Chapter 62 Sister: "Don't worry about the price."
Zhou Ti and Ye Weizheng were in the garage of the villa.
The garage was bright, with a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce parked side by side, which had been temporarily delivered.
Ye Weizheng stopped trying to start the car.
The two stared blankly at the massive barrage of comments.
"They all know that Ming Sheng is Maze..."
"I also know that Tao Tao's older brother is Maze."
"Did the show use filters?" Zhou Ti asked, both flustered and confused. "Did they use a filter that makes everyone look healthy and rosy-cheeked?"
She had raised Tao Tao for nineteen years and had never seen Tao Tao so full of energy.
For a moment, Zhou Ti even suspected that Tao Tao had fully recovered.
But her experience over the past decade or so has taught her that when outsiders think Tao Tao's family is very powerful, Tao Tao will definitely get sick.
Ye Weizheng simply said, "You can tell Tao Tao's condition just by looking at Ming Sheng's appearance."
Although Zhou Mingsheng appeared indifferent during the live stream, his family members could tell that he was in a relaxed state.
He could observe Tao Tao's condition more directly than they could.
After finishing a match, Ye Hantao and Su Yiang were in high spirits, one proud of her older brother and the other proud of their boss.
Cheng Zhao had seen Zhou Mingsheng play as Tao Tao's older brother in a live stream before, so he wasn't surprised by Zhou's pentakill.
He sighed from the bottom of his heart, realizing that when it came to playing games, his talent was truly no match for Zhou Mingsheng's.
Only Liao Jiayue looked anxious.
The phone screen had gone dark, but the image of Zhou Mingsheng killing the opponent with one kill, two kills, three kills, and then five kills still seemed to linger in her mind.
The account used that day wasn't actually used for boosting?!
Liao Jiayue stared at Ye Hantao's radiant smile and suddenly felt it was particularly glaring.
In the original story, this person was just a passerby!
They only got to participate in the show because of her generous invitation; how could they possibly overshadow her?!
She finally understood why Ye Hantao was able to persuade Su Yi'ang to lie for her—it was all thanks to Ye Hantao's brother's influence! Perhaps this was the condition for getting Ye Hantao's brother to join the HT base.
While Liao Jiayue was live-streaming, her manager had already witnessed the support from all the members of HT.
Clang
The agent slumped into a chair, knocking the cup to the ground with the back of her hand, but she couldn't concentrate on picking it up.
Only one thought remained in her mind: Ye Hantao's older brother really was Maze!
Which detective agency did the Liao family hire for this investigation?! They're so unreliable!
It was at this moment that Liao Jiayue, who was about to contact her agent on her phone, suddenly saw a webpage push notification.
#Maze is handsome#, #Maze Ye Hantao's older brother#, #Maze appears on camera#,
Within minutes, trending topics related to Maze emerged one after another.
It immediately occupied the top three spots on the trending searches upon its appearance.
Upon refreshing the page, the word "explosive" appeared after the first two entries, demonstrating Maze's immense popularity.
Liao Jiayue: "???"
Maze? Isn't that Ye Hantao's older brother in this photo?!
Isn't he impersonating Maze?!
How come the entire internet is convinced he is Maze?!
【Aaaaaaa, Maze, I missed you so much!!!】
[Oh my god!!! I've become a fan of a handsome and skilled player!]
【Maze! Maze! Maze! 】
I'm completely captivated by Maze's stunning visuals.
Although it's often said that being bad at esports is the original sin, Maze, who has already reached the top, is most widely circulated by haters for an ugly picture of him taking off his glasses.
Fans were surprised that Maze became so handsome after retiring!
No, no, no.
Maze has never been ugly; that ugly picture was photoshopped anyway.
Now, looking at Ye Hantao's face, they imagined this person with dark skin and white hair.
Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Maze is handsome from the start!!!
The fans were as excited as if it were Chinese New Year.
Six or seven big fans successively launched giveaways with prizes totaling over 100,000 yuan, all praising Maze's looks.
