I lent my brother 500 yuan, and he offered his wife as collateral.

……

"when--"

The heavy bronze bell was struck, its echo reverberating through the dome and shattering the previously noisy conversations in the room.

All the lights in the venue suddenly went out, leaving only a spotlight shining directly on the center of the stage.

Tang Ziyun changed into a more formal gold velvet cheongsam, and walked gracefully under the lights.

She didn't need many opening remarks; the figure standing on the stage was itself a synonym for "expensive."

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the first item up for auction tonight."

Wearing white gloves, Tang Ziyun gently lifted the red silk on the tray.

A simple and elegant blue-and-white porcelain cup with a warm glaze lies quietly on a velvet cushion.

The cup is decorated with a lotus scroll pattern, and the cobalt blue is rich and vibrant. The handle has a distinct concave feel, making it a typical fine example of official kiln porcelain from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty.

"Ming Yongle period, blue and white porcelain cup with a pressed hand shape."

Tang Ziyun's voice, amplified through the microphone, resonated throughout the venue, possessing a captivating magnetism:

"With its thick and heavy body and low center of gravity, it is as stable as Mount Tai when held in the hand. This is not only a tea set, but also a favorite of the Yongle Emperor. There are fewer than ten pieces in existence."

Starting bid: eight million.

As soon as he finished speaking, the numbers on the big screen flickered.

Inside the No. 1 VIP box.

Qin Feng sat back in the soft leather sofa with his legs crossed, swirling a half-empty glass of red wine in his hand, his gaze lazily sweeping over the dense crowd below.

On the phone screen was the "top secret list" sent by Su Tianxiao.

Lot 1: Ming Dynasty Blue and White Porcelain Cup

[True market valuation: around 1000 million]

[Su family's internal reserve price: 800 million]

[Su Linglong's intended price: 1200 million (Note: She urgently needs this item to curry favor with a powerful figure in Yanjing, intending to use him to suppress the collateral branches)]

"Tsk."

Qin Feng took a sip of wine, a playful smile playing on his lips. "So it was a stepping stone to be used as a gift. No wonder you were so determined to get it."

Su Qingxue, sitting next to her, felt somewhat uneasy.

She stared at the long string of zeros on the big screen, her fingers twisting tightly around the hem of her skirt, and murmured softly, "One cup... eight million? That could buy so many bowls of wontons..."

In her mind, a few thousand yuan was already a huge sum of money, and millions was simply a number from a myth.

"This is the game for the rich."

Qin Feng put down his wine glass and pointed to the figure in the red dress in the first row below. "Just watch, the show is about to begin."

First floor lobby, VVIP seating.

Su Linglong wore a fiery red backless evening gown today, her makeup exquisite, but she couldn't hide the anxiety in her eyes.

"Eight million?"

She snorted coldly, too lazy to even raise her bidding paddle, and directly grabbed the bidding device in front of her and pressed it down hard.

"Twelve million!"

The numbers on the big screen skyrocketed.

Several collectors who were about to raise their paddles and bid "8.5 million" froze in mid-air, feeling as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a fly.

Starting bid was eight million, and the first bid immediately increased by four million?

This is hardly an auction.

This is clearly a sabotage attempt!

"The eldest daughter of the Su family is indeed arrogant."

"Isn't this premium too high? Twelve million for a cup, only the Su family would dare to do something like this."

Whispers arose.

Su Linglong ignored the gazes of those around her. She raised her chin and looked defiantly at the dark, top-tier private room on the second floor.

Although she couldn't see the people inside, she knew that Qin Feng was there.

"Qin Feng, aren't you supposed to have a good eye? Aren't you good at finding bargains?" Su Linglong sneered inwardly. "In the face of absolute capital, a good eye is a joke! Today, I'll show you what true wealth and influence really mean!"

She wanted to use this overwhelming offer to tell everyone:

The Su family remains powerful!

On stage, Tang Ziyun raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, then flashed a professional smile: "Miss Su has bid twelve million. Any higher bids?"

The audience was silent.

Nobody wants to be taken advantage of.

This cup is worth at most ten million. Paying two million more for a bit of fun is not worth it.

A victorious smile appeared on Su Linglong's lips.

"Twelve million once." Tang Ziyun raised the auction gavel.

Su Linglong adjusted her shawl, preparing to enjoy the thrill of being the center of attention.

Just then.

On the other side of the first row, the middle-aged man who had been resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them.

Su Tianxiao.

He held a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, his gaze sweeping over Su Linglong's determined face before looking up at the dark window on the second floor.

Qin Feng's words on the phone echoed in his mind like a curse.

"Do you think Su Linglong would be willing to cooperate with me just to disgust you?"

"I want to help her drive up the price at the auction..."

Su Tianxiao's fingers tightened suddenly on the prayer beads.

Not right.

Although this girl is usually arrogant, she's not stupid.

Is a broken cup worth her going all in right away?

Unless... there's something in this cup.

Or perhaps, that little beast Qin Feng has already reached some kind of agreement with her and is sending her some kind of signal?

"That cup..."

Su Tianxiao asked the appraiser beside him in a low voice, "Is there anything special about it?"

The appraiser wiped his sweat: "Boss, this is just an ordinary official kiln piece. Twelve million is the absolute maximum. Any higher and we'll lose money."

"Ordinary?" Su Tianxiao sneered. "Anything Qin Feng's eyes have seen, can it be ordinary?"

suspicious.

This is Su Tianxiao's secret to surviving to this day, but it is also his greatest weakness.

He didn't believe in coincidences, and he certainly didn't believe Su Linglong would do a losing business.

