Chapter 119: From Eight Million to One Hundred Million

Chapter 119: From Eight Million to One Hundred Million

Guoguo rose to her feet and craned her neck, seemingly the only one who had gotten a clear look at the girl. Even she could not help praising her.

“That sister has such a lavish air about her. No wonder she spends so generously. Beautiful women really are different.”

“Such a lavish air?” Xu Yun had never heard anyone offer such an extravagant compliment before. He was genuinely impressed by Guoguo’s way with words. “Sit down and behave yourself. Our target is about to appear.”

Guoguo stuck out her tongue. “Dad, are you really not interested in beautiful women? That’s not like you. That sister is incredibly pretty, and her bearing is only a little inferior to mine.”

Xu Yun smiled helplessly. “She really is my goddaughter. Where does all that confidence come from?”

“Dad, are you sure you don’t want to look? Don’t regret it later.” With that, Guoguo sat back down.

Xu Yun truly had no interest in looking. Lu Feng had prepared ten million for this villa, and an unexpected competitor had appeared along the way. They had only brought 8.03 million for this hotel. Who knew what other complications might arise?

The auctioneer was immensely pleased with the price he had just secured, and his excitement rose further.

“For our next item, I need not say much. Everyone already knows what it is—it is the very place where we are gathered now! The Hedong International Hotel! This is a landmark building in Hedong City, and those present understand its value far better than I do. Yet the starting bid is only eight million! Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?”

The entire room remained unresponsive. No one was looking at the auctioneer. Every gaze was fixed on Ruan Qingshuang. After all, nearly everyone in Hedong City had learned overnight that she was determined to obtain the hotel. Who would dare compete with her?

“The starting bid is eight million! The minimum increment remains ten thousand. Ha-ha, though I believe no one will actually bid that way, will they?” the auctioneer joked, raising both hands. “The bidding begins!”

Guoguo sprang to her feet with astonishing speed and raised bidding paddle number one.

“My mother bids 8.01 million!”

The entire room was drawn by Guoguo’s childish voice, but what caught their attention even more was the paddle in her hand. Everyone present knew that paddle number one belonged to Ruan Qingshuang.

The auctioneer was stunned by the deathly silence. Someone had actually raised the bid by only ten thousand. It was enough to make him despair.

Yet after the bid of 8.01 million, no one called out another price. That left him even more speechless.

“Number one… bids 8.01 million. Heh-heh, what an interesting little girl.” The auctioneer forced a smile. There was no way this price could possibly be accepted. The land alone was worth more than that. He swept his gaze across the crowd. “Please continue bidding!”

To his utter disbelief, not a single person spoke.

He had been expecting the bids to soar past ten million immediately, yet the entire hall had fallen silent.

“Ha-ha, everyone, everyone, you may continue raising your paddles!” the auctioneer urged, beginning to wonder whether they had all suddenly gone deaf.

Guoguo grew impatient. “Hey, no one has said anything for so long. Shouldn’t you call it once, twice, and three times?”

Several government officials present frowned, Chen Wei among them. He had never imagined that Ruan Qingshuang and Xu Yun possessed such immense influence in Hedong City that no one dared compete with them.

Chen Wei had investigated Ruan Qingshuang for some time but had found nothing suspicious. Now it seemed she had been concealing her true strength. It really was necessary to contact the two experts sent from above and have them investigate her thoroughly.

What Chen Wei did not know was that those two experts had already left Hedong City. They had driven back to Yanjing to report. People from Dragon’s Wrath did not need to inform him before leaving. Besides, Azure Dragon Qian Feng had been drunk out of his mind that day, and Silver Dragon Fan Shuang’er certainly would not take him along to embarrass himself.

At the back of the auction hall, the girl Guoguo had praised for her lavish air furrowed her delicate brows. She could not understand how things had turned out this way.

She had originally assumed that the hotel would quickly be bid above thirty million. At that point, she planned to call out fifty million in one stroke and stun the entire room. She had intended to spend one hundred million to acquire it, but she had never expected a child to bid 8.01 million and then have everyone else fall silent.

A faint smile curved the girl’s lips. This was certainly an amusing auction. She decided to play along with the little girl.

“8.01 million… once…” The auctioneer was practically unwilling to continue. What on earth was happening? This was absurd! The hotel was worth at least ten times the starting price.

Guoguo glanced smugly at Ruan Qingshuang and Qiu Yan.

Although Qin Wan’er had been prepared for this, she was still startled by reality. Sister Shuang’s authority was practically divine. Guoguo’s auction strategy seemed to be going exceptionally smoothly.

Just as everyone waited for the hammer to fall and the gathering to end, that same clear, melodious voice rang out once more.

“8.02 million.”

The silent auction hall suddenly stirred. Every gaze turned toward the girl who had snatched the villa from Lu Feng with a bid of twenty million. Yet no one could have guessed that she would raise the price by only ten thousand.

Guoguo stood up and glared at her. Hmph! The beautiful, elegant goddess she had admired moments ago had instantly transformed, in her eyes, into an ugly old witch.

The auctioneer could neither laugh nor cry. What kind of farce was this? What were these people trying to do? This was a serious auction, not children playing house.

“8.03 million!” Guoguo’s fighting spirit was instantly aroused.