Zhou Mingsheng returned the phone to Wu Xia.
His phone had only 3% battery left, which wasn't enough to play games, so it was charging nearby. He had just borrowed Wu Xia's phone to play games.
Zhou Mingsheng raised his eyelids and glanced at Su Yi'ang.
Meeting the unwavering gaze of the big boss, Su Yi'ang felt a chill run down his spine.
"Sneaking beer?"
Su Yi'ang's calves were trembling.
"Disobeying doctor's orders?"
Su Yi'ang's teeth were chattering.
Zhou Mingsheng: "You're quite the expert at deceiving everyone."
Su Yi'ang: "qaq".
On the field, Su Yi'ang is calm and composed, while off the field he is full of energy. But when he meets Zhou Mingsheng, the big boss, he immediately shrinks his shoulders.
He pleaded weakly, "Maze, I'll never do it again."
Ye Hantao secretly tugged at her older brother's sleeve.
Brother, Angang has just mistaken you for someone else. The audience knows you're an imposter.
Even if you cooperate with me, don't get too caught up in the act.
Ye Hantao suspected that her older brother's acting skills were so superb because he relied on the experience he gained training new employees in internet cafes.
Zhou Mingsheng was about to reprimand Tao Tao, who pulled him back down.
Under Su Yi'ang's trembling gaze, Zhou Mingsheng changed the subject, "You should pack your things and get ready to go to the auction."
The big boss didn't reprimand him?!
The big boss didn't punish him?!
Su Yi'ang felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Before leaving, he looked at Ye Hantao with great gratitude. What a benefactor!
"I'll go upstairs and get ready right now!"
[When Ye Hantao tugged at his sleeve, Maze stopped scolding her?!]
[Back when Maze was captain and disciplining his teammates, even the coach who tried to speak up for him got scolded too (doge.jpg)]
[Maze is clearly a siscon. Last time Spring Ivy showed her power, it was because XBL bullied Ye Hantao.]
[Yes, yes, and he didn't kill Ye Hantao during that car crash either!]
[Help! Can historical comments be deleted?]
[I actually insulted Ye Hantao sixteen times! I'm so sorry, waaaaaah! I've been a Maze fan for seven years! And I actually insulted his sister!!!]
Why didn't Ye Hantao say this beforehand?!
[Here's another question: Why did Maze create a limited-edition skin with black skin and white hair in the first place?]
【What else could it be? Maze just wants to keep a low profile. He's been in the news for so long since he retired, we don't even believe he's Maze anymore o(╥﹏╥)o】
[Maze is keeping it a secret, but Ye Hantao has already subtly reminded you. Just think about the Golden Bow Guard who can shoot 10 arrows!]
[This was one of the things I said about Ye Hantao...]
A group of Maze fans were both happy and devastated.
After Maze retired, they never gave up waiting for Maze to return, but now they've insulted Maze's own sister?
Aaaaaaah!
They hurriedly deleted the comments they could, and suppressed the undeletable bullet comments with compliments, then quickly followed Ye Hantao's personal account.
350w...420w...550w...600w.
In less than half an hour, Ye Hantao's personal account was approaching 7 million followers.
In addition, given Maze's sister's identity, some of the things said earlier have changed from being definitely false to being highly likely to be true!
Everyone knows Maze is worth hundreds of millions!
"Ye Hantao is Maze's sister, how am I supposed to make a move against her?!"
Yuan Kai stood in the bathroom making a phone call, lowering his voice as he said, "Maze must have considerable connections to become the big boss of HT. Aren't their base villas also under Maze's name?"
Because of the evening auction, the production team sent mobile phones to all the guests.
When Yuan Kai came out of the shower, he saw that Ye Hantao's older brother was Maze and felt a sense of mockery, thinking that Ye Hantao was lying about the topic.
To my surprise, when I clicked on the topic, the homepage was full of screenshots of HT members calling Ye Hantao "Big Boss" in the live stream.
Even the official HT account got involved.
