After Wan Yunting completed the transaction procedures, holding Huangfu Xueyi's painting "Harbor of Love" and a modern ceramic blue and white porcelain piece he had bid on, he walked out of the auction house with Kang Hongwen and others, chatting and laughing.
Wang Jun, cradling the scroll of his Jinshi calligraphy work, looked so pleased that the general managers like Zhang Huamao felt a pang of envy. They wished they could have Wan Yunting privately write a few pieces for their collection right then and there, but alas, they weren't Kang Hongwen and didn't have such a close relationship with Wan Yunting, so they could only envy that fellow Wang Jun.
Outside the auction house, a group of reporters were waiting to interview Wan Yunting. Seeing this, he had no choice but to leave the Tianyu Auction House discreetly through another side exit with Kang Hongwen and the others.
Kang Hongwen and Wang Jun had wanted to invite Wan Yunting out for a late-night snack, but Wan Yunting, needing to visit Gu Luotang that night, declined. He drove his silver sedan straight towards the Gu Mansion.
Gu Luotang, of course, hadn't slept. As soon as she received his message, she happily ran out with a coat draped over her shoulders. She opened the main gate to find Wan Yunting holding two boxes, one long and one large, containing Huangfu Xueyi's painting and the blue and white porcelain vase.
"Here, take one."
Wan Yunting handed the long box to Gu Luotang. As she held it, she asked with confusion, "You bought one too? What is it?"
"Well, it's the painting 'Harbor of Love.'"
Wan Yunting helped close the main gate. Gu Luotang was surprised and said, "Is it Mr. Huangfu's 'Harbor of Love' painting?"
Evidently, Gu Luotang had been following the auction that night but hadn't expected her man to bid on Mr. Huangfu's painting.
"Yes, let's go back inside. Don't catch a chill..."
Seeing Gu Luotang wearing so little, and knowing it had gotten cold tonight, Wan Yunting held her and entered the mansion, returning to her East Wing chamber...
By this time, the maids in the mansion had already gone to sleep. Qi Miaomiao in the small courtyard probably hadn't slept yet. She didn't know Wan Yunting was coming tonight, but even if she did, that girl was currently avoiding him and wouldn't dare come to her senior sister's chamber...
Back in the study, Gu Luotang couldn't help but open the exquisite box, take out the long scroll inside, and unfurl it on the large desk. Looking at "Harbor of Love," Gu Luotang couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Huangfu's painting technique has reached the pinnacle of perfection."
Wan Yunting set aside the box containing the blue and white porcelain and walked over to the woman's side. He put his large hands around her waist and smiled, "Do you like it?"
"Mm, I like it..."
Gu Luotang turned to look at him and said, "I've always wanted to collect Mr. Huangfu's paintings, but unfortunately, he hasn't released new works in recent years, and I haven't had the chance. By the way, how much did you spend on it?"
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Not much. If you like it, take it. I bought it specifically to give to you."
Gu Luotang was overjoyed. She had been a little unhappy earlier because her man couldn't bring her to the charity auction tonight. Now, seeing that he had specifically bought Mr. Huangfu's painting to give to her, Gu Luotang couldn't help but kiss his cheek and say happily, "Thank you."
Wan Yunting held her from behind and kissed her tender cheek, smiling, "You're still being polite with me."
Gu Luotang smiled charmingly and continued to admire "Harbor of Love," not asking again how much her man had paid for it.
However, the next morning, when Gu Luotang saw the news and learned that her man had spent five hundred million on Mr. Huangfu Xueyi's painting, her jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Stop looking..."
Wan Yunting, holding Gu Luotang, felt a bit overwhelmed. He whispered mischievously into her ear, "Didn't you say you wanted to wear those two outfits for me? Wear them now."
Gu Luotang's face immediately flushed with shyness. She gave him a coy glance and shyly said, "Stop it, can't you let me look a little longer?"
"You can look tomorrow. I want to look at you now..."
"Hehehe, Brother Yunting, no, it tickles..."
