At the Sotheby's auction in Modu, the air was thick with the scent of money and power.
In such an environment, Xiao Fan's appearance was like a drop of hot oil falling into calm, cold water.
His brand-new Armani suit, though expensively tailored, always felt uncomfortably tight on him, like borrowed armor rather than a second skin.
He stepped out of the taxi and strode into the venue, his face sporting a smile that was 'three parts mockery, three parts coldness, and four parts nonchalance,' completely out of place with the understated luxury of the surroundings.
Instantly, countless gazes, some subtle, some direct, fell upon him.
In those gazes, there was curiosity and scrutiny, but more often, a faint disdain stemming from the class barrier of the upper echelons of society.
However, the Xiao Fan of this moment was no longer the Xiao Fan of yesterday.
Not only did he not feel awkward, but he thoroughly enjoyed being watched.
In his opinion, these people's gazes weren't disdainful, but rather, shocked and envious!
They must be thinking, 'Who is this young man?'
'How can he stand here with such confidence?'
"Hmph, a bunch of mortals."
Xiao Fan sneered inwardly, not even bothering to consider what these people were thinking.
His gaze swept across the crowd, and above their heads, white orbs of light were floating.
["Financial Magnate" dropped attribute: Swag +1, do you want to pick it up?]
["Antiques Collector" dropped attribute: Acuity +2, do you want to pick it up?]
["Socialite" dropped attribute: Temperament +5, do you want to pick it up?]
A disdainful curve appeared at the corner of Xiao Fan's mouth.
Pick them up?
Of course, he had to pick them up!
Even a mosquito, no matter how small, is still meat!
He muttered this to himself, his words contradicting his true feelings, and absorbed all these scattered attribute orbs.
Although he felt disdain inwardly, his body was very honest.
He could feel that his nouveau riche aura seemed to have been diluted, if only by a tiny bit.
But so what?
He had more than one system!
He also had the Tycoon Investment System!
He had a massive sum of one billion in his pocket!
These things that required accumulation and profound background to obtain, he, Xiao Fan, could simply smash out with money!
Just then, a slight commotion arose at the entrance of the venue.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, unconsciously stepping back to either side.
A fiery red figure gracefully walked in.
She had arrived.
Jiang Lian.
She was like a walking human flame, with dazzling red hair, an exquisitely proud and beautiful face, and a pair of upward-slanting phoenix eyes that seemed to inherently possess the majesty of looking down upon all beings.
She didn't even need any extra movements; simply standing there quietly, she instantly stole all the light in the entire venue.
"My..."
Xiao Fan's breathing, at this moment, completely stopped.
His heart felt as if it had been fiercely gripped by an invisible large hand, then began to pound frantically!
It was her!
This was the woman destined for him, Xiao Fan!
His undisguised gaze, filled with primitive possessiveness, like a tangible searchlight, locked onto Jiang Lian.
Jiang Lian felt this gaze almost immediately.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she instinctively looked in the direction of the feeling.
She saw a young man in a suit, with fervent eyes.
That gaze made her extremely uncomfortable.
Unlike the greed, admiration, or awe of other men in the venue, this gaze was naked, crude, like a hungry vagrant coveting food on an emperor's table.
A trace of uncontrollable disgust rose from the bottom of Jiang Lian's heart.
Just as she was about to avert her gaze, the entrance to the venue changed again.
This time, there was no commotion, one could even say it was silent.
The highest-ranking person in charge of Sotheby's auction house in Modu, a white-haired elder highly respected in the industry, was now acting like the most humble attendant, personally scurrying towards the exclusive elevator.
His respectful, almost fawning, posture made everyone in the venue notice this scene.
Everyone's gaze turned towards it with curiosity.
Who could possibly be so distinguished as to have the president of Sotheby's personally lead the way?
Jiang Lian also looked up.
She only saw a man's blurry back, and beside him, a silver-haired woman in a plain white dress, like an elf under the moon.
However, it was that back!
She would never mistake it!
It was him!
That man... he had also come!
Jiang Lian's heart instantly felt a little flustered.
On the other side, Xiao Fan naturally also saw this grand display.
He couldn't clearly see the other party's appearance, but he saw the ultimate respect and privilege.
An unnamed jealousy burned fiercely in his heart.
"Putting on airs!"
Xiao Fan snorted coldly in his heart.
"He just got lucky with his birth, what's so great about that?"
"Just wait, I'll show you what true financial power is!"
"I'll use money to stomp your face firmly into the ground!"
The auction officially began.
"Distinguished guests, our first item for tonight is 'Autumn Mountains Traveling Picture' by the great painter Wu Dao Xuan from the previous dynasty!"
