Transmigrated into a female-oriented novel, and put an end to the domineering CEOs all over the city

To be honest, Lu Jingxiu felt that An Xiaozhao was just trying to make money.

"Is this foundation tonight An family's own?" He turned his head and asked Tang Cheng in a low voice.

Tang Cheng was just there to join in the fun and didn't think much about these intricacies. He simply replied truthfully, "The An Family Charitable Trust, you know what I mean."

"Is there another charity auction later?" Lu Jingxiu asked again.

"Yes, I heard there are some nice little gadgets," Tang Cheng replied.

Lu Jingxiu sneered. It was confirmed; they were just trying to make money.

"Brother Lu, what's the problem?" Zhou Yu leaned over from the other side.

Lu Jingxiu said, "You think the An family is doing charity? In reality, she's just monetizing her family's influence in a different way. The attention and sycophancy of our Ba City's celebrities and tycoons are just price tags in her eyes."

Lu Jingxiu saw through the An family's scheme at a glance, and he now knew what An Xiaozhao's purpose was in coming to Ba City.

Touring around to make money.

They started by profiting from the Ba City market and then moved on to other prefecture-level cities.

After Lu Jingxiu's explanation, Tang Cheng, Zhou Yu, and the others immediately realized that it made a lot of sense.

"Damn it, so she's just here to rip us off?" Tang Cheng cursed, then suggested, "Brother Lu, let's go and let her go make money off those suckers."

"No need to leave." Lu Jingxiu waved his hand, his eyes sweeping around the banquet hall. "There's no shortage of smart people in Ba City, and others have probably figured it out too. Send a message in the group chat, telling everyone to donate 888 tonight, just a token gesture, for good luck."

Tang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then grinned.

That's a brilliant move.

The young masters at the top of the industry collectively donated 888 at Anjia's charity gala. Who wouldn't know what that meant?

This little bit of money is just slapping the An family in the face.

But An Jia couldn't retaliate because the person had indeed donated, and even chose an auspicious amount. What could she say?

Lu Jingxiu leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and continued watching the show.

He wanted to settle down in this disgusting way.

Do they really think the people who dominate the market are all idiots?

……

"This is a famous painting by Polish painter Wojciech Borna, depicting a mountain village. The starting bid is 500 million, with each bid increment being no less than 10."

"...Congratulations to Mr. Fu for outmaneuvering all competitors and acquiring this rare and highly sought-after world-famous painting for 900 million yuan. This truly demonstrates the discerning taste and audacity of a knowledgeable collector!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, this string of high-quality, bright green jadeite beads, crystallized over millions of years and worthy of being passed down through generations, starts at 800 million. Bidding begins now!"

"...Congratulations Mr. Zhao on successfully acquiring this treasure with a bid of 6000 million! Only someone with your discerning eye and refined taste is worthy of owning such a priceless heirloom. Congratulations!"

Lu Jingxiu sat in the corner, just clicking his tongue.

He took back what he had just said.

There aren't just a lot of idiots in the market, there are an unusually large number of them.

These auction items weren't bad, but without exception, their prices were all inflated.

For example, that jadeite was only worth about one million, but it was auctioned off for sixty million, making Anjia a huge profit.

Lu Jingxiu stroked his chin. It was a pity that his family couldn't afford such a quick way to make money; only those without family members holding official positions could do it.

As for why the An family can do this, it's because they have so much debt they don't care. Judging from tonight's setup, this is definitely not the first time the An family has organized such a charity gala; they're probably already quite adept at it.

This large family spans four sectors: military, business, politics, and entertainment. On the surface, they appear glamorous, but in reality, an investigation would expose many of them to the wrath of society.

Lu Jingxiu and his group didn't raise a paddle for a single item from beginning to end.

The An family didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

In their view, the celebrities at the market had already given them enough face tonight, with enthusiastic donations, a frenzied auction, and a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

As for those young people who didn't bid at all, they were probably just small fry from families with a little money, but not worth mentioning.

But in the market, some people have already noticed that something is wrong.

It's not right.

None of the second-generation figures who were truly at the core of the market's power made a bid.

Secretary Lu's son didn't raise a sign, nor did Mayor Tang's son. The sons of the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission... none of them raised a sign.

This is intriguing.

Although these children of officials are not as wealthy as those businessmen, they are not exactly penniless either.

What does their collective silence signify? Is there some grudge between the Lu and An families? Or are these young masters sending some kind of signal to the outside world?

In such situations, anyone with a slightly sensitive sense of smell can immediately detect a different scent from this subtle silence.

It's one thing to curry favor with the An family, but if the An family clashes with the local princelings in Ba City, they'll have to think twice.

No matter how far the An family's influence extends, it can't reach into the territory of Ba City. But the fathers of these young masters are the ones who truly control every aspect of their lives.

They can't afford the consequences of choosing the wrong side.

The auction ended quickly, and the final public donation phase began.

The list of donors and the amount of money pledged began to scroll across the big screen, and the host stood on the stage, loudly reading out each name and number.

An Xiaozhao stood up again and walked to the side of the stage.

She wore a polite smile and her gaze swept gently across the audience. Whenever someone raised a sign to donate, she nodded and smiled.

When she receives a particularly large donation, she will personally go up to the recipient, shake hands with them, present them with a beautifully crafted certificate of appreciation, and add a message saying, "Thank you for your kindness."

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

"Mr. Lu Jingxiu donated..." The host paused for a moment when he read the name.

He glanced down at the tablet in his hand, then looked up at the audience below, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard before continuing, "...888 yuan."

In the banquet hall, the guests who knew who Lu Jingxiu was almost simultaneously widened their eyes, started discussing among themselves, and began to look towards where Lu Jingxiu was.

The eldest son of the Lu family, the undisputed leader among the second-generation officials who dominate the market, donated only 888 yuan at a charity gala of this caliber?

An Xiaozhao's smile remained unchanged.

She followed everyone's gaze to Lu Jingxiu, nodded slightly, and gave him a polite smile.

But inwardly, he curled his lip in disapproval.

Fortunately, this princess is elegant and kind, and treats even stingy men from the lower class equally, otherwise I would have had him kicked out long ago.

However, before she could even process this disdain, someone else in the audience raised a sign.

"Mr. Tang Cheng donated..." The host stared at the screen, checked again, and then read out, "...888 yuan."

"What?!"

This time, the shock in the banquet hall could no longer be contained.

If Lu Jingxiu donated 888 yuan by himself, it could be loosely explained by the fact that the Lu family has always been honest and frugal.

But when Tang Cheng also donated 888, things just didn't feel right.