"Mhm." Lin Yuqing responded, then turned her gaze towards the pendant on the display shelf.
At that moment, a mocking voice reached Lin Yuqing’s ears: "Well, well, isn’t this President Lin from Lin’s Jewelry? What brings you to the auction organized by Yunhai Group, feeling particularly elegant and leisurely today?"
Upon hearing that, Lin Yuqing’s brows furrowed, and as she turned her head, she saw a middle-aged man in a suit approaching her, a twisted smile on his lips.
"Mr. Chen." Lin Yuqing smiled politely.
Chen Haoran lit a cigarette: "President Lin, no need to be so formal, just call me Chen."
While speaking, Chen Haoran looked towards the display stand with burning desire: "I’m determined to get my hands on today’s auction items!"
Lin Yuqing chuckled without replying, but a hint of disgust rose in her heart.
Chen Haoran, the CFO of Yunhai Group, was known to be sly and cunning, keen on taking advantage of others. In all of Ninghai, he was notoriously scummy.
Not only that, but Chen Haoran had also harassed her multiple times in the past. Back then, Lin Yuqing was naive; even though she knew he was scum, she had still been fooled by him.
"Lin Yuqing, who’s this Chen Haoran? He seems to be pursuing you," Ye Chen said, walking back from the restroom and noticing Chen Haoran by the display stand.
Lin Yuqing nodded and said, "He’s our CFO at Yunhai Group."
Ye Chen stroked his chin and chuckled, "CFO, now that’s a profession with not so glorious a reputation!"
Lin Yuqing pursed her lips and huffed, "He’s far from glorious! If it weren’t for the incident with my father, I would have cut ties with him long ago!"
"Alright." Ye Chen nodded and then turned his gaze to the auction stage, eagerly awaiting to see the true face of the pendant.
"Eighty million once!"
"Eighty million twice!"
"Eighty million three times! Congratulations to Mr. Chen for obtaining the Emperor Green Pendant!"
The auctioneer announced loudly and then extended his hand to uncover the red cloth on the tray, taking out the pendant to hand it to Chen Haoran.
"Thank you!" Chen Haoran said with a beaming smile, determined to win the pendant. After all, having been in the jewelry business for many years, he was extremely familiar with such antiques; barring any surprises, he was certain to purchase it.
Just as Chen Haoran was about to put on the pendant, an abrupt voice rang out: "Wait a moment! I bid one billion!"
"Who is this audacious person daring to compete with Mr. Chen?!"
"That’s right, Mr. Chen is the CFO of Yunhai Group, no one dares to compete with him for what he wants to buy!"
Instantaneously, the surrounding people started murmuring, clearly not believing there was actually someone who dared to go against Chen Haoran!
Chen Haoran furrowed his brows as well, and looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Ye Chen and was taken aback. How did this kid get here?!
"Kid, have you gone mad? Spending a billion to buy a fake!" Chen Haoran glared at Ye Chen and shouted angrily.
"I haven’t gone mad! I find this jade pleasing to the eye, and I think you’re quite pleasing as well. I think this pendant suits you, so I’m giving it to you!" Ye Chen smiled faintly, totally ignoring Chen Haoran’s angry demeanor.
Chen Haoran’s face underwent several changes, and grinding his teeth he said, "Damn it, what the hell are you to insult me like that, get lost! Or else I’ll kill you!"
"Kill me?" Ye Chen grinned, and said coldly, "Don’t think you can act arrogant just because you’re rich. You forced my hand—don’t forget your life is in my grasp!"
"F*ck your mother, who do you think you’re scaring? Go ahead and kill me if you’ve got the guts, I’ve got money!" Chen Haoran responded coldly, fearless and defiant.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within.
"If you refuse the toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!" Ye Chen muttered under his breath and suddenly swung his right hand.
Five fresh red marks appeared on Chen Haoran’s left cheek, his face filled with shock. He hadn’t expected Ye Chen to actually make a move.
But Ye Chen didn’t stop there; he kicked Chen Haoran in the abdomen, causing him to let out a pained moan.
Another punch and Ye Chen had shattered Chen Haoran’s nasal bone, blood spraying everywhere!
"Motherf*cker..." Chen Haoran roared in anger.
"Shut up!" At this moment, the auctioneer shouted out a warning: "Mr. Chen, if you dare cause trouble here, I assure you that you’ll be leaving Yunhai Group!"
"You!" Chen Haoran trembled with rage but dared not speak further; after all, his influence within Yunhai Group was limited to acquiring some jade pieces worth a few hundred yuan, he was no match for the auctioneer.
"Kid, I’ll remember you. We shall see—just you wait!" After leaving these harsh words behind, Chen Haoran turned tail and fled the showroom as if being chased by a ghost.
Ye Chen shrugged his shoulders and said to the auctioneer with a smile, "Sorry about that; I shouldn’t have shouted out the price, I can be quite impulsive."
"Heh, you don’t need to explain. I’ve seen plenty of people like you!" The auctioneer gave Ye Chen a plastic smile, then announced, "The bidding starts now! The starting price for this Tang Dynasty jade pendant is 80 million yuan, with each increment no less than 1 million!"
In just a few minutes, the price of the pendant climbed to 87 million yuan and showed no sign of stopping!
At last, when the price hit 90 million yuan, the auctioneer brought down the hammer and declared loudly, "Congratulations to Mr. Li for successfully bidding 90 million yuan for the Tang Dynasty Emperor Green Jade Pendant!"
The auction hall erupted with thunderous applause and cheers.
Among the crowd, most were wealthy businessmen who naturally had a strong interest in Emperor Green Jade.
Especially Lin Yuru, whose radiant eyes shone brightly. She had only come to see if there were any items of interest, never expecting to actually come across an Emperor Green Jade piece!
The man sitting next to Lin Yuru was also excitedly saying, "Yuru, I’m truly happy for you!"
Lin Yuru pursed her red lips, a sweet smile spreading across her beautiful face.
"Sigh..." Ye Chen let out a soft sigh and thought to himself, "If I had known earlier, I would have bid a billion straight away. Why waste time with such a loser?"
Lin Yuru turned her attention to Ye Chen and playfully asked, "Ye Chen, I’m interested in that Emperor Green Pendant and I’d like to buy it. However, I don’t have enough money on me, could you help me buy it?"
Ye Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head. If Lin Yuqing liked it, buying it and giving it to her was not a problem.
Thus, Ye Chen joined the bidding and ultimately secured the Emperor Green Pendant for 150 million yuan.