Yuan Kai: "..."
Yuan Kai: "???"
He decided to give up, saying, "Mr. Cai, you should find someone else to do it."
Over the years, he has managed to escape unscathed from the entanglements of naive women and has never been exposed to the public, all thanks to his discerning eye for choosing people.
Vanity, naivety, average family background.
Ye Hantao met the first two requirements, but the crucial third requirement didn't work out!
He couldn't risk getting into trouble and ruining his acting career for a five million dollar reward.
Cai Qiwei chuckled, "I had someone investigate as soon as I saw the trending topic. The title of Maze's big boss is just a fancy name; he's actually just a puppet in name only. HT's management is taking advantage of his popularity."
“The real boss of HT is someone else who never appears in meetings and usually only sends his secretary to convey messages.” Cai Qiwei’s tone was full of contempt. “It is said that the real boss rejected Maze’s proposal with just one email, and Maze didn’t dare to say a word.”
Cai Qiwei found it laughable that Yuan Kai was afraid of Maze.
These e-sports players and celebrities who are considered very skilled by the general public are nothing more than playthings for these people to enjoy.
Thinking of this, Cai Qiwei couldn't help but recall his embarrassing past when he was forced to kneel and leave a tasting event by bodyguards.
Even today, his cronies in the industry still make fun of him about this!
All of this is thanks to Ye Hantao!
Yuan Kai was still worried, "What about HT's villa?"
“It’s not under Maze’s name at all.” Cai Qiwei laughed again as he said this. “The reason Maze retired was because he was heavily in debt.”
Unfortunately, he didn't get any evidence; it was all dealt with cleanly by HT's real boss.
"He looks glamorous on the surface, but he's actually just earning a fixed salary to pay off his debts."
After hanging up the phone, Yuan Kai felt relieved.
With an older brother who is a compulsive gambler, Ye Hantao is easier to control.
At 6 p.m., everyone set off to take the bus to the station.
Ye Hantao wore a beige fitted dress, carried a large pink bag, and put the Shoushan ornament in a box inside the bag.
This was something I promised Director Wan earlier: to take it to an auction for appraisal by several jade dealers, and the reward would be a 50,000 yuan icy jadeite pendant.
As soon as Yuan Kai got into the car, he began to scrutinize Zhou Mingsheng, and had to admit that Zhou Mingsheng had a very intimidating appearance.
His profile, rendered in light and shadow, is cool and refined, like an heir raised by a prestigious family.
But he had seen similar intimidating appearances before.
Some of the young masters and princesses in high-end clubs also have a set of impressive personas.
Inside the car, He Qiang was also looking at Zhou Mingsheng, her brows slightly furrowed.
TaoTao is a very popular retired player named Maze?
What she heard from her teacher was that Tao Tao's older brother was the internet cafe manager.
On second thought, for the older generation, managing a group of gamers and an internet cafe manager...
There's probably no difference.
Zhou Mingsheng and Ye Hantao sat in the same seat.
Wu Xia, who was originally sitting next to Ye Hantao, had already suggested sitting with Su Yi'ang before Zhou Mingsheng got on the bus.
Su Yi'ang could not obtain it.
He was just about to tell someone how frightened he had been!
Tao Tao is actually the big boss's sister! Even after finishing a game, he still couldn't accept it calmly.
Zhou Mingsheng scrolled through the praises his fans gave Tao Tao on his phone, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He had been looking forward to this since he started playing video games, and after six or seven years, it finally came true.
Ye Hantao was completely unaware of the online public opinion, let alone the fact that her personal account was gaining followers like crazy.
She was looking through the auction catalog.
If I have two million left in my account, I still have a chance to bid on and bring home something suitable for my family if I see it at a charity auction.
As for the price range, the total price should not exceed 300,000.
Ye Hantao couldn't help but praise herself in her heart for her tremendous progress.
In the past, I could only buy gifts with my secret stash of money, and the total price would not exceed 10,000 yuan. Now it has increased 30 times.
