Seeing someone willing to bid for the girl and noticing the extraordinary demeanor of these two gentlemen, Mama Sun quickly greeted them with a beaming smile and said without hesitation, "Oh! This young master has an air of distinction. You look rather unfamiliar. I suppose this is your first time here! But since you've said so... Five hundred taels of silver!"
Mama Sun held up five fingers as she spoke.
"Five hundred taels?" Upon hearing this figure, the crowd burst into an uproar, chattering away.
Goodness! She'd bought the girl from Mrs. Zhang for just five taels of broken silver and now was selling her for five hundred!
"Fine! I'll pay the five hundred taels!" To everyone's surprise, this young master was so straightforward!
Wan Ruo frowned tightly after hearing this. She was both shocked and incredulous. She hadn't even managed to escape yet and here she was being traded right on the spot?
But it was good that someone was getting her out first. She thought that with hard work, she might still be able to pay back the five hundred taels!
Mama Sun beamed even more widely and asked, "May I know your honorable name, young master?"
"I'm surnamed Si."
"Master Si is truly generous! Then..." Mama Sun was overjoyed and completely failed to notice Bai Chen's cold and disdainful look.
Bai Chen slowly took out his folding fan with his slender fingers and gently tapped his left palm, interrupting Mama Sun. "Mama Sun! You sure know how to jack up the price!"
Hearing Bai Chen's words, Mama Sun said awkwardly, "This..."
"However, your five hundred taels is far too conservative! A girl of this beauty should be worth at least five million taels!" Bai Chen said as he looked at Wan Ruo.
"What? ... Five million taels?" The entire place was in an uproar. People opened their mouths in disbelief and whispered, "Even the top courtesan in the House of Pleasure doesn't cost this much! Oh my God..."
Hearing these words, the top courtesan Liu Yuedie became extremely jealous. She turned around angrily and left.
Mama Sun's jaw dropped in shock at the mention of five... million taels. She stammered, "Boss Bai, you... you mean you're willing to spend five million taels to redeem this young girl?"
Wan Ruo looked at Bai Chen's sinister eyes and his evil smirk. This guy must be crazy! Five million taels! It would take her ages to pay that off! Her mind was on the verge of collapse!
Master Si was also quite shocked. His attendant was angry and said to his master, "Young master, who does he think he is, daring to compete with you? It's outrageous. Let me teach him a lesson!"
Si Hongxi quickly stopped his attendant. "Alas! Don't be impulsive. We have important matters to attend to. Keep a low profile!"
Bai Chen was quite satisfied with Wan Ruo's panicked expression. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as he said coldly, "You heard me right. Here are the banknotes worth five million taels. If you're willing, you can take them now!"
Looking at the stack of banknotes in Bai Chen's hand, Mama Sun's eyes were glued to the money. She grabbed the banknotes from Bai Chen's hand.
She was so excited that she could barely speak. Counting the money without even looking up, she said, "Yes, yes. She's yours. You can take her away anytime. Please do as you like!"
Mama Sun took the money and turned to leave. Passing by Master Si, she said apologetically, "Sorry, Master Si. I'll pick a better girl for you next time!"
As she spoke, she greeted everyone with a smile. "Alright, everyone, disperse! Disperse!"
Master Si politely bowed to Wan Ruo, glanced at Bai Chen, nodded with a smile, and then turned to go upstairs.
Bai Chen pulled Wan Ruo out of the House of Pleasure. As soon as they stepped out, Wan Ruo forcefully shook off Bai Chen's hand and said firmly, "Wait. I know you've bought me with your money. I'm very grateful, and I will pay you back. But it won't be five million taels. It'll be fifty thousand taels. I might be able to pay back fifty thousand taels, but five million taels... I'm afraid I'll never be able to pay it off in my lifetime!"
Although Wan Ruo was grateful that he'd redeemed her, she couldn't help but think that this guy must be out of his mind. Five hundred taels would have been enough, but he had to spend five million taels! She looked at him with a hint of reproach.
Bai Chen found her serious expression quite cute. With a playful smile, he replied, "Fine! But I won't spend my money for nothing. At least you have to work for me!"
Hearing this, Wan Ruo frowned slightly. Bai Chen looked at her and continued, "Don't worry. I won't treat you badly. I'll pay you a salary!"
"What can I do?"
"Go and help out at the Shananfang. Someone will tell you what to do!" Bai Chen said coldly.
Shananfang! Oh my God! That famous restaurant! Wan Ruo was overjoyed when she heard that she'd be working there. It wasn't a place where just anyone could get a job. "Really? The Shananfang is well - known for never hiring outsiders. It's amazing! ... But I need to take care of my own business first. Is that okay?"
Looking at Wan Ruo's cute appearance, Bai Chen said indifferently, "Sure! You can go anytime!" After saying that, Bai Chen turned around and left.
Wan Ruo watched Bai Chen's figure as she thought about being able to work at the Shananfang. She was still a bit excited, but then she thought of her aunt, and her face instantly darkened. How hateful!
In a flash, Wan Ruo returned home in anger. Looking at the white lanterns on the door, she was still deeply saddened by her grandmother's passing. She never thought that right after her grandmother's death, she'd been tricked and sold. This thought made her even angrier.
She pushed the door open forcefully and saw her uncle and Mrs. Zhang sitting limply on the ground. They didn't even react when they saw Wan Ruo come in. Mrs. Zhang was still sobbing!
What was going on? Did they regret selling her? Had their consciences finally caught up with them?
"Hey! What's wrong with you two? I'm back, aren't I?" Wan Ruo quickly stepped forward to help her uncle up and tried to console him.
Unexpectedly, her uncle said to Wan Ruo, "The debt collectors..." As he spoke, he pointed at the door. "The debt collectors broke in, and they took Man Man away!"
"What? And what about my mother's bracelet? Mrs. Zhang... Tell me quickly. Where's my mother's bracelet?" Wan Ruo immediately ran up to Mrs. Zhang, grabbed her collar, and demanded.
Mrs. Zhang was already heartbroken over Man Man being taken away. Seeing Wan Ruo's interrogation, she took out her anger on Wan Ruo. She flung Wan Ruo's hand away and stared at her sharply. "Why are you back? Weren't you sold to a brothel? What are you coming back for? Now it's all good. Man Man has been taken away. Are you happy? Are you satisfied? You've come back to watch the show, haven't you?"
Mrs. Zhang's voice grew louder and louder until she was practically shouting.
It was truly speechless. It was Mrs. Zhang who had sold her to a brothel, and instead of showing any remorse, she was shifting the blame onto Wan Ruo. Wan Ruo was helpless. She tried her best to suppress her anger, wiped her hands, and calmly said, "I can overlook the fact that you sold me to a brothel! But you must give me back my mother's jade bracelet!"