As the two seemingly superficial sisters were talking, a voice from upstairs lifted the golden silk dress to the height of the Three Thousand Gold.

Both of them paused for a moment, neither of them raising the price.

Three thousand gold pieces, that's 300 taels of silver, which is no small sum.

Seeing that Xue Jinluan had stopped calling out, Lin Yuyan smiled and said.

"Jinluan, you don't need to worry about me. With our friendship, it's just a piece of clothing. It doesn't matter. Shout it out."

Xue Jinluan was secretly annoyed. The price had already been driven up so high, why didn't you call it?

That little bitch did it on purpose.

However, judging from the determined attitude of the person upstairs, raising the price so much at once, they probably want to get their hands on the dress. So, if she keeps raising the price, it shouldn't matter, as the other party will definitely continue to raise it.

Even if she can't get the dress, she'll at least save face; at least she participated in the auction.

The reason given was that the price of the clothes had been inflated beyond expectations, which was why they couldn't buy them and therefore didn't seem shameful.

In fact, the price of three thousand gold coins is already quite high. It would be difficult for any of them to come up with that much silver, so there is no question of it being shameful.

Thinking of this, Xue Jinluan licked her lips, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke into the microphone.

"Three thousand one hundred gold coins."

"Three thousand five hundred gold."

Sure enough, after Xue Jinluan shouted out three thousand one hundred gold coins, the voice from upstairs followed without hesitation.

Xue Jinluan immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Lin Yuyan with a defiant gaze, her face showing a deep sisterly affection.

"Yu Yan, you don't need to worry about me. If you want it, just shout. I'd rather you take it than have it snatched up by someone upstairs. I'd be more willing to accept that."

With your family's immense wealth and your ancestors' background as imperial merchants, acquiring this garment is certainly within your reach.

Three thousand taels of gold is just small change to you; you probably wouldn't even consider it a piece of your money, would you?

Lin Yuyan's face froze instantly, then she forced a smile.

“That’s right, I can still manage to get it for up to four thousand gold pieces.”

Xue Jinluan's smile was wicked.

"Then go ahead and shout."

Lin Yuyan gritted her teeth and squeezed out a sentence.

"Three thousand six hundred gold coins." Hearing that the voice from above did not immediately follow, Lin Yuyan's fingertips, which were gripping her sleeve, trembled.

Why is it so quiet? Does it mean the higher-ups aren't planning to rush to buy the tickets?

Three thousand six hundred gold coins? Could it really just fall into her lap like that?

This dress costs over three thousand gold pieces, which is already beyond her budget; she really can't afford it.

Even if you really wanted it, you couldn't possibly come up with that much silver.

Just as Lin Yuyan was filled with apprehension, a voice drifted from upstairs saying, "Fourth daughter."

Lin Yuyan's pale face was covered in sweat from fright, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, they shouted.

Otherwise, she would make a fool of herself here.

"Golden Phoenix? Aren't you going to call for it anymore?"

Xue Jinluan shook her head knowing when to stop, no longer trying to act like a pretentious fool.

"No, I didn't expect this dress to fetch such a high price. Yu Yan, if you like it, you can keep bidding."

Lin Yuyan dared not do anything reckless; she had been quite frightened by that sudden attack.

"I don't care either. It seems we won't be able to get these clothes."

The gold-threaded robe was auctioned off to a guest in room number 23 on the third floor for four thousand gold coins. Wei Jingran curiously raised his head, looked up at the sky, and pointed.

"I'm really curious, who do you think lives upstairs? How could someone be so generous as to spend four hundred taels of silver to acquire the gold-embroidered robe?"

Wei Jingyue wasn't in the mood to figure out who the people upstairs were; he just felt that he had been rejected by Xue Qingluan once again.

"Qingluan, if there's anything you like later, just say the word, and I'll definitely bid it for you." He brought plenty of money with him this time, though of course, it wasn't his own; he certainly couldn't have come up with that much money on his own.

It was a silver note that his mother had given him before he left, with the intention of pleasing Xue Qingluan and winning her over as his daughter-in-law.

As for why his mother favored Xue Qingluan, it was naturally because Xue Qingluan was outstanding in every way—talent, appearance, family background, and status—making her one of the most talented women in the entire Red City.

Bringing home a daughter-in-law like that would be a great honor and a source of pride for the family, wouldn't it?

That's why she encouraged him to invite Xue Qingluan out for some fun.

He himself was indeed very fond of Xue Qingluan. They had grown up together since childhood, and he knew Xue Qingluan better than anyone else.

Xue Qingluan was the ideal future wife in his mind, both in terms of temperament and personality.

Xue Qingluan always kept a distance from him, neither too close nor too far, giving him a lukewarm feeling.

Occasionally, he would have the illusion that he had gotten closer to her. Just when he felt that he was getting close to Xue Qingluan and was feeling a little smug, he would be given a bucket of cold water to bring him back to his senses.

For example, today, she was invited to come to the auction house with him, but when he wanted to bid on the gold-embroidered robe to give to her, she reacted indifferently and refused to accept it.

As for why he wanted to get her permission instead of taking the photos on his own, it was because he had sent some items to her residence without her permission, and she had ignored him for quite some time afterward.

From then on, I never dared to send things without authorization again.

I have to ask her before I can give her anything, and see her reaction.

"Jingran, I think the lady upstairs must be from a prestigious family, otherwise why would she be so generous as to buy this gold-embroidered dress?" Lin Yuyan speculated with a charming smile.

There is still a certain distance between aristocratic families and prestigious families. These aristocratic families are at most old-established scholarly families that have continued to grow and thrive. They can't really be called famous. They don't have any reputation. They just have some minor heritage.

However, when it comes to prestigious families, the circle is completely different. Those are all powerful and wealthy classes, which are incomparable to these aristocratic families without official ranks.

People from these prestigious families don't associate with people from these aristocratic families.

The social hierarchy is clearly defined, encompassing humble origins, prominent families, royalty, and so on.

In truth, their status as a family without official rank is rather awkward, situated between a humble family and a prestigious family, neither high nor low.

In fact, these aristocratic families were also commoners, but they were more affluent and financially well-off than ordinary commoner families. They were families steeped in the traditions of literature and etiquette.

But if they were asked to mingle with the poor and working-class people from humble backgrounds, they would feel that it would lower their own status.