Zhou Mingsheng noticed Tao Tao looking at the booklet. "Is there anything you like in there?"
“This one,” Ye Hantao pointed to an item labeled as a glass-type jadeite bangle, “is very beautiful.”
The price is also unusual.
Starting bid: 7 million.
Ye Hantao couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Her own Shoushan ornaments, with such exquisite carvings, were only priced at around 600,000 yuan, while the bracelet in the picture was more than ten times that price!
Zhou Mingsheng pulled a card out of his wallet. "The password is your birthday. Bid on whatever you like at the auction."
In Zhou Mingsheng's view, Tao Tao has fully accepted the fact that he is Maze and has no physical discomfort.
Of course, he could openly and legitimately let Tao Tao swipe his card.
Where has Maze gone?!
I went to watch all the offline tournaments back then! And yet I never ran into Ye Hantao even once!
[Maze last competed in a global tournament six years ago. How old is Ye Hantao? She's grown up so much!]
[What are you talking about? If you saw Maze on the street now, would you recognize it?]
[...]
They really didn't recognize him.
Even in their self-organized fan group, some fans still harbor a sliver of doubt, finding it hard to equate the former Maze with the handsome man before them.
But when they closed their eyes and listened to the recording of Brother Ye Hantao directing everyone in a match not long ago, it was 100% Maze!
Zhou Mingsheng handed the card to Tao Tao and said what he had wanted to say for more than ten years but could not.
“Don’t worry about the price,” he said. “It’s enough to buy everything at the auction.”
Ye Hantao: "?"
Brother, you're really getting into character.
So Ye Hantao pretended to be picky and said, "I like most of the items in the auction, and the rest are destined to be things I can't spend even if I have the money."
I can't just tell the truth that I can't afford to film it.
Ye Hantao had expected to receive feedback on her "lying" persona, but even after her older brother got off the car near the hotel, the feedback was still nowhere to be seen.
That shouldn't be the case.
The audience knew that the older brother was not Maze and would never believe that there was a lot of money in the card.
Ye Hantao couldn't understand it.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure approaching.
Ye Hantao turned her head and saw that the person who came was Chen Xiaofeng. She asked in confusion, "Director Chen?"
Chen Xiaofeng no longer hoped to hear Ye Hantao call him "Brother Xiaofeng" again. Oh well, Director Chen it is.
While Cheng Zhao was sending an email, he moved closer to Ye Hantao and sat down next to her. His dark face was filled with amazement. "Taotao, I underestimated you. Your acting skills are truly excellent!"
In previous episodes, Ye Hantao acted like a complete stranger when Maze was mentioned. Who would have guessed that Ye Hantao and Maze are siblings!
"If your acting were shown on the big screen..." Chen Xiaofeng said sincerely, "I would have to give you a Best Newcomer Award."
Ye Hantao thought Chen Xiaofeng was referring to the fact that she had followed Su Yi'ang's words and acknowledged Maze as her elder brother.
"Actually, you don't really need acting skills, do you?"
Regardless of how convincingly he acted, the audience knew that the older brother wasn't Maze; otherwise, the progression of his illness wouldn't have dropped by 10% so suddenly. This is the feedback from the character who was lying.
Chen Xiaofeng was even more amazed, "Tao Tao, if you ever want to make a movie, contact me!"
This is clearly a naturally gifted player!
Ye Hantao: "???"
Just as she was about to answer, Ye Hantao saw Chen Xiaofeng being pushed away by Cheng Zhao, and then saw Cheng Zhao sitting down in the seat next to her.
"It's sunny where I am," Cheng Zhao said without changing his expression. "It's more comfortable here."
Ye Hantao glanced at the red sun outside the window.
The already dwindling orange glow was further obscured by the clouds, making it seem as if the setting sun, no matter how hard it tried, would have little chance of shining on anyone.
【Calling Maze!!!】
【Maze, come quick! Someone's got bad intentions!】
Protect our beloved little sister!
