Chapter 33: It's Impossible to Walk Out That Door!
Three billion!
A full three billion!
No one could have imagined this number.
Not a single person present could have foreseen it!
Even Uncle Chen, Chen Yu, and Uncle Fu, who sat beside Ye Fei, had nothing but shock on their faces when confronted with a scene that far exceeded anything they had anticipated.
“You dare bid three billion?”
“Do you really think I’m stupid?”
“That I’d fall for your little trap?”
Gazing at the scrutinizing stares all around, Gao Yangwei let out a series of cold, mocking laughs.
Then, right in front of everyone, he shook his head in feigned disappointment, spread his hands, and said, “I don’t have that kind of money. I’ll let him have the jade seal. Ah, what a pity. If I’m born into a better family in my next life, maybe then I’ll be able to afford such a price.”
The sarcasm in his words was almost tangible.
“Very well!”
“Three billion, first call!”
“Three billion, second call!”
“Three billion, sold!”
“Congratulations, sir, the Qilin Jade Seal is now yours!”
The female auctioneer quickly hid her shock, her face radiant with joy as she brought down the gavel.
A wave of astonishment rippled through the crowd once more.
Three billion…
That price had actually been accepted?
All eyes immediately turned back to Ye Fei.
They stared at him.
They sized him up.
Some even looked at him with a mocking air.
“Let’s see if you can really pay those three billion!”
Gao Yangwei, admiring the chaos he’d sown as if it were a masterpiece, could not suppress his cold, silent laughter.
Never mind three billion—his own father wouldn’t let him pay even one billion.
But this was his way of making things unpleasant for that guy Ye Fei.
What was so hard about bidding? Anyone could do it.
With just a few words, he’d forced Ye Fei to pay an extra two billion!
This bitter pill—whether Ye Fei wanted to swallow it or not, he’d have to.
Clearly, no one cared what Gao Yangwei was really thinking.
They all wanted to know just one thing—
Could this man, who had dared to bid three billion, actually produce the money?
Otherwise, what right did he have to make such a bid?
Yet this doubt was soon dispelled.
Because everyone present noticed the people sitting behind Ye Fei.
The Chen family—Uncle Chen Bozhong and Chen Yu!
Neither of them, in reputation or wealth, could be measured by a mere three billion.
To them, producing that sum was no great challenge.
Of course, that was a matter for private arrangements.
“Thank you, everyone, for attending this auction.”
“Next, we’ll move on to the dinner.”
Standing in the center, the female auctioneer smiled as she spoke.
Just as everyone thought the auction had come to an end—
She suddenly paused, as if receiving some signal, a faint frown appearing.
Then, a server entered, carrying a tray.
Atop the tray sat a POS machine.
After a brief exchange of glances with the server, the auctioneer picked up the Qilin Jade Seal beside her, and together they walked over—right in front of everyone—toward Ye Fei’s table.
This was a development that few had anticipated.
But the shrewd among them immediately understood what was happening.
The atmosphere in the hall grew tense once more.
“Sir, we are honored to inform you that, given the extraordinary sum involved in this auction, we have waived all unnecessary formalities. As long as you settle the payment here and now, the Qilin Jade Seal will officially be yours.”
“The legal team of the Tenglong Chamber of Commerce will handle all necessary paperwork for you. You can rest assured on that count.”
The auctioneer gave Ye Fei a polite smile, her tone strictly professional.
At these words, many in the crowd raised their eyebrows.
Anyone with sense could read between the lines.
All eyes burned with curiosity.
A transaction of three billion was not something one witnessed every day.
At the table, Chen Yu and Uncle Chen Bozhong were clearly caught off guard by this turn of events. The latter’s seasoned gaze turned cold as he stood up, fixing the auctioneer with a withering stare.
“What’s this—are you afraid the Chen family can’t pay?”
The auctioneer stiffened. The pressure of Chen Bozhong’s gaze was immense.
But a command crackled through her earpiece, and she quickly forced a smile and explained, “You misunderstand, Mr. Chen. We’re only concerned about the difficulty of processing such a large sum, so we have contacted the staff backstage for immediate confirmation.”
“Is that so?”
“If I’m not mistaken, someone behind the scenes instructed you to do this, didn’t they?”
Uncle Chen saw through the ruse at once, a cold smile on his lips.
“Mr. Chen, this… these are just the rules…”
The auctioneer gave a nervous laugh. Though the pressure from the old man before her was overwhelming, she still forced herself to repeat the words from her earpiece, one by one.
“If… if this gentleman doesn't pay the three billion… then today…”
“He won’t be leaving this building!”
At these words, many faces in the crowd turned strange.
“What…”
“This…”
“It must have been President Situ’s order.”
“Three billion isn’t a small amount, after all.”
“Indeed.”
People whispered among themselves.
Sitting in the corner, Gao Yangwei had not expected his reckless bidding to escalate into such a situation.
He was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Meanwhile, when Uncle Chen heard this, his hawk-like eyes darkened further.
Just as everyone thought this former titan was about to explode, he sat back down with the support of his cane, and calmly instructed,
“Yu’er.”
“Pay.”
Chen Yu, hearing this, did not immediately reach for her card.
Instead, she looked rather helpless.
Indeed.
Three billion.
She simply didn’t have it.
But her uncle, who had only just recovered from illness, clearly wasn’t aware of this.
In the past, three billion would have been nothing to her.
But after being expelled from the family, all her assets had been frozen by the banks.
Even though she had made some arrangements before coming, she could never have predicted that Ye Fei would bid such an astronomical sum.
Could she really announce, in front of everyone, that it wasn’t for lack of willingness, but for lack of means?
For a moment, Chen Yu was at a loss.
Her uncle’s reputation was immense.
She didn’t want to let him lose face.
“Yu’er!”
Uncle Chen’s stern rebuke snapped her back to reality.
“What’s this?”
“Mr. Chen, are you saying you can’t pay?”
Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out.
Everyone looked up.
A middle-aged man, clad in a white Zhongshan suit, descended the villa staircase. His hand was clasped behind his back, his neat salt-and-pepper hair combed back, a faint smile on his face, and an air of quiet distinction about him.