The cool breeze blew, and two men, one tall and one small, watched her, awaiting her decision.
Whether it was the comfortable night wind or the unusually warm streetlights, Huo Rou felt a trace of reluctance.
“Go ahead,” she said with a faint smile.
At the auction, Xia Qingxue’s seat was quite far, making communication impossible. She could only anxiously send messages to Huo Rou.
“Hey, why did you sit so far up front? I saved the seats next to me for you guys.”
Huo Rou glanced at Xia Qingxue’s position. There was only one seat next to it, and if she were to move there, she would have to hold An An.
“Not enough seats.”
After briefly replying to her message, Huo Rou switched interfaces and began browsing international affairs.
The items at this auction were quite varied, covering many categories: calligraphy and painting, jewelry, rare plants, and so on.
An An watched with wide eyes, then suddenly tugged at Qin Ningyi’s arm.
“Dad, this is beautiful!”
Qin Ningyi’s gaze shifted from Huo Rou’s face to the item being displayed on stage.
“This is a work by Master Qiao Yushan, a young jade carver. Everyone knows that Master Qiao Yushan excels at carving figures,” the host was eloquently recounting the provenance of the auction item.
“...Three mountains and five peaks, a hundred caves and a thousand ravines, all condensed within. A hundred ren in a fist, a thousand miles in an instant, all achievable while seated. Mountain carvings in jade have become rare in recent years. Today’s piece by Master Qiao Yushan, ‘Flower Fairy,’ not only showcases exquisite craftsmanship, but the material itself is also rare…”
“Does this one look like Mom?” An An excitedly asked, tugging at Qin Ningyi’s sleeve.
“It does,” Qin Ningyi’s gaze froze the moment it landed on the jade carving.
On the delicately warm white jade, the female immortal with sloping shoulders and a long neck, though dressed in classical attire, bore an uncanny resemblance to Huo Rou!
The woman held flowers in her hands. The floral parts were a warm lotus root pink and smoky violet. Especially ingenious was that the woman’s hair was a deep imperial purple.
Her hair was like dark clouds, her skin like congealed fat, and her fingers like sharpened scallion roots. It was impossibly beautiful.
The carving technique was indeed remarkable. The Flower Fairy’s face was charming and made one feel as if basking in spring, yet her eyes held a distant air, as if she did not belong to this world.
This feeling…
Qin Ningyi glanced at Huo Rou, who was playing on her phone beside him. Wasn’t this exactly like her?
“Starting bid, five million.” The host announced the price after the introduction.
“5.1 million,” a man in the distance raised his paddle.
“5.2 million.”
“5.3 million!”
The price climbed steadily. It seemed four or five people were specifically there for this piece. Soon, the price reached 6.6 million.
As the remaining three individuals were locked in a stalemate, Qin Ningyi’s deep voice rang out, “Seven million.”
Hearing his voice, Huo Rou looked up at the stage, then at Qin Ningyi, who had slightly raised his paddle.
“This jade carving isn’t large, and while the jade is good quality, it’s not worth this much,” Huo Rou kindly advised.
“Master’s craftsmanship is excellent.” Qin Ningyi’s gentle gaze fell upon Huo Rou’s face. In comparison, the resemblance was even stronger.
The bidders seemed surprised by the sudden intervention. With Qin Ningyi’s participation, they had already bid up to 7.3 million.
“Eight million.” Qin Ningyi smiled at Huo Rou and raised his paddle again.
“What master’s craftsmanship is worth this much?” Huo Rou casually glanced at the introduction on the screen.
Qiao Yushan?!
This guy was worth eight million?
Huo Rou could hardly believe it. After just a year, had Qiao Yushan improved this much? She then focused her gaze on the jade carving.
Hmm, the carving of the flowers and plants had indeed improved. The figures had always been his strong suit. This person…
Huo Rou’s casual attitude changed as she looked closely. The composure she usually maintained began to crumble.
“This…” Huo Rou exclaimed softly.
An An excitedly leaned in, “Mom, doesn’t the person on this jade carving look a lot like you?”
Yes, very much so!
Huo Rou replied mentally, in a fit of annoyance. She was one hundred percent sure this was carved in her likeness!
You good-for-nothing Qiao Yushan, your audacity has grown!
Huo Rou was so angry she didn’t know what to say. She found Qiao Yushan on WeChat.
“A Rou: What good deeds have you been up to behind my back?”
After a long while, Qiao Yushan didn’t reply. Meanwhile, Qin Ningyi and another bidder had already reached ten million.
The other party clearly hadn’t expected someone to suddenly appear and contend for this mountain carving, nor had they anticipated such a frenzied bidding war.
Qin Ningyi felt as though this was very much like Huo Rou’s desire for it not to fall into others’ hands, and he was confronting that person.
An An watched with growing excitement. At this moment, Qin Ningyi was like a hero on a colorful cloud, radiating golden light.
When Huo Rou heard Qin Ningyi calmly state 11 million as he raised his paddle, she also felt a golden light emanating from Qin Ningyi.
“Is this how money is spent?” She couldn’t help but tug at Qin Ningyi’s sleeve.
The action felt so natural, it caught her off guard for a moment.
Qin Ningyi glanced back at her, smiling, “It looks like you. I want to give it to you.”
Everything around them seemed to fall silent, and only Qin Ningyi’s words remained in her ears: “I want to give it to you.”
It was reminiscent of the phrase, “I want to give it to you,” spoken by a young boy back then.
All her pretense seemed to fall away. She was back to that time, her emotions laid bare.
Qin Ningyi also noticed the softness and reminiscence in Huo Rou’s eyes, something deeply familiar to him. Yet, when he tried to probe further, it all vanished.
“13 million!” The opponent called out a higher price. Qin Ningyi averted his gaze and met the eyes of that person in the crowd.
Huo Rou also composed herself and followed Qin Ningyi’s gaze.
The man who had called out this price seemed to have reached his limit. His face was flushed red, but he still defiantly looked at Qin Ningyi.
So, when Huo Rou turned her head back, he had just caught a clear view of her face.
“This…” He turned to the elder beside him and said, “The person calling out the bid has a young lady next to him who looks exactly like the jade carving! And even more beautiful!”
“What?” The elder narrowed his eyes, trying to find that person in the crowd.
Unfortunately, Huo Rou had already turned her head back to look at her phone.
Ultimately, Qin Ningyi’s financial strength triumphed over his opponent, and he secured the “Flower Fairy” for 15 million.
“Dad! You’re so rich!” An An had accompanied Huo Rou when she bought that house for ten million. Originally, there had been household registration restrictions.
Who knew that when Huo Rou swiped her ID card, the system showed she could purchase the house, automatically calculated the discount, and due to some policy, it ended up costing nine million.
“Study hard, and you’ll be even more capable than Dad in the future,” Qin Ningyi said, stroking An An’s head and not forgetting to impart some wisdom.
An An looked at Qin Ningyi with adoration and nodded vigorously. He looked just like he did when Huo Rou bought the house.
This person is truly wealthy, Huo Rou mused to herself. This place is really expensive. It seems I need to find a way to generate more income.
Should I sell the flowers from the countryside first?