Chapter 52: You Have to Pay More

In all her life, Ye Ziqiu had never had a man whisper in her ear from such an intimate distance. Combined with Lin Jian’s magnetic voice and the hot breath tickling her ear, the sudden tingling sensation sent her little heart racing. For a brief moment, she even felt a bit entranced.

She wondered why she was developing feelings for him when she clearly considered him just a friend. In a flash, from the first time they met until now, his innocent yet infuriating smile seemed to have branded itself deep into her mind. She asked herself if this man was really that magical, and why she was experiencing... experiencing these kinds of feelings for him.

Flustered, she averted her eyes, not daring to look at him, and nodded. "I see."

She meant she understood who that woman was.

Just then, the host stepped onto the stage. He was one of the top anchors from the Modu TV Station. The host began by thanking the sponsors and organizers, followed by Ms. He Yuehua’s foundation, before finally introducing the next performance—a female celebrity singing "Grateful Heart".

The charity gala had officially begun.

Lin Jian couldn’t care less about celebrities, and it went without saying for Ye Ziqiu; she didn’t even know who the singer was. Once the performance ended, the host returned to the stage alongside the singer to present the first auction item. It was provided by a VIP in the audience, though the donor’s name remained anonymous.

The first item was an Old Ginseng root housed in an aged wooden box. According to the host, this Old Ginseng was at least seventy-five years old. The starting price was set at one hundred and fifty thousand, with a minimum increment of ten thousand per bid. The highest bidder would win.

"Good stuff!"

Lin Jian’s eyes suddenly lit up. The box itself was a treasure. Not only was it an authentic antique with an aura of age, but it also contained a hidden compartment. Nestled inside this compartment was a square, emerald-green jade pendant about the size of a baby’s palm. It appeared to be a waist tag, engraved with characters and a carved dragon totem!

His eyes practically glowed green with greed. That jade was an absolute treasure!

"Do you know a lot about ginseng?"

Since Ye Ziqiu was seated on his left and Chen Taohua on his right, both women heard him exclaim, "Good stuff!" They both turned to look at him.

"Not really. I was just talking nonsense, pure nonsense!"

Lin Jian felt around underneath his seat and found a small bidding paddle. This meant every guest present was eligible to participate in the auction. In a setting like this, no one would dare win a bid and refuse to pay; doing so would ruin their reputation entirely, and no one would ever do business with them again.

"Two hundred thousand!"

As soon as the host and the celebrity announced the starting price, someone immediately offered two hundred thousand.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

Those present were all tycoons and magnates. Raising the bid by a mere ten thousand felt too stingy, so they increased it by fifty thousand at a time. The first item had clearly been carefully selected to fetch a high price. Soon enough, the ginseng was driven up to five hundred thousand—more than triple the starting bid!

However, half a million for a ginseng root under a century old was an astronomical price. While Old Ginseng was rare nowadays, it wasn’t impossible to find. Anything above five hundred thousand was simply too steep.

"Six hundred thousand!"

Someone called out a new price. The moment the bid was placed, the venue fell silent. It was unlikely anyone would offer more, as six hundred thousand was already quadruple the original value.

"Six hundred thousand going once!"

"Six hundred thousand going twice!"

"Six—"

"Eight hundred thousand!"

Suddenly, Lin Jian forcefully raised his paddle. It bore the number 22.

GASP!

The crowd immediately turned their attention toward him.

Ye Ziqiu was caught completely off guard. She shot Lin Jian a robotic glance, then mechanically turned her head forward again, trying her best to look relaxed. Although she was annoyed, she figured she could accept the eight hundred thousand price tag. If she brought it back to her grandfather, it might earn her some praise, so it was still worth it in the end.

Yes, she genuinely believed Lin Jian was bidding on her behalf. After all, there was no way he could cough up eight hundred thousand himself, and everyone knew he was here representing her. She tried to keep her composure, but a sense of disappointment still crept in. Her impression of Lin Jian plummeted!

