Soon, Min Ziqiong was called by Ying Chen to act as his chauffeur, heading towards the auction house address on the newspaper.
However, after Min Ziqiong asked a fatal question, Ying Chen was stunned for a moment.
"Mr. Ying, forgive my presumptuousness."
"As far as I know, this auction is organized by the largest auction house in the Dragon Country. Every item is worth a fortune, at least seven figures... Even if you don't bid, just to enter and look, you need to pay a deposit of one million yuan."
"So, do you have the money?"
Ying Chen had a basic understanding of the value of money in modern society.
He naturally knew that one million yuan was not a lot, but it was definitely not a little.
For the rich, it was a drop in the bucket, but for the current Ying Chen...
Well, currently Ying Chen had no money at all.
"One million yuan! Let me think..."
Ying Chen's eyes flickered.
He then said, "Selling another Ming Yue Liu Su Pearl would be making a mountain out of a molehill. As for spiritual herbs like the Shan Jun Hua, they are scarce resources and cannot be exchanged."
"Well, there's something that should be worth just the right amount, and I can exchange it for some quick cash."
Min Ziqiong glanced at Ying Chen curiously.
She was surprised by what Ying Chen was referring to and who he intended to cash out with.
"Call Yan Yang."
Unexpectedly, Ying Chen had finally set his sights on Yan Yang, the unwitting rich man.
Min Ziqiong made a call to Yan Yang during a red light.
On the other end of the line, Yan Yang knew immediately that Ying Chen was looking for him as soon as he received the call.
"Is this Mr. Ying?"
"Even if you didn't call me, I was about to call you. You have no idea how comfortably I've been sleeping these days! This is all thanks to Mr. Ying!"
Yan Yang on the other end of the phone was clearly extremely excited.
A chronic illness of many years, resolved in one fell swoop.
And resolved so thoroughly.
How could he not be excited?
"By the way, Mr. Ying, is your villa comfortable? If there's anything that bothers you, just say the word, and I'll immediately arrange for a construction team and top designers to renovate it for you!"
"As for the daily necessities in the villa, I've also ordered a batch of private supplies from abroad, which should arrive in the next couple of days. For your three meals a day, how about I select two Michelin-starred chefs for you? Do you prefer lighter flavors or richer ones?"
Faced with Yan Yang's eagerness, Ying Chen replied calmly, "No need to trouble yourself. I'm looking for you today simply to do business. As for how much this business is worth, you can decide for yourself."
"Ah? Business? What business?" Yan Yang was taken aback.
He couldn't imagine what kind of business he could have with Ying Chen.
Could it be that Ying Chen was willing to part with another Ming Yue Liu Su Pearl?
That would be a dream come true for him!
After all, the previous one was taken overseas by Old Wei as soon as he got his hands on it, and he didn't even get to play with it for two days.
If Ying Chen was willing to part with another one, he would buy it at any price!
However, Ying Chen's next sentence shattered Yan Yang's fantasy. "A business concerning your life and death."
"Simply put: your previous chronic illness was not accidental, but deliberately caused. One day ago, I killed an Onmyoji from..."
Ying Chen paused slightly, recalling the name of the country founded by Xu Fu.
"Dongyang... from the Eastern Sun. From his words, I deduced that he might have been targeting you for a long time."
"I suggest you investigate for yourself to see what's going on. Or you can come here and ask someone named Han Shixi for clarification."
"As for how much this information is worth, you decide!"
"What?" Hearing Ying Chen's words, Yan Yang on the other end of the phone was shocked.
He had always thought his illness was purely accidental, never imagining it was deliberately caused!
Most importantly, counting from the day he bought the villa, the other party had been plotting for eight years for this illness!
With such a long-term plan and such insidious and secret methods, what was the other party after?
It certainly couldn't have been just to seize his small villa!
There must be a deeper, farther, and greater conspiracy!
A cold sweat broke out on Yan Yang's back.
Without hesitation, he said, "Mr. Ying, I'm heading to Jianghai City right now! As for the money, I'll give you a blank check when I get there, fill in whatever amount you want!"
"Including this time, you've saved my life twice! No amount of money can express my gratitude to you!"
After saying that, Yan Yang hung up the phone directly.
This showed how anxious he was at the moment.
How eager he was to rush to Jianghai.
Ying Chen sighed speechlessly, "It would be good if you could give me a million first! Otherwise, you won't even be able to enter the auction house, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
"Or... should I borrow some from a friend?" Min Ziqiong said at this moment.
However, she didn't have much confidence in her heart.
Times were different now.
In the past, borrowing a million yuan wouldn't have been a problem for her, but now, she might struggle to borrow even ten thousand.
Poverty in the city leads to no one asking, wealth in the mountains brings distant relatives. This saying is indeed true.
Who would take a second look at a young lady who had been kicked out of her home?
At this moment, the car had arrived at the entrance of the auction house.
Min Ziqiong, who was worrying, suddenly froze, and then cried out, "Dad? Mom?"
At the entrance of the auction house, there were two figures, precisely Min Ziqiong's parents!
Min Ziqiong's mother had clearly woken up, but her first action after waking up was not to settle accounts with Ying Chen, but for some reason she had also come to this auction.
At this moment, Min Ziqiong's parents also noticed Min Ziqiong and Ying Chen.
It was hard not to notice them, as the car Min Ziqiong was driving was too conspicuous.
"It's Xiao Qiong! And that guy surnamed Ying!" Min Ziqiong's father said.
Upon hearing this, Min Ziqiong's mother's anger flared up.
"This ungrateful wretch, not only is she ungrateful, but she's also colluding with outsiders to tail us?"
"They must have found out that we're attending the auction and deliberately followed us, waiting to collect the money in person!"
"My family is unlucky, my family is unlucky! How could I have given birth to such a daughter!"
Min Ziqiong's mother beat her chest and stamped her feet, about to perform her intangible cultural heritage skill again at the crowded entrance of the venue.
Min Ziqiong's father quickly pulled her back and whispered, "Don't air our dirty laundry in public. So many people are watching, calm down."
"Besides, we were planning to use the money from selling the ancestral snuff bottle to redeem someone! Giving them the money on the spot would save time and indirectly let Xiao Qing suffer less?"
Hearing this, Min Ziqiong's mother immediately stopped her urge to perform.
After glaring fiercely at Min Ziqiong and Ying Chen, she shouted at them, "If you want the money, be quick! Don't dawdle. You wait for Xiao Qing to come back, and then we'll see how I deal with you!"
Then, the two stopped at the entrance, waiting for Ying Chen and Min Ziqiong to enter the venue together.
It turned out that the two had come to the auction not for leisure, but to auction something!
Last night, the two had received a call from Min Ziqing.
That foolish Min Ziqing hadn't made things clear on the phone.
He had only vaguely said that he would be home soon, and the exact time depended on the speed at which a certain item arrived.
The faster the certain item arrived, the faster he would return home.
Hearing this, Min Ziqiong's parents immediately understood: the "certain item" referred to the ransom money!
The faster the ransom arrived, the faster their son would come home!
So, after repeated consideration and weighing, the two gritted their teeth and decided to take out a precious family heirloom, a snuff bottle, for auction!
Adding the money they had gathered before, it would be close to a hundred million yuan!
However, what the two could never have imagined was that Min Ziqing's so-called "certain item" referred to a 50-year-old Maotai wine!
The faster the wine arrived, the more motivated Elder Guo would be to treat him, the faster the treatment would be, and the sooner he could return home!