As the song ended, within just a few minutes, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage again, wearing a proper smile on his face.
He bowed slightly in all directions to show respect. "Ladies and gentlemen, the first half of the auction was just an appetizer. The real highlight is in the second half. Guests, if you come across something you like, feel free to bid."
Indeed, the highest - priced item in the first half was probably the three - million - yuan bid from that fool Qian Xu.
The auctioneer's words were enough to prove that the items in the second half would surely start at a price no less than that.
Sure enough, after the auctioneer finished speaking, he nodded slightly towards the backstage. Then, a woman in a cheongsam slowly stepped forward. This woman was slimmer than the one who had carried the tray before, and upon closer look, her face was also prettier.
She opened the red cloth, and there was still a red velvet box inside. The auctioneer carefully opened the box, and a diamond with a faint pink glow was exposed to everyone.
It was a pink diamond. Everyone got excited. Such a large, complete, and crystal - clear pink diamond was rare.
"The quality and hardness of this pink diamond are top - notch. I believe all the guests here understand how rare pink diamonds are. Without further ado, the starting price of this item is five million yuan." Seeing the reaction he expected, the auctioneer had a faint smile on his face.
Sure enough, once the price was announced, it kept soaring. Finally, Ling Qianchen bid twenty million yuan without hesitation, suppressing all the other bidders.
"The next item up for auction is also extremely rare. When it comes to sports cars, Lamborghini is probably the most well - known. But today's item is not a Lamborghini. Instead, it's a globally rare car." The auctioneer spoke in a cadenced manner, deliberately pausing for a second or two from time to time to pique people's interest.
"Since this item is too large, please follow me." With that, the auctioneer made a gesture of invitation and led everyone towards the hotel lobby.
As soon as they stepped out of the banquet hall, those in the front could already see a Pagani parked in the middle of the lobby, illuminated by the lights.
Some people who knew about cars were immediately excited and wanted to touch it.
"Oh my god, this car was produced in 2010 to commemorate Pagani's 50th anniversary. There's no second one in the world."
"No matter how much it costs, I'm going to buy it today."
"Hahaha, buying it to show off, right?"
Everyone was chatting and eager to bid. Yuan Xingcheng stood beside Yuan Meng and tilted his head slightly. "I'll bid for this car later and give it to you."
Ling Qianchen's sharp gaze immediately swept over. "Why do you want to give it to her?"
Yuan Xingcheng stared at the sports car and replied casually, "Because she likes sports cars. There are a lot of cars in her house."
After saying this, he felt a chill on the back of his head. When he came to his senses, he realized he might have said something he shouldn't have.
Ah, I didn't mean to.
Yuan Meng looked at him with a half - smile, which seemed extremely threatening.
Swallowing nervously, Yuan Xingcheng put on a flattering smile, trying to ignore his slip - up. "Well, you like red. After I buy this sports car, I'll paint it red. It'll look super cool when you drive it out."
Ji Bai, Ling Qianchen, and Lu Ziyan's gazes kept shifting between the two of them.
Why did he know that Ai Yue liked sports cars? And why had he been to Ai Yue's house?
Thinking of this possibility, Ling Qianchen felt unhappy. Why? He and Ai Yue were in a cooperative relationship, such a good relationship, but he had never been to her house. Why had this Yuan Xingcheng been there?
After everyone had seen the car, they returned to the auction hall. The auctioneer announced the starting price: ten million yuan.
Although this price was quite high, there were still many people who wanted to buy the car.
"Eleven million."
"Twelve million."
"Come on. I'll bid fifteen million."
When the price reached twenty - two million and seemed to be stagnating, Yuan Xingcheng slowly said, "Twenty - five million."
Ling Qianchen raised his eyebrows slightly and still showed no expression on his face. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ji Bai beside him eager to bid.
"Twenty - five and a half million."
After reporting this number, Ji Bai felt a bit nervous. Oh my god, would his brother beat him when he got home for spending so much money?
However, thinking that Yuan Xingcheng might have been to Ai Yue's house, he felt that if he didn't make things difficult for him, he wouldn't be able to swallow his anger.
"Twenty - six million." Yuan Xingcheng added another half - million without any concern.
"Twenty - eight million." A cold and clear voice finally spoke for the first time in this round. Ling Qianchen saw Yuan Xingcheng looking at him and deliberately smiled, provoking him. There was no doubt about it.
Yuan Meng was a bit speechless. She realized she had made a mistake. She should have stopped them earlier. Her nephew had to pay several million more for no reason.
"Okay, the price has now reached thirty million. Is there anyone else who wants to bid?" The auctioneer's voice was a bit excited.
Seeing that the two big shots sitting beside her were about to bid again, Yuan Meng quickly reached out her two hands and pressed their hands down, one on the left and one on the right. "Stop. This price is already high enough. It's not worth bidding any higher."
Without their interference, Yuan Xingcheng successfully bought the Pagani for thirty million yuan.
Lu Ziyan leaned close to Ling Qianchen's ear and whispered, "Dude, I originally thought that Ji Bai might be the type she liked. But now it seems she might like this big star more. After all, there are so many power - women and big - star couples in the circle. By the way, they participated in that survival show together some time ago, and they were even paired up as a sister - brother CP. Could it be that they're going to develop a relationship?"
Ling Qianchen's face turned ugly again. He didn't want to hear any of these words. "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
As the last item was auctioned off, the auction of the charity gala came to an end, and the real banquet of the night finally began.
Ji Bai grabbed Yuan Meng's arm, looking pitiful. "Sister, you have to protect me. Look, Qian Xu was targeting me just now. If you leave me, who knows how he'll bully me."
When no one was looking, Yuan Xingcheng rolled his eyes and pulled Ji Bai's hand down. "Are you still a man? Asking a woman to protect you. What were you thinking?"
Who could tell him why he had thought his aunt would take a fancy to such a kid at first? He must have been blind. What kind of temper did his aunt have?
"People bully you because you're weak. But do you want to be weak and be bullied for the rest of your life?" Ling Qianchen rarely spoke up.