In the Su Family’s building, people had been discussing the auction since the meeting ended. In just the time it took to have lunch, the entire Su Family was buzzing with talks about the auction.
"Did you hear? The auction was organized by the miss," a gossip-prone female employee said.
"I knew it, the auction organized by Miss Chang last time was both grandiose and low-key, nothing one," a chatty male employee said with a sycophantic expression.
"I also heard that the company’s in trouble, the police have already arrested the young miss, saying she disrupted public order," a nosy older cleaning lady spoke as if she had seen Su Ziceng being taken away by the police herself.
"Moreover, the chairman had a heart attack during the meeting when he heard the news and was sent to the hospital," a man who loved stirring trouble, the doorman, interjected.
"Really? Are there any other insider news?" a lazy female voice chimed in.
"And also... the young miss!!!" The crowd immediately dispersed like birds and beasts.
On Su Ziceng, there was still the loose sportswear she had put on for arranging the auction in the morning, standing next to her was Secretary Wang, all-business in his demeanor. The two got on the elevator.
During the elevator ascent, Su Ziceng inquired with Secretary Wang and got a rough idea of the situation.
Therefore, upon entering Su Qingzhang’s office and seeing the Chang’s mother and daughter with their schadenfreude expressions and the stony-faced Su Qingzhang, she was already prepared.
"From now on, Xiao Chi will be in charge of the auction house; you are not to interfere with anything," Su Qingzhang said, nullifying all of Su Ziceng’s efforts with a single sentence.
"I disagree. I organized this evening’s auction myself, and I must see it through successfully," Su Ziceng stood her ground, not budging despite having sunk seven hundred thousand of her own money into the event without any returns.
"It’s not up to you to disagree. For the coming week, you are grounded," Su Qingzhang wielded the age-old method of "grounding" again, and this time, Su Ziceng didn’t even have a chance to think about escaping.
"Of course, I can disagree. It’s fine if I can’t leave the house, but I’m afraid by that time, not just the Su Family, but everyone in Su Enterprise might not be able to leave the house," Su Ziceng shot a glance at the delighted Chang’s mother and daughter, "Without me, I’d like to see how you can gather the auction items worth five hundred million in such a short time."
At half-past one in the afternoon, the sun directly shone into the top-floor office, the whole room was enveloped in that blinding Sunshine. Su Ziceng stood under the Sunshine, her defiance shining in her eyes even brighter than the light itself.
Su Ziceng unexpectedly threatened Su Qingzhang. Realizing this, the Chang Family mother and daughter, as well as Su Qingzhang, had their expressions change again. Su Ziceng, who was initially completely suppressed by Su Qingzhang, had learned to turn the tables. Who had taught her this? The three people in the office all turned their gaze towards Su Ziceng.
She stood up tall, with the Sunshine casting a long shadow beneath her as though signifying the presence of a strategic adviser behind the scenes. After speaking, Su Ziceng herself felt a bit scared, and instinctively reached for her necklace, looking for "Red Love" as if seeking the warmth on it to support herself.
"Chairman," Secretary Wang barged in again, he was holding a newspaper just received, "It’s out."
That very afternoon, including the Mo City Evening News, newspapers emblazoned their pages with: "Sky-high auction, sensation in Mo City." The early news also commented: "Such an assertive advertisement, a rarity in a decade."
Su Qingzhang waited another day until the next day’s paper from Huaxia Daily, which signposts the national media trends, was out before he finally relaxed. The headline of Huaxia Daily read: "The economy still looks promising in 19**, as state ministries continue to implement related policies and regulations." A medium-sized report was published in the Huaxia Daily’s community and livelihoods segment: "Domestic private auction house, boldly employing new concepts, has attracted widespread societal attention."
On the day when the helicopter-borne advertisement was distributed, in a hidden location in Bianjing City, the Central Military District also received such a few sheets of paper. An elderly figure chuckled as he received the "Five hundred million auction" paper from an orderly, "This girl, she really made it happen. It’s a young people’s era now, let her take charge."
Without any negative news, the "Five hundred million sky-high auction" of Subi Auction House did not provoke any criticisms. Until Thursday, it was still the same; Subi Auction House had been on the societal headlines for two days straight, the heat lingering, and with the news’s widespread coverage, the ensuing impacts were only just beginning.