Chapter 34: The Astronomical Auction Item

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Boom—

Yan Ziyu’s mind went blank, tears of excitement welling in her eyes. That... that was English!

“Three hundred and fifty thousand. The novelty is the only thing it has going for it; whether it’s useful or not is secondary. This lord has money to spare.” The first bidder immediately raised the price to three hundred and fifty thousand.

“Three hundred and eighty thousand!”

“Three hundred and ninety thousand!”

“Four hundred thousand!”

…

Seeing how fierce the competition below had become, Yan Ziyu’s heart tightened along with it.

She stared unblinkingly at the familiar writing on the auction stand. She was certain this had to be the gift Bai Yufeng had mentioned, the one left for her. Her anticipation of its contents grew with every passing moment.

“Eight hundred thousand. I’m determined to have this. Anyone who wants it may bid as they please.” An arrogant, imperious female voice rang out, raising the price from five hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand in a single breath and drawing everyone’s attention.

Yan Ziyu also looked down toward the source of the voice. So it was her!

What a small world indeed.

She had not seen her earlier, but she had suddenly appeared now. She had probably only just arrived. That was all the better—one fewer person would know of her connection to the Curio House, giving her another hidden card to play.

As she gradually merged with this body, Yan Ziyu had recovered more and more of its former memories. Among the most deeply engraved was the memory of this woman—Yan Rulan, the second daughter of the General’s Residence. She was spoiled, domineering, and willful. Though she lacked Yan Ruqing’s calculating nature, her methods were no less vicious.

Yan Ziyu had once been betrothed from childhood to a man chosen by her family. As fate would have it, Yan Rulan took a fancy to him and went to great lengths to get close to him. That man was a heartless, treacherous bastard who abandoned Yan Ziyu for her elder sister. Not only did he feel no guilt or remorse, he even developed murderous intent. Together with Yan Ruqing and her mother, he lured Yan Ziyu to the edge of a cliff and pushed her over, hoping to destroy all evidence of the crime.

Fortunately, she had survived by sheer luck.

It was not that the former Yan Ziyu had never wanted revenge. She simply had neither the strength nor the opportunity. In order to stay alive, she could only pretend that she knew nothing and swallow her hatred in silence.

What did Yan Rulan want this thing for? Could she somehow read the contents recorded on it? That should be impossible. This short passage contained not only English, but also some French. Unless she had crossed over from another world as well, how could she possibly understand it?

“One million.”

After a moment’s thought, Yan Ziyu raised the bid directly to one million. At the same time, she wanted to test Yan Rulan’s intentions.

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“Someone really wants this worthless junk? One million... Xiaoping, keep an eye on that private room later and find out who’s inside. Hmph! How dare they snatch something from me, Yan Rulan? They must have a death wish!” Yan Rulan ground her teeth in fury, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes.

“Rulan, we can discuss this later. For now, bid and buy it back. And don’t forget your father’s instructions.” A handsome man beside Yan Rulan reminded her.

But why did that voice sound so familiar? It seemed she had heard it somewhere before...

“One million two hundred thousand!” Hearing her husband mention her father, Yan Rulan pouted unhappily, but obediently called out the new bid.

Before leaving home, her father had given her one million five hundred thousand silver taels. She had thought she might be able to keep some of it for herself, but now that seemed impossible. It was all the fault of that contemptible woman who had suddenly appeared and driven the price so high. Once Yan Rulan found out who was responsible, she would make certain to teach her a proper lesson.

“One million two hundred thousand and one copper coin.”

Hearing the hesitation and unwillingness in Yan Rulan’s voice, Yan Ziyu deliberately raised the bid by only one copper coin. She wanted to provoke her and see her furious, hysterical reaction.

“Slap—You wretched bitch! This is too much! I’ll kill her...” Yan Rulan shouted angrily, but someone stopped her before she could lose her temper completely.

Mo Yunhao reached out and held down the enraged Yan Rulan. After whispering a few words into her ear, he gradually calmed her down. She nodded and agreed to leave the matter to him.

“Miss, that is going too far. Who raises a bid by only one copper coin? If you truly want the item, please bid in a more reasonable manner...”

“I’ll raise it by however much I please. The auction never stipulated a minimum increment. Every coin I have was earned through hard work. Unlike those who rely on women to climb the social ladder and live off them, I can’t bid quite so freely. If you find it unpleasant, then don’t follow my bids. No one is forcing you with a knife at your throat.”

