A gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd. The Emperor Hotel is one of the most luxurious places in Kyoto; the minimum spend for a penthouse suite is six figures, not to mention attending the auctions there—those are only for the elite of Kyoto's social circle.
Before Han Feng could answer, Su Wanwan exploded: "Zhao Mingkai, are you crazy?! Do you think I'm a trophy?" She made a move to rush forward and attack, but Han Feng stopped her.
"You don't dare?" Zhao Mingkai ignored Su Wanwan and stared straight at Han Feng. "Then stay away from Wanwan."
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on Han Feng's face. His expression remained calm, but those who knew him well could see the meaning behind his slightly narrowed eyes.
"Seven o'clock," Han Feng said briefly, turning around to open the car door.
Su Wanwan followed angrily, giving Zhao Mingkai the middle finger before closing the car door. As the Ferrari roared away, Zhao Mingkai could still be seen standing there in the rearview mirror, the bouquet of roses in his hand already mostly wilted.
A few minutes of silence followed in the car. Su Wanwan huddled in the passenger seat, wishing she could bury her face in her bag.
"Just now..." Han Feng spoke first, which was unusual for him.
"Tactics! Purely tactics!" Su Wanwan immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I just can't stand his attitude! Don't overthink it!"
Han Feng's lips curled slightly: "I didn't ask about that."
\"ah?\"
"Would you like to attend that auction? I heard there's a lot of good food there."
Su Wanwan was stunned. She hadn't expected Han Feng to actually keep the appointment. What she hadn't expected even more was... that he asked her what she wanted to eat, instead of what gift she should prepare.
"You...you really want to compete with him?" she asked softly.
"Otherwise?" Han Feng turned the steering wheel, heading towards the School of Economics and Management. "He's right, a real man shouldn't hide behind a woman."
Su Wanwan opened her mouth, then suddenly remembered something: "Wait, he said he wanted more money than he earns! Do you have any money?"
"I don't need that much," Han Feng said casually.
Su Wanwan: "......"
She suddenly realized that Zhao Mingkai might have kicked a titanium alloy steel plate. This realization filled her with a strange, small sense of joy.
"Then..." she tried to suppress the smile playing on her lips, "I want to eat the most expensive one!"
Han Feng chuckled and took out his phone to call Qin Chuan.
The moment Han Feng pressed the call button, Qin Chuan's voice eagerly popped out of the phone: "Mr. Han! I was just about to report to you about the auction—"
"Keep your voice down." Han Feng held the phone further away. "Could you get an invitation to tonight's auction?"
The sound of papers turning over came from the other end of the phone: "An invitation? Mr. Han, you've forgotten, tonight's auction is hosted by Maple Leaf Investment! It's for that semiconductor raw materials project."
Su Wanwan's ears immediately perked up. She pretended to tidy her schoolbag, but in reality, she was practically pressed against Han Feng's back.
Han Feng glanced at her, but instead of pushing her away, he tilted his phone closer to her: "That's perfect. Send two tickets to the Emperor Hotel before seven."
"No problem!" Qin Chuan agreed readily, then hesitated for a moment, "But...Mr. Han, why are you suddenly interested in the auction?"
"It's a personal matter," Han Feng replied briefly, then suddenly asked, "What level is the Zhao Group at in Kyoto?"
Su Wanwan's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Han Feng to be so direct, and she certainly hadn't expected Qin Chuan's response on the other end of the phone:
"The Zhao family? That company that makes precision instruments?" Qin Chuan's tone was full of disdain. "A small company with less than 500 million in revenue last year, not even a B-level supplier. They're shamelessly insisting on coming to the auction; I heard they have a huge financial hole and want to latch onto us."
Han Feng's lips curled into a playful smile: "What kind of business do they do?"
"A high-precision measuring instrument, just what Silicon Crystal Technology's production line needs." Qin Chuan paused, then continued, "President Han, did they offend you? I'll remove them from the supplier list right away."
"No need." Han Feng glanced at Su Wanwan, who was frozen in place. "Keep her; she'll be useful."
After hanging up the phone, Han Feng looked at Su Wanwan with a leisurely air. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a goldfish suffocating from lack of oxygen, and her short red hair seemed even more frizzy than usual.
"Maple...Maple Leaf Investment?" Su Wanwan finally found her voice. "The Maple Leaf Investment that acquired a German semiconductor company a month ago and secured a patent from Cambridge Laboratory last week? Is that...your?"
Han Feng shrugged and put his phone back in his pocket: "The registered legal representative is Qin Chuan."
"But you're the one in actual control!" Su Wanwan grabbed his arm. "My God! That idiot Zhao Mingkai thinks he can compete with you in terms of wealth? His company isn't even worthy of shining your shoes!"
Suddenly remembering something, she released Han Feng, pulled out her phone, and frantically tapped the screen: "Wait, wait, wait, I have to check... Holy crap! Fenghua Investment's latest valuation is 180 billion?!" She looked up, her eyes almost worshipful, "Where did you get so much money? Did you rob a bank?"
"I made a little money shorting the Federal Reserve," Han Feng said casually, as if he were just discussing what he had for breakfast.
Su Wanwan's jaw nearly dropped again: "Short selling...wait, you were that mysterious short seller who caused the Federal Reserve to lose billions two months ago?!"
Han Feng didn't deny it, but glanced at his watch: "You still have three classes."
"Who's going to class?!" Su Wanwan grabbed Han Feng, who was about to leave. "Mr. 180 billion! Do you know what that means?" She gestured wildly, "Even Zhao Mingkai's dad would have to call you 'Dad'! Tonight's auction... Good heavens, you own the auction house! Hahaha!"
She suddenly burst into laughter, drawing the attention of passing students. Han Feng had no choice but to pull her behind a ginkgo tree.
"Tone it down." Han Feng frowned, but a rare smile appeared in his eyes. "Meet me at the school gate at seven o'clock tonight."
Su Wanwan nodded frantically, unable to contain her smile: "I want to wear the most expensive dress! Oh wait, I need to hack into the school system and change my grades to celebrate... Wait, did you already know I changed my grades last week?"
Han Feng gave her a "What do you think?" look, then turned and walked towards the Economics and Management Building. Behind him came Su Wanwan's voice:
"Hey! Mr. 180 billion! I want to film the most expensive thing tonight!"
Han Feng waved to her with his back turned and disappeared into the crowd in the teaching building. What he didn't tell Su Wanwan was that the highlight of tonight's auction, a 15-carat blue diamond, had already been removed from the list.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Zhao Group.
Zhao Mingkai was yelling into his phone: "Dad! I don't care! You have to prepare five million... no, ten million tonight!" He loosened his tie. "Yes, that auction... What? People from Maple Leaf Investment will be there too? Great! I'll definitely do my best!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Mingkai smugly straightened his collar in front of his reflection in the mirror. He could almost picture Han Feng looking disheveled at the auction, and Su Wanwan's adoring gaze.
"A bumpkin is a bumpkin," he muttered to himself. "I'll show you what real strength is."
In the mirror, the name tag on his chest gleamed under the light—"Zhao Mingkai, the heir of the Zhao Group."
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