Chapter 8 The Bidding War Begins
The Sovereign Charity Auction was held at the Grand Imperial Theatre. It was the absolute pinnacle of luxury, a battleground where billionaires used millions of yuan like pocket change to buy face and assert dominance.
I stepped onto the grand staircase wearing a custom-tailored, emerald-green silk gown that clung to me like liquid glass.
My hair was swept up, held by a pair of simple jade hairpins.
I wore no heavy diamonds, yet the sheer, cold authority radiating from my eyes made the paparazzi's cameras flash in a blinding frenzy.
"Is that Su Yan? She actually showed up?" "I heard the Lin family is going to force her to bid on trash to bankrupt her." "Look at her, acting so high and mighty. Without Lu Chen, she's nothing!"
I ignored the whispers and stepped into the lavish, velvet-lined VIP seating area.
Immediately, my path was blocked by a towering, imposing figure. Lu Chen.
He was dressed in a dark navy suit that made him look like a reigning emperor. His eyes raked over my emerald gown, a flash of undeniable possessiveness igniting in his pupils. Since last night's kiss, his entire demeanor toward me had completely shifted from disgust to a predatory obsession.
"You moved out of the mansion," Lu Chen stated. It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
"The air was toxic," I replied evenly, trying to step around him.
He moved smoothly, blocking me again. He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a sleek, matte black credit card. The Lu Corporation limitless card.
"Take it," he commanded, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Madam Lin is planning to humiliate you tonight by bidding up items and trapping you. Use this. Spend whatever you need to crush her. I will not have my wife bullied by a secondary family."
I stared at the black card. In my previous life, I had begged him for a hundredth of the credit on this card to pay for my father's funeral, and he had thrown a stack of petty cash in my face and told me to stop whining.
My stomach churned with disgust.
"I am not your wife anymore, Lu Chen. The divorce papers are on your desk," I said, my voice dripping with ice. "And I don't need a single dime of your filthy money. Keep it for your fragile little white lotus."
I slapped his hand away. The resounding smack of my palm against his knuckles made several nearby socialites gasp.
Lu Chen's eyes darkened dangerously. "Su Yan, you are playing with fire. You have no capital to fight the Lin family."
"Watch me," I sneered, stepping past him and taking my seat in the front row, directly across the aisle from Lin Wan and Madam Lin.
Lin Wan was dressed in a pitifully simple white dress, playing the abused victim to perfection. When she saw me, she leaned into her mother, pointing at me and whispering. Madam Lin shot me a look of pure, toxic triumph.
The lights dimmed. The auctioneer, a distinguished man with a silver mustache, took the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Our first major item tonight has been generously donated by the esteemed Lin Family! Behold, the Tang Dynasty Imperial Jade Crown!"
The velvet curtains parted, revealing a stunning, intricately carved jade and gold headpiece resting on a silk pillow. The crowd murmured in awe.
"This artifact was acquired by Madam Lin's late husband," the auctioneer boomed. "Starting bid is 10 million yuan!"
I looked at the crown.
[System Scan Complete: Item: 'Tang Dynasty Imperial Jade Crown'. Status: 100% Counterfeit. Material: Chemically treated quartz and brass. Manufactured three weeks ago in an underground workshop in the slums by Madam Lin's secret lover, a known forger named 'Old Rat'.]
A laugh bubbled up in my throat. They were trying to sell a piece of fake trash to the Jingcheng elite? The audacity was staggering.
Madam Lin stood up, a faux-humble smile on her face. "Though it pains our family to part with such a priceless heirloom, charity comes first. However, I dare say there is a certain someone here tonight who lacks any appreciation for history. Isn't that right, Su Yan?"
The spotlight suddenly swung, blindingly hitting my face. The entire theatre went dead silent, hundreds of eyes turning to me.
Lin Wan stood up next to her mother. "Yan-yan, please. We know you grew up in a poor village and have never seen real antiques. Why don't you bid? Show everyone you aren't just a parasite living off Brother Chen."
It was a blatant, heavy-handed trap. If I didn't bid, I was publicly admitting I was poor and uncultured. If I did bid, they would drive the price up to bankrupt me, leaving me with a fake artifact.
"A village girl wouldn't know jade from green glass," someone sneered from the back.
Lu Chen, sitting two rows behind me, leaned forward, his jaw tight. I knew he was waiting for me to fail, waiting for me to beg him for his black card.
I slowly crossed my legs, adjusting the silk of my emerald gown. I raised my bidding paddle.
"Fifty million," I said softly.
The theatre exploded in gasps. I had just quintupled the starting price in one breath.