After resting at the hotel and having dinner, Xia Qingtian bid farewell to Li Mengxiao, saying she was going to visit a friend, and then headed directly to the auction.
The auction was held in a villa by the sea in C City. The location was somewhat secluded, and it looked very French from the outside.
Two large gates of carved metal lace were open, with men in black suits maintaining order outside, checking admission tickets.
Quite a few people had already arrived, most of them dressed in finery, with a wide range of ages.
There were young and beautiful women around twenty, confident men in their thirties and forties, and elderly people with white hair being supported.
Xia Qingtian followed the crowd, had her ticket checked, and was then led into the villa by a dedicated staff member.
Upon entering the villa, Xia Qingtian discovered it was brilliantly lit, with a luxurious and grand decoration. There were also many people patrolling the area.
Her seat was in a private room on the second floor of the auction hall. It had a small square table and three stately, royal-style leather chairs with deliberately aged metal armrests that exuded a unique charm under the light.
Having settled into her seat, Xia Qingtian surveyed the entire auction hall.
It was divided into three levels, with a square stage at the center, forming a semi-circular seating area.
She was on the second level.
The main hall on the first floor was gradually filling up, and familiar faces were already engaged in conversation.
Xia Qingtian had not gone up to the third floor, but she had glanced at it while passing the stairs. The decoration on the third floor was even more exquisite and opulent than on the second.
At this moment, the staff member who had led Xia Qingtian in returned, escorting a middle-aged man and a white-haired old man.
Seeing that both of them were much older than her, Xia Qingtian immediately stood up, nodded, and gave a faint smile as a greeting.
"Who is she..." the old man seemed surprised to see someone else there and asked the middle-aged man.
"Uncle Fang, this is Director Xia's daughter." The middle-aged man introduced her while giving Xia Qingtian a gentle smile.
"Uncle Shao, Grandpa Fang." Xia Qingtian knew that Uncle Shao was the one who brought tickets for her father. He was a businessman from C City and had known her father for many years.
However, Grandpa Fang looked unfamiliar, and Xia Qingtian had no impression of him, but she politely addressed him.
"Oh, Xia Honglang's daughter." Grandpa Fang then glanced up and down at Xia Qingtian, moved his lips, and said, "Sit down."
With Grandpa Fang's words, Xia Qingtian and Uncle Shao then accompanied the elder to sit down.
Meanwhile, on the stairs, a young blonde man, hands in his pockets, walked briskly, complaining, "You are truly my nemesis! You spoke only three sentences from the moment you sat down at my house until you left, and those three sentences made my old man scold me for three hours!"
"When an elder is angry, it's better to let it out; otherwise, suppressing it is bad for his health." The man walking beside him was handsome, with a tall stature and a cool voice, but a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth, suggesting he was in a good mood.
"You're truly the old man's favorite disciple, even closer than his own son like me." Bai Yuqi's tone was sarcastic.
"It is as it should be." Gu Yaoyang, as if not detecting the derogatory meaning in Bai Yuqi's words, casually replied.
This made Bai Yuqi roll his eyes in frustration.
The two were led by staff to their seats on the second floor, only separated from Xia Qingtian's private room by a semi-transparent jade screen and a floor-to-ceiling Roman pillar.
"Didn't get tickets for the third floor, so we'll have to make do." Bai Yuqi said, propping his chin after sitting down. "Today's auction is really lively; I heard many industry bigwigs are here."
Gu Yaoyang didn't reply, merely poured himself a cup of hot tea and quietly savored it.
"Let me tell you, if you don't get that thing today, I won't forgive you for reporting me." Bai Yuqi said, propping his chin with one hand. "Nemesis! Did you hear me?"
"I heard you." Gu Yaoyang's tone was casual. He put down his teacup and then looked up, casting a somewhat disdainful glance at Bai Yuqi.
Bai Yuqi knew Gu Yaoyang found him long-winded and responded with an eye-roll before getting up to stretch his legs.
Sitting next door, Xia Qingtian vaguely felt that the voices of the people next to her sounded familiar. She tried to turn and look, but only saw the outline of a Roman pillar behind the screen, so she withdrew her gaze.
Bai Yuqi, however, who was walking around with his hands behind his back, casually glanced at the edge of the screen, then exclaimed "咦," and changed his angle, peeking through the gap between the screen and the back wall.
He then tiptoed back to Gu Yaoyang as if he had discovered something new, and asked with a gossipy expression, "Guess who's sitting next door?"
"Old Master Fang from Gu Xuan Zhai and Director Shao from Shao's Realty," Gu Yaoyang said casually.
"And one more person?" Bai Yuqi pressed.
"One more person?" Gu Yaoyang's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. He looked up at Bai Yuqi, hesitated, and then asked in a low voice, "Xia Qingtian?"
"Bingo!" Bai Yuqi snapped his fingers.
Gu Yaoyang's eyes darkened, and his expression became meaningful. According to the original trajectory, Xia Qingtian would not have been here.
Finishing the tea in his cup, Gu Yaoyang's lips curled upward slightly.
With Xia Qingtian's unexpected appearance, he wondered if that farce would still happen.
Tonight's auction might become interesting.
"Here, those two wicked couple are here too." Bai Yuqi pointed at the young man and woman who were taking their seats in the main hall.
Gu Yaoyang casually glanced over and saw Yu Linwan, whom he had seen during the day, and her husband, Gu Yaoqing. They arrived together, dressed in finery, with elegant and proper demeanor.
Putting on a respectable front.
"Tch." Bai Yuqi curled his lips.
At that moment, the lights dimmed, followed by a spotlight on the right side of the viewing platform, with a projection on the center of the platform.
After a brief opening speech, the auction officially commenced.
The first item to be exhibited was a set of red coral jewelry.
As red coral, which held esteemed repute, appeared, it immediately captured the attention of all the ladies.
With exquisite carved patterns and graceful, flowing curves, it displayed elegance and subtlety under the light. Especially with the embellishment of high-cut diamonds, it became even more captivating.
As the first exhibit, it served well to warm up the atmosphere. It was finally auctioned off for 2.7 million yuan, starting from 1 million yuan, to a noble lady.
The next two auction items were both antiques. Xia Qingtian did not understand antiques but joined in the excitement by raising her hand a couple of times. Both antiques were eventually acquired by a renowned collector, totaling 5.7 million yuan.
Most people were merely spectators. However, starting from the fourth exhibit, even Xia Qingtian, an outsider, could sense that the atmosphere of the entire auction had become solemn and fervent, indicating that the main event of the auction was likely to follow.