If Su Linglong and Qin Feng are both staring at this cup, then there is definitely something wrong with it!

Maybe it's the key to unlocking that "treasure"!

"Twelve million twice." Tang Ziyun's voice rang out again, and the hammer had already fallen halfway.

"Fifteen million."

Su Tianxiao calmly raised the number plate in his hand.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was like a thunderclap in the quiet meeting room.

"Buzz—"

The scene erupted in cheers.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the two bigwigs of the Su family.

"Su Tianxiao? Has he gone mad?"

"Aren't we family? Why are we fighting amongst ourselves?"

"Internal strife within a wealthy family! This is going to be interesting!"

Su Linglong's smile froze instantly.

She whirled around, glaring fiercely at Su Tianxiao, her eyes practically spitting fire: "Second Uncle, what do you mean by this? I'll take this cup; it's a gift!"

Su Tianxiao turned the prayer beads, a fake, benevolent smile on his face:

"Linglong, what a coincidence. Your second uncle just happened to be looking for a teacup, and this one looks quite nice to him. There are no fathers and sons at auctions; we'll each rely on our own abilities."

"you!"

Su Linglong's chest heaved violently with anger.

Do you need a teacup?

Did you buy your cup for 15 million?

This is clearly a deliberate attempt to cause trouble!

"Fine! Fine, let's each rely on our own abilities!" Su Linglong gritted her teeth, her anger completely overwhelming her reason.

She absolutely cannot lose momentum in the first match, especially against Qin Feng!

"Eighteen million!" Su Linglong raised her paddle again, her voice shrill.

"Twenty million." Su Tianxiao didn't even lift his eyelids, and even picked up his teacup to take a sip.

"Twenty-two million!"

"Twenty-five million."

Prices skyrocketed.

The guests were completely dumbfounded.

This isn't an auction anymore, this is burning money!

The two members of the Su family, like two red-eyed bulls, butted heads in full view of everyone, throwing stacks of banknotes into the fire pit to hear the sound.

Tang Ziyun stood on the stage, her smile growing brighter and brighter.

As an auctioneer, what I enjoy most is this kind of irrational bidding driven by personal grudges.

"Twenty-five million! Mr. Su has offered twenty-five million!"

Tang Ziyun's voice was highly persuasive, "Miss Su, this is a masterpiece of the Ming Dynasty imperial kiln. Once you miss it, it's gone forever."

Su Linglong's hands were trembling.

Twenty-five million... that's already a serious overpricing!

If we keep adding more, we'll have to start using the reserves for other auction items.

However, looking at Su Tianxiao's cunning and confident demeanor, she couldn't swallow her anger!

"Two thousand..." Su Linglong was about to speak.

The glass wall of the No. 1 VIP box suddenly lit up.

That was a signal.

Immediately afterwards, the red bidding light, representing the highest authority in the entire venue, lit up without warning.

The numbers on the big screen jumped suddenly.

Thirty million.

No unnecessary words, just a simple and straightforward number.

The once bustling venue suddenly seemed to be put on pause.

Everyone looked up at the mysterious private room.

Who is it?

Which landlord's foolish son is this?

Twenty-five million is already an astronomical price, and this person just spent thirty million?

Su Linglong was stunned.

Su Tianxiao was also stunned.

Inside the private room, Qin Feng put down his hand that had just pressed the bidding button and stretched comfortably.

"Feng... Brother Feng?" Su Qingxue was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she grabbed Qin Feng's arm and shook it.

Although she knew Qin Feng had made some money, spending 30 million on a cup was just too extravagant!

"rest assured."

Qin Feng ruffled her hair, a sly glint in his eyes. "We're here to make money, not to give it away."

He looked down at the two faces with such interesting expressions, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The fire is ready.

Isn't Su Tianxiao suspicious?

Let him be even more suspicious.

Wasn't Su Linglong trying to establish her authority?

Then let her see what real "money power" is.

Lobby.

Su Tianxiao's eyes were fixed on the red bidding light, his palms sweating profusely.

If it were some other fool making the offer, he might have backed down.

But the one paying the price is Qin Feng!

Who is Qin Feng?

That's a monster that can cut five hundred million pieces of jade from rocks and bring the dead back to life!

If this were an ordinary cup, would someone like Qin Feng, who wouldn't do anything without a profit, spend 30 million?

"really……"

Su Tianxiao's pupils contracted sharply as he imagined a dramatic scene unfolding before his eyes. "This cup is definitely suspicious! It must contain a secret powerful enough to change the Su family's fate! Otherwise, Qin Feng wouldn't have made his move at this crucial moment!"

"He said he'd help Su Linglong raise the price, but he actually wanted to trick me into it so he could profit from it all!"

"Don't even think about it!"

The greed and madness in Su Tianxiao's eyes completely overwhelmed his reason.

He had never trusted this family, let alone Qin Feng, an outsider.

Better to kill three thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free!

Su Tianxiao suddenly raised the number plate in his hand, his voice hoarse and resolute, like a gambler betting his last chip:

"Thirty million...five million!!"

boom!

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Thirty-five million for a cup valued at ten million?

This world has gone mad.

Inside the private room, Qin Feng snapped his fingers in satisfaction upon hearing the price.

"They've taken the bait."

He turned to look at the bewildered Su Qingxue and pointed to the blushing old man below.

"See that? This is what you call dogs fighting, all mixed up."

Qin Feng picked up his wine glass again and gently touched it to his reflection in the one-way mirror.

"Whether Su Linglong wins or Su Tianxiao wins, the Su family is bound to bleed from this first blow."