Zhang Lin clutched her stomach, clearly in pain from laughing, and pointed at Chen Fan, "This kid probably really thinks he's Wang Xizhi."
"Kid, who gave you the nerve? You scribble a few words and demand twenty million? Do you take everyone here for a fool?"
"I think he was sent by someone specifically to embarrass the Qin family. Kid, you're something else."
"Heh, only Qin Shuran would fall for that!"
"Sigh, if Yu Yan knew about this, she'd probably explode with anger on the spot."
An Qi and the others continued their taunts, now firmly believing Chen Fan was sent by a rival of the Qin family.
Soon, Qin Shuran returned from the registration area, her face flushed.
When she had handed over the note and registered the starting bid, the staff member had repeatedly verified it with her, and the onlookers had given her strange looks.
If not for a staff member recognizing her as the eldest daughter of the Qin family, Qin Shuran, they might have mistaken her for someone causing trouble.
"Hahaha, Qin Shuran, how is it? People are laughing at you now?" Seeing Qin Shuran's expression, An Qi couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Zhang Lin chimed in with a smile, "Oh, I'm already looking forward to seeing everyone's reaction when the host holds up that piece of paper later."
Hearing Zhang Lin's words, everyone grew expectant, eager to witness the reactions of the host and the entire audience.
Just then, the charity gala officially commenced.
A host appeared at the front of the venue and invited an auctioneer onto the stage. The hall fell silent.
Following the auctioneer's introduction, the charity auction began in earnest.
"Esteemed guests, the first item tonight is a collection from Miss Zhang Lin of the Zhang Group, a painting titled 'Riding Out in Spring Suburbs' by Zhao Yong of the Yuan Dynasty."
"The starting bid is 500,000 yuan, with increments of no less than 10,000 yuan."
As the auctioneer's voice faded, bids immediately erupted from the crowd.
"510,000!"
"520,000!"
"550,000!"
...
"700,000!"
The price quickly climbed to seven hundred thousand.
Zhang Lin, standing not far from Qin Shuran, exuded an air of arrogance. She had donated a valuable painting, which allowed her to shine in front of everyone.
Especially when the final bid reached 800,000 yuan, Zhang Lin cast a mocking glance at Qin Shuran.
The pace of such auctions was rapid, as there were no large bidding wars. After all, people were donating money; who would deliberately antagonize their own funds?
An Qi's blue and white porcelain also fetched a sky-high price of seven million yuan, making it the most valuable item auctioned so far.
As An Qi's item concluded, the hall erupted in warm applause.
All eyes turned towards An Qi's location, and even the spotlight shone upon her.
For a moment, An Qi appeared like a celestial maiden descended to earth, becoming the most radiant woman in the room.
"Qin Shuran, see? An Qi is the one making the real grand gestures."
"Exactly. If I were you, I'd slip away quickly to avoid being embarrassed later."
The two women once again taunted Qin Shuran.
Qin Shuran ignored them, her gaze fixed nervously on the stage, as she saw the note written by Chen Fan was already in the auctioneer's hand.
Chen Fan noticed Qin Shuran's tension, took her delicate hand, and gave her a reassuring smile, signaling her not to worry.
The auctioneer, upon receiving the note and seeing the starting bid, visibly faltered.