Chapter 149: Bidding (2)

After nearly a minute of silence, Lin Wanyue let out a laugh. "What is wrong with our esteemed sponsors? Although the food program hosted by Nanzhi fell somewhat short of expectations last season, our newly appointed host is an absolute beauty. Surely none of you wish to see a beauty shed tears, do you?"

Nanzhi's delicate eyebrows furrowed instantly.

Lin Wanyue was truly a honey-tongued assassin!

With no one in the venue making a bid, the atmosphere became awkwardly dead.

Sitting in the audience, Xia Xi was so anxious she was moved to tears again.

One sponsor, eager to stir up trouble, joked aloud, "If the lovely Nanzhi is willing to cry for us, our company is willing to put up twenty million for the exclusive sponsorship."

The implication was clear: the culinary program was worth at most twenty million in sponsorship.

Gazing at the malicious men seated below, Nanzhi's long, slender eyelashes fluttered slightly.

By pushing her into a live bidding war, Lin Wanyue's sole intention was undoubtedly to humiliate her!

While some sponsors were unimpressed by Nanzhi's program, others had been genuinely captivated by her hosting prowess. A dumpling restaurant chain raised their paddle with a bid of thirty million.

However, another company immediately countered with thirty million and ten thousand.

When the dumpling company raised it to forty million, that same company immediately countered with forty million and ten thousand.

It was as if they were deliberately causing trouble.

Someone in the hall laughed derisively.

Nanzhi recognized that company; it seemed to be affiliated with the Fu Corporation.

Down in the audience, Nanyao was already bursting with triumph. She knew that Fu Shaoxiu was deliberately targeting Nanzhi on her behalf.

Didn't Nanzhi have a wealthy benefactor? It seemed her suspicion was correct—that man who was even more handsome than Fu Shaoxiu must be kept by a wealthy woman. Exclusive sponsorships required at least tens of millions as a baseline; how could a kept man relying on his body have that kind of money?

"Fair Nanzhi, give us a cry! If you cry, our company will put up fifty million!"

"My, the lovely Nanzhi's tears are certainly valuable. Hurry up and cry; if you look as delicate as pear blossoms drenched in rain, pouring out your sorrow, you might just move even more sympathetic sponsors!"

"Ha! Director Li, do you take all of us for fools like you, who enjoy watching a beauty shed tears?"

"I know you don't care to see a beauty cry. You prefer watching a beauty undress..."

Nanzhi cast a cold glance at the man sitting in the front row of the hall. Dressed in a tailored suit, he was the picture of a beast in human clothing.

"Lovely Nanzhi, if you strip right here on the spot, I'll bid eighty million! How about that to let you break even with Lin Wanyue?"

Quite a few people in the hall snickered, and Zhuang Jingjing chimed in loudly, "Nanzhi, just strip! Once you take it off, you'll get the eighty million exclusive sponsorship, and you really have nothing to lose!"

Unlike high-society banquets, anyone who could afford the price could attend this investment pitch, resulting in a mixed crowd of varying character. This President Zhou, who had urged Nanzhi to strip, was completely devoid of decency, shameless enough to utter anything regardless of the occasion.

"Nanzhi, I heard you're an unmarried mother?" Yu Xiaoting suddenly interjected.

A single stone stirred a thousand ripples. The murmurs in the hall grew louder, and many gazes directed at Nanzhi turned even more contemptuous and disdainful.

A single mother—she must have been some man's mistress, or had a loose private life to have given birth to an illegitimate child.

The dumpling company immediately withdrew its intention to be the exclusive sponsor of Nanzhi's program.

With icy eyes, Nanzhi glanced at Nanyao, who returned a provocative and triumphant smile—the exact duplicate of the look she had worn four years ago while nestled in Fu Shaoxiu's arms.

It was the expression of a victor.

Han Mo had never expected things to escalate to this point. She picked up the microphone, just about to turn the situation around, when a clear, pleasant voice suddenly rang out.

"One hundred million."