Chapter 27 Pink Diamond
A giant yacht, riding the waves, glided across the tranquil Yunting River, leaving white, ribbon-like wakes at its stern before being swallowed by the unfathomable depths of the water.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the river, undercurrents surged, much like the frozen atmosphere on the deck at this moment—
The guests looked at each other, their gazes shifting between politeness and confrontation. No one dared to speak, yet no one was willing to leave and abandon this spectacle.
After Xu Shaoting uttered those words, the corridor fell into a deathly silence.
Wen Jia felt a chill run down her spine. She was in his arms, her body temperature close to his, but she felt that the aura around him had dropped to zero.
She had never seen him like this before. His expression was calm, and his tone was even, yet the air around him seemed to freeze.
It was at this moment that Shen Qiaowen truly understood Xu Shaoting's purpose.
Before boarding the yacht, he had envisioned the best-case scenario: perhaps Xu Shaoting had his eye on one of his films and was prepared to spend a fortune, or perhaps he valued his connections in the industry and wanted to take the opportunity to expand his film and television empire. Whatever the reason, it would be a good thing for him. So he prepared business cards one after another. But to his surprise, he didn't hand out a single business card. Instead, he was asked to pay back old debts.
This is a huge psychological gap. Seeing someone you used to suppress on set now making you feel like you have a thorn in your side and a fishbone stuck in your throat without saying a word, your pitiful self-esteem and arrogance have completely disappeared.
In the long silence, no one dared to step in and smooth things over.
Shen Qiaowen once sat at the top of the domestic film industry. Although his influence has waned in recent years, he still holds a place at the top of the entertainment industry pyramid.
However, no matter how glamorous he was, intellectuals like him seemed to have an innate fear of power.
Shen Qiaowen glanced around out of the corner of his eye, no longer caring about saving face, and reluctantly withdrew his hand from handing out business cards, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
When he spoke again, he had completely changed his tone and called out Wen Jia's name.
Xu Shaoting guessed his next move. He didn't intend to completely ruin Shen Qiaowen's career in the film industry, so he went ahead and glanced at Zhang Shengquan. The latter understood and then personally diverted the attention of the many guests around him.
Xu Shaoting preserved a shred of dignity for Shen Qiaowen, at least by not making him apologize to Wen Jia in front of everyone.
Shen Qiaowen straightened his expression and said, "Wen Jia, I should apologize to you."
She looked at Shen Qiaowen's hunched back and his slightly forward-leaning neck. Where was the sharp-tongued and sarcastic person he had been on set?
Wen Jia never intended to retaliate against him this way, even though she truly hated him. Back when she was just starting out in the industry and needed to explore everything, Shen Qiaowen had cast a shadow over her, a dark cloud that took her three or four years to clear. She still vividly remembered the helplessness she felt when he humiliated her so harshly on set. So, when she finally made it to the forefront years later and Shen Qiaowen offered her a script again, she refused without hesitation.
She didn't want to waste her time and energy on someone like Shen Qiaowen. Becoming stronger and using her newly acquired power to humiliate him was, in her opinion, the best way.
This was the first time she had ever seen Shen Qiaowen in such a disheveled state. It was as if they had switched roles; his bewildered state was exactly like hers back on the film set.
Although she hadn't expected to retaliate in this way, Wen Jia felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she looked at his disheveled appearance. She forced a smile, neither mocking nor sympathetic, devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at someone who had nothing to do with her.
Her gaze swept over Shen Qiaowen's humble posture, and without saying a word, she took the initiative to leave the corridor.
...
The two of them were completely back in the hall. Wen Jia glanced at the man beside her and asked, "Did you already know that Shen Qiaowen would be here?"
Xu Shaoting's expression had softened considerably compared to before. Looking at her profile, her eyes, illuminated by the crystal chandelier, were much brighter than when she had just met Shen Qiaowen.
"I invited him."
Her high heels stopped abruptly. It was already unexpected that he knew about her past conflict with Shen Qiaowen, but she never imagined that this whole drama was something he had orchestrated himself.
"How did you know about my relationship with Shen Qiaowen? Did Yu Kaiqing tell you?"
Xu Shaoting nodded, responding appropriately: "She told me after careful consideration."
-
Half an hour later, the auction banquet officially began. Of all the guests, only twenty had officially received an invitation to the auction.
The deck was clean and spacious, clearly having been prepared in advance. At the very front, in the center, stood a beige table next to a huge display screen showing the real-time exchange rates of various currencies.
