After resting at the hotel and having dinner, Xia Qingtian greeted Li Mengxiao, saying she was going to visit a friend, and then headed straight to the auction.
The auction was held in a villa by the sea in City C. It was a bit remote, and from the outside, it looked very French.
Two large gates of intricately carved metal lattice were open. Outside the gates, black-clad bodyguards were maintaining order and checking admission tickets.
Quite a few people had already arrived, most of them dressed in finery, and there was a wide age range.
There were young and beautiful women around twenty, confident men in their thirties and forties, and also elderly people with white hair being supported by others.
Xia Qingtian followed the crowd, had her ticket checked, and was then led into the villa by a dedicated staff member.
Upon entering the villa, Xia Qingtian discovered that the lighting was brilliant and the renovation was high-end and magnificent. There were also many people patrolling.
Her seating was on the second floor of the auction hall, in a partitioned private room. There was a small square table and three court-style leather chairs with backrests. The metal armrests were intentionally aged, giving them a unique charm under the lights.
Having taken her seat, Xia Qingtian surveyed the entire auction hall.
It was divided into three floors, with a square stage as the centerpiece, forming a semi-circular seating area.
She was on the second floor.
The first floor hall had been gradually filled with people, and some acquaintances were already conversing with each other.
Xia Qingtian had not gone up to the third floor, but she had glanced at it when passing the stairs. The decor on the third floor was even more exquisite and opulent than on the second.
At this moment, the staff member who had led Xia Qingtian in earlier returned, bringing a middle-aged man and an old man with white hair.
Seeing that both of them were much older than her, Xia Qingtian immediately stood up, nodded, and smiled faintly, as a form of greeting.
"Who is she?" the old man seemed surprised that someone else was there and asked the middle-aged man.
"Uncle Fang, this is President Xia's daughter," the middle-aged man introduced, giving Xia Qingtian a faint smile.
"Uncle Shao, Grandpa Fang," Xia Qingtian knew that Uncle Shao was the one who brought the tickets for her father. He was a businessman from City C and had known her father for many years.
However, Grandpa Fang seemed unfamiliar, and Xia Qingtian didn't remember him, but she politely addressed him.
"Oh, Xia Honglang's daughter." Grandpa Fang then looked Xia Qingtian up and down, his lips moved, and he said, "Sit down."
With Grandpa Fang's words, Xia Qingtian and Uncle Shao accompanied the elder and sat down.
At the same time, on the stairs, a young blond man, with his hands in his pockets, walked briskly, complaining, "You are truly my nemesis! From the moment you sat down at my house until you left, you spoke only three sentences, and those three sentences made my old man scold me for three hours!"
"When an elder is angry, they need to vent. Otherwise, suppressing it is bad for his health," the man walking beside him was handsome, with a tall and straight posture, and his voice was clear and cold, though the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, seeming to be in a good mood.
"You are truly the old man's good disciple, closer than his own son," Bai Yuqi said sarcastically.
"As I should be," Gu Yaoyang replied casually, as if he hadn't noticed the derogatory tone in Bai Yuqi's words.
This made Bai Yuqi roll his eyes in annoyance.
The two were led by staff to their seats on the second floor, separated from Xia Qingtian's private room by only a semi-transparent jade screen and a floor-to-ceiling Roman column.
"I didn't get tickets for the third floor, so we'll have to make do," Bai Yuqi said, propping his chin on his hand after sitting down. "Today's auction is truly lively. I heard many industry bigwigs have come."
Gu Yaoyang didn't reply, he just poured himself a cup of hot tea and quietly enjoyed it.
"I'm telling you, if you don't get that thing today, I won't forgive you for complaining," Bai Yuqi said, supporting his chin with one hand. "Nemesis! Did you hear me?"
"I heard you," Gu Yaoyang replied casually. He put down the teacup and then looked up, giving Bai Yuqi a look of disdain.
Bai Yuqi knew Gu Yaoyang was finding him talkative, so he simply rolled his eyes back and then got up to walk around casually.
Xia Qingtian, sitting in the adjacent room, vaguely felt that the voices of the people next door sounded familiar. She tried to turn her head to look, but could only see the silhouette of a Roman column behind the screen, so she withdrew her gaze.
Bai Yuqi, who was walking around with his hands behind his back, casually glanced by the screen and then exclaimed, "Oh?" He then changed his angle and looked through the gap between the screen and the back wall.
Afterwards, he tiptoed back to Gu Yaoyang with a look of discovering a new continent and asked gossipingly, "Guess who's sitting next door?"
"Grandpa Fang from Gu Xuan Zhai and Mr. Shao from Shao's Real Estate," Gu Yaoyang said casually.
"And one more person?" Bai Yuqi pressed.
"One more person?" Gu Yaoyang's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. He looked up at Bai Yuqi, hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Xia Qingtian?"
"Bingo!" Bai Yuqi snapped his fingers.
Gu Yaoyang's eyes darkened, and his expression became meaningful. According to the original trajectory, Xia Qingtian had no business being here.
Draining the tea in his cup, Gu Yaoyang's lips curved slightly upwards.
With the variable of Xia Qingtian appearing here, he wondered if that farce would still happen.
Tonight's auction might become interesting.
"Here, those two wretched couple have also arrived," Bai Yuqi said, pointing at the young man and woman taking their seats in the hall.
Gu Yaoyang glanced over casually and saw Yu Linwan, whom he had met during the day, and her husband Gu Yaoqing. They arrived together, dressed in finery, with elegant and proper demeanor.
Looking respectable.
"Tsk." Bai Yuqi curled his lips.
At this moment, the lights dimmed, and then a spotlight shone on the right side of the viewing area. In the center of the viewing area, a projection was also displayed.
After a brief opening, the auction officially began.
The first item to be exhibited was a piece of red coral jewelry.
As red coral, which possessed a noble reputation, it immediately captured the attention of all the ladies upon its appearance.
The exquisite floral patterns and graceful, flowing curves displayed elegance and subtlety under the lights, especially with the embellishment of high-cut diamonds, making it even more captivating.
As the first exhibit, it served well to warm up the atmosphere. It was finally bid upon starting at 1 million and settled at 2.7 million, purchased by a noblewoman.
The next two auction items were both antiques. Xia Qingtian didn't understand antiques, but she joined in the fun and raised her hand a couple of times. In the end, both antiques were acquired by a renowned collector, with a total price of 5.7 million.
Most people were just watching the spectacle, but from the fourth exhibit onwards, even Xia Qingtian, an outsider, could feel the atmosphere of the entire auction becoming solemn and intense, realizing that the main event of the auction was likely about to begin.