028. The Auction

Upon arriving at the destination, Lin Shan felt a sense of relief. He had been exerting immense self-control to keep his gaze from lingering on Liu Ying.

As they stepped out of the taxi, it sped away. Liu Ying lived in a bachelor apartment building. Once they alighted, she composed herself and said to Lin Shan, "Lin Shan, I'll be going now."

Lin Shan nodded and watched her head toward the building. Once her figure vanished from sight, a trace of melancholy stirred within him. He caught a faint whiff of her scent still lingering in the air.

Standing there for a moment, Lin Shan rubbed his face and muttered, "Alright, enough of that. Time to get to work."

He still had the auction to attend.

Hailing another taxi, Lin Shan arrived at the auction venue. Since he had items up for auction today, he was granted direct access to the hall. The venue was semi-circular, much like a theater. When he arrived, a few people were already scattered throughout the seating area.

"Ah Shan, over here!"

Just as Lin Shan was looking around, a familiar voice called out to him—it was Zhang Zhi, who had arrived quite early.

Lin Shan hurried over and took a seat beside him. After he sat down, Zhang Zhi sniffed the air and looked at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Not bad! Just had dinner with a girl, didn't you? Who is she?"

Lin Shan made no attempt to hide it. "She's my father's attending physician at the hospital. Her name is Liu Ying. She’s a wonderful woman."

Seeing Lin Shan emerging from his gloom and beginning to interact with other women, Zhang Zhi felt genuinely happy for him. He nodded and said, "That’s the spirit!"

With that, he handed a catalog to Lin Shan. "These are tonight’s auction items. Take a look."

Although he said this, Zhang Zhi didn't expect Lin Shan to actually purchase anything, as the items were all incredibly expensive.

Lin Shan flipped through the pages casually. Most of the items were antiques or jade pieces. As he browsed, one particular item caught his eye.

It was a vibrant red flower, exquisitely beautiful, though the species was unrecognizable. Lin Shan could clearly see a tiny, succulent fruit nestled within the petals.

He had seen this fruit before in Lu Yun’s books. It was called a Vermillion Fruit, and for a martial artist, consuming it could temper the meridians and greatly enhance the efficiency of one's cultivation.

Lin Shan quickly checked the details. Seeing the starting bid was only two hundred thousand, his heart skipped a beat. The auction house clearly didn't realize the true value of this item. He had a good chance of picking up a bargain.

As the clock neared nine, the venue began to fill up.

Lin Shan sat in his chair when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure.

It was Ruan Yan!

She was wearing a red evening gown that gave her an air of newfound sophistication. Her hair was styled in an elegant updo, and she was draped over the arm of a young man in a gray suit.

As luck would have it, the two sat down directly in front of Lin Shan. When Ruan Yan turned around, she spotted him.

She froze for a second, thinking to herself, "Why is he here..."

What Lin Shan didn't know was that while Ruan Yan had submitted to Hua Xiong at the hospital, she hadn't put all her eggs in one basket; she was actively scouting wealthy second-generation heirs on the side. The man beside her was her latest target.

While Ruan Yan acted like a submissive pet in front of Hua Xiong, she played the role of a cold, aloof goddess with this wealthy heir. And men, being the fickle creatures they are, only desired her more the harder she was to get. Ruan Yan’s tactics were indeed quite sophisticated.

At nine o'clock, a bell rang throughout the hall. The curtains on the central stage slowly parted, and Luo Bing appeared, radiant in a pure white evening gown. Her stunning presence immediately commanded everyone's attention.

Zhang Zhi and Lin Shan exchanged a glance. Zhang Zhi remarked, "The auctioneer has changed. It wasn't her before, but honestly, she’s much easier on the eyes."

Luo Bing smiled, bowed to the audience, and began, "Thank you all for coming today. The auction officially begins. Our first lot is five kilograms of gold!"

She stepped back, and the floor beneath her feet shifted as a pedestal rose, holding a box.

The atmosphere in the room remained calm; those present were well-accustomed to luxury. Luo Bing calmly opened the box and took out a gold bar. The large screen behind her displayed the intricate details of the bar as she moved her delicate hands.

"This gold was refined using a unique Tang Dynasty technique," Luo Bing explained. "It is a complete set, housed in a box made of premium peach wood. It holds significant collection value. The starting price for this lot is three million, with a minimum increment of fifty thousand."

Hearing the price, Zhang Zhi whispered to Lin Shan with a grin, "You really had to come here. Otherwise, you’d have missed out on a huge profit."

Ruan Yan, sitting in front, caught the remark. Her heart skipped a beat. "This gold is his?"

In truth, Ruan Yan had noticed Lin Shan earlier, but she hadn't paid him any mind, dismissing him as too poor. She hadn't realized she had misjudged him so severely.

"It’s all thanks to your reminder," Lin Shan replied.

Once Luo Bing opened the floor for bidding, people began to raise their prices. In no time, the box of gold reached four million.

Lin Shan did the math in his head. After paying the five percent commission to the auction house—about two hundred thousand—he would walk away with three point eight million. He was satisfied.

In the end, his gold sold for four point three million. Lin Shan was in high spirits.

The auction continued, but Lin Shan had little interest in the other items. After a long wait, the item he cared about finally appeared: the Vermillion Fruit.

"Our next lot is a beautiful flower. According to our appraisers, it is likely a hybrid of a peony. There is a poignant story behind this flower," Luo Bing said, her tone growing somber.

As the flower appeared in the center of the stage, several women in the audience gasped. It had to be said, the flower was truly stunning.

Yet, beautiful as it was, the wealthy were not fools. Few were willing to spend hundreds of thousands on a flower. As for the "poignant story" Luo Bing mentioned, Lin Shan couldn't be bothered to listen; it was clearly just a fabrication to drive up the price.

"The starting price for this flower is two hundred thousand, with a minimum increment of five thousand."

Just as Lin Shan was about to speak, the wealthy heir beside Ruan Yan suddenly said, "Ruan Yan, shall I buy this flower for you?"

Ruan Yan smiled sweetly and clung to his arm. "Really? This flower is so beautiful."

The heir chuckled, "That’s why it’s the only one worthy of you."

Lin Shan and Zhang Zhi exchanged a look of utter disgust.

The heir then made the first bid: "Two hundred thousand!"