Chapter 57: The Unwritten Rules of the Auction

At the next table, President Wu of Tianyu Company glanced triumphantly at Chen Mengting.

Little girl, from now on, I’ll make you realize exactly what kind of being you’ve offended.

Wu’s retaliation had already begun.

Want to buy something?

That depends on whether I agree!

Chen Mengting didn’t quite understand what the man next to her was implying with his sudden glance; she only knew that if someone raised the bid, she would raise it again.

She would keep going until she spent every last cent in her brother’s card.

The price kept climbing, the auctioneer growing more excited by the minute, while President Wu’s pressure mounted.

“250,000! Bid 250,000 from table 34! Any more bids?”

After speaking, the auctioneer looked toward Chen Mengting at table 35, but this time, the young girl didn’t raise her paddle.

The auctioneer withdrew his gaze regretfully.

After three rapid gavel strikes, the auctioneer boomed out, “Congratulations to table 34, President Wu of Tianyu Company, for winning the illuminated agate bracelet at 250,000!”

Wu’s face darkened, but he forced a smile.

Chen Fan and Peng Jiaxin glanced simultaneously at Chen Mengting, surprise evident in their eyes. They hadn’t expected the little girl to outwit them.

But Chen Mengting’s thoughts weren’t so complicated; 249,000 was just the leftover change in Chen Fan’s card, and once it was spent, she would stop.

“Well done,” Chen Fan said, ruffling his sister’s hair.

The girl smiled purely and innocently.

Seeing this, President Wu nearly spat blood. Two hundred fifty thousand was no small sum, and spending that money choked him with frustration.

Viewers in the live stream burst out laughing.

“This president’s face has gone completely black.”

“Mess with my baby, huh? You’re asking for it.”

“Not even brothers, and they call her baby?”

“Spending 250,000 on a bracelet that costs two yuan at the street stall downstairs—these rich folks aren’t so clever after all.”

“Charitable donations are always welcome. Though this President Wu isn’t too bright, at least he’s generous!”

At that moment, kind-hearted President Wu was being scolded fiercely by his wife. The couple perfectly exemplified what it means not to be family or share a household. After a brief exchange of grievances, they tacitly pinned the blame on Chen Mengting.

“It’s that brat’s fault. If not for her, how could I have spent this foolish money?”

“Exactly. Honey, how about we trick her the same way later?”

President Wu’s eyes lit up.

“You’re so clever.”

Thus, the two began stealthily monitoring Chen Mengting, repeatedly outbidding her on items she wanted. Items that could have been won for just over ten thousand each time were raised by tens of thousands by President Wu. He wasn’t greedy; after one or two hikes, he stopped. This left Chen Mengting quite frustrated.

At table 10, Xiao Sihe and his aunt kept an eye on Peng Jiaxin and the others behind them.

Any clear-eyed observer could see that President Wu was targeting the little girl, but no one cared; with plenty of auction items available, they had no need to compete for this one.

The aunt realized this was a rare opportunity. They were unaware of Peng Jiaxin’s background, but she knew it well!

She had learned of the connection between Peng Jiaxin and the Peng family through Bai Meilan. Although she was uncertain of the relationship between the girl and Peng Jiaxin, forming a good rapport would never hurt.

Coincidentally, President Wu was once again obstructing Chen Mengting.

“Sihe, I’ll bid for this jade pendant later. When I win, you take it over and apologize to Miss Peng, understood?”

“Okay, Auntie.”

Xiao Sihe’s eyes brightened. Now he had a legitimate reason to approach Peng Jiaxin. All he needed was to slip the drug into her water cup unnoticed...

He began to envision a bright future.

“100,000!”

The aunt was decisive. After President Wu raised the bid by a thousand, she quickly countered.

The auctioneer paused, then rejoiced anew.

Good heavens, how can this auction be filled with so many benefactors!

“100,000 once! Any more bids?”

President Wu’s wife glanced ahead with some displeasure.

“Why is someone else causing trouble?”

“It’s a good thing. After all, this is a charity auction, broadcast live. If we always hog the spotlight, we’ll be the targets of criticism.”

Everyone understood the wisdom of not standing out too much. Besides, the auction was just beginning, and the big players hadn’t bid yet, or he wouldn’t dare act so arrogantly.

“That’s enough. Let’s wait until the auction ends.”

“Alright.”

But Chen Mengting didn’t understand these subtleties. She bid on everything she liked, making Xinghai the company with the most appearances on screen.

Number 35 became the number the auctioneer called most frequently.

Table 1 was reserved for the Xiang family, but Xiang Yongyang was stuck in traffic and hadn’t arrived yet. So, the seat was currently occupied by his longtime butler.

The butler smiled warmly at the auctioneer on stage. The elder didn’t care for all the twists and turns; he only knew that the young master’s auction was a great success, which pleased him greatly.

Other major companies in the front row grew somewhat unhappy. These were billion-dollar enterprises spanning various industries.

“What’s going on with Xinghai? Don’t they know the rules?”

“They’re a new entertainment company that’s been rising recently.”

“So, just because they’re doing well, they think they can ignore us?”

“Young people, it’s normal to be a bit arrogant.”

With cameras rolling, no one dared speak too harshly and could only let Chen Mengting continue her antics.

As for whether Peng Jiaxin understood these unspoken rules...

Well... did she need to?

In any case, the auction concluded smoothly under a subtle atmosphere. Comrade Chen Mengting purchased a slew of items—some for Old Chen and the others, some for Peng’s parents, and even a jade bangle for Grandma Peng.

It was said to have been worn by someone claiming to be a sorrowful lady. Whether true or not was unknown, but its value was considerable. Chen Mengting spent a full 1,080,000 to win the item, making it the highest-priced piece of the event.

For some reason, the faces of the uncles competing against her in the front row were extremely sour.

“Happy?”

Peng Jiaxin, unfazed by the watchful eyes of industry leaders, smiled and asked.

“Yes! Very happy.”

Chen Mengting had already planned how to boast to Ling Guoguo when she returned.

“That’s good.”

Chen Mengting’s happiness was enough. As for the rest, Peng Jiaxin would find a way to handle it. If necessary, she would simply make a phone call.

“They can still laugh now, but soon they’ll be the ones suffering.”

President Wu had intended to cause trouble for Peng Jiaxin after the auction, but now Chen Mengting had offended every leading enterprise present in one fell swoop. Even if he wanted to act, he would have to wait until after those big players.

What a pity. If Xinghai had remained low-profile a while longer and waited until cooperating with Zijing or ZJ, they might have been able to maneuver against those companies. But now...

Ha.

Who knows, if Xinghai goes bankrupt, whether he’ll get a chance to grab a piece of the pie.