There are still five days until the auction.
They came this many days in advance to guard against any unforeseen issues.
Before arriving, they had already sent people to scout their competitors.
Currently, Jiang Ling and Mu Yinyin are having a meal.
Both of them appear quite serious.
Mu Yinyin frowned slightly and said, "From what we can see so far, there are a few individuals we need to be wary of and discuss. As for this Boss Gao..."
At this point, Mu Yinyin's frown deepened, and her expression was not good.
Jiang Ling's gaze also darkened, and he finally spoke, "From the current outlook, this person is our biggest competitor and an enemy we need to guard against. He is determined to get Qing Zhu."
Their voices were both a little low, clearly indicating their unease about this competitor.
Mu Yinyin's eyes flickered. "Let's reach an agreement with him first, then we can consider those with lower competitive stakes."
Jiang Ling frowned and remained silent. While he agreed with Mu Yinyin, they both clearly understood the situation.
Those who attend auctions here are no ordinary people; no one lacks money and is solely focused on acquiring the item without considering anything else.
So... to make someone back down, they would need to offer enough sincerity, perhaps something even more valuable than the item itself.
But...
They don't have many excessively valuable materials here. If they were to negotiate...
Mu Yinyin paused. "I can use my identity as Yan Luo to negotiate with them, but... I'm not sure if they'll accept it."
Gao Zhusheng.
He is their biggest competitor this time.
He is not from their country, his personality is rather volatile, and he never changes decisions once made, the kind that ten oxen can't pull back.
Furthermore, he has numerous peculiar habits and despises men the most.
Therefore, he rarely has men around him, except for one person whose industry capabilities are exceptional, someone he genuinely cannot do without. With him around, the company's business performance can double; this is the only thing Gao Zhusheng tolerates.
Moreover, there's another point: this man is very delicate in appearance, resembling a girl. Gao Zhusheng has many eccentric preferences and sometimes acts upon him, but the assistant endures it for the money.
So...
Considering cooperation, Mu Yinyin had clearly thought of this. She frowned slightly. "Perhaps I will have to be the one to talk to him."
Jiang Ling's expression darkened. "No. Gao Zhusheng has many eccentricities and a very difficult personality. I fear he might have an effect on you."
Mu Yinyin's gaze paused. "I know, but you cannot deny his aversion to men. If he sees you, he might not even want to discuss cooperation anymore. Xiao Qi's condition cannot be delayed any further. This time, we must secure Qing Zhu, or else..."
She truly couldn't find Qing Zhu anywhere else. If she lost Gu Xiao Qi, she would be in immense pain and would regret it for her entire life. No matter what, she had to obtain Qing Zhu this time, at any cost!
At any cost!
"Yinyin..." Jiang Ling opened his lips, uttering only those two words, completely at a loss for what else to say.
Mu Yinyin's gaze was firm. Looking at the man, she slowly said, "Let's investigate first and see if we can arrange a meeting with him."
Jiang Ling's eyes grew more complex. Gao Zhusheng is quite lecherous, and Yinyin is so beautiful; he would surely harbor ill intentions. What if he makes those kinds of demands then?
At this moment, he was truly anxious, feeling lost.
Mu Yinyin smiled. "You don't need to look so tragic. Things won't be as you imagine."
In fact, she had a pretty good guess of what Jiang Ling was thinking.
But...
Things had already reached this point...
"How can I not worry?" Jiang Ling's gaze fell upon Mu Yinyin, his eyes filled with endless concern.
Mu Yinyin's eyes flickered, and she finally smiled. "Let's take it step by step. What if he doesn't have so many ulterior motives? Let's see what demands he makes first, and then we can decide on the subsequent matters, alright?"
At this moment, Mu Yinyin needed to stabilize Jiang Ling's state of mind. She feared that if this continued, the matter might not be resolved. She wanted to save Xiao Qi, but she also knew that Jiang Ling didn't want her to be harmed by anyone.
Jiang Ling pursed his lips and remained silent, having lost all appetite for breakfast. However, seeing that Mu Yinyin did not intend to put down her chopsticks, he could only continue eating.
The room quieted down again, with only the occasional gentle clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
After eating, Mu Yinyin instructed her assistant to handle these matters, while the two of them didn't rest; they continued to research other competitors.
Identifying these individuals on the surface.
In reality...
This matter was quite difficult to manage.
What they could know now were only those visible individuals.
How many people were bidding behind the scenes was completely unknown.
Moreover, auctions here were not absolutely fair; simply having more money wasn't enough, there were also unspoken rules.
Last year, a lottery system was implemented. Each person who wished to bid would draw a token displaying a certain percentage. The casino, feigning benevolence, would then state that if prices reached a stalemate, they wouldn't allow the two parties to continue such a contest, framing it as an opportunity to save money for everyone.
At that time, they would compare their drawn tokens; whoever had the higher number would get the item.
This was a matter of luck when disputes arose.
But in reality...
Everyone knew this was definitely a rigged game. If someone wanted the item, they could bribe people beforehand, and drawing a token with a higher percentage would truly secure it.
Of course, the casino wouldn't lose money. This was a show of false benevolence by the casino when two parties were at an impasse, also making things convenient for their own people.
Jiang Ling hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I'll go and communicate with the casino to see if we can get a token with a stable percentage."
Mu Yinyin's gaze paused, but she nodded nonetheless. "Then you go, and be careful."
"Mm." Jiang Ling simply responded with that sound and then got up to leave.
He mainly wanted to go out for some fresh air. The topics they had just discussed with Mu Yinyin were truly making him feel... breathless. The thought of Mu Yinyin meeting Gao Zhusheng, and in his absence, made Jiang Ling very uneasy.
He would at most wait outside the door, not follow Mu Yinyin inside, completely unable to see the scene or hear the conversation. He already felt the helplessness of that moment.