Most people, however, showed disappointment and contempt in their eyes. With his unimpressive looks and humble background, how could a guy like that be worthy of Zhang Mengmeng?
And he was the type that put on an air of aloofness on purpose, seeking the attention of girls. This kind of boy might deceive little girls, but they had seen too many like him and felt only disgust.
Lin Mo didn't bother to take these people seriously; his focus had long since shifted from this circle. Now, the only things that truly mattered to him were those superpowers, those nations armed with nuclear weapons.
"Xiao Meng, this is a classmate of yours from Tian Nan University, right? What's his story?" a curious boy asked, his gaze somewhat challenging as he looked at Lin Mo.
Zhang Mengmeng well knew the temper of this group. Each one of them came from families with tens or even hundreds of millions in assets, spoiled children who, although not troublemakers, were inevitably arrogant and looked down on others.
"Don't bother asking," Zhang Mengmeng glared at the boy.
The boy pouted but then realized that Lin Mo, calm and collected, was looking straight ahead and seemed to not even notice him, which made him frown slightly. What an arrogant guy.
The others showed similar colors of contempt. Lin Mo was dressed plainly, and Tong Ling had mentioned that he didn't seem to have any family background. Yet, he still put on a superior demeanor, ignoring these sons and daughters of Linzhou's elite, which was infuriating to watch.
"Hmph, what's so great about him? Having no money and still making it into the Jia Auction House, I wonder how he got in?"
"Yeah, and he acts so high and mighty, as if he doesn't want anything to do with us."
Lin Mo naturally ignored their acidic words. But Liao Wen furrowed her brows. It sounded as though they were insinuating Lin Mo was sponging off her, which made her frown.
"Alright, all of you stop talking," Zhang Mengmeng suddenly said angrily. She was afraid her friends might anger Lin Mo, which wouldn't be good.
Seeing Zhang Mengmeng's anger, the others felt somewhat embarrassed. Fu Shengjie, trying to smooth things over, said with a smile, "Alright, let's all give Xiao Meng some face and drop it."
The Fu Family was a prominent clan in Linzhou, and Fu Shengjie had some fame in the circle. With him speaking up, the others naturally gave face. Even if they stopped talking, their eyes were still filled with disdain for Lin Mo.
Tong Ling, holding Zhang Mengmeng's hand, frowned and said, "You keep saying you don't like him, but you're still defending him."
"I'm not defending him; I'm protecting you. If you anger him, the consequences could be severe," Zhang Mengmeng said seriously in a low voice.
Tong Ling was momentarily stunned. Each of them came from families worth at least tens of millions. Put together, their influence was substantial. If angering this guy could have serious consequences, could he be a scion of some super family?
Fu Shengjie, however, let a hint of jealousy slip through and said with a sneer, "In Linzhou, our words carry weight. Even the Young Miss of the Mu Family would have to give us some respect."
"Is the Young Miss of the Mu Family someone you can talk about behind her back?" Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind Fu Shengjie.
The group all turned slightly pale, and Fu Shengjie's face turned ashen.
As it turned out, a few men in black suits, with straight postures, were standing behind them. The one who spoke was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a crisp suit and silver-rimmed glasses that reflected a sharp glint.
"Big brother," Fu Shengjie's face turned pale, his pupils contracting slightly with fear.
At that moment, the sharpness in the young man's eyes faded a bit.
Upon seeing the man, Tong Ling's eyes lit up like little stars, as if she had suddenly transformed from a goddess into a crazed fan.
The man was none other than Fu Shengjie's older brother, Fu Shengxue, a genius among the younger generation of the Fu Family, and underling of Jiangbei's top boss Mu Chaosong as well. As one of the future heirs of the Fu Family, any one of his identities was a shocking presence in Jiangbei.
Several young girls' eyes sparkled as they stared at him, as if they had seen a gem. Indeed, such a handsome and capable man with a powerful background was every woman's dream prince.
Fu Shengxue's face bore no expression; his gaze merely swept fleetingly over Lin Mo and Liao Wen in the front row before drawing back, as these two were somewhat unfamiliar to him.
At that moment, escorted by bodyguards, a woman approached, appearing to be in her early twenties, dressed in casual attire, with an oval face and skin white as snow. Her cool visage was tinged with a hint of arrogance and she had the look of a pure university belle.
However, her appearance caused everyone around her to offer obsequious smiles, nodding from afar, or showing expressions of awe.
If someone didn't know her identity, they might be misled by her looks. This seemingly innocent young woman was in fact the underground queen of Jiangbei, Mu Chaosong's treasured pearl, Mu Wanqing. Her methods were seasoned and ruthless, incongruent with her gentle appearance.
"Miss, the Tianzi No. 1 room is ready. Let's go in first," said Fu Shengxue as he saw Mu Wanqing and pushed up his glasses to speak.
"Okay."
Mu Wanqing nodded lightly and with a calm demeanor, passed through the crowd to head toward the VIP rooms on the second floor. However, as she walked by Lin Mo, she gave him a cursory glance from the corner of her eye—of course, it was just a fleeting look.
It was only after these people had left that everyone else let out a sigh of relief; the aura enveloping Mu Wanqing had been frightening. Despite her being a young woman in her early twenties, her presence was as daunting as a seasoned tycoon, making it hard for others to breathe comfortably.
The auction soon began.
But Lin Mo was not interested in the auction; he was here to find members of the Black Witch Sect. He had already cloaked the entire auction venue with his Divine Sense and detected the presence of several Martial Artists and Magic Users, yet he found no sign of anyone from the Black Witch Sect.
"Could it be that my killing of two disciples of the Black Witch Sect at the train station has already exposed my tracks?"
Lin Mo frowned slightly.
The items up for auction were all antiques, famous paintings, or jewelry and necklaces crafted by masters. Lin Mo lacked interest in them, but the last item up for bid caught his eye.
"The last item up for auction is an ancient Greek Royal Family's Jade Necklace, with a starting bid of ten million."
As the auctioneer's voice echoed, the entire auction hall collectively inhaled sharply; the starting bid was ten million. Though everyone present was worth tens of millions, most of that was tied up in fixed assets.
Even those who could put up ten million in liquid assets would do so for the sake of investing in land with the anticipation of returns. Spending ten million on a necklace was an act of boldness reserved for super-rich tycoons.
Even Zhang Mengmeng opened her lips slightly, showing an astonished expression.
Tong Ling and several young girls beside her also had bright eyes, gazing at the green Jade Necklace being auctioned, possessing tens of millions and even billions in family wealth. Yet, to spend ten million on a necklace out of the blue was beyond their daring.
"That necklace is so beautiful, it's just too expensive."
"Yeah, ten million is almost one-tenth of my family's entire fortune."
Lin Mo looked at the necklace with a spark in his eyes; it wasn't just any ordinary necklace but an Energy Stone containing a very pure essence of Wood Element Energy.
While the Wood Element Energy contained within the necklace wasn't much, the fact that it was Wood Element Energy made it an absolute treasure for Lin Mo.
(The excitement will continue tomorrow.)