[One of the ladies above, haha, there was a comment in the history saying Ye Hantao is a master liar, and now she's calling her "little sister."]
[Aaaaaaah, I'm deleting it! I'm deleting it!!!]
No wonder I liked Ye Hantao at first sight! She's my half-sister!
Maze's fans really want to worship Ye Hantao.
Since Maze retired, they have only watched Maze play three times, all for his younger sister Ye Hantao.
It's easy to see that if they want to see Maze on the field again, the only way is to start with Ye Hantao.
If Ye Hantao were to say, "I want to see my brother win the global championship," Maze would have a very high chance of returning to the competition!
Ye Hantao originally wanted to use her phone to browse online posts to pass the time, but after Cheng Zhao sat down next to her, she put her phone down.
Their conversation was temporarily interrupted when they arrived at the charity auction.
While it was still sunny in the southern part of the city, a light drizzle began to fall in the provincial capital.
The organizers sent staff to help the guests hold umbrellas.
Cheng Zhao got out of the car first, took an umbrella from a staff member, opened it, and waited outside the car door.
Ye Hantao lowered her head and got out of the car.
Cheng Zhao naturally tilted the umbrella to shield Ye Hantao from the rain falling from above.
Seeing Ye Hantao look at him after looking at the other staff members, Cheng Zhao raised his eyebrows: "I'm fine."
This reason is very convincing.
A gust of wind blew in, carrying raindrops.
When Ye Hantao stepped under the umbrella, she noticed that the wind had subsided.
After walking for a while, she saw Sister Shi Yue fixing her curly hair in the wind ahead, and then belatedly turned her head to look at Cheng Zhao walking on her right. He blocked most of the wind blowing from that direction, and even his shoulder was noticeably damp.
The staff member who was holding the umbrella for Su Yi'ang couldn't hold it steady when the wind was blowing, and the umbrella was blown all over the place, so Su Yi'ang had to take over and hold it for him.
Ye Hantao looked up at the umbrella above her head, remaining as still as a mountain.
...Cheng Zhao's grip strength was indeed very strong.
The thought had barely formed when his free hand landed on her left shoulder, his voice drifting through the rain, "You want to play in puddles?"
"???" Ye Hantao followed his force and veered slightly to the side. Turning her head to look again, she saw that they had bypassed a puddle.
"Shall we go out and have some fun after the auction?"
"...I didn't mean to step in the puddle."
Who is nineteen years old and still thinking about playing in puddles on a rainy day?
Cheng Zhao responded with an "oh".
After putting away the umbrella under the eaves, he suddenly said very seriously, "Shall we go out and do something else?"
Ye Hantao: "..."
[Director, quickly cut to the camera! If you don't cut to it soon, I'll have to go to the dentist!]
Although the two of them seem to have a good rapport, I'll reiterate: I don't think it will last!
Cheng Zhao was already no match for Ye Hantao's ex-fiancé, and now Maze is Ye Hantao's older brother. I feel like Cheng Zhao is no longer good enough for Ye Hantao.
Looking at these comments, the Ye family members felt as if they had just watched a live stream.
Back then, the entire live stream was criticizing Tao Tao; now, the entire live stream is criticizing Cheng Zhao.
I suspect that Cheng Zhao's frantic attempts to get closer to Maze stemmed from discovering that Maze was Ye Hantao's older brother.
Lu Yiyan almost burst out laughing when he saw this comment.
He sent the screenshot to Cheng Zhao, along with a laughing emoji, and said, "Bro, let's go crazy and show them!"
[The message has been sent, but was rejected by the recipient.]
Lu Yiyan: "???"
Damn, Cheng Zhao blocked him!
What an ungrateful bastard!
He had just gone through a lot of trouble to help Cheng Zhao get a consultation with Zhou Shumiao!
The charity auction was scheduled to be held in the banquet hall of a five-star hotel in the provincial capital.
Round tables were set up on the scene, covered with forest green velvet. Ye Hantao watched as waiters moved among them, placing snacks and drinks on the round tables.
Three people sit around a round table.
