Li Haochen was taken aback. He looked up, then picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth. "No trouble. Is there anything I need to do?"
"It's like this..."
The chief flight attendant recounted the entire story, with a hint of prayer in her voice as she awaited Li Haochen's reply.
"It's fine, please make the arrangements."
"Thank you so much for your understanding. We wish you a pleasant journey!"
In the economy class outside, a man looked around expectantly. As soon as he saw the chief flight attendant approaching, a triumphant smile appeared on his face. "Can I switch seats now? Hurry up, I'm uncomfortable sitting here."
The chief flight attendant smiled without looking at the man. Instead, she leaned down and said to a woman, "Madam, your seat in first class has been arranged. Could you please move over there with your… family? It's much quieter than here."
The woman hesitated slightly, but the man beside her, whom she found repulsive, made her choose to leave. This wasn't cowardice, but a desire not to be disturbed.
"Okay, thank you!"
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this a mistake? Why isn't it me who's being moved?"
"Yes, sir. If you wish to move to first class, you can upgrade by paying the difference."
"Then why doesn't she have to pay?"
The chief flight attendant smiled and replied, "She is a distinguished guest of our airline, hence this privilege. We are about to enter the troposphere. Please fasten your seatbelts and secure your belongings, thank you!"
With that, she ignored the man's expression and led the woman towards the front. Soon, they arrived next to Li Haochen.
Hearing the movement, Li Haochen turned his head and immediately stood up to make way.
The woman nodded at Li Haochen and walked into the innermost empty seat. As there was only one seat left, she held the urn tightly.
After a while, the woman nervously rummaged through her bags. Just as she was in a panic, Li Haochen handed her a red booklet. "I found this on the floor earlier. Are you looking for it?"
The woman took the martyr's certificate and held it tightly as if she had found a treasure.
"Thank you!"
"He was a remarkable hero!"
When Li Haochen picked up the certificate, he saw the information inside, which deeply moved him and made him respect this firefighter even more. To lose his life in the prime of his life was truly a pity.
"Yes, he was a remarkable hero."
The woman couldn't help but shed tears of sorrow again, though she made no sound. She just looked at the urn in her hand and tears flowed silently.
He had experienced the pain of losing a loved one, so he understood the woman's feelings at that moment. He quickly comforted her, "I have also experienced the pain of losing a loved one. I hope you can stay strong, not for yourself, but for him and for your family."
"Sigh..."
The woman sighed sadly and turned to Li Haochen, forcing a smile. "Thank you..."
After speaking, the woman turned her head to look out the window again. Li Haochen knew that a few words of comfort wouldn't easily resolve her grief, so he could only sigh inwardly, "Time will have to be the comforter."
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. The plane had landed safely. As the woman left, she thanked Li Haochen again. Seeing her desolate figure, he also shook his head and sighed.
Adjusting his mood, he walked out of the airport and took a taxi to the Peninsula Hotel on Yuanming Road in Huangpu District. He chose this hotel because it was very close to the auction house, only a one or two-minute walk away.
By the time he checked in, it was almost nine o'clock in the evening. After a whole day of traveling, Li Haochen had no desire to go out shopping.
When he came out after showering, Murong Yanran had sent a video call. He didn't dare to answer, otherwise, he wouldn't know how to explain himself. He had no choice but to set his phone to silent and pretend not to know.
The next day, Li Haochen woke up and first called Murong Yanran, of course, he had to tell a beautiful lie.
Ten minutes later, Li Haochen, dressed impeccably, took the gilded entry ticket and walked towards the auction house.
The auction house was quite distinctive, with its entire exterior wall exposed in red brick.
Following the instructions, after verification, Li Haochen successfully entered the main hall. As soon as he entered, a sexy bunny girl holding a bidding paddle led him to his designated seat.
There weren't many people yet, and since he was bored, he opened the directory on the table to look at it. It listed a wide variety of items, including ancient paintings, books, ceramics, jewelry, and accessories. Soon, the hall was filled to capacity.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet. We will begin the auction shortly."
A few minutes later, an old man with graying hair walked to the table at the front and tapped the microphone. The few "dak dak" sounds drew everyone's attention to him. He smiled with satisfaction and said, "I believe you all recognize me, so I won't introduce myself further. Now, our Autumn Auction is officially commencing."
With the crisp sound of a gong, the first auction item was brought up. "The first auction item is a Qing Dynasty, peach-motif snuff bottle. Detailed information is in the catalog. The starting bid is 100,000, with increments no less than 2,000. Let's begin."
It was clear that not many people were interested in the snuff bottle. Only after the old man stalled for time and made several appeals did someone slowly raise their hand to bid.
The final price settled at 138,000. Although it didn't reach his target price, the old man was relieved that it hadn't gone unsold.
"Next, the second item..."
There were many items, and the auction continued until twelve noon when there was a lunch break. The organizers were also very thoughtful and had already arranged various snacks and refreshments.
An hour later, everyone returned to their seats, ready for the next round of bidding.
"The following set of jewelry is extremely rare, with a vibrant pink glaze, and all are of flawless grade. It is also the final masterpiece of the renowned jewelry master Victoire de Castellane, truly worth owning. The starting bid is 100 million, with increments no less than 500,000..."
"One hundred and ten million..."
The old man hadn't even finished speaking when a young gentleman below him started bidding.
"Nephew Huang, you're too stingy. Two hundred million, hehe!"
"Old Liang, you're not much better. I bid three hundred million."
Li Haochen did not rush to bid. He didn't believe the final price would be so low. As expected, several other wealthy individuals joined the competition, and the price continued to climb, reaching over 530 million.
"Seven hundred million..."
At this moment, a young man increased the price by over a hundred million. He had a somewhat roguish demeanor, as if the seven hundred million posed no pressure on him. His bid clearly caused many people to withdraw from the competition.
"Seven hundred and fifty million..."
"Seven hundred and seventy million..."
Although there were only four or five people bidding now, they all seemed very interested, and no one seemed to want to give up. The price finally broke through eight hundred million. After this price, another two people withdrew from the fray.