Chapter Fifty-Six: Supporting Her
She could feel the gazes of those around them, filled with inquiry and curiosity.
After all, everyone knew about Yan Mingshen and Xia Zhi's affair back then.
She felt incredibly embarrassed but couldn't avoid it.
Because of Zhou Manyun's situation, the divorce cannot be made public yet.
As soon as she rounded the carved screen at the entrance, Su Xiao's gaze stopped.
In the second row of the stands, Xia Zhi, dressed in a light pink dress, was nestled next to her father, a gentle smile on her face.
She had just breathed a sigh of relief, but then she felt a surge of relief again.
Xia Zhi quickly spotted them as well, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes. She then stood up, lifted her skirt, and walked towards them with light, slow steps.
"Ming Shen, Miss Su, you've arrived too."
Her voice was soft, but her gaze seemed to drift casually over Yan Mingshen's hand resting on Su Xiao's waist.
"Dad said there's some jewelry at this auction that would suit me. Would you like to take a look?"
Yan Mingshen frowned, about to refuse, but then remembered what Zhou Manyun had said.
If he doesn't take care of her, the Xia family will just dump her on someone else and ruin her.
His hand, hanging at his side, twitched almost imperceptibly, and a clear struggle flashed in his eyes. When he looked at Xia Zhi, there was a hint of hesitation in his gaze.
The people in the room were all prominent figures, and they naturally knew something about the Su family's affairs. They couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
"Although this Miss Su is unworthy of her name, the Yan family's actions are far too opportunistic."
"Hey, I have a business opportunity with the Yan family, do you want it?"
"No way, I'm afraid they'll use it and then abandon me."
They spoke in hushed tones, but their voices still reached the two men's ears.
Seeing that Yan Mingshen remained unmoved, Su Xiao didn't say anything, but gently shook off Yan Mingshen's hand and turned to walk towards the reserved front row.
The high heels clicked crisply on the polished marble floor.
She finally understood: Yan Mingshen had really lost all sense of shame for Xia Zhi.
Since that's the case, even if Zhou Manyun investigates, the responsibility won't fall on her, so she might as well stay by herself and have some peace and quiet.
Yan Mingshen watched her resolute back, his heart tightened, and he subconsciously wanted to chase after her, but Xia Zhi grabbed his sleeve.
"Ming Shen, I'm not feeling well. Would you like to sit with me for a while?"
Xia Zhi tilted her head back, her eyes brimming with tears, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
"My dad is still alive."
He glanced at Xia Zhi, then looked at Su Xiao, who was almost blending into the crowd, and finally stopped.
He didn't want to see anything happen to Xia Zhi before he found out the truth.
Su Xiao walked to the front row and sat down. Just as she picked up the bottled water on the table, she felt a familiar gaze fall on her.
She looked up and saw Xu Bozhou sitting diagonally in front of her. He was wearing a dark gray shirt, with an unlit cigarette between his fingers, and his fox-like eyes were slightly narrowed as he stared at her intently.
The moment their eyes met, Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly looked away.
The auction began quickly, and the auctioneer walked onto the stage with a microphone to introduce the first item.
Su Xiao wasn't really listening, though she could catch glimpses of Yan Mingshen glancing in her direction from the corner of her eye.
Until the ruby she had her eye on was brought to the stage, the size of a button, a perfect match for Xu Bozhou.
"This is one of the highlight lots of this auction: an unheated pigeon blood ruby from Myanmar, with a starting bid of ten million."
"Fifteen million." Su Xiao raised her sign.
Xia Zhi hadn't originally planned to film this, but seeing that Su Xiao liked it, she immediately perked up.
She tugged at Yan Mingshen's arm, deliberately acting coquettishly.
"Ming Shen, I really love this gemstone. Can you take a picture of it for me?"
Yan Mingshen didn't answer immediately, but looked at Su Xiao and saw the girl's determined look in her eyes, so he said helplessly.
"It's just a rough stone, and it doesn't match your features. Can I bid on the pair of earrings behind it instead?"
"Ming Shen, I'll take a picture and make a ring for the old lady."
Xia Zhi gritted her teeth, about to lash out, but when she turned her head, she saw that Yan Mingshen's gaze was fixed on Su Xiao.
Her nails were digging into her palms, and the resentment in her heart was like wildly growing vines.
If it weren't for Su Xiao blocking her way, she would have married Yan Mingshen in a grand and glorious way long ago, becoming the enviable Mrs. Yan. Why would she need to be here watching him so preoccupied with another woman?
But she quickly suppressed the fierceness in her eyes, a gentle smile returning to her lips as she lightly shook Yan Mingshen's arm:
“Ming Shen, Miss Su seems to really like it, but this gemstone is too bright red and doesn’t suit her. Or is she planning to give it to someone else…”
She left her words at that, but inwardly she sneered. It didn't matter; once the "gift" was delivered tonight, Su Xiao would no longer be qualified to stand beside Yan Mingshen.
At this point, the price of gemstones had been driven up to 32 million.
Su Xiao tightened her grip on the number plate; the pigeon blood red color and clarity were top-notch.
Even if the price exceeds the budget, I don't want to give up.
But the next second, Yan Mingshen's voice rang out.
Thirty-five million.
Su Xiao suddenly looked up at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
He had clearly said last time that it was to make up for what he had done wrong before, and that he would be willing to do anything for her, even if it meant burning a lantern for her.
But now, he turns around and helps Xia Zhi snatch the gem she has her eye on, without even offering a word of explanation.
A chill ran through her, and her fingertips, gripping the number plate, turned white.
Yan Mingshen is truly shameless. While expressing remorse, he also stabbed her in the heart without hesitation.
"Forty million."
Su Xiao gritted her teeth and raised the number plate, her voice not loud but carrying a stubbornness.
She wanted to see just how far Yan Mingshen would go to protect Xia Zhi.
Yan Mingshen looked at the stubbornness in Su Xiao's eyes, and his expression turned cold.
"Forty-five million."
Could it be that she took this picture to give to the Xu family member, just as Xia Zhi said?
His expression darkened further as he thought of this.
The people around watched the spectacle, some whispering among themselves:
"Is President Yan helping Miss Xia or challenging Miss Su?"
"Who knows? But Miss Su is really tough. She knows that President Yan is rich, but she still tries to take it from him."
Seeing Yan Mingshen's unwavering demeanor, Su Xiao's last bit of hope shattered.
She slowly put down the number plate, leaned back in her chair, and her eyes were as cold as ice.
That's true. Yan Mingshen has always been like this, always putting Xia Zhi first. In his eyes, Su Xiao is nothing more than a troublesome person who can be sacrificed at any time.
"Alright, forty-five million once..." The auctioneer slowly raised the gavel.
Just then, things suddenly became lively behind them. Xu Bozhou leaned back in his chair and slowly made a hand gesture.
It means that no matter how much the other party offers, he will stick with it to the end.
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