"This painting features vigorous brushwork and a profound artistic conception. Our team of experts has authenticated it as an undoubted genuine work! The starting bid is three million!"
The host's voice was filled with passion.
Xiao Fan's opportunity had arrived.
He wanted to make a splash!
He wanted Jiang Lian to see his dominance!
He didn't care what the painting was; he only knew that he wanted to use the simplest, most brutal method to tell everyone that he, Xiao Fan, had arrived!
Just as everyone was still contemplating and preparing to raise their bid paddles.
"Five million!"
A sudden and loud voice boomed across the venue!
Xiao Fan abruptly stood up, raising his bid paddle high, a smile he believed to be the most domineering on his face, as he surveyed the entire room.
The entire venue instantly fell into a dead silence.
Everyone looked at the smug young man as if he were an idiot.
Even if you have money, you don't spend it like that, do you?
The starting bid was three million, and you directly shouted five million?
Where did this bumpkin come from?
Jiang Lian didn't even bother to look at him again, only finding him somewhat noisy.
Just as Xiao Fan was enjoying this moment of "being the center of attention."
A voice, transmitted through the microphone of VIP Room No. 1, clearly echoed to every corner of the venue.
"This 'Autumn Mountains Traveling Picture' is a Qing Dynasty imitation."
The voice paused, as if giving everyone time to process, then continued.
"Wu Dao Xuan's authentic work would have a cinnabar seal of a mountain ghost subtly carved in the rock crevices at the bottom right corner of the scroll, as small as a grain of rice, indiscernible to a non-expert."
"This imitation is similar in form but lacks the spirit; it misses the true essence of 'following the laws of nature,' and its value is no more than five hundred thousand."
These words were not loud, but they carried an undeniable authority and indifference.
It was as if he wasn't commenting, but rather pronouncing a judgment.
The entire venue erupted in an uproar!
The smile on Xiao Fan's face instantly froze!
The auction house's Person in charge's face turned pale instantly, and cold sweat immediately soaked his shirt.
He frantically roared at the appraisal expert beside him, who then scrambled onto the stage, pulled out a professional magnifying glass, and meticulously, repeatedly, inch by inch, searched the bottom right corner of the painting.
A few minutes later, the appraisal expert looked up, his face ashen, and bowed deeply to the entire venue, and to the unseen VIP room upstairs.
"The distinguished guest's words... are entirely accurate!"
Boom—!
The entire venue completely exploded!
Everyone's gaze shifted from Xiao Fan, who looked like a clown, to the tightly closed door of the highest VIP room!
Who exactly was sitting in there?!
Shock, awe, fear... Xiao Fan's face turned from red to purple, then from purple to green, finally swelling to the color of a pig's liver!
He felt all the gazes in the room transform into tangible slaps, one after another, fiercely striking his face!
He was like a clumsy clown, stripped naked, performing enthusiastically on stage, only to be exposed in public!
Moreover, light orbs started popping up above their heads... [Disdain +1]
[Sympathy +1]
[Status acquired: 'I am the clown' (lasts ten minutes, Charisma -200)]
Jiang Lian's beautiful eyes, however, sparkled with a strange brilliance.
She stared blankly at that VIP room, immense waves rising in her heart.
This man... not only was his strength unfathomable, but his appraisal ability was also terrifying?
Who exactly was he?
Could there truly be such a perfect man in this world?
For the next few auction items, the atmosphere of the auction became incredibly strange.
Xiao Fan no longer dared to bid wildly; he sat rigidly in his seat like a defeated rooster, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, even forgetting to pick up attributes.
And the mysterious person in VIP Room No. 1 occasionally offered a comment or two.
"This bronze jue is from the Xia-Shang period, but there are signs of later repairs at the bottom, which reduces its value by seventy percent."
"That Tianhuang stone has good color, but unfortunately, there are cracks inside, so it won't mature properly."
Each comment was incisive, and each time, it was verified by the expert team, who were drenched in cold sweat.
He never made a single bid, yet he seemed to control the rhythm of the entire auction with an invisible hand, becoming the sole authority in everyone's hearts.
Xiao Fan suppressed all his anger, all his unwillingness, all his hope, firmly onto the final, most important auction item!
[millennial fire spirit jade]!
Good!
You don't understand appraisal, so I won't compete with you on discernment!
I don't understand power, so I won't compete with you on background!
I'll only compete with you on one thing—money!
Tonight, I will definitely use absolute financial power to win this jade!
Then, in front of everyone, I will present it to Jiang Lian!
I will return all the humiliation you just inflicted upon me, a hundredfold, a thousandfold!