My disciple, you are now invincible. Go down the mountain and wreak havoc on the world!

Ye Xunhuan, with half an orange-flavored lollipop dangling from his lips, squinted at Lu Mingchen, his gaze no different from that of someone looking at a wild monkey he had just caught on the mountain, full of novelty.

"The eldest son of the Lu family in the provincial capital? That name sounds more prestigious than your good-for-nothing cousin."

He chewed on a candy, his words muffled, "What, you want this five-hundred-year-old ice lotus too?"

Lu Mingchen chuckled, flicked off non-existent dust from his custom-made suit, and looked past Ye Xunhuan to Su Qingyuan behind him, his eyes revealing undisguised frivolity and disdain.

"The Su family is truly getting worse with each generation."

"Instead of choosing a promising young talent, they chose this wild boy who can't even produce an invitation to an auction as their son-in-law. Aren't they afraid of becoming a laughing stock in Jiangcheng's business community?"

Su Qingyuan's face paled instantly, and she subconsciously took half a step forward, wanting to protect Ye Xunhuan behind her.

She knew Lu Mingchen's methods all too well. He was notoriously ruthless and vicious in the provincial capital. If she offended him, not only would she not be able to get the Ice Lotus, but the Su family would also never have a peaceful life.

But as soon as she moved her toes, her wrist was gently grasped by a warm hand.

With a slight effort, Ye Xunhuan pulled her back behind him. His figure wasn't particularly tall, but he was like a mountain, blocking out all the malice.

The candy stick in his mouth snapped off with a "crunch." "Oh my, I didn't expect your mouth to smell so bad. Did you just eat shit and not wipe your mouth?"

Ye Xunhuan took a step forward, less than half a meter away from Lu Mingchen. Although they were not much different in height, Ye Xunhuan's nonchalant ruthlessness made the bodyguards behind Lu Mingchen subconsciously tense up.

"You dare point fingers at my wife? Lu Mingyuan has lost a mouthful of teeth, do you want to leave your tongue behind?"

"court death!"

Lu Mingchen's face darkened, and the four black-clad bodyguards behind him instantly stepped forward, their muscles bulging, their hands on their backs, the scene ready to erupt at any moment.

The two bodyguards from the club standing guard at the entrance turned pale and quickly shrank back to the side, not daring to utter a single word.

Everyone in Jiangcheng knows that the Lu family is not to be trifled with.

Su Qingyuan's heart was in her throat. Just as she was about to speak up to smooth things over, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

"Mr. Ye! Please forgive me for being late!"

Everyone turned around at the sound and saw Shen Wenbai, President Wang, and Chairman Li running over, each with sweat on their foreheads.

The man who usually held sway over Jiangcheng was now filled with fear, afraid that arriving late would displease this man.

Shen Wenbai rushed to the front, bowed deeply to Ye Xunhuan at a ninety-degree angle, his attitude extremely respectful, and handed over two gold-embossed invitation letters.

"Mr. Ye, this is a VIP invitation to the auction. Please come in, you and Ms. Su."

"It's all my fault for not thinking things through and not sending you the invitation in advance. Please punish me, and please don't tell my sister."

The entire room fell silent.

The sound of the wind whistling through the treetops could be heard clearly.

Lu Mingchen's mocking expression froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Shen Wenbai? A core member of the Shen family in Beijing?

Let alone him, the eldest son of the Lu family in the provincial capital, even if his father came to Jiangcheng in person, he might not be able to sit on equal footing with Shen Wenbai.

Now Shen Wenbai is actually bowing to this young boy with a lollipop in his mouth? And even addressing him as "sir"?

The two bodyguards at the entrance were so weak in the knees that they almost knelt down.

They actually stopped someone whom Chairman Shen treated with utmost respect?

The bodyguards behind Lu Mingchen froze on the spot, unsure whether to advance or retreat, feeling incredibly awkward.

Ye Xunhuan took the invitation, flipped through it casually as if it were two pieces of waste paper, and pouted: "You should have told me about this earlier. It almost made me tear the door down."

As he spoke, he turned to Lu Mingchen, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a roguish smile, gesturing towards the door with his chin.

"Did you hear that? I have an invitation. And you, standing here blocking the way, are you trying to be my doorman and open the door?"

