Upon entering the hall, one is greeted by its opulent splendor, teeming with gentlemen and beautiful women. The long table is laden with wine glasses, crocheted tablecloths, and a dazzling array of other items.

After Meng Jiuyi finished registering, he followed Tan Ni to her seat.

Tan Ni is a regular here, and the banquet seats are reserved in advance especially for her.

I had barely sat down when an uninvited guest arrived.

"Tan Ni, why didn't you tell your brother you were coming back?"

Meng Jiuyi turned her head and saw the man chewing gum, taking off his sunglasses, revealing the same arrogant face as that night on the cruise ship.

It is Tan Yue.

Before he even got close, two bodyguards blocked Tan Ni's way. Ever since the incident with Chen Xiaoran, Tan Yuchen had kept the bodyguards by her side at all times.

Tan Yue raised his hand, "Brother, I'm not some monster, can't I even talk to you?"

Tan Ni ignored him, "The banquet is about to begin, you should go and sit down."

The long table stretched almost the entire banquet hall, and he sat opposite them, staring intently at Meng Jiuyi.

"I don't think I've seen this beautiful woman before."

When Meng Jiuyi looked up, the amazement in his eyes was even stronger.

Last time on the cruise ship, when Shen Yuan invited Tan Jing's younger brother, Meng Jiuyi had clearly done background checks and knew that this person had no taboos.

But it's clear that I personally dislike it more.

Tan Ni warned, "If you keep doing this, I'll have to call my brother."

Tan Yue laughed heartily, "He lives by the sea and he's so nosy. He won't let you talk to him, so he's started interfering with everyone around him. Go ahead and hit him, I've been holding a grudge against him."

Tan Ni wanted to yell at him, but Meng Jiuyi pulled her hand under the table, saying there was no need.

The banquet lights gradually dimmed, and the auction began. After a brief introduction, the host started displaying the items for the evening's auction.

Seeing that the minimum bids from those below were for over a million, Meng Jiuyi immediately regretted giving away the watch. He should have come empty-handed; this was just plain embarrassing.

However, she wasn't even given a chance to go unsold. It's probably because all the business tycoons donated a lot tonight, and that broken watch didn't even qualify as an item for auction.

"Next up is our twenty-third auction item, donated by Mr. Tan Yue..."

A commotion immediately erupted in the room, and Meng Jiuyi followed Tan Ni's gaze.

On the stage was a woman in a cheongsam, the buttons undone one by one, revealing that she was naked underneath.

Colorful flowers meandered along her body, and she kept her eyes down, regardless of how the people below the stage looked at her.

Meng Jiuyi stared at her face, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, then he looked away expressionlessly.

The host said, "This peony painting on the woman's body was painted by the world-renowned Impressionist master Tina Spratly over three days. It is so lifelike under the lights at night that it has a starting bid of two million."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tan Yue stood up and said in a nonchalant tone, "I forgot to tell you all, the paint on her body is edible and tastes like icing sugar. Please enjoy yourselves."

How disgusting, they actually put people up for auction.

Tan Ni really wanted to slap him.

The upper class has never been morally upright; on the contrary, they have become even more unscrupulous under the guise of high art. Most of the people who participate in the bidding are assistants or professional managers.

Following the boss's instructions, they all raised their paddles to bid, and the shouts of bidders continued incessantly.

Contrary to Meng Jiuyi's expectation that no one would be interested, the woman was auctioned off for nearly five million.

She took a sip of the whiskey in her glass; it tasted slightly bitter on her tongue.

After the auction, the woman dressed and obediently sat down next to Tan Yue.

Tan Yue pinched her butt and said, "Guess who took you away just now? The one in the blue suit. His boss must be over sixty years old, an old codger."

The woman was so frightened that her smile turned pale, and she turned around and froze in shock.

Meng Jiuyi, sitting opposite her, was staring at her intently, his amber eyes as cold as the night.

Where did you get the lies from when you were bullied?

