Che Xiang looked at Mu Hanyan with a mix of desolation and despair. He wasn’t afraid of Yuan Tianbo, as that man, though not a good person, still cared somewhat about face and had never openly robbed him, using the debt of hundreds of taels of silver as a pretext. As long as he clung on stubbornly, Yuan Tianbo wouldn’t dare to kill him outright.
But Mu Hanyan was a different story. Everyone in Heishi City knew of his notorious playboy reputation. He was the eldest son of the City Lord’s family, after all. Even if he were to kill him outright, who would stand up for him and cry foul?
He didn’t believe Lord City Master would be just and destroy his kin. If that were the case, wouldn’t he have done it long before now? ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
It was over; there was no way he could hold on to the Fire Orchid. Che Xiang even began to regret it; if he had known it would come to this, he might as well have given it to Yuan Tianbo to offset the debt. Encountering Mu the big playboy, who was even more vicious and relentless than Yuan Tianbo, meant he was doomed to lose everything.
Feeling utterly hopeless, Che Xiang took out the Fire Orchid.
A gentle breeze wafted by, and a delicate Fine Leaf Orchid swayed lightly, its vibrant red leaves flickering like flames.
Yuan Tianbo’s breath grew rapid all of a sudden; this was the Fire Orchid. It was said that consuming a single one was equivalent to ten years of cultivation. If one’s constitution and cultivation technique were compatible with the Fire Orchid, the effects could be even more pronounced.
Mu Hanyan, however, remained as calm as ever, but deep within her gaze, there was a flicker of doubt: something wasn’t right about this Fire Orchid. In her previous life, she had seen a real Fire Orchid. Though it looked extremely similar, its essence was completely different. A genuine Fire Orchid would emit a searing heat that could be felt from a distance away, but this one had none of that heat—this couldn’t be a Fire Orchid!
The Star Plate within her chest also vibrated slightly: Water Orchid—Dragon Blood Stone.
Mu Hanyan glanced down and saw the few characters, guessing roughly what was going on.
"Mu Hanyan, I set my sights on this Fire Orchid first," Yuan Tianbo, having laid eyes on the Fire Orchid, couldn’t contain his excitement and burst out, even forgetting his fear of Mu Hanyan.
He knew that he had to get the Fire Orchid, or else he would forever be trampled under by Mu Hanyan, never to turn the tables.
"Oh, so it’s yours just because you saw it first? I’ve taken a fancy to your Yuan Family Mansion; does that make it mine now?" Mu Hanyan raised her head and spoke indifferently. Those listening were left dumbstruck—she was even coveting someone else’s family estate, truly living up to her playboy reputation.
"Uh..." Yuan Tianbo was choked by her words and then spoke with a forceful tone, "This is the Nanmu Auction. Let’s follow the rules of the auction house: whoever bids higher gets the Fire Orchid. As the Young Master of the Mu Family and the son of the City Lord, you wouldn’t want to forcibly take it in front of all these people, right?"
Backed into a corner, Yuan Tianbo resorted to using reverse psychology.
If given a choice, he would naturally prefer to just take the "Fire Orchid." But did he even have a choice now? His only worry was that Mu Hanyan wouldn’t even listen to him and would just take it directly. Seeing how craven Che Xiang was, he probably wouldn’t utter a word of objection if Mu Hanyan decided to take it by force.
Whenever Mu the big playboy thought about this, he seethed with resentment. We’re both playboys; am I really that much worse than him?
Could it really be that good people die young while the wicked live forever? Yuan Tianbo had completely forgotten that he wasn’t exactly a good person either.
But fortunately, to his surprise, Mu Hanyan actually fell for his provocation.