Lu Mingchen's face turned pale and then red, his nails digging deep into his palms, but he didn't even notice the pain.

He stared intently at Ye Xunhuan, his eyes surging with a sinister rage, which he forcefully suppressed.

Shen Wenbai is on this kid's side, so if we make a move now, we'll only be the ones who suffer.

"Okay, very good."

Lu Mingchen gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "I want to see if you can come out with anything after you go in."

"There's nothing in Jiangcheng that I, Lu Mingchen, want but can't get."

He uttered those polite words, turned around, and strode into the club with his bodyguards, his back view showing a hint of frustration and embarrassment.

Su Qingyuan let out a long sigh of relief, looked up at Ye Xunhuan, her eyes still filled with lingering worry:

"You were too impulsive just now. Lu Mingchen is a vengeful person, we..."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Ye Xunhuan ruffled her hair, his fingertips still carrying a hint of candy sweetness. He then pulled a strawberry-flavored lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth with practiced ease. "There are plenty of bears on the mountain fiercer than him, and I still managed to pluck their claws and use them as mounts. Come on, let's go see the monkey show."

Shen Wenbai and the other two followed behind, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Bank Manager Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead, secretly relieved that he had managed to get into line quickly at the Su family's old house that morning. This Mr. Ye looked young and casual, but his confidence suggested he had a formidable background.

Judging from his appearance, he probably doesn't even respect the Lu family in the provincial capital.

Stepping into the clubhouse reveals an even more hidden world inside.

The crystal chandelier shimmered with light, and the deep red velvet chairs were neatly arranged. The second floor was surrounded by private VIP boxes with one-way windows, allowing a clear view of the audience but not of the people inside.

Ye Xunhuan was seated in the first row of the audience, in a VIP seat. The chair was spacious and soft, and there was a fruit platter and champagne next to him.

After he sat down, he picked up his phone and started poking around with it, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. He struggled for a long time but still couldn't figure out how to send a message to Long Xiaotian.

"This piece of junk is designed like a maze."

Ye Xunhuan tapped the screen with a look of disgust. "Even sending a message is so troublesome. It's not as good as the carrier pigeons on our mountain. At least carrier pigeons know where to fly."

Su Qingyuan couldn't help but chuckle, and the tension she had felt earlier dissipated considerably.

She took the phone, tapped the screen a few times, and brought up the WeChat interface: "See, tap this to send a message. If you want to make a call, tap here."

Ye Xunhuan leaned closer to look, their heads were very close, and a faint scent of orange candy wafted over from him. Su Qingyuan's ears turned slightly red, and she quickly moved away a little.

"You're really something."

Ye Xunhuan grinned, looking like a big boy who had gotten a good deal.

"I'll have Long Xiaotian send you a big red envelope later as tuition fees."

Su Qingyuan was both amused and exasperated, and shook her head without saying a word.

The auction officially began shortly afterward.

The host, dressed in a tuxedo, walked onto the stage, said a few polite words, and began listing the items for auction.

The items in front of him were antique paintings, calligraphy, and jewelry, but Ye Xunhuan had no interest in them whatsoever. He was having a great time exploring the functions of a mobile phone with Su Qingyuan, while sucking on a candy.

Then, a glass display case was pushed onto the stage, and the host raised his voice: "The next item for auction is 300-year-old Xinhui tangerine peel, perfectly preserved, with rich medicinal properties, making it an excellent choice for both medicinal use and collection! The starting price is 800,000, and each bid must be at least 100,000!"

Ye Xunhuan barely lifted his eyelids.

The century-old dried tangerine peel was one of the three auxiliary medicines used to treat the old man's illness.

He casually raised his bidding paddle and said in a nonchalant tone, "One million."

As soon as the words were spoken, a lazy yet arrogant voice came from the VIP box in the center of the second floor, echoing throughout the entire auction hall through the box's microphone: "Two million."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The market price of century-old tangerine peel is at most 1.5 million, but it's been increased to 2 million. This is clearly a deliberate price gouging!

Everyone looked up at the private room on the second floor, recognizing Lu Mingchen's voice. They all lowered their heads, no one daring to utter a sound. It was clear to everyone that Young Master Lu was targeting the young man from before.

The host was also stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted and shouted, "Two million! Young Master Lu has bid two million! Anyone else bidding higher?"