I can dream about my own death.

Because the food in the company cafeteria was so bad, Li Yucheng and his two companions had developed a tacit understanding.

That means that whenever I go out for an interview, I have to linger until after lunch before I can go back to the company.

This can help me avoid eating the unpalatable food in the company cafeteria and also allow me to receive an extra meal allowance.

Li Yucheng drove to the Jiaheng Auction House building, showed his press pass, and explained his identity to the receptionist.

At Jiaheng Auction, all participants, including guests and media reporters, need to make an appointment in advance.

Even after revealing their identities as reporters from 749 Media, the receptionist did not allow Li Yucheng and his two companions to pass through, but instead made a phone call to their superiors for instructions.

After receiving confirmation from her superiors, the receptionist smiled and said, "Please wait a moment. A dedicated staff member will contact you shortly to guide you through the interview and filming. Please have a seat here."

"Thanks!"

Li Yucheng followed the receptionist into a private room.

Then, the waiter served snacks and tea.

The three of them looked at the exquisite pastries and, without any hesitation, started eating them, completely abandoning the dignified image they projected in front of the camera.

While eating, Chen Wensheng asked, "I've never understood why we journalists have to interview and promote those high-end, extremely expensive things? Take, for example, the starting price of Qiu Ying's 'Autumn in the Frontier' from the Ming Dynasty, which was auctioned this time, at 8888 million. Those who are extremely wealthy don't spend time watching videos to learn about these expensive things."

"Then let me ask you, why would those top luxury brands spend so much money to play video games on the subway? Can commuters who squeeze onto the subway afford extremely expensive luxury goods?"

"This is probably to appeal to the vanity of certain people, especially some shallow women. If they can't afford it themselves, they can ask others to give it to them," Chen Wensheng explained.

Li Yucheng shook his head: "You're being superficial. You've only seen the most superficial aspects. Have you ever considered that rich people also have vanity? Rich people also need the envy of the poor. As for luxury goods, only when their value is widely recognized by society will the rich buy them. To put it bluntly, many luxury clothes and shoes aren't necessarily as good as those costing a hundred or two yuan at roadside stalls. If their value isn't widely recognized by society, what fool would buy them?"

"Oh!" Chen Wensheng understood.

"The same principle applies to 'Autumn in the Frontier,' which started at 8888 million. How many people in this world can afford it? Would someone who can truly afford a painting waste time watching videos that hype up the value of famous paintings? No! Only when the value of this painting is widely disseminated and known to more people will it be worthy of its listed price of over 80 million. Once the buyer collects this painting, they will gain the affirmation of their ability and 'taste' from the general public," Li Yucheng boasted.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the room.

Li Yucheng and the other two immediately straightened their posture and sat up straight.

The person outside the room was very polite, knocking gently on the door: "Hello, I'm Xu Hui, the manager of Jiaheng Auction House. May I come in?"

"Please come in!" Li Yucheng replied softly.

Xu Hui walked in with a gentlemanly air, smiling as he asked, "Didn't your media company already send reporters to interview our auction house? And who are the three of you?"

The three of them felt a little embarrassed by the question.

After all, the three of them just wanted to kill some time, and they didn't expect that colleagues from 749 Media would come to the auction to cover it.

Chen Wensheng and Wang Feng both looked at Li Yucheng, signaling him to speak and explain.

Li Yucheng, the eldest brother, was so embarrassed he could dig three bedrooms and a living room out of his toes. He forced himself to say, "We just finished our interview about the gold heist. Since we had some time to spare, we thought we'd come to Jiaheng Auction House to do some interviews as well. If your company feels it's inappropriate, then the three of us won't bother you any longer."

Upon entering the room, Xu Hui felt that the three reporters looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Hearing Li Yucheng say this, I immediately remembered that these three were the most famous reporters in Changfeng City, and the gold robbery case was extremely popular.

Facing such a popular reporter, Xu Hui naturally dared not be negligent. He immediately became extremely enthusiastic and said with a beaming smile, "So it's you, Reporter Li! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you at first. Please come with me. I'll take you to conduct the interview right away."

Xu Hui knew that what Jiaheng Auction needed most was popularity and to attract more attention.

The people in front of them were the most prominent reporters in Changfeng City, and they were extremely popular.

Sending these three to interview Jiaheng Auction House would definitely be a good idea.

Li Yucheng and the other two looked at each other. They didn't know why Manager Xu Hui had suddenly become so enthusiastic. They had no idea what was going on.

However, this was a good thing, as the three of them avoided the embarrassment of being "asked" to leave.

Li Yucheng said with an awkward smile, "Manager Xu, please lead the way."

The auction has been going on for a while now.

Thanks to the fame they gained from the gold robbery, Chen Wensheng and his two companions became the only group of reporters to join the auction halfway through for interviews and filming.

After entering the auction hall, Chen Wensheng realized what a corner of the Heavenly Palace meant.

At the auction, bids were in the tens of thousands, and money was as cheap as waste paper.

He then thought about his salary of less than five thousand yuan and realized that there was a vast difference between people.

Chen Wensheng quickly adjusted his mindset. He realized that a life of great wealth and honor was beyond his reach, and there was no need to waste time on it.

Inside the auction, the sounds of bidding rose and fell, with each bid more outrageous than the last.

Chen Wensheng didn't listen attentively; instead, he looked around aimlessly.

When he looked to his right, he saw a familiar figure standing more than three meters away—Fang Yun.

Fang Yun was so thin, almost like a dried-up corpse, that Chen Wensheng recognized him immediately.

Chen Wensheng wanted to go over and say hello, but just then an antique transaction ended.

After three hammer strikes, the auctioneer smiled and announced, "Next up is the last antique of the day—'Autumn on the Frontier' by the renowned Ming Dynasty painter Qiu Ying. This painting embodies a great deal of Qiu Ying's effort and is an extremely rare masterpiece... Furthermore, it is a prized possession of Mr. Xue Mingzheng, a prominent local entrepreneur and chairman, so there's no need to worry about its authenticity. The starting bid is 8888 million!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a lot of noise broke out at the auction.

"One for the museum, one for me!" Chen Wensheng muttered under his breath.

Upon hearing this, Li Yucheng immediately turned his head, looked coldly at Chen Wensheng, and warned, "Do you know the consequences if these words get out?"

"I'm sorry!" Chen Wensheng immediately admitted his mistake and dared not say anything more.