The confident smile on Nita's lips vanished abruptly, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes. She gripped the bidding paddle tighter and raised it again, "Three billion!"
A strange silence suddenly fell over the scene, and the atmosphere became inexplicably tense.
The man, seated in a secluded corner out of the light, spoke again. Compared to Butler Nita's annoyance, his voice seemed to carry a hint of nonchalance, "Fifty billion!"
Butler Nita's face stiffened for a moment, then she hardened her heart and said, "Five billion!"
"Ten billion!"
Nita, the butler, was ashen-faced and reluctantly put down the sign in her hand, ceasing all further filming.
The auctioneer, holding the gavel, suppressed his excitement, his voice trembling slightly, "One hundred billion once, one hundred billion twice, one hundred billion three..."
Suddenly, a gentle and soft voice rang out, "15 billion!"
Everyone was startled and looked towards where Gong Ning was sitting. The reason was simple: Gong Xiangru had raised her bidding paddle and called out a price.
Gong Ning raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise as she looked at the number plate Gong Xiangru held up. If she remembered correctly, Gong Xiangru, because of her pathetic vanity, hadn't asked the waiter for her bidding plate since entering the venue.
So, was Gong Xiangru's decision to pick up her number and bid unintentional, or was she deliberately putting on a show of bravado?
But as far as she knew, Gong Xiangru was not short of money...
A hint of amusement flashed in Gong Ning's eyes as she watched this farce with amusement.
As the crowd discussed and wondered, Gong Xiangru stood up, turned to the man who had remained hidden, and said, "Sir, this Yuanyu is a piece left behind by an old friend of my grandmother's. It is very important to my grandmother. She is old and her only wish is to have this. Could you please part with it and not compete with me for it?"
Everyone suddenly realized what she meant, and they all praised her filial piety.
The man didn't answer her, his deep voice inexplicably tinged with a cold indifference, "Two hundred billion!"
Gong Xiangru's polite smile froze. No one had ever embarrassed her in public before, and she was now caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to sit or stand.
He instinctively gripped the exquisitely designed and luxurious bidding paddle in his hand. Upon hearing the auctioneer's call, he abruptly raised the paddle and shouted in a hard voice, "Three hundred billion!"
The auctioneer forced himself to steady his breathing and respectfully asked, "Sir, would you like to continue bidding?"
The man gave a soft "hmm," seemingly losing all patience, "One hundred billion!"
The room was completely silent.
Gong Ning gritted her teeth, looking at the crimson phoenix feathers on the stage with a pained expression, as if she were looking at a walking gold mine, and cursed someone in her heart for being a spendthrift.
What does 100 billion mean? It's almost enough to buy a prefecture-level city, and it's equivalent to the annual output of some provinces in China.
While phoenix feathers are indeed precious, they don't command such a high price.
"Why can't they just fulfill their filial duty and let her have her way? If she really likes jade carving, she can throw this 100 billion at her. She guarantees she can carve hundreds of identical phoenix feathers." Gong Ning's face was bitter, her heart aching as if it were bleeding.
Waaah... Yan Jingzhou, that spendthrift man, she hasn't even married him yet, how is he going to support her if he squanders all the family's wealth?
Gong Xiangru opened her eyes wide, murmured a few times, and sat down in a slightly embarrassed manner, wishing she could just disappear from the scene.
She could almost feel the gazes coming from all directions, and hear faint laughter, as if mocking her overestimation of her abilities.
Gong Ning sighed with a hint of regret. She had thought Gong Xiangru could cause some trouble, but it seemed she had overestimated her.
Is this kid blinded by money?
The auction ended rather abruptly, and everyone seemed to be stunned by the shock. It took them a while to come to their senses before they prepared to leave as if waking from a dream.
Suddenly, I became very curious about the person whose face I could never see.
Just then, an auction house staff member carefully carried over an exquisite box, stopped Gong Ning who was about to leave, and respectfully said, "Miss Gong, that gentleman asked me to give you the Yuanyu!"
The previously bustling crowd seemed to freeze in an instant, whether because of the waiter's address to Gong Ning or because of the gentleman the waiter mentioned who gave her the gift.
For a moment, no one spoke; everyone quietly pricked up their ears to listen to what would happen next.
Gong Ning was stunned and didn't understand what Yan Jingzhou meant. She subconsciously asked, "Did he leave any message?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Yes, sir. He said he heard that Miss Gong is very fond of phoenix feathers, and he bought this item just to please her. He hopes you will accept it!"
Gong Ning was stunned. Was he being so wasteful because of her?
Before Gong Ning could say anything, someone next to her couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are you sure you haven't mistaken someone else for someone else? Is this the Miss Gong you're talking about?"
As she spoke, she pointed at Gong Xiangru.
Many people echoed this sentiment, and their gazes toward Gong Ning held a strange and contradictory quality. Was it really as they thought?
Is the girl in front of me the third young lady of the Gong family?
The waiter glanced at Gong Xiangru with a puzzled look, then turned to look at Gong Ning with a gentle and respectful smile. "Excuse me, is Miss Gong named Gong Ning, and is she the third child in her family, the third young lady of the Gong clan?"
Gong Ning snapped out of her daze and nodded slightly. "Yes, I'm Gong Ning!"
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief. "Then that's it. The gentleman said that the person who gave the gift was the third young lady of the Gong family, Gong Ning."
The way everyone looked at Gong Ning changed, lingering on her face for a few seconds, their gazes filled with envy, jealousy, scrutiny, and even a hint of disdain.
A vase that's all show and no substance; Guan will use that face to attract trouble.
Just then, a person who looked like a high-ranking official walked over from backstage in a hurry. His forehead seemed to be covered in sweat, and he looked as if he had been threatened or warned.
Approaching Gong Xiangru, he said, "Miss, excuse me for interrupting. We need to record the bidding numbers at the auction, but the back-end data shows that your number was not claimed. The number you raised at the auction belonged to a Miss Gong Ning. This was a mistake on our part. We hope Miss Gong can sign this confirmation document. Every transaction process at the World Literature Association auction must be transparent. We hope Miss Gong will understand."
Gong Xiangru didn't collect a number plate? Then how did she get to sit in the seat for members of the World Literature Association?
Is the sign she's holding up Gong Ning's?
In other words, Gong Ning is the one who is truly valued by the World Literature Association and was given a VIP seat?
According to rumors, isn't Miss Gong San just a pretty face with no substance? What is her relationship with the World Literature Association?
The gazes of those present became even stranger.
Gong Xiangru signed the document with a stiff expression, then hurriedly left.
Gong Ning took the phoenix feather handed to her by a staff member and happily left the scene arm in arm with Lu Weixi.
His slightly upturned eyes held a hint of sly gloating, like a little fox who had succeeded in its scheme.
Someone's attempt to show off backfired, and she was happy.
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