Lin Yuan's expression suddenly froze, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his voice was low and resolute.

“Auntie, what you said is really unfair. Although I, Lin Yuan, come from a poor background, I have made a living by my own efforts and carved out my own niche in the face of adversity. If you continue to make such unfounded accusations, then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Xu Guoqiang curled his lip in disdain, interrupting Lin Yuan's explanation, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "Lanlan, you're too naive! This kind of person is extremely cunning. You think his approach is merely out of friendship? How incredibly childish!"

Li Shuhua echoed, her words filled with worry: "Lanlan, listen to your parents, leave him quickly! Our Xu family..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He had long seen through Xu Lan's parents' ulterior motives; they were simply afraid that he would covet the Xu family's assets.

He took a deep breath and his gaze swept over Xu Guoqiang and Li Shuhua like a sword.

"Gentlemen, if you really think I'm coveting the Xu family's wealth, then you might as well investigate. I, Lin Yuan, may not have much else, but I certainly have the ability to make you look at me in a new light!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Xu Lan's eyes.

She knew Lin Yuan was usually low-key, but this time he had unusually shown his talent. She couldn't help but whisper, "Brother Yuan, I believe in you!"

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, gently patted Xu Lan's shoulder, and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Don't worry!"

Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out from inside the auction hall: "Five million!"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him, but Lin Yuan smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "Xu Lan, why don't you go to your parents first? We have more important things to do."

Xu Lan glanced at Lin Yuan and his two bodyguards.

Before Xu Lan could return to their side, Xu Guoqiang's voice was low and angry, as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

"Lanlan, come here quickly! Why are you still with this kind of person?"

Li Shuhua was furious, her eyes filled with contempt: "Lanlan, are you bewitched by this kid? How could a poor boy like him be worthy of you?"

Xu Lan's face turned pale instantly. She raised her head, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes: "Mom, don't wrong me! Lin Yuan is like my brother, and he's also my friend. He's not the kind of person you think he is!"

Li Shuhua sneered, her tone full of disdain: "Brother? Friend? Hmph, Lanlan, have you forgotten our Xu family's real estate company worth a billion? What man wouldn't be tempted by such wealth?"

Xu Lan's face darkened, and she retorted, "Mom, what kind of logic is that? Does it mean that every man is coveting our family fortune?"

Li Shuhua's face instantly turned ugly, and she angrily rebuked, "You ungrateful wretch! I raised you with so much care and hardship, and you turn against me for some poor boy!"

Xu Lan trembled with anger at her mother's words.

She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lin Yuan smiled slightly and gently pushed Xu Lan, his eyes filled with doting affection.

“Xu Lan, don’t be like this. I, Lin Yuan, am not a coward. I can make a name for myself through my own abilities. Don’t rush to get your parents to accept this. Remember, right now I can only be your friend, nothing more.”

Xu Lan was still in a daze, staring blankly at Lin Yuan.

Li Shuhua simply couldn't stand it anymore.

She snorted coldly, turned to the security personnel, and said, "Get him out of here! He doesn't have an invitation; he's a smuggler who snuck in!"

Security personnel noticed the commotion and quickly approached.

They politely said to Li Shuhua, "Madam, please wait a moment while we need to confirm something."

Seeing this, Lin Yuan smiled slightly, took out a golden invitation from his pocket, and handed it to the security personnel.

"This is my invitation letter. Please check it."

The security guard took the invitation, carefully checked it, and then looked slightly embarrassed: "Sir, your invitation is genuine."

Afterwards, they could only apologize to Li Shuhua: "We can't kick him out."

Li Shuhua's face turned ashen instantly. She never expected that she, the wife of the chairman of Xu's Real Estate, would be unable to command even a lowly security guard.

She was trembling with anger, pointing at Lin Yuan and yelling, "What do you mean by this? Don't you even recognize me?"

The security personnel, however, remained unfazed and polite: "Madam, we are simply carrying out our duties. The invitation is genuine, so we cannot turn him away."

Just then, Lin Yuan's bodyguard, Sun Xinyi, couldn't help but speak up.

Her face was cold, and her tone carried a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm.

"Madam, is it possible that in your eyes, status is the yardstick by which everything is measured? Mr. Lin's invitation was earned through his own hard work, and it cannot be easily dismissed by your casual words."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuhua's face instantly darkened like iron.

Her trembling finger pointed directly at Sun Xinyi, and she shouted angrily, "You little brat, how dare you talk back to me like that!"

Sun Xinyi smiled coldly and calmly replied, "Madam, if you continue to act so unreasonably, I'm afraid Mr. Lin will have no choice but to take legal action to protect his rights. After all, it is not a wise move to openly slander and disrupt order in broad daylight."

Li Shuhua was taken aback by Sun Xinyi's words; she hadn't expected the other party's bodyguard to be so assertive.

She was trembling with anger, but dared not continue making a scene.

Just then, Li Tianyi also spoke up.

His voice was deep and authoritative: "Madam, our Mr. Lin is not someone you can just kick out. If you continue like this, don't blame us for being impolite."

Li Shuhua was so frightened by Li Tianyi's words that she dared not speak again. She was so angry that her face turned green, but she could only swallow her anger.

Xu Guoqiang's expression was also unpleasant, because the farce he had just witnessed had already attracted the attention of many people.

These people are all powerful figures in their own right, people they see every day. If he can't even handle Lin Yuan, he'll lose all face.

He walked up to Lin Yuan with an air of superiority and said coldly, "Young man, is there some misunderstanding between us? The woman next to you is our daughter. Why don't you let her come with us?"

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, his eyes revealing composure: "Mr. Xu, what have I misunderstood? I only asked a friend to accompany me to the auction. Do you also think I shouldn't have come?"

Xu Guoqiang's face darkened; he hadn't expected Lin Yuan to be so disrespectful to him.

He sneered, "Young man, don't be ungrateful. This isn't a place for you to run wild!"

Lin Yuan, however, was not afraid at all. He patted Xu Lan on the shoulder and said, "Xu Lan, go ahead and go with your parents. We're here to attend the auction, not to argue."