This was every last bit of money they had brought with them. Xu Yun was caught between laughter and tears. If the price rose any further, they would have to borrow money from Qiangzi and the Three Tigers of South City. How humiliating would that be?

No wonder he had felt an ominous premonition all along. It had come true after all. An unexpected rival had appeared midway, leaving him utterly helpless.

“8.04 million,” the lavishly elegant girl said casually.

Guoguo ground her teeth in fury. Even if she had to pawn everything she owned and borrow money from everyone she knew, she would beat this woman. She planted both hands on her hips and shouted, “8.05 million!”

The farce continued. The two of them were like children competing out of sheer spite, each raising the bid by ten thousand at a time. Over the course of more than ten minutes, they called out bids over twenty times, and the hotel’s price finally climbed to 8.5 million.

Yet not a single person left, bored by the spectacle. Everyone wanted to see the final result, to see how Sister Shuang would respond, and to find out who this unexpected rival really was.

The monotonous bidding left the auctioneer utterly speechless. He could not understand why the organizers had not simply set the minimum increment at one million. Then this ridiculous scene would never have happened. The other bidders merely sat there watching like fools, which made him feel even more desperate.

At last, the lavishly elegant girl grew tired of playing with Guoguo. She smiled faintly, raised her paddle, and said, “Thirty million.”

The hall erupted in astonishment, then fell utterly silent.

The auctioneer’s eyes lit up. Now this was more like it! It seemed the real bidding war had only just begun.

Chen Wei and several government officials finally smiled as well. They had been worried that the hotel might actually be sold for a little over eight million. If that happened, they would surely be cursed to death by the newly appointed municipal party secretary.

It was over. A thought flashed through Xu Yun’s mind. They had no chance of getting the hotel.

Ruan Qingshuang, however, remained unconcerned. She had never expected to take such enormous advantage of the auction in the first place. If they could not buy it, so be it. Their medicinal cuisine restaurant was doing perfectly well, and its monthly income was considerable. There was no need to take on such a massive burden.

Qiu Yan let out a quiet sigh. Guoguo’s farce ought to end now.

Qin Wan’er, standing at the entrance, was somewhat disappointed. She had almost become a shareholder in the hotel, but now that dream was probably gone. If only she had known, she would never have told Guoguo about the auction.

The world really did make disappointment grow in proportion to expectation.

The other woman had suddenly called out thirty million, clearly intending to crush Guoguo with overwhelming force. But Guoguo was no easy target. She had followed Feng Qiansui since childhood and witnessed every kind of storm. What had she not seen?

Thirty million, and this woman thought she could defeat her? Hmph! Dream on!

“Fifty million!” Guoguo glared furiously, her eyes flashing with spirit. She did not care in the slightest that she did not have that much money in her pocket. Hmph! If this woman wanted to play with her, she was still far too inexperienced. Even if Guoguo could not afford to buy the hotel, she would drive the price up until the woman regretted every penny.

Ruan Qingshuang and Qiu Yan both froze.

Fifty million?

Xu Yun nearly vomited blood. How could this girl dare shout out such a figure? Where were they supposed to find that much money? Was she planning to make him rob a bank?

The lavishly elegant beauty, however, did not react in the slightest. Her voice remained calm and effortless.

“Eighty million.”

The moment she heard the counterbid, Ruan Qingshuang finally relaxed. If the previous bid had been accepted, she would never have been able to produce fifty million, even if she were beaten to death. It was utterly preposterous!

Guoguo knew she had truly encountered someone wealthy. But her impulsive, competitive nature had already taken control. Gritting her teeth, she called out a nine-digit figure that nearly stopped Ruan Qingshuang’s heart.

“One hundred million!”

The entire hall fell silent once more.

The elegant beauty at the back frowned slightly. It seemed that her opponent was not merely playing at being a child. She truly possessed the means to compete. At this rate, even the money she had with her would not be enough. Heh. It seemed she would not be able to buy the hotel after all.

“You win.” The elegant beauty lowered her bidding paddle and smiled faintly at Guoguo.

To Guoguo, that smile was unmistakably one of malicious amusement.

This was bad. She had gone too far.

Guoguo lowered her head and looked toward Xu Yun and Ruan Qingshuang, her face filled with the pitiful expression of a child who had done something wrong.

Damn it! Xu Yun was utterly defeated. Did she really think he would forgive her just because she made that face? This was not as simple as breaking someone else’s window! It was even worse than kicking the neighbor’s old man’s grandson in the groin!

One hundred million!

Even robbing a bank might not yield that much money.

Xu Yun collapsed completely, while Ruan Qingshuang nearly rolled her eyes and fainted.

When Guoguo’s pleas for help produced no response, she could only turn to Qiu Yan. Qiu Yan’s face remained expressionless. Guoguo had just made fools of the government, and this was no longer a child’s game. If things went badly, it could even constitute a crime. Guoguo was young enough to escape serious consequences, but the adults involved would certainly not be able to wash their hands of it.

“One hundred million, once!”

The auctioneer finally raised the small hammer in his hand. One hundred million was a fairly satisfactory price, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

P.S. A good friend of mine got married today, and I spent the whole day helping out. I may try to post another chapter tonight, depending on how things go. If I wake up, I’ll update it… I haven’t had any rest for two days.