“Fifteen million, going once!”
Fu Yunruo saw that Si Yue seemed like he was about to raise his paddle again, so she quickly called out, “Si Yue!” Even if he had the money, he shouldn’t spend it like this!
Si Yue turned his head to look at Fu Yunruo, blinked his eyes, and smiled at her before putting down his paddle.
“Fifteen million, going twice! Is there anyone else willing to bid higher?”
Si Yue glanced at Chang Zhuyou with a faint smile on his face and gestured politely.
“Fifteen million, going thrice!”
“Sold!”
The hammer fell, and the deal was done.
Before Chang Zhuyou had time to savor the taste of victory, the venue was already bustling. Although this auction had a charitable nature, everybody knew the rules and generally would stop once the bid went over 20-30% above the market price. Unless there were two or more parties particularly interested in an item, things like bidding wars and such that drastically raised the price generally wouldn’t happen.
For this piece of jewelry, though it was exquisite, it wasn’t exceptionally rare. With fifteen million, one could get a top-quality set of customized jewelry, more expensive and better crafted than this piece.
To bid over ten times the actual value, had the young master from the Chang family lost his mind?
Si Yue was the first to applaud, celebrating the successful bid for the desired item.
As others caught on, they also congratulated Chang Zhuyou, regardless of what they thought.
Fu Yunruo looked at Si Yue, who was genuinely smiling, and quickly understood that he deliberately competed with Chang Zhuyou just now to make him pay a hefty price.
She couldn’t help but chuckle and silently gave Si Yue a thumbs-up. Compared to them spending a high price to acquire it, having the other party pay a hefty sum felt even more satisfying.
Si Yue was really mischievous, but she liked it.
Meanwhile, Chang Zhuyou’s brain thundered when realized how much money he had spent. His face turned sour in an instant. Earlier, he had bid high on several items, totaling seven to eight million. Adding this purchase, it amounted to over twenty million in cash.
In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about this sum, but recently, due to successive issues in the company, they had to inject a considerable amount of money to fill the financial holes. Chang Zhuyou couldn’t produce this much cash at once, and liquidating other assets wouldn’t be fast enough.
He called his assistant and instructed him to transfer twenty million from the company’s account to his own. His account only had slightly over ten million available, insufficient to cover the expense.
The assistant hesitated upon hearing the request. “Mr. Chang, our funds are a bit tight…”
“Just do as I say and stop wasting time!” Chang Zhuyou coldly retorted before hanging up.
Chang Zhuyou’s face became increasingly unsightly, feeling as if people were whispering and pointing fingers at him. His hand holding the phone clenched tightly.
“I heard that the Chang family’s company is in trouble. It seems the rumors were true.”
“It’s probably a minor issue. Otherwise, they wouldn’t casually take out over twenty million.”
“…”
The top-ranked families in this circle might have had assets worth billions or more, but most of it consists of various holdings and stocks, with liquid funds making up only a part. People noticed the recent troubles in the Chang family and speculated that they had infused a considerable amount of money to sustain their operations. Though they might face short-term financial constraints, nobody dared to reveal anything about it so easily.
Now, seeing the Chang family easily bidding millions for an item, it seemed that their financial situation wasn’t as dire as some speculated.
Despite their ongoing cold war, Fang Xueruo couldn’t ignore Chang Zhuyou’s unusual expression. She asked with concern, “What’s wrong?” Pausing for a moment, she added, “I’m not very fond of all this, so there’s no need to waste so much money… Let’s not do this again next time.”.
Chang Zhuyou’s expression softened upon hearing Fang Xueruo’s words. He spoke gently, “What I give to you is never a waste.”
The auction continued, but soon reached its conclusion.
Si Yue spotted an inkstone from the Ming and Qing dynasties, undoubtedly the most valuable item of the night. It had been donated by an antique collector for charity, yet it was sold for only five million.
This time, Chang Zhuyou dared not raise his paddle casually, fearing that Si Yue would trap him again. Tonight’s expenses had already exceeded his expectations. In the past, he wouldn’t have needed to worry about finances, but now, as the head of the company, he was fully aware of its current difficulties. Chang Family couldn’t afford to sell off assets, so they mostly used their liquid funds to fill the holes, making them feel financially strained.
Seeing Si Yue secure the item, Chang Zhuyou’s face grew even worse.
Si Yue had indeed outmaneuvered him!
Si Yue took a liking to this inkstone and bought it for Wenwen. After a year or two, when his wrist grew stronger, the boy could start practicing calligraphy. There were better sets at home, but this one should be enough for him to play in the meantime.
Wenwen sat in Fu Yunruo’s arms, comforted by his mother. Seeing Si Yue standing up for him and venting anger on his behalf, his mood brightened. He smiled smugly at Chang Zhuyou and giggled happily!
The auction soon came to an end, and with the sale of the last item, the host of the gala delivered a closing speech.
Tonight’s highest-priced item naturally went to Chang Zhuyou’s purchase of that crystal diamond, for which the host specially thanked him.
Finally, the event closed, and the crowd dispersed.
Si Yue picked up Wenwen, who was still clinging to Fu Yunruo, and teased, “Little chubby pig, don’t you remember your weight?” Isn’t it tiring for your mom to carry you for so long?
Wenwen felt offended and immediately glared, “You’re the chubby pig! Big chubby pig!” He exerted force downward, as if to show that he’d squash Si Yue if he dared to call him fat!
Si Yue raised an eyebrow, “If I’m a big chubby pig, you must be the little chubby pig.”
“You’re the chubby pig, not me!”
The childish bickering between the two made Fu Yunruo roll her eyes. How old were they?
Suddenly, she saw Chang Zhuyou and Fang Xueruo approach them, apparently waiting at the exit for some time.
“Fu Yunruo!”
Si Yue stepped to the side, hiding Fu Yunruo behind him as he confronted Chang Zhuyou, “Mr. Chang, please mind your distance.”
“Si Yue!” Chang Zhuyou gritted his teeth, clenching his fists to resist the urge to punch him.
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Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a foolish man. He’s so focused on picking on RuoRuo that he let it blind him. Too bad, so sad!¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thank you for the translation!