Chapter 149: An Entire Night

Fu Siye actually placed a bid as well?

The next second, however, Mu Yin'yin seemed to realize something, a flash of sarcasm passing through the depths of her eyes. It seemed Fu Siye truly loved Nan Shiqing after all.

To spend such a massive fortune to bid on a pendant for her—once Nan Shiqing found out, she would probably be nearly driven crazy with joy.

Even Qi Mo and Lu Sinian directed their gazes toward Fu Siye.

Qi Mo spoke with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "So President Fu has a sweetheart as well?"

Fu Siye glanced at them indifferently. "Is that strange?"

"Tsk." The smile at the corner of Qi Mo's lips seemed to deepen by a fraction. "I always thought President Fu had no interest in women. It seems rumors really cannot be trusted."

With a cold and aloof expression, Fu Siye did not respond, acting as though he hadn't heard a thing.

Qi Mo did not pursue the topic further and casually raised his paddle once more. "Forty."

Lu Sinian narrowed his eyes. "Fifty."

Mu Yin'yin: "..."

Seeing that Jiang Ling was about to raise his paddle as well, she immediately pressed down on his arm. "All three of them want it. Who knows how intense the bidding will get by the end? There is no need to keep going like this."

Jiang Ling’s gaze darkened slightly. He looked at Mu Yin'yin earnestly. "Yin'yin, this item is truly important to me."

Although everyone was seated close to one another, there was a certain distance between the chairs and between the rows, so both of them kept their voices very low. The people nearby did not hear what they were discussing.

Mu Yin'yin's gaze grew increasingly complex as she stared at Jiang Ling. "If you are buying this for me, then I advise you to give up. Even if you actually win the bid, I will not accept a gift from you. Jiang Ling, we have no future."

Her voice remained very low, preserving Jiang Ling's dignity to the utmost.

Jiang Ling’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and a clear flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. The next moment, however, he smiled and said, "Yin'yin, if you don't want it, you can choose to throw it away. But this item—I must win it."

Mu Yin'yin's expression shifted slightly. Watching Jiang Ling raise his paddle, she pressed down on his hand once more. "Jiang Ling."

In the past, Mu Yin'yin had always called him Big Brother Jiang, a natural and affectionate nickname among friends. She practically never called Jiang Ling by his full name. But right now, she uttered it syllable by syllable, her voice exceptionally stern.

Jiang Ling fixed his gaze on her. Looking at the disapproval in her eyes, he let out a soft sigh. "Yin'yin, everyone has the right to choose freely. I won't interfere with you, nor will I force you. But... can you please not write me off completely?"

Mu Yin'yin's eyelashes trembled.

At this moment, she actually had no idea what to say.

Clearly, what he was pursuing was something she could not give. Yet now, he was still willing to bid on such a luxury item for her. Mu Yin'yin shook her head. "Jiang Ling, if you truly push me to be ruthless, even if you buy it, I won't accept it. If you force it on me, I might just throw it straight into the trash."

A trace of hurt flashed through the depths of Jiang Ling's heart, but he still spoke slowly, "If you don't want it, then throw it away. I will do everything in my power."

With that, ignoring Mu Yin'yin's obstruction this time, he directly raised his paddle. "Sixty."

Mu Yin'yin: "..."

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly and slowly pulled back her hand. She knew that once Jiang Ling stubbornly decided to do something, no one else could persuade him otherwise.

Yet knowing full well that Jiang Ling was buying it for her, she felt an indescribable complexity in her heart.

On the other hand, Lu Sinian, although unaware of what they were discussing, had guessed more or less of it. He smiled lightly and said, "It seems the only ones fighting over this treasure are the four of us. I never expected my competitors to turn out to be you guys. This is a bit vexing."

Jiang Ling pressed his lips into a thin line and remained silent.

Qi Mo chuckled instead. "What should we do then? Why don't you guys step aside? I, at least, have a fiancée and am going to get married in the future. You guys might not even have girlfriends yet, so why not leave it to me?"

As he spoke, he directly raised his paddle. "Eighty."

Everyone in the venue was filled with extreme puzzlement. Although Mr. Falar's creations were treasures and priceless, to be bid up to such a price... it was still shocking. They couldn't help but wonder—wouldn't this money be better spent in useful places?

By now, only the four of them truly remained; no one else was participating anymore.

Lu Sinian sighed. "I want to step aside too, but... I really want this treasure. Young Master Qi, why don't you step aside as well?"

With that, he also raised his paddle. "A hundred."

The auctioneer on the stage was practically stunned.

"Ten billion! This treasure has already been bid up to ten billion! It truly shows that the pieces designed by Mr. Falar are nothing short of perfection! Ladies and gentlemen, are there any further bids? Going once at ten billion—"

"One hundred and fifty." Fu Siye's sudden raising of the paddle caused countless people to turn and stare.

Figures of prominent status naturally knew all about the top magnates, so many people recognized who these men were. Were all of these guys out of their minds?

Besides, hadn't there been any rumors of Fu Siye having a woman he liked? What was going on here?

Could it be that he had a girlfriend in secret?

Otherwise, why cause such a sensation?

As for Mu Yin'yin, the sarcasm in the depths of her eyes grew exceptionally thick, perhaps accompanied mostly by self-mockery.

She wasn't worthy. In the end, she simply wasn't worthy.

Fu Siye felt nothing but annoyance whenever he looked at her; he probably wished she would stay eight hundred miles away from him.

Every time she appeared, his brow was forever tightly furrowed, wanting nothing more than to make her stay away from him at all times.

Yet.

He held expectations for Nan Shiqing, treating her with such gentleness. Even with his severe mysophobia—even though he never allowed a single wrinkle on his clothing—he had actually stayed by Nan Shiqing's side in the hospital for an entire night. She still hadn't forgotten how, early that morning when the man came to find her with the divorce papers, his suit had been covered in creases.

He really had stayed at the hospital with Nan Shiqing for a full night.

The effort he poured into Nan Shiqing must have been immense; otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a massive jump in the bidding price when Lu Sinian, Qi Mo, and Jiang Ling all wanted this treasure.

Perhaps, this was true love.

The sarcasm in Mu Yin'yin's eyes seemed to grow heavier still.

"Two hundred." Qi Mo raised his paddle once more.

The auctioneer immediately spoke up, "Going once at twenty billion—"

"Three hundred."

Lu Sinian suddenly raised his paddle as well.

Jiang Ling's expression darkened slightly. Three hundred billion, and the bidding was still ongoing. Judging by their momentum, even a trillion might not be enough to stop them. Moreover, he still needed to bid on the Green Bamboo for Little Seven, and...

At this moment, his expression was extraordinarily complex.

Mu Yin'yin turned her gaze toward him. "Jiang Ling, sometimes objects are not necessities. Even if you truly want to pursue me, you should target my heart rather than pulling stunts like this. Of course, I'm just giving an example; I've never had any pursuit for these kinds of things, as you know."