Chapter 19 I'll give you a slap in the face
Huo Beiting's eyes were gloomy and his tone was cold: "A little thing is worthy of your pride? I came here today to take pictures of my grandfather's birthday present."
Su Weiwei retracted her hand and chimed in, "Our target today is the 'Pine and Crane Longevity Painting'. The starting price is 10 million. Does your second branch have the money?"
“Awesome, awesome!”
Young Master Sun applauded insincerely. He said loudly, "Young Master Huo is very wealthy. I hope I can see the "Pine and Crane Longevity Painting" at the old man's birthday banquet."
"Sun Weimeng, whose friend are you?" Huo Beiting's face was cold.
Young Master Sun stuck out his tongue.
"Cousin." Huo Xingzhou raised his voice slightly, "I also want to give this painting to Grandpa. It seems that we have a tacit understanding."
"Then it depends on your ability." Huo Beiting was determined to win.
"OK."
Huo Xingzhou loosened the buttons of his shirt with one hand, revealing his delicate collarbone. He lowered his eyes and handed the auction sign to Qiao Xi, "You raise the sign for me."
"Me? I can't."
Qiao Xi was a little flustered, and her cheeks turned a faint cherry pink.
"Every time it's one million more than the highest price, you keep adding more until I tell you to stop." He was wearing a light gray shirt, a thin layer that attracted attention, and he was leaning lazily in the armchair.
The slender white index finger slid down her back, and Qiao Xi felt a tingling sensation.
"Qiao Xi, your body is too stiff, relax. This is just a small scene."
"Okay." Her throat was dry. "Mr. Huo, do we have that much money?"
He said that his mother-in-law's dowry was trapped in the stock market and his project was snatched away.
He tapped her lower back and said, "Don't worry, your husband... still has savings."
Qiao Xi felt a little relieved.
On stage.
The gold medal auctioneer unveiled the red cloth and excitedly announced, "This is the famous Tang Dynasty painting 'Pine and Crane Longevity Picture'. It's in excellent condition. Five senior cultural relic appraisers have already issued their appraisal certificates."
"The starting price is 10 million, and we still adhere to the principle of no authenticity guarantee."
The sound was like thunder out of nowhere!
Everyone wants good things, but not many people would pay a high price for a painting.
Especially since the starting price is in the eight figures.
"Fifteen million!"
"Seventeen million!"
"Twenty million!"
The price rose all the way to 20 million, and there were very few people bidding, only Huo Beiting and Huo Xingzhou were left.
Qiao Xi took a deep breath and raised the sign to bid: "Twenty-one million."
"Twenty-two million." Huo Beiting smiled contemptuously, unwilling to be outdone.
"Twenty-three million." She continued to add.
"Twenty-five million!" Huo Beiting scoffed from behind his gold-rimmed glasses. "My filial piety towards Grandpa is unmatched by any of you."
Qiao Xi's chest heaved, her heart trembling as she looked at Huo Xingzhou: "Mr. Huo... do you want to add more?"
Huo Xingzhou's big hand covered hers, their skin touching. "Qiao Xi, you did a great job."
Hold up the sign.
"Thirty million." The man's voice was hoarse and calm.
"Thirty million once! Thirty million twice!"
Qiao Xi's heart was pounding, and his adrenaline was surging. He had actually added five million in one go.
"Thirty-five million!"
Huo Beiting said sarcastically, "Huo Xingzhou, if you can't pay after the filming, it will be a disgrace to the Huo family."
"Cousin, I still can't compare to you in filial piety." Huo Xingzhou threw the sign aside, "I give up."
Huo Beiting was satisfied!
"If you don't have money, you don't have money. Why are you pretending to be rich?"
"Thirty-five million three times!" the golden hammer slammed down. "Congratulations again, Young Master Huo, for obtaining a top-notch item!"
Huo Beiting stood up and said hypocritically, "It's all thanks to everyone's kindness that you gave me this good thing. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have won the auction. Everyone must come to the groundbreaking ceremony. I will definitely treat you well!"
"As expected of the eldest son of the Huo family, he is so generous."
"How embarrassing! I didn't expect the second branch couldn't even afford 30 million. It seems there's really no hope."
Qiao Xi listened to the gossip and worriedly held Huo Xingzhou's hand, "Mr. Huo...don't be sad. Birthday gifts are given with a thoughtful heart."
"I'm fine." He was even in a good mood. Huo Beiting was going to cry soon.
He glanced down at his phone and sent a message.
"Grandpa is partial to the eldest wife! What's he so proud of? All this money was given by grandpa." Huo Sijiao was so angry that her eyes turned red. "I'm going to the bathroom!"
"Then...I'll go see Jiaojiao."
Qiao Xi was worried, so she followed him.
However, the auction house’s semi-lit corridor has many exits.
Qiao Xi didn't see Huo Sijiao for a moment and struggled to find the sign for the restroom.
"Xixi."
Behind her, Zhao Yuzhen ran out breathlessly and called her.
"What's the matter?"
Qiao Xi looked at Zhao Yuzhen's face with mixed feelings.
Zhao Yuzhen said hesitantly: "I think the second young master of the Huo family treats you very well. He even gave you such an expensive bracelet. This makes me feel relieved."
"Just say whatever you want to say. We don't need to talk about the love between mother and daughter." Her eyes were cold and emotionless.
Zhao Yuzhen was angry, but she said patiently, "You grew up in the countryside and have never had good things. Five million dollars worth of things is a waste for you. Your sister is strong-willed and wants the best of everything. She's very unhappy today."
"so what?"
"Xixi, can you and Weiwei exchange your bracelets? The one with three floating flowers will make her happy, and it will benefit you too. When she marries Huo Beiting, she'll be able to take care of you."
Qiao Xi couldn't believe it.
I didn't expect her to be so shameless.
"Do you believe this nonsense?" Her eyes misted over. "Do you have a conscience? Do you care about me at all?"
"I gave birth to you, what's a bracelet to me?" she said with a hard heart. "Can't you think about me? I have a hard time being someone else's stepmother."
"I see you're enjoying it."
Qiao Xi leaned against the wall, feeling as cold as an ice cellar.
"Will you give it to me?" Zhao Yuzhen pressed.
"I'll give you a slap in the face, you old witch!"
Huo Sijiao appeared out of nowhere and blocked Qiao Xi's way. "You treat your stepdaughter like a treasure, but you're so harsh on your own daughter. Do you really think that ungrateful Su Weiwei will take care of you in your old age?"
"Tofu has brains, why don't you have any?"
"You...how dare you curse!"
Zhao Yuzhen said angrily.
"I'm not scolding you! I'm scolding that heartless beast!"
"Jiaojiao." Qiao Xi grabbed her hand, "Stop talking nonsense with her, let's go in first."
"Sister-in-law, I really love you."
Qiao Xi smiled sadly, and as she walked around Zhao Yuzhen, she said, "I heard you wanted to have a son? You'll regret it later...for treating me like this."
Zhao Yuzhen stood there in a daze, not understanding what she meant. She just felt suddenly empty inside, as if she had lost something.
In a dark corner.
An elegant and steady middle-aged man took in the scene and said to the people around him, "Look, does that girl look familiar?"
"From some angles, she looks like my cousin. But if you look closely, she doesn't look alike. I can only say she's a bit similar."
The middle-aged man shook his head and said with a smile: "No, she looks more like Huimin when she was young."
Especially those almond-shaped eyes that appear slightly longer when angry, exactly the same.
“The world is so big, and there are so many similar people.”
"That's right."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com