The bullying that began after entering Reed High School did not start with provoking Wang Ru and Gao Xian Yue.

Meng Jiuyi couldn't bear to see a bird being isolated and pitiful, and Wang Ru was taking advantage of her.

Meng Jiuyi still had kindness back then.

But the story doesn't always end with a reciprocal exchange; it ends with the farmer and the snake.

She took on the bullying that others deserved and took it upon herself, while the person she saved avoided her like the plague.

Life's lessons have taught Meng Jiuyi to mind his own business.

She looked away expressionlessly.

**

Midway through the auction, Meng Jiuyi went to the restroom, where the cool water washed over his hands.

A woman's soft whisper came from behind.

"Nine Yi".

Meng Jiuyi turned his head, and Li Zhen smiled slightly, her pale face finally regaining color.

"I never thought I'd see you again. How have you been all these years?"

"fine."

Meng Jiuyi tore off a tissue to wipe his hands, but had nothing else to say to her.

"I have to go now—"

Lee Jin-do said, "I've wanted to thank you all these years."

Meng Jiuyi stopped in her tracks.

"And, I'm really, really sorry."

Tears welled up in Li Zhen's eyes. "When Wang Ru and the others bullied me, you were the only one who stood up for me, but I avoided them when I needed help. I don't deserve to be a human being, I'm not even as good as a dog."

"So my current predicament is well-deserved. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer some time ago, and I've been dreaming about you more and more often. I really want to thank you."

It felt as if her heels were being pulled by some kind of thread, making it impossible for her to move her feet.

Meng Jiuyi turned to look at her, puzzled, and asked, "Why would you follow a scumbag like Tan Yue?"

“A few years ago, my family went bankrupt. My father was investigated and jumped off a building. My mother also passed away. My second uncle said he would take me to a dinner party to introduce me to his friends. Then, when I got drunk, he would sell me to Tan Jing to pay off his debts. After Tan Jing died, Tan Yue took me away.”

Li Zhen smiled and said, "That night at the club, I saw you save your brother. You are still as brave as you were back then, while I am completely different now."

"Jiuyi, after experiencing countless coldness and indifference in the world over the years, I've come to realize how precious it was that you helped me back then. If I had been braver back then, could we have become friends?"

Seeing those who have wronged you suffer miserably should be one of the greatest joys in life.

But Meng Jiuyi felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe. This oppressive feeling persisted until the auction ended and everyone left. She followed Tan Ni to the underground parking lot.

"...Xiao Jiu?"

Tan Ni called her several times before Meng Jiuyi came to her senses and stared at her blankly.

"how?"

"Fine, if you can't find Xu Yanzhi, fine, but you don't even want to listen to me."

Tan Ni was furious. Meng Jiuyi smiled and tried to coax her, but his eyes inadvertently glanced at the parking lot in the D section across the street, and he was immediately stunned—Tan Yue was putting his arm around Li Zhen's waist and helping her into the Bentley across the street. He whispered in her ear, and Li Zhen's face turned pale as she begged him.

Meng Jiuyi could read lips and knew what he was saying—

Take good care of them.

them?

Meng Jiuyi's eyelashes trembled violently.

She heard herself ask Tan Ni.

"Ni Ni?"

"Um?"

"Why did you have the courage to come and save me when you were all alone at Chen Xiaoran's bar?"

Tan Ni didn't expect her to ask this. "I didn't think that much about it. I just knew that if anything happened to you, I would be worried for the rest of my life. My grandma told me that it's not easy for girls in this world, so I should help as much as I can."

Meng Jiuyi did not answer her.

But his steps slowed down until he came to a complete stop.

She suddenly raised her head, and all the light flooded into her eyes.

"You go first, Ni Ni, I have something to do."

Tan Ni has asthma, so Meng Jiuyi can't possibly drag her into this anymore.

Tan Ni saw her take off running back, but before she could call out to her, she had already disappeared.