Dark red velvet cushioned benches had already been placed in the center of the deck, with exclusive name tags attached to them. The seats were arranged in five rows, with only four benches in the first row, two of which were for Xu Shaoting and Wen Jia. Led by a staff member, she took his arm and sat down at the seats.
From behind, the man has broad shoulders and a neat suit, while the woman has slender, bony shoulders.
Short hair is neat and tidy, long hair is gentle and graceful.
She tilted her head slightly, pursed her lips, and leaned closer to Xu Shaoting, whispering in his ear. Occasionally, a low chuckle would escape between the two of them.
Zhou Jingcheng was the last to arrive and was helped by Jiang Zhao to sit in the back row.
All invited guests were present.
The auctioneer, accompanied by bodyguards, stepped out of the yacht. He was dressed in a white suit, wide-leg trousers, and red-soled stilettos, looking very simple and capable. He spoke Mandarin with a Hong Kong accent.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am auctioneer Cheng Sailing. Welcome aboard the Weiyu Bay cruise ship for the 37th Van der Linde Auction Evening."
The deck was completely silent, the sound echoing faintly on the calm river surface.
"Next, I will read out the notices and instructions for this auction."
...
Apart from Cheng Sailing's solemn voice, there was not a sound of noise around them, and the tense and confrontational atmosphere began from this moment.
After Cheng Sailing finished reading, we officially began the main topic:
"This auction features 23 lots, 15 of which will be auctioned in a silent manner. This means that bidders will submit their bids secretly by filling out a bidding form, without disclosing the bids of other participants. The highest bidder will be announced after the auction ends, and the highest bidder will ultimately win the lot."
"Next, we will see the first item to be auctioned in this auction."
A staff member wearing white gloves walked onto the stage carrying a velvet box and slowly presented it to the guests.
Inside the box was a small but extremely dazzling pink diamond ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are seeing now is the Musayev pink diamond, 59.60 carats, top-grade fancy vivid pink, with a clarity of IF internally flawless, a rare achievement among colored diamonds. It is named 'Scarlet Reign'. The starting price is 32 million, and each bid must be at least one million. This is a high-estimate item. If you wish to bid, please use your high-value bidding paddle."
At the same time as Cheng Sailing's last word, a deep male voice came from the back row, "Thirty-five million."
Wen Jia glanced back and saw that the stranger had already impatiently raised his bidding paddle.
"Do you want to take a picture?" she asked in a low voice, turning to the side.
Xu Shaoting gestured with his chin toward the pink diamond in the box and asked, "What do you think?"
"Too dazzling."
Xu Shaoting smiled slowly, his gaze casually sweeping over her fair, slender, but empty fingers, remaining noncommittal.
On stage, Cheng Sailing, with a professional smile, slammed the auction gavel down heavily. "Thirty-five million! Anyone have it...?"
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a middle-aged woman's voice from the back row, who shouted, "Thirty-six million."
"Thirty-six million! Cathy's phone request, is anyone offering thirty-eight million or even more?" Cheng Sailing's tone became increasingly excited, raising the tense atmosphere on the deck to another level.
Everyone was keeping their eyes and noses to themselves; some were secretly calculating, while others were holding their breath and watching. Some were betting on the other party's offer, while others were weighing their own budget.
After a long silence, a deep male voice spoke:
"Forty million."
The sound was not loud, but it was resounding.
It is Zhou Jingcheng.
Wen Jia turned her head and glanced at the man beside her. Xu Shaoting was still sitting upright, as if he had absolute patience and certainty, and there was not a trace of impatience in his expression.
"Forty million, that's forty million from President Zhou. Will there be a higher price? Should Chairman Su raise it to forty-two million? Forty-three million?"
Cheng Sailing spoke to another man in the first row, her bright smile conveying not only excitement but also a technical guidance.
Seeing that the pressure had shifted to him, Chairman Su immediately clasped his hands together and whispered to the person next to him.
Half a minute passed, and no result was achieved in the conversation.
Silence fell over the audience once again.
Finally, half a minute later.
"Forty-two million."
"Forty-five million."
Two male voices rang out one after the other throughout the venue. The latter sentence, which reached Wen Jia's ears, was spoken by Xu Shaoting.
He sat down, but didn't raise his bidding paddle; he simply made a bid.
Cheng Sailing seemed to have been waiting for him to speak, and when she finally heard him, her face lit up with joy. "Chairman Xu, what a generous offer! It's forty-five million now. Is anyone else bidding higher, Cathy?"
A middle-aged woman's voice rang out a second time from the back row, "Forty-eight million."
Zhou Jingcheng followed closely behind, saying, "Fifty million."
