Chapter 18: Lu Yan

It was not until a magnificently crafted and exquisitely designed gemstone necklace was carefully placed upon the auction block that Jiang Zhiyue finally took an interest and cast a few more glances at it.

The beautiful auctioneer introduced the piece: "A jade necklace worn by the imperial family of the Han Dynasty. The starting bid is one million. Each raise must be at least one hundred thousand."

"Bidding begins!"

Almost as soon as the auctioneer’s gavel fell, Jiang Zhiyue heard a loud voice beside her shout: "Five million!"

"Pfft—"

When she turned her head and saw that the bidder was truly Pei Heng, she nearly choked on her own blood.

*Seriously? Are all rich people this capricious?*

If he had that kind of money, he should just go to a jewelry store. Why spend so much to bring home something that belonged to a dead person?

The rest of the hall also looked curiously toward their direction. A four-million-dollar jump in one go—they wanted to see what kind of person would disregard the rules of the game like that. Unfortunately, they stared for quite a while, but no one could recognize which young master this handsome man was.

The auctioneer on stage offered a sweet smile: "This gentleman has bid five million. Are there any bids higher than five million?"

"Five million one hundred thousand!"

"Six million!"

"Six million one hundred thousand!"

"Seven million!"

When Pei Heng crushed the competition with another massive raise, the crowd lowered their heads and whispered, all shaking their heads. While the necklace was indeed beautiful—and if it were only three or five million, one might buy it for their wife or daughter to play with—spending nearly eight million was simply not worth it.

"Seven million, going once!" the auctioneer said.

"Why are you buying this?" Jiang Zhiyue asked, feeling a bit anxious.

Pei Heng was still there, grinning foolishly: "It’s quite pretty. I’m buying it for you, Little Jiang-Jiang. Look, everyone else has jewelry to wear; how can you not have any?"

"Hiss—"

Jiang Zhiyue gasped. For a moment, she couldn't tell if this guy was testing her professional expertise or if he was genuinely trying to mess with her. This necklace, radiating a sinister aura, was clearly a funerary object dug up from somewhere.

Although she could cleanse the lingering resentment attached to it, she had no habit of fighting the dead for their accessories!

"No, this won't do."

"You don't like it?" Pei Heng looked a bit disappointed. He had noticed her lingering gaze earlier and assumed she was interested. But that was fine; if she didn't like this one, there would be another. He would eventually buy something she loved.

"Seven million, going twice!"

Just as everyone assumed the necklace would be snapped up by Pei Heng’s single bid, a cold, detached voice suddenly rang out: "Eight million."

!!!

Instantly, everyone in the auction hall turned to look toward the source of the bid.

Jiang Zhiyue was no exception, but she immediately felt a wave of relief. She hadn't expected a sucker to step up at such a critical moment.

*What a kind soul!*

Now Pei Heng wouldn't have to waste his money.

The voice had come from the compartment right next to them. Through the window, from her angle, she could only see the person’s high bridge of the nose and a sharp, clean jawline. *Ugh, fine, I don't know him.*

She sat back down silently and gave Pei Heng a look: "Let him bid, let him have it."

Pei Heng was confused, but he obediently placed his bidding paddle on the table and refrained from raising the price. Sensing his disappointment, Jiang Zhiyue explained in a low voice:

"There is a very dense, dark energy on that item. It’s clearly a funerary relic of great age. If an ordinary person is in contact with such a thing for a long time, they’ll suffer constant minor illnesses at best, and lose their life at worst. Besides, since they placed this necklace in a tomb, the owner must have loved it dearly. Why should we, as living people, go around snatching someone else's beloved possessions?"

Hearing this, Pei Heng nodded earnestly:

"Forget it, then. I thought it was just an ordinary antique necklace; I didn't realize it had an owner. I was wrong. Little Jiang-Jiang, I’ll take you to the mall instead. Things at auctions are no good, no good at all."

Just as Pei Heng had given up, Jiang Zhiyue heard a voice she knew all too well:

"Sister, is that you? I know you really like this necklace, but I want to buy it as a birthday gift for Mom. Could you please let me have it?"

Jiang Zhiyue: "?"

*Why is this person everywhere!*

She looked through the window, and sure enough, Jiang Qingyan’s inescapable face appeared at the window of the adjacent compartment.

As soon as she spoke, many in the hall began to sigh: "So Young Master Lu is spending so lavishly just to see his beauty smile!"

"The Jiang family’s daughter is truly blessed. There aren't many men as handsome, rich, and doting as Young Master Lu."

"Doesn't the Jiang family only have one daughter? Who is this person the young lady is calling 'sister'?"

"I don't know, maybe a relative's child?"

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. I think Mr. Jiang once mentioned he adopted a relative’s child. Could it be this girl?"

Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, Jiang Zhiyue lazily leaned against the window, propping her head up: "But I like it too, what should I do?"

Jiang Qingyan put on a troubled expression, but hearing everyone praise Lu Yan for spending a fortune on his lady love, she couldn't hide her smile:

"Sister, please don't be like this. Mom has been so good to you; I just want to give her a suitable gift, can't you stop competing with me? If you like it, I can buy you a different necklace privately, okay?"

Jiang Zhiyue rolled her eyes so hard they nearly vanished:

"This is an auction, right? Isn't it supposed to go to the highest bidder? How am I 'snatching' anything from you? If you want it, just place a bid, won't you? You're so filial—surely you aren't stingy with your money?"

At this, someone in the crowd chimed in: "She's right, Miss Jiang. This is an auction; it has always been about the highest bidder. There's no such thing as snatching. The way you put it, it really is a bit inappropriate."

Pei Heng also laughed, not fearing the drama: "So, according to you, bidding at an auction is stealing? In that case, everyone, please don't raise your paddles later, lest someone accuses you of snatching their things."

Jiang Zhiyue added, "Why don't you tell us what else you have your eye on? Then everyone can just stop bidding, and you can buy it all by yourself."

The auctioneer’s expression stiffened. An auction relied on everyone competing to drive up the price. If nobody bid, how were they supposed to make money? But Lu Yan of the Lu family was someone she couldn't afford to offend, and as his fiancée, Jiang Qingyan was equally untouchable.

Helpless, she could only look toward the man leaning back on the soft seat behind Jiang Qingyan.

Lu Yan frowned and scanned the room with disdain: "I, Lu Yan, don't need anyone to 'let' me have what I want. I have plenty of money."

His cold voice and the oppressive look in his eyes instantly silenced everyone in the room.