Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“Ye Fan, you bastard. How dare you turn down my invitation. I am never asking you out again.”
At that time, the employees of Qiushui Logistics had already punched out. Qiu Mu-Cheng was left alone in the office.
And she was seething with anger. Earlier today, a business associate had given her two tickets to an auction, and she wanted to invite Ye Fan to the event but, to her surprise, the bastard had turned her down using a prior engagement as an excuse.
“Hmph, you have too many engagements!”
“I will never ever go out with you again.”
Qiu Mu-Cheng was really mad. Although she had not asked him explicitly to accompany her to the auction, the bastard should have guessed her intention. Why else would she have called him and asked about his plans for the evening?
If he had just a little bit of emotional intelligence, he would have guessed the reason for her call.
“Hmph, this blockhead. No wonder he’s still a virgin.”
When Qiu Mu-Cheng stomped away on her high heels, she was still fuming.
Before going to the auction, she went home first and had a change of clothes. Members of upper-crust society were going to attend the auction and, as the third daughter of the Qiu family, she had to pay attention to her appearance if she didn’t want to bring shame to her family.
Meanwhile, Ye Fan had his own problem to think about as he made his way to Shanshui Memorial Garden.
“Is that Xu Lei trustworthy or not? If she reveals my identity, the plan that I have been working on for the past ten years could be exposed.”
Ye Fan was well aware of the might of the Chu family.
If anyone in that family found out about the enormous wealth in his possession, they would want to investigate and find the source of his funds. And if they traced the trail back to Han, his identity as a spy would be exposed.
“I have to get in touch with Han. I can’t afford to be too careful.”
Halfway through his thoughts, Ye Fan arrived at Shanshui Memorial Garden.
“Mr. Chu, you have arrived?”
Li Er had been waiting at the entrance since half an hour ago. When he saw Ye Fan, he skipped forward to welcome him. And the servile look on Li Er’s face caused his underlings to gape in shock.
Was this the unofficial king of Yunzhou, Li Er?
Was this the same Li Er who ruled over the police and the underworld?
Under the astonished gazes of his underlings, Li Er escorted Ye Fan into Shanshui Memorial Garden.
“Mr. Chu, what happened with the Shen family was due to my negligence. I promise, such a thing will never ever happen again.” Li Er tapped his chest confidently.
Ye Fan smile and said, “Remember what you said today.”
Midway through their talk, Li Er and Ye Fan arrived at the hall.
Shanshui Memorial Garden was renowned as a high-end entertainment club in Yunzhou. Normally, only members or VIPs were allowed to set foot on its premises.
“Mr. Chu, in a while, they will hold an auction here. If you see anything you like, just tell me and I will get it for you.”
A crowd had already filled the hall. Everyone was dressed beautifully and their manners were elegant. One could see at a glance that they were the elites of society and from the very best families. As they held wine glasses filled with red wine, the attendees chatted among themselves.
“Wah~”
“So beautiful!”
“As pretty as a fairy?”
“Who’s that beauty!”
But, the hubbub in the hall suddenly ceased and was replaced by silence. Many in the crowd turned their gazes toward the door, to look at the lady in the purple dress.
Ye Fan, too, turned to look. And then he stared with his eyes wide open.
“Eh?”
“Why is this woman here?”
“Who’s that man?”
“Shit, she had better not be fooling around outside!”
When he saw the well-dressed but uncouth man standing next to her, Ye Fan’s expression turned ugly.
Just then, the lights suddenly dimmed. The auction was about to start, so the attendees looked away and returned to their seats.
“Mr. Chu, the auction is about to begin. Let us move to the Crystal Room and wait?” Li Er asked fawningly. But Ye Fan was not paying attention to him. He was staring at his wife, his eyes ablaze with emotion.
Li Er sensed that there was something odd about Ye Fan’s expression, so he asked in confusion. “Mr. Chu, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I am not going to the private room. You get me that seat over there. That’s right, the one behind the lady in the purple dress. Yes, the prettiest one. And get me a mask.”
For safety reasons, lottery winners would hid their faces with masks. Auction attendees would adopt the same measure to protect their identities, so masks were provided at auctions.
A few minutes later, Ye Fan put on a mask and mixed into the crowd.
“Mu-Cheng, the auction is about to start. Let us take our seats?” Lin Qian smiled and asked her companion. The uncouth man Ye Fan had spotted earlier was standing beside Lin Qian. He was actually Lin Qian’s husband, but that fact was unknown to Ye Fan at that moment.
Qiu Mu-Cheng nodded and the company of three took their seats. But right after they had taken their seats, someone slipped in unnoticed and took a seat directly behind them.
“Mu-Cheng, I haven’t seen you much since our college graduation. I remember, the last time we met was three years ago. Just after you got married.”
“It was raining then and you were waiting for a taxi on the roadside. You were in a pathetic state then. Wang Yu and I were the ones who sent you home. And then we didn’t see each other for a few years. Now, look at you. It’s unbelievable. You are attending a high-class auction. It looks like you have done well for yourself. You are now one of the rich people.”
Lin Qian smiled lightly. Her tone carried an inexplicable sharpness, as if Qiu Mu-Cheng’s good fortune was making her feel bad.
But Qiu Mu-Cheng shook her head and smiled: “I am not rich at all. This invitation was given to me by a friend. I am just here to have a look.”
Lin Qian smiled and replied, “That’s right. You married a useless husband after all. Considering your status, it’s impossible to get invited to such an auction. You are just basking in your friend’s glory.”
“Oh yeah, where’s your husband? Is he too ashamed to show his face? Is he afraid of getting humiliated?”
Lin Qian smiled lightly as she questioned Qiu Mu-Cheng. As she touched on the topic of husbands, Li Qian’s eyes filled with pride and a sense of superiority. While she chatted away, Lin Qian rested her head on her husband’s shoulder, presenting a picture of spousal love. It looked as if she was putting on a performance for Qiu Mu-Cheng.
And in the next moment, Lin Qian let out a scream. “Ah, darling! I dirtied the half-million diamond ring you just bought me~”
As she was talking, Lin Qian deliberately stretched out her hand. And a diamond weighing several dozen carats sparkled dazzlingly under the lights in the hall.
Wang Yu kissed Lin Qian’s hand lightly and said, “Darling, don’t worry. If it’s dirty, I will just buy you a bigger one.”
“Wah, darling, you are so nice to me. Kiss kiss~”
As the husband-and-wife pair indulged in their public display of affection, they ignored Qiu Mu-Cheng, whose face was turning pale.
At that moment, Qiu Mu-Cheng was hugging herself and keeping her ring finger out of view. The ring she had on was only worth two thousand and looked dull, compared to Lin Qian’s diamond ring.
“Mm? Mu-Cheng, you haven’t answered me yet. Where’s your husband. He didn’t come with you?” After showing off her diamond ring, Lin Qian deliberately returned the topic to Mu-Cheng’s husband.
Qiu Mu-Cheng replied embarrassedly, and her voice lacked confidence. “Mm, he didn’t come. He had something on at home.”
“Mu-Cheng, this is unacceptable. If a man wants to succeed, he has to go out and see the world. Broaden his knowledge.”
“In our elite circle, there’s a saying. The more knowledgeable you are, the more capable you will be.”
“Look at me. Last year, I took Qian-Qian to fifteen countries and spent close to a million. But that’s just petty cash. If it’s gone, then it’s gone. The important thing is this. We broadened our experiences.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
“A person like your husband who spends all his time at home, like a frog in a well, is just useless. What can he do in the future?”
Wang Yu said lightly, with the showy air of a maestro of success.