Liao Jiayue had no interest in sitting at the same table as Ye Hantao. Ever since leaving the guesthouse, she had been struggling with one thing: how could Ye Hantao's brother be the extremely popular Maze!
Ye Hantao sat at the same table as Jin Shiyue and He Qiang, and her bidding number was 7.
At the table on the left are Su Yi'ang, Wu Xia, and Liao Jiayue; at the table on the right are Cheng Zhao, Chen Xiaofeng, and Yuan Kai.
Before entering, everyone had already removed their microphones, and only one of the program's cameramen remained in the same spot as the auction organizer's cameraman.
The production team had communicated with the organizers in advance and lifted the restrictions on simultaneous live streaming.
Ye Hantao held the card her older brother had given her, estimating that it contained no more than 100,000 yuan.
She originally planned to quote a high price and then say she didn't have enough money when it came time to pay, which would solidify her image as a vain and lying persona.
However, this would be considered a breach of contract, and their deposits would be deducted. Before they arrived, each member of the production team paid a deposit of 50,000 yuan.
Ye Hantao vaguely remembered reading in a book that excessively high prices could lead to financial compensation and legal repercussions.
The host then introduced the theme of the charity auction, its intended use for public welfare, and the auction rules.
When the host mentioned liability for breach of contract, Ye Hantao sighed softly, realizing that her previous plan had indeed failed.
[Let's make a bet! Which of the guests took the most photos?]
[Liao Jiayue, after all, is the daughter of a tech company owner.]
I guess it's Kinshi-wol.
[Impossible. Kim Si-wol has participated in two charity auctions in the fashion industry, and neither exceeded 1 million.]
[Yueyue won 5 million yuan at a charity auction earlier this year.]
[Is no one guessing who Ye Hantao is?! Have you all forgotten who Ye Hantao's older brother is?!]
[I was just about to say that! Maze was already worth hundreds of millions before he retired, and he's been working at HT for the past few years. Didn't people at HT say that the villas and land there are all under Maze's name? Ye Hantao definitely isn't short of money!]
Yes, yes, he specifically gave Ye Hantao a card before getting off the bus.
The previous auction items were mostly vases, tea sets, and engraved books, all valued at around 100,000 yuan.
Ye Hantao bought a tea set for 70,000 yuan, feeling a little heartache, as she wouldn't normally spend 70,000 yuan on a tea set.
However, before the auction, the host mentioned that a large corporation would donate double the total amount raised to charity.
Ye Hantao thought that since she had spent 70,000 yuan to make a charitable donation through the organizer, large enterprises would also donate 140,000 yuan.
All told, the donation to charity amounted to 210,000 yuan.
For someone with 2 million in her account, spending 70,000 to achieve a donation of 210,000 is not a loss!
Then, the next item will be displayed.
Ye Hantao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"This painting, 'Populus euphratica in the Desert,' was just delivered to the auction two days ago. The auction catalog hasn't been updated yet. It's themed around the enduring life of the poplar tree, and the brushstrokes are unrestrained—" the auctioneer calmly introduced. "Starting price: 500,000 yuan. Each bid must be at least 50,000 yuan. Let the bidding begin!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone raised a sign.
"Number 21, 550,000!"
"Number 8, 600,000."
"Number 21, 650,000."
"Number 13—"
As Ye Hantao listened, she heard someone quote a price of 1.05 million.
Su Yi'ang, sitting at the next table, looked down at the message he had just received on his phone.
[Maze (Big Boss Version): Tao Tao doesn't want to take a picture, so you take the picture of this painting. I've given Tao Tao the time to take the picture.]
-----------------------
Author's Note: Brother: My savings of many years have finally come in handy! [glasses]
Tao Tao's Dad & Tao Tao's Mom: When can we give Tao Tao our cards? [Lemon emoji]
--Randomly dropping small red envelopes~--
(Thank you everyone for the "landmines" and "nutrient solutions"! Hugs and kisses to everyone, mua! mua! mua!)
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