Tang Qingying cast a soft glance at Chen Fan and said, "If I truly wanted this diamond, my grandfather wouldn't object. But I don't want to use the money my grandfather earned through a lifetime of hard work to satisfy my personal vanity!"
Chen Fan couldn't help but nod at her words, a hint of admiration for Tang Qingying growing within him.
It was rare to find such principles in someone from such a prominent family.
Tang Qingying smiled and tentatively asked, "Mr. Chen, you must have someone you like, right? Why don't you bid for it and give it to her?"
Chen Fan was silent for a moment. "She probably wouldn't accept it!"
For some reason, a flicker of disappointment arose in Tang Qingying's heart upon hearing this.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it came. She smiled. "No woman would be unmoved by this. It's just that good women maintain their reason. The person giving it and the way it's given are not right."
Chen Fan seemed to understand.
"One hundred fifty million!"
Just then, a voice rang out, raising the bid from one hundred twenty million directly to one hundred fifty million.
This bid made many auction-goers abandon their thoughts.
This price was still within the value range of 'Sky Blue,' but it was enough to deter the vast majority of the wealthy and influential from bidding further.
Moreover, the one who made this bid was none other than Yuan Liangping.
Just like Xu Shengqing before him, everyone tacitly gave Yuan Liangping face.
With the gavel falling, Yuan Liangping wore a smile.
"Young Master Yuan bids one hundred fifty million. One hundred fifty million, going once!"
Chen Fan, with a hint of a smile, raised his paddle and softly called out, "Two hundred million!"
The auctioneer's eyes turned towards him, and his face twitched violently.
It's this guy again!
As a professional auctioneer, he now felt a sense of unease whenever he heard Chen Fan or Xiao Xuan's voices.
This guy again?
Yuan Liangping's thoughts were identical to the auctioneer's. Upon seeing Chen Fan's impassive face, his own darkened immediately.
Chen Fan had no particular interest in 'Sky Blue.' However, Tang Qingying's words made him feel it was worth trying.
After all, he had never really given Su Yingxue anything.
If he was going to leave sooner or later, the 'Sky Blue' could be considered a gift for Su Yingxue, a way to repay her life-saving grace from fifteen years ago. It wouldn't be a bad idea.
"Two hundred ten million!"
Yuan Liangping's gaze was cold as he glanced at Chen Fan and bid again.
"Three hundred million!"
Chen Fan's bid was more direct.
Yuan Liangping was furious, wishing he could kill Chen Fan on the spot.
But in such a setting, that was impossible.
He looked at Chen Fan coldly, gritting his teeth. "Three hundred ten million!"
As the foremost young master of Jiangbei, he clearly couldn't be stingy, unable to increase the bid by only a million each time.
"Four hundred million!"
Chen Fan's expression was a mask, but his bid was extremely generous.
The entire venue erupted in an uproar once more.
Originally, after the bidding for 'Canglan Tu' had occurred, there shouldn't have been such shock. But the opposite was true; as Chen Fan bid again, the astonishment was even greater than before.
How could he repeatedly disrupt the event and slap faces?
Murmurs erupted again from all sides.
"That guy's here again!"
"I suspect he's here specifically to stir up trouble. He hasn't spent a cent so far, but he's driven the bidding prices through the roof!"
"Could he be a plant arranged by the organizers? That shouldn't be the case; isn't Young Master Yuan the host?"
"How could he be a plant? Didn't you see Young Master Yuan's expression? Offending both Young Master Xu and Young Master Yuan at the same time, this son-in-law kicked out by the Su family is definitely not going to have a good night!"
"..."
Unlike the discussions from the back rows, the top tycoons and socialites like Old Tang seated in the front rows were deep in thought.
Yuan Liangping did not bid directly again but signaled to someone on his side.
"I don't believe you have four hundred million!"
A young woman slammed the table and snorted, "You're Chen Fan, right? I am Wen Yutong from the Wen family. 'Sky Blue' is a piece provided by our Wen family."
"Hmm?"
Chen Fan glanced at her and lost interest.
Wen Yutong said somewhat vexedly, "I suspect you don't have the capability at all. I demand that you present proof of your eligibility to bid!"
"Whatever."
Chen Fan remained as nonchalant as ever.
Wen Yutong immediately said a few words to the auction house manager, and soon, several auction company staff members hurried forward and stood in front of Chen Fan.
"It's getting serious. I was wondering why Young Master Yuan would tolerate this person repeatedly."
"Now let's see how this guy gets out of this? Malicious bidding can land you in jail."
"How could this good-for-nothing who can't even be a live-in son-in-law have four hundred million? Did he sneak into the venue?"
"It should have been done earlier!"
"..."
Amidst the chatter, two staff members said to Chen Fan, "Sir, to ensure the fairness of the auction, we need to verify your financial capacity for today's bidding. Please prove you have the means to participate."
"Certainly!"
Chen Fan smiled and placed a black bank card on the table.
A Purple Thistle Dragon Card!
Upon seeing the card, the staff members' expressions changed.
The two picked up the bank card and examined it, confirming it beyond doubt.
The Starshine Auction House, to which they belonged, was a premier auction company in the country, a leader in the auction world. Its staff were highly professional. Such a Purple Thistle Dragon Card, representing VIP status, was something they couldn't possibly not recognize.
However, even though they were certain in their hearts, the procedure still had to be followed.
The two took out a machine and began verification. In a short while, they both showed expressions of shock, and their gazes towards Chen Fan shifted.
"Thank you for your cooperation, sir!"
After completing the verification, the two respectfully returned the Purple Thistle Dragon Card to Chen Fan and bowed ninety degrees.
Seeing this, the crowd looked at each other in disbelief.
Then, the two staff members walked over to Yuan Liangping and whispered a few words.
Yuan Liangping's expression also changed.
He was naturally aware of the Purple Thistle Dragon Card, but he hadn't expected the owner of Villa No. 1 to have given it to Chen Fan!
What did this signify?
Either the owner of the villa trusted Chen Fan immensely, and their relationship was more than just master and servant.
Or, everything Chen Fan had done at the banquet and auction tonight was carried out according to the will of the villa's owner.
He felt the latter possibility was more likely, because if it were him, he would never give a symbol of status like the Purple Thistle Dragon Card to a subordinate for use.
No matter how much trust he had!
Then the question arose: when did he offend the owner of Villa No. 1 to the point where they would come to sabotage his event?
Yuan Liangping was filled with doubt and surprise. He signaled for the auction to continue.
The Purple Thistle Dragon Card proved Chen Fan had the financial capacity to purchase 'Sky Blue,' and he had no reason to stop him any further.
The eldest young lady of the Wen family could say nothing more and could only sit down dejectedly.
And those who thought Chen Fan was just a troublemaker looked on in disbelief.
From such a distance, they couldn't see what Chen Fan had presented, but the reactions of Yuan Liangping and the eldest young lady of the Wen family revealed something.
"How is this possible? Does this guy really have the strength to bid for the item?"
"Is the world this crazy? A live-in son-in-law who was kicked out actually has over four hundred million in cash?"
"Damn, is he a case of 'true talents are hidden'?"
...
Xiao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes wide as she looked at Chen Fan's profile, filled with shock.
She had seen it clearly. Although she didn't understand the significance of the bank card Chen Fan produced, she could tell that Chen Fan had proven his ability to pay over four hundred million in cash!
Her heart pounded wildly!
Did this inconspicuous man, whom she had thought was sneaking into the venue like herself, possess such astonishing wealth? If so, couldn't their family's predicament be easily resolved if he were willing to help?
But how could she make him willing to help her?