Yan Ziyu’s mocking words left Mo Yunhao’s face pale, then green. He flung back his sleeve and snorted coldly. “What a sharp and vicious tongue. You should know that there are many people in this world whom you cannot afford to offend. Take care of yourself!”

“Thank you for your concern. Old man, since no one is bidding anymore, shouldn’t you strike the gavel?” Yan Ziyu reminded the old host, who had been standing dazed on the platform.

“One million two hundred thousand and one copper coin, once. One million two hundred thousand and one copper coin, twice. One million two hundred thousand and—”

The gavel had barely struck twice when another bid rang out before the third strike could land.

“One million four hundred thousand.” Yan Rulan’s voice rang out again, thick with anger.

Yan Ziyu fell silent.

After several breaths, she slowly spoke. “One million four hundred thousand. Tsk, tsk... That’s a lot of money! I really don’t have that much silver on hand. What am I supposed to do? Let me think... let me think of a way...”

“Hmph! If you don’t have the money, why pretend to be some great person? Come over and lick my shoes. This young lady might reward you with a few coins...” The moment Yan Rulan heard Yan Ziyu claim she lacked the funds, her confidence surged. She deliberately raised her voice to humiliate her.

“Poverty certainly makes a person lose all dignity. The esteemed daughter of the General’s Residence has fallen so low that she has to earn a few coins by licking someone else’s shoes. Tsk, tsk... What a disgrace to the General’s Residence. Two million silver taels. This is the last of my fortune. Once it’s gone, I’ll truly have nothing left. I may even have to rely on the young lady of the General’s Residence for my livelihood. When that time comes, Miss Yan, I hope you’ll be generous enough to look after me.”

She had deliberately acted as though she had no money one moment, only to throw out the astronomical bid of two million the next. She wanted to crush Yan Rulan, expose her identity before everyone, and grind her dignity beneath her feet—just as Yan Rulan had once treated her.

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Just as Yan Ziyu had expected, no one raised the bid after two million silver taels. The item written in both English and French successfully fell into her hands.

After she left, Bai Yufeng did not depart immediately. However, an alluring, sinister figure had appeared on the chair beside him.

“Next time you kill someone, don’t do it in the Curio House. The boss doesn’t like it.” Bai Yufeng continued drinking his tea without looking up.

The enigmatic man wore a flowing purple robe, his ink-black hair cascading behind him in the breeze. His dark eyes held a faint violet hue, while his deep, striking features radiated irresistible charm. The corner of his lips curled into a wicked, roguish smile. He gave the impression of a powerful vortex, drawing people in helplessly until they were hopelessly lost.

“I’ll try.” The enigmatic man shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned. Bai Yufeng knew at once that he had treated the warning as nothing more than wind passing his ears, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

“When are you planning to leave?” The two men had known each other for many years, and Bai Yufeng knew that he was like the wind, unable to remain in one place for long.

The enigmatic man tipped his chair backward and propped his feet on the table, grinning wickedly. “I’m not leaving. I’ve discovered something very interesting, so I’ll be staying here for a while. Heh, heh...”

Bai Yufeng had a bad feeling. His brows drew together slightly. “Don’t tell me this interesting thing has something to do with Yan Ziyu? She’s the person our boss is waiting for. You’d better not cause trouble. The boss’s wrath is no joke.”

“Only a difficult challenge is worth taking. I’m leaving first. Don’t tell anyone that I’ve returned.”

With that, he leapt from the window and vanished like a gust of wind.

......

“What are you daydreaming about? You failed to buy the item, and Father is certain to lose his temper when we return. Hurry up and think of some way to remedy the situation.” In the carriage, Yan Rulan saw Mo Yunhao lost in thought and shoved him irritably. Her face was drawn long with displeasure.

“Uh... yes. I’ll give Father-in-law an explanation.” Mo Yunhao answered distractedly.

Was that person really her?

The voice had been remarkably similar, but her tone and manner of speaking were entirely different. If it was not her, why had she shown them such intense hostility? But if it was her, how could she possess such ability?

Even so, Mo Yunhao had already made a decision. He leaned close to Yan Rulan’s ear and whispered a few words. Under Yan Rulan’s astonished gaze, one of Mo Yunhao’s attendants mounted a swift horse and rode away in the opposite direction from theirs.

A cold light flashed through Mo Yunhao’s eyes.

Whether you are Yan Ziyu or not, it makes no difference. I will never spare anyone who has humiliated me!