Gu Luotang giggled as his hands became playful. She forgot about admiring Mr. Huangfu's "Harbor of Love." The two of them moved into the chamber. Gu Luotang wore a tempting, ancient-style Hanfu made of gauze and specially performed an ancient dance for him...
The next morning, major media outlets vied to report on the Hua Du City Charity Auction held the previous night. Among them, Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy piece sold for a staggering four hundred and fifty million, shaking Hua Du City, and even the national arts community...
For a time, all sorts of opinions were flying. Some said it wasn't worth the sky-high price, while others believed it was worth every penny, as Wan Yunting was a contemporary calligraphy prodigy, hailed as the "Calligraphy Immortal."
However, the vast majority believed it was intentional hype, as a calligraphy piece selling for four hundred and fifty million was unprecedented in China, reaching a ceiling level.
Even Fan Liren, a titan of the literary world, couldn't achieve such prices with his calligraphy works. Thus, some people made comparisons, questioning Wan Yunting's worthiness.
Soon, the news reported again that Wan Yunting had purchased Huangfu Xueyi's "Harbor of Love" painting for five hundred million, creating a sensation throughout the art world.
Immediately, some people called Wan Yunting a fool for spending five hundred million on "Harbor of Love."
Previously, Huangfu Xueyi's paintings had never fetched more than eighty million at auction, with anything over a hundred million considered exorbitant. Yet Wan Yunting had spent five hundred million. They concluded he either had too much money to spend or was simply foolish.
When more people carefully examined the events of the charity auction the previous night, they learned why Wan Yunting had spent five hundred million on Huangfu Xueyi's painting. Suddenly, some literati began to comment, saying, "Mr. Wan's magnanimity is admirable."
"Indeed, his actions were to save Mr. Huangfu's face!"
For a time, everyone understood that Wan Yunting had done this to preserve Mr. Huangfu's reputation. Literati from Hua Du City, and indeed from across the national art community, deeply admired Wan Yunting's move.
After all, some were aware that Huangfu Hongfang, Huangfu Xueyi's grandson, had continuously targeted Wan Yunting during the Lanting Award calligraphy competition!
Yet, last night at the auction, he put aside past grievances and spent five hundred million on Mr. Huangfu's work. Such a broad-minded gesture captivated the contemporary youth in the literary and artistic circles, giving everyone a new perspective on Wan Yunting.
As soon as the news broke, it directly topped the trending search list, propelling Wan Yunting to the pinnacle once again...
However, at this moment, he had quietly woken up at six o'clock and, before the maids in the Gu Mansion were awake, drove home.
When Gu Luotang woke up in the morning and saw the news, she learned about what her man had done the previous night. Seeing that he had spent five hundred million on Mr. Huangfu's "Harbor of Love" painting, she was so astonished that she quickly called him to confirm if it was true...
Meanwhile, Wan Yunting, eating breakfast at home, spoke with Gu Luotang. Although she was shocked, she was more moved, as a five-hundred-million painting had been given to her just like that.
After hanging up with Gu Luotang, Wan Yunting saw Duan Yingying returning from her practice. "Finished practicing?" he asked.
Duan Yingying wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel and glanced at him. "When did you get back?"
"Around seven this morning," Wan Yunting replied lazily, sipping his porridge.
"Hmph, were you out fooling around again last night?"
Duan Yingying took the porridge served by Huang Guilan, this time remembering to say thank you.
Wan Yunting glanced at her. "I think you're itching for trouble. Have you been slacking off while I was away? I'll check later. If you don't meet the standard, I'll take back all those bags I bought you."
Duan Yingying glared at him angrily and huffed, "You're cheating! You said you bought them for me, how can you take them back?"
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
Wan Yunting finished the last bite of porridge in his bowl dismissively. "There are rewards for success and punishments for failure. If you don't meet the training standards, you'll be punished. Finish eating quickly, I'll be waiting for you in the backyard."
With that, Wan Yunting put down his bowl and chopsticks and went to the backyard. He sat in a lounge chair, lit a cigarette, and planned to check Duan Yingying's martial arts skills before heading to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department for work...