She would never allow a man to make decisions for her, especially this kind of showboating behavior without any prior consultation. She thoroughly despised it. In that moment, she subconsciously decided to distance herself from him as much as possible once the banquet ended. His knowledge, experience, and worldview were simply not on her level, which meant they couldn’t possibly keep associating with each other!

"The VIP with paddle 22 bids eight hundred thousand! Do we have any higher bids?"

"I bid one million!" Su Zhiwei suddenly raised his paddle, shooting Lin Jian a provocative glare!

Without even turning his head, Lin Jian casually raised his paddle again. "Two million!"

GASP!

The entire crowd erupted in an uproar. This was unbelievable! Two million was far too exorbitant for a ginseng root that was less than a century old. It made absolutely no sense! However, on second thought, this was a charity event, so paying a high price was perfectly fine for a good cause.

Ye Ziqiu’s face went completely numb. She felt like she was smiling, but her facial muscles were as stiff as if she’d had a stroke! She could stomach eight hundred thousand, but two million made her look like a massive sucker. She thought that maybe she wasn’t exactly a sucker since it was a charity auction, but surely two million should at least buy something of equal value, right?

What infuriated her the most was that Lin Jian hadn’t discussed it with her beforehand! It felt like he was intentionally sabotaging her! Yes, this had to be deliberate. She knew that if her grandfather found out she had spent two million on this ginseng, he would definitely scold her for being a spendthrift.

Su Zhiwei chuckled abruptly, then lowered his paddle and backed down. He figured only an idiot would keep following. What if he raised the bid and Lin Jian stopped calling? Wouldn’t he be the one getting played? He wasn’t that stupid.

In reality, that was exactly what Lin Jian had in mind. He had been hoping Su Zhiwei would continue bidding. However, Su Zhiwei was quite cunning. As the vice chairman of Xingsheng, he was no fool, making it quite difficult to trick him.

"Two million going once... twice... three times, sold! Congratulations to the VIP with paddle 22."

The host and the female celebrity gestured for Lin Jian to come onto the stage, seemingly to take a commemorative photo with the ginseng. Lin Jian knew it was time to pay; right after the photo, he’d have to head backstage to settle the bill. So, he stood up!

However, as he rose, Ye Ziqiu stood up along with him. The moment she got to her feet, the entire venue erupted in applause. Ms. He Yuehua led the clapping, showing her respect and gratitude to Ye Ziqiu! She mused that shelling out such a high price to support the event showed Ye Ziqiu was quite tactful, and that the young woman was likely using this as a disguised apology for their earlier unpleasantness!

Ms. He Yuehua was delighted by this excellent start.

Ye Ziqiu maintained a polite smile on her stiff face. She had no choice. Even though Lin Jian had set her up, she couldn’t back down in a setting like this, and neither could Fuxing. Two million was paying for a philanthropic gesture, not just a ginseng root. Although she had already resolved to distance herself from Lin Jian, she had to play her part until the end!

"What are you standing up for? I’ll just go take the photo. You stay seated!" Lin Jian said with a cheeky grin as he trotted off for the picture.

After a moment of thought, Ye Ziqiu grabbed her handbag and followed him anyway! She didn’t join the photo, but waited until it was over to accompany Lin Jian backstage.

As soon as the two entered the backstage area one after another, an enthusiastic staff member came over to greet them. Ye Ziqiu immediately unzipped her clutch to take out her bank card!

However, halfway through, she was stunned to see that Lin Jian had already handed over a bank card of his own. He gave her a weird look. "Hey, I was the one who won this. Are you trying to snatch it from me? That’s not how we play, is it? If you absolutely must have it, you’re going to have to pay me a premium..."

Ye Ziqiu was completely bewildered and thoroughly discombobulated. If she were the type to swear, a stampede of ten thousand alpacas would surely be trampling through her mind right now!

After all that anger, indignation, grievance, and anxiety...

In the end, she had completely misunderstood him?!

In an instant, Ye Ziqiu’s face flushed a deep crimson all the way down to her neck.