She noticed.
The girl in the Lolita dress merely had a collector's obsession with the pair of knives.
But the sharp-featured girl with short hair on the other side looked like someone who could actually use a knife.
Her well-defined fingers clearly held latent strength.
Despite her seemingly slender frame, a closer look at the contours of her clothing revealed muscles covering Xu An's body.
It was breathtaking.
Just as she was about to raise her paddle to bid, a bizarre incident occurred.
The air around her seemed to congeal, and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Although it wasn't to the point of suffocation, she distinctly felt as if her throat was being clutched, rendering her speechless.
The surrounding lights were too dim.
Thus, no one noticed her predicament, nor did they notice the black-haired girl's face turning red from being choked.
Yet, on the surface, the girl appeared completely fine, maintaining her original posture, seated properly, even holding a cup of tea.
Perhaps the tea in the cup was too hot, so the girl held it without drinking.
Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the knives on the stage.
In the eyes of the onlookers, the girl looked regretful for not acquiring the knives.
Perhaps the price was too high, or perhaps for some other reason.
The black-haired girl eventually gave up bidding.
The auctioneer looked at the black-haired girl and the Lolita girl.
He kept signaling with his eyes.
"Bid, why aren't you bidding anymore? Continue."
Perhaps it was the auctioneer's naked desire that was too obvious, causing even the Lolita girl beside her to give up bidding.
In reality, the starting price for this pair of companion knives was between 1000 and 1200.
A price of 1600 was already quite good.
But who could be satisfied?
While this amount wasn't a loss, had it met his expectations?
Certainly not.
Seeing that no one else was bidding, he took the initiative to engage with a customer below.
"Miss Sun, aren't you the one who loves collecting knives the most? These knives are unique. Won't you consider them?"
Xu An's beautiful eyebrows furrowed.
The auctioneer's current actions were a complete violation of the auction house rules.
Auctions rely on everyone bidding, and the highest bidder wins.
Failure to bid is considered forfeiture.
By rights, a minute had passed with no further bids.
The auctioneer should have followed the final procedure, calling out three times, and if no one outbid Xu An, he should have finalized the sale.
This pair of companion knives should have belonged to Xu An.
Yet, he actively approached others, trying to solicit higher bids.
Everyone present was someone of consequence.
Witnessing the auctioneer's behavior, they couldn't help but think of themselves.
If the auctioneer acted this way when they were bidding, who could tolerate it?
Thus, many people spoke up, "Isn't that enough?"
"Indeed, don't be too greedy."
"The last bid was made by that young lady. Why haven't you finalized the sale, and why are you still promoting it to others?"
"Exactly, it's really unclear if you're running a flea market or a department store."
This last remark was a blatant mockery of the auctioneer as a department store salesperson.
Only salespeople in supermarkets would try so hard to push their products to individuals.
Hearing the chatter below, the auctioneer's smile faltered.
The commission on this pair of knives was very high, and he had gotten carried away.
He hadn't paid attention to Xu An because her attire was ordinary.
When Xu An first bid, he had dismissed her as just someone joining for fun.
He hadn't expected Xu An to actually bid until the final round.
However, observing the anxious look on Xu An's face, he figured she had just enough money for this last round.
As long as he could prompt Miss Sun to bid, then.
This pair of companion knives would surely sell for a higher price.
Unfortunately, everyone present, even the target of being exploited, Miss Sun in the Lolita dress, was not foolish.
Her bid was initially a competition with the black-haired girl.
Their families had similar backgrounds, and they liked similar things.
It was easy for them to confront each other at auctions.
They would often fight fiercely over items that were not worth their value.
Ultimately bidding many times the item's actual value.
But that also depended on who they were competing with.
She preferred ornate and beautiful gem-encrusted knives, while Xu An was more into swords.
Knives like these, clearly sharpened, were not the kind a delicate lady like her could handle.
Buying such knives would merely be for novelty.
Moreover, upon seeing that her rival also liked this knife, her competitive spirit was ignited.
Thinking of competing with that annoying woman.
But now that her rival had stopped bidding.
She instantly lost interest in the pair of companion knives.
She glanced coldly at the auctioneer, her lips curling into a strange arc.
Seeing the girl's smile, the auctioneer inexplicably felt a strong sense of dread.
It was as if the girl before him was not a sweet little loli, but a venomous snake hidden in the shadows.
"1600 once."
"1600 twice."
"1600 thrice!"
"Sold!"
"Congratulations to Miss Zhang for acquiring this pair of companion knives."
The auctioneer uttered the congratulatory words with difficulty, his face wearing a forced smile.
But Xu An was very happy. She didn't mind at all.
Instead, she happily waited for her acquired items to be delivered.
Only after the auction of the companion knives was completely settled.
The restriction on the black-haired girl was lifted by Ze Yuan.
During this time, a small episode occurred.
The black-haired girl in the VIP room insisted that she was possessed. She claimed to have been controlled, as if locked in a small room.
She felt suffocated, as if someone was strangling her.
She claimed that the auction house's rooms had issues.
The auction house dared not offend this distinguished guest, so they quickly called a doctor. However, after the examination, the doctor said the girl was perfectly fine.
As for someone strangling her, it was entirely baseless.
Her neck was delicate and fair, with no marks whatsoever.
Finally, the girl left the auction site in fright, but as she left, she declared that she was not done with the venue.
"I will definitely find evidence of your haunting!"