277: Chapter 273: Yun Qi Meeting || Invitation Sent 277: Chapter 273: Yun Qi Meeting || Invitation Sent Around four in the afternoon, Ye Fan unexpectedly received a phone call.
It was Dongfang Yunqi from Yun Qi Association who rang.
Dongfang Yunqi’s graceful and pleasant voice came through the phone, “Hehe, Ye Fan, bet you didn’t expect it to be me, huh?”
“Haha, it is a bit surprising,” Ye Fan responded with a smile, “How have you been recently?”
And you?” Dongfang Yunqi replied with a smile.
After exchanging pleasantries for a few moments, Dongfang Yunqi said elegantly with a smile, “Ye Fan, are you free on Wednesday?
My association is preparing to hold a small-scale high-end auction, followed by a party.
Without you, the party would be much less lively.”
“A charity auction?” Ye Fan couldn’t help but ask.
Dongfang Yunqi laughed, “Nope.
There aren’t that many charity auctions.
Since the last charity auction ended, the Yun Qi Association has only received eight items for charitable auction.
The charity auction is likely to be held next weekend.
I hope you will join us then.”
“Mmm, I will definitely add to the fun, though I might not have the funds to bid.
Nevertheless, I will lend a little support to the charity,” Ye Fan said with a smile.
“Hehe, then I’ll thank you in advance,” Dongfang Yunqi chuckled.
Then, she brought up the upcoming auction again, “This auction is purely commercial and will feature some good items that are rather hard to come by in the market.”
“What kind of items?” Ye Fan casually asked.
“A bronze sword from the Warring States Period, a famous painting by Xu Beihong, chicken-blood stone, and a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain…” Dongfang Yunqi rattled off.
Ye Fan suddenly interrupted with a question, “Did you say hundred-year-old Changbai Mountain ginseng?”
Are you interested in medicinal materials?” Dongfang Yunqi immediately latched on to the key point, “In addition to the Changbai Mountain ginseng, there are three other rare and valuable medicinal materials.”
Ye Fan smiled, “I’ve decided to attend the auction held by your esteemed association on Wednesday.”
I’ve already sent someone with an invitation for you.
The invitation comes with a partial auction list; I believe there will be items of interest to you,” Dongfang Yunqi said, “May I ask which department of Emali Group you’re in?”
Ye Fan answered, “I’m in the human resources department of Emali Group’s Biomedical company.”
“Alright, the invitation will be sent to you shortly.”
After hanging up, Ye Fan felt a surge of excitement.
It was like someone sent a pillow when he was feeling drowsy; he had just been thinking about buying some nourishing medicinal materials to aid in his cultivation.
As the saying goes, ‘The poor pursue literature, the rich practice martial arts.’ The cultivation process of ancient martial arts consumes a lot of energy, and without additional nourishment, most people can only sustain two hours of practice per day.
Any more would lead to excessive depletion and injure the body, proving counterproductive.
If one wishes to practice diligently, extending cultivation time beyond two hours per day and quickly improve their martial skills, then it’s necessary to supplement with a large amount of rare and valuable tonic medicinal materials.
He intended to seek revenge in a duel with Dong Ziqi at the overseas family reunion conference in half a year’s time, so he definitely couldn’t continue cultivating at the same leisurely pace as before.
He had to at least reach the later stages of dark energy within the next six months.
About five or six minutes later, Ye Fan indeed received a call from the front desk downstairs, saying someone had delivered something for him and asked him to come down to collect it.
A few minutes later, Ye Fan took the elevator down to the first floor to pick up the invitation and returned to his office.
The invitation came in an exquisitely crafted box bearing the emblem of the Yun Qi Club, sealed to deter anyone from peeking inside.
Ye Fan settled back at his desk, pulled open the box, retrieved a beautifully crafted invitation, and then unfolded it to see what auction items were listed.
Just then, Hu Jing glanced over and saw Ye Fan examining an invitation.
She couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Ye Fan, what kind of invitation are you looking at?”
While continuing to read through the list on the invitation, Ye Fan responded with a light chuckle, “Oh, it’s nothing.”
His airy demeanor only heightened Hu Jing’s curiosity.
She had witnessed Ye Fan take a call and then go down to collect the invitation.
From a distance, she could see that the invitation was exceptionally crafted, and it had been contained in a very delicate box before, so it definitely wasn’t an ordinary invitation.
Since Ye Fan was not forthcoming, she simply stood up and walked over to take a look.
Ye Fan, while reviewing a portion of the auction list, sensed Hu Jing’s approach and discreetly closed the invitation.
Looking up, he saw Hu Jing’s sly and charming face leaning in.
“What’s up?” he asked with a smile.
Hu Jing’s eyes were fixed on the exquisite invitation in Ye Fan’s hand.
Her beautiful eyes shone with curiosity as she protested playfully, “Why is this invitation so secretive?
Can’t I even take a glance?”
“Heh, it really is just a plain invitation, there’s nothing to it,” Ye Fan replied with a smile and a shake of his head.
“I don’t believe you!” retorted Hu Jing, and then she threw Ye Fan a coquettish glance charged with the power of a hundred thousand volts, pleading sweetly, “Let me have a look, just to satisfy my curiosity.
You said it yourself, it’s just an ordinary invitation, so you’ve got nothing to lose by letting me see it.”
Ye Fan was utterly electrified by Hu Jing’s seductive glance, right to the bone.
He gave a wry smile and said, “It truly is just an ordinary invitation, nothing interesting to see.”
Seeing that soft tactics were getting her nowhere, Hu Jing straightened up immediately, her pretty face feigning seriousness, “Your evasiveness makes me wonder if there’s something seriously wrong with this invitation, something that can’t withstand scrutiny.
Hmm, let this great beauty take a guess.
Ah, could it be some kind of gay men’s party invitation!”
Ye Fan was scared witless.
He was a completely straight guy who liked only women—beautiful women at that.
How could he possibly be interested in men?
If rumors started that he was gay, he’d rather jump off a building.
With no choice but to acquiesce, and wearing a resigned smile, Ye Fan dutifully handed over the invitation to Hu Jing.
Hu Jing, wearing a look of triumph, tilted her delicately chiseled, snowy chin upward proudly and extended two slender, fair fingers to lightly grasp the invitation.
As she unfolded the invitation, she thought smugly to herself, “You’re still too green to compete with me, kiddo!”
The next moment, she couldn’t help but let out a gasp of “Ah!”
“Yun, Yun Qi Club’s invitation!!!” she exclaimed in shock, her face a mix of excitement, admiration, and disbelief.
Ye Fan was startled by Hu Jing’s shout and spread his hands in speechlessness.
Was it really that surprising to receive an invitation from the Yun Qi Club?
Besides, he wasn’t going to just eat and drink at the Yun Qi Club’s feast for free.
If he couldn’t control his desires, he might inadvertently spend hundreds of thousands or even millions.
Hu Jing finally managed to tear her gaze away from the Yun Qi Club’s invitation to Ye Fan’s face.
Her eyes wide and shining, she pressed, “Ye Fan, is this invitation real?
You actually received an invitation from the Yun Qi Club!
An invitation from the Yun Qi Club is extremely difficult to come by.
You can’t get it with just money; you need status, identity, and someone’s recommendation!”