head out and looked up. “Sir’s helicopter is here.”
Meng Shuyao immediately pushed open the door and got out.
The helicopter landed steadily on the helipad.
The cabin door opened.
A familiar figure stepped out. He wore a black shirt and suit trousers, crisp and noble, his right hand casually tucked into his trouser pocket. With long strides and an austere bearing, he walked forward.
Behind him, Mark followed closely with a folder in his arms.
Meng Shuyao walked toward Pei Yuzhou. “Mr. Pei.”
The man approached. “Mm.”
Meng Shuyao consciously followed at his side.
Today, she was wearing a short white formal dress with a halter tie, the waistline fitted close, the hem shorter in front and longer in back, making her legs look even more slender.
Her low heels tapped lightly against the ground, complementing the sound of leather shoes treading over the pavement.
Their two figures overlapped and stretched beneath the streetlights.
At the gangway, Mark handed over a golden invitation.
The staff immediately let them through. “This way, sir.”
They boarded just like that, without even going through security.
Meng Shuyao noticed that the others seemed to have silver invitations. Only Mr. Pei’s was gold.
No wonder he received special treatment.
Perhaps his name was a pass wherever he went.
They entered the elevator on the first floor. Pei Yuzhou pressed a floor button and said lazily, “If you haven’t had dinner, you can go to the restaurant first.”
Meng Shuyao looked up at him. “What about you?”
“I have some work to handle,” he said.
“Alright, then.”
The elevator stopped on the third floor, and Meng Shuyao went off to eat by herself.
A staff member led the way and introduced the restaurant’s specialties to her.
Who knew what kind of luck this was—just as Meng Shuyao reached the entrance, she saw Meng Yan and her boyfriend dining inside.
She hurriedly retreated and turned to avoid them.
Fortunately, Meng Yan had her back to the door and did not see her.
“Miss, what’s wrong?” the staff member asked in confusion.
Meng Shuyao shook her head. “Nothing. I’m not hungry right now, so I won’t eat yet. Thank you.”
Inside the restaurant, Zhao Yunrui stared toward the entrance for a moment.
“What are you looking at?” Meng Yan turned her head, following his gaze.
Zhao Yunrui said, “That person just now looked quite like your younger sister.”
“Meng Shuyao?” Meng Yan denied it without even thinking. “How is that possible? She doesn’t have an invitation. How could she come here? You must have seen wrong.”
Zhao Yunrui did not dwell on it either. “Then I probably did see wrong.”
Meng Yan picked up a piece of foie gras for him. “You must win that pink diamond for me today. Don’t let me lose face in our circle.”
Zhao Yunrui discussed it with her. “If the price is too high, there’s no need, right? We can buy one outside too.”
“No.” Meng Yan’s attitude was firm. “If those gossiping women find out I returned empty-handed today, who knows how they’ll laugh at me behind my back.”
Zhao Yunrui understood her temper. She was domineering and vain. Once she decided on something, nothing anyone said would matter.
If his family had not insisted on a marriage alliance, he would never marry a woman like this.
-
Meng Shuyao went to browse the other floors.
The auction began at eight. At seven-fifty, she found Pei Yuzhou and met up with him.
Before entering the auction hall, Meng Shuyao took a mask from her bag and put it on, covering the lower half of her face tightly.
Pei Yuzhou glanced sideways at her. “Afraid to be seen?”
Meng Shuyao explained haphazardly, “It probably wouldn’t be too good if people saw a woman beside you.”
“Once you put on a mask, people won’t know you’re a woman?”
“…At least they won’t know who I am.”
The guests in the hall had already taken their seats.
Red velvet chairs were arranged neatly, and the crystal chandelier overhead was gorgeous and dazzling.
The very center of the first row below the display platform was the best position, allowing one to see the auction items with perfect clarity.
Thanks to Mr. Pei, this was the first time Meng Shuyao had ever seen auction items up close.
The auction catalog contained information on all of today’s lots.
She guessed that Meng Yan had come for the pink diamond.
The auction officially began.
The first lot was a set of nineteenth-century royal porcelain from Sèvres, France, which had once served as a symbol of imperial power during the Napoleonic era. The starting bid was one million.
The bidding below gradually intensified. People kept raising their paddles, and in the end, it sold for 5.5 million.
To wealthy people like them, money was just a string of numbers.
Spending 5.5 million US dollars on a tea set was truly a display of strength.
However, an even more powerful person was sitting beside her.
For that Pearl Royale chess set, Mr. Pei made a bid of six million right away. During the bidding, someone raised the price twice, and he directly had Mark call out ten million. After that, no one dared to bid higher.
The auctioneer brought down the gavel.
It was said that this chess set was made of 18k white gold, flawless diamonds, Ceylon sapphires, and South Sea pearls, and had taken a certain Australian artist many years to complete.
Meng Shuyao leaned slightly toward her right and asked in a low voice, “Mr. Pei, do you usually like playing chess?”
Pei Yuzhou rested his elbow on the armrest, utterly relaxed. “It’s a gift.”
“Sir, there’s a call,” Mark reminded him from the side.
Pei Yuzhou took the phone and left early through the aisle on the right.
The next lot was a pear-cut pink diamond. Its color and clarity were of high quality, but because its carat weight was not large, the starting price was not considered expensive.
As expected, Meng Yan indeed joined the bidding.
“Lady number 38 is currently offering 3.5 million. Is there any higher bid?” the auctioneer asked at the top of his voice.
Meng Shuyao turned her head. “Mark, can I borrow your paddle?”
“You want to bid?” Mark handed her the bidding paddle.
Meng Shuyao curved her lips in a soft smile.
She was going to drive up the price.
The auctioneer struck the gavel. “3.5 million once, 3.5 million twice…”
Before the third strike fell, Meng Shuyao leisurely raised the paddle.
The auctioneer raised his voice. “Lady number 2 has increased the bid. The current offer is 4 million. Any higher?”
The smile on Meng Yan’s face froze. She glanced at the front row and only saw a white figure from behind.
There was no choice. She could only continue raising the bid.
Meng Shuyao raised her paddle again.
Back and forth they went, and the price had already reached 6 million. For an 8.2-carat pink diamond, it actually was not worth that price.
Meng Yan gritted her teeth and directly raised it to 7 million.
Zhao Yunrui grabbed her arm and said angrily, “Seven million US dollars? Are you crazy!”
That was equivalent to fifty million RMB. How could they have that much budget?
Meng Yan had not thought that much just now. “I…”
“I’m telling you, you can pay this money yourself. Don’t come to me.” After throwing down those words, Zhao Yunrui got up and left.
Meng Yan panicked. How could she possibly have that much liquid capital on hand?
After calming down and thinking about it, they were about to get married soon. There was no need to create conflict over this.
If the other party raised the bid again, she would give up.
Seven million US dollars could absolutely buy a much larger diamond.
Who would have thought that the other party would actually stop bidding?
P.S.: The illustration is sourced from the internet; will delete upon request.