"Sure," Qi Mo agreed readily. Seeing Lu Sinian had already sat down, he said casually, "It has indeed been two years since we last saw each other. We've been a bit less in touch these past two years. Let's have a good get-together tonight."
As he spoke, Qi Mo’s gaze fell upon Jiang Ling and Mu Yinyin. He smiled warmly and asked, "I wonder if President Jiang and President Mu have time to join us?"
Jiang Ling smiled, "Since you two are catching up, how could we possibly intrude?"
These were normal words.
Lu Sinian, however, raised an eyebrow and said, "We are all friends and will be interacting more in the future. It would be good for us to chat together as well."
Mu Yinyin curved her lips slightly, "No, thank you. We have other plans for the evening. Perhaps another time."
With both of them declining, Qi Mo and Lu Sinian naturally couldn't insist. They simply nodded and said nothing more.
Everything seemed quite natural, and nothing felt out of place.
At this moment, people were gradually entering the venue. Their voices were not loud, as it was a rather serious occasion. Even though the attendees were all prominent figures, no one dared to be overly boisterous.
The atmosphere inside was actually quite pleasant, not at all uncomfortable.
However…
The situation changed after Fu Siye arrived.
Already possessing a stern demeanor, he now…
Upon seeing Mu Yinyin and the people around her, his expression became even more piercing.
Even Mu Yinyin sensed something was amiss. She instinctively turned her head and, upon realizing Fu Siye was striding towards her with his long legs, her eyes flickered, and she looked away.
Fu Siye always wore a scowl; she had grown accustomed to it over the years and didn't find it strange now. She had only turned to look because she hadn't seen who was speaking earlier.
Lu Sinian raised an eyebrow, "President Fu."
Fu Siye nodded faintly, "President Lu."
Qi Mo also turned his gaze to Fu Siye, a faint smile on his lips, "President Fu, long time no see."
Fu Siye turned to look at him, a hint of surprise flashing across his expression before he quickly regained his composure, "Young Master Qi is also here."
"Yes, it's so lively here, I had to come and see. I'm quite surprised to run into President Lu and President Fu. Are you free tonight? Shall we have dinner together?"
Fu Siye replied calmly, "Certainly."
After saying that, he sat down next to Mu Yinyin. Upon seeing her clearly, he completely ignored her.
The moment he sat down, Mu Yinyin felt enveloped by a chilling aura, making her surroundings feel cold.
Wearing a strapless evening gown, she suddenly felt a chill on her chest.
She remained silent and had no intention of greeting Fu Siye.
Despite their past collaborations, and the three years they were married, they now seemed like strangers who had never met.
Qi Mo chuckled, "Good."
This was not a suitable place for lengthy conversations. After a few pleasantries, everyone withdrew their gaze and ceased to dwell on anything further.
There was no exchange between them.
Mu Yinyin and Fu Siye sat next to each other, neither looking at the other, nor showing any inclination to communicate.
After about ten minutes, everyone had arrived. The auction was scheduled to begin at eight o'clock, with five minutes remaining.
The host was ready, positioned at the side of the stage, prepared to go on.
Everything was set. The auction items and the gentlemen and ladies who would present them were in place, awaiting the appointed time.
Amidst the expectant wait, the host slowly walked onto the stage. After bowing to everyone, gentle music began to play. The next moment, he looked at everyone with a smile, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to M Country's annual auction. I am your host for tonight, Re Xue. It is my honor to serve you. The auction rules for this event are similar to previous years, and I will briefly explain them."
No one spoke, all eyes fixed on the host on stage.
"Today, we have a total of twenty auction items. I believe some of you may have already seen the list, but many are likely unaware. Before entering, you should have received a bidding number. This is your lucky charm for the evening. If the price continues to rise and cannot be resolved, this number will have a certain significance, with the highest number taking precedence."
"Secondly, I will introduce each of these twenty items before the auction. Everyone, are you ready?"
The host held the microphone, a constant smile on his lips. He deliberately made his tone more enthusiastic, piquing the anticipation of many.
Mu Yinyin and Jiang Ling remained seated, their expressions calm.
There was still some time before the Green Bamboo auction. This Green Bamboo was likely one of the three ultimate perfect items.
They were not particularly interested in the preceding items, so they did not feel much tension.
Perhaps the moment the Green Bamboo was up for auction would be when Mu Yinyin felt nervous.
Jiang Ling glanced at her but said nothing.
A sudden vibration from her phone caused Mu Yinyin to look away from the stage. She took out her phone and opened WeChat.
— Gu Xiaoqi: [Wuwuwu, has your auction started yet!]
— Mu Yinyin: [Yes, you're up so early?]
— Gu Xiaoqi: [These past few days, I've been stuck in bed. I feel like I'm sleeping like a pig, but I can't sleep either. Plus, my biological clock is already set. Even without an alarm, I wake up around six-thirty.]
— Gu Xiaoqi: [Wuwuwu… Achuan went to another meeting again. Now it's just me alone in the ward. I'm so bored!]
— Mu Yinyin: [What about your assistant? Isn't she a lively one? Why didn't you have her come over?]
— Gu Xiaoqi: [Sigh, she's handling a couple of small cases, so it's just me right now.]
Mu Yinyin frowned slightly and immediately typed again.
— Mu Yinyin: [What you need to do now is rest well. Why are you already thinking about work? Does Achuan know?]
Gu Xiaoqi sat on the hospital bed, sighed helplessly, and typed again with a hint of exasperation.
— Gu Xiaoqi: [My dear ancestor! Please pity me! I'm so bored in the hospital every day. What I asked my assistant to do are very minor things, and I only have to move my lips. I haven't even used my brain… Achuan knows, and he allows it.]
Mu Yinyin couldn't help but chuckle, her lips curving into a gentle smile. Fu Siye glanced over at that moment and saw her exquisite profile graced with a faint smile.