Female voice: "Five thousand two hundred."
"The price has reached 52 million. Chairman Xu, would you like to raise it to 53 million? Or 54 million?"
The atmosphere on the deck grew increasingly tense, with the guests' escalating bids raising the auction to unprecedented heights. Of those invited to the deck, half participated in the bidding, while the other half remained silent observers. By this point, only four or five people were still raising the price.
Xu Shaoting didn't reply to Cheng Sailing, but waited quietly.
"Fifty-four million," someone in the back row said.
After another moment of silence, Zhou Jingcheng said, "Fifty-five million."
The deck grew increasingly quiet, and his voice echoed through the air.
Xu Shaoting chuckled briefly amidst the echo, then spoke again in a steady tone, "Sixty million."
Auctions are a kind of hidden gamble, except that the gamble is on rationality. In such an intense atmosphere, even those without funds will be tempted to raise their bidding paddles and drive up the price when they hear others around them constantly raising their bids.
However, the price has already been raised to over 50 million, so even if it's irrational, it's time to stop.
Cheng Sailing slammed the gavel down heavily. "Sixty million? Will there be any higher bids?"
The high price did not materialize; the auction ended in silence as guests in the front row turned around in twos and threes to look at Zhou Jingcheng, who was most likely to make a bid.
However, he remained silent for a long time.
Instead of patiently persuading her, Cheng Sailing made the final decision: "Congratulations to Chairman Xu for winning the first item in this auction for 60 million RMB!"
The room was silent for about ten seconds, then a round of applause broke out.
Xu Shaoting had his staff collect the bidding paddles, and amidst the enthusiastic applause around him, he turned to Wen Jia and whispered, "This is for you."
Wen Jia paused, "It's too valuable."
Xu Shaoting chuckled, "We've already filmed it. Are you sure you want to embarrass me like this?"
He didn't wait for her response, but instead called Lin Youzhe and instructed him to immediately board the yacht to complete the handover procedures.
Wen Jia had no idea how the second half of the auction went, because Xu Shaoting had taken her off the deck first.
He held her hand, and a pink diamond ring was placed on the middle finger of her right hand. Condensed within the pink diamond were not only 60 million RMB, but also several gazes from all around.
As Xu Shaoting passed by Zhou Jingcheng, he deliberately blocked Wen Jia's view and looked down at the sitting man.
He didn't say anything, but Zhou Jingcheng could clearly see the meaningful look in his eyes.
-
Upon entering the main hall, a waiter led the two into the VIP lounge.
The lounge is a suite, surprisingly large, with a bedroom, living room, reception room, and open kitchen—it has everything you could need.
Xu Shaoting took off his suit jacket, leaving only a white shirt and tie, his collar casually open. He walked to the large sofa by the window, pulled the woman over, and easily pulled her onto his lap, making her kneel down.
One of her pointed high heels slid down as she moved and fell onto the wooden floor with a dull thud.
He smiled and held her bare ankle in one hand. "Did you have fun tonight?"
Wen Jia looked at his features and said, "Chairman Xu bought me a diamond ring worth over 50 million. If I say I'm unhappy, wouldn't that be ungrateful?"
Xu Shaoting's tone rarely carried a hint of emotion, "Of course you can say it, not only in front of me, but in front of anyone in the future."
Wen Jia understood his unspoken message and asked, "Is this your purpose tonight?"
He gave her a necklace before, and today he took her on a yacht, made Shen Qiaowen apologize to her in front of everyone, spent more than 50 million to buy her a diamond ring, and put it on her finger in front of the guests.
Those who had coveted her, offended her, hurt her, or betrayed her were all settled with him tonight.
Why are you helping me like this?
"help?"
Wen Jia leaned against his chest, a smile playing on her lips, "What else is this but helping?"
“Wen Jia,” he frowned, looking up at her, “is this just a simple matter of helping someone in your eyes?”
After thinking for a moment, Wen Jia nodded slightly and gave an affirmative answer.
She seemed to be doing it on purpose, deliberately not giving him the answer he wanted to hear.
Xu Shaoting chuckled lightly.
The next second, he suddenly tightened his grip, wrapped his arms around her waist, stroked her back, and turned the woman sitting on his lap over.
She was placed on the sofa, with his arms supporting her on either side.
Their faces were extremely close, and a few strands of his short black hair hung down from his forehead. The indoor lighting was dim, obscuring his expression and making it appear inscrutable.
This time, he didn't lean in to kiss her; instead, he composed himself.
"So all I did was worth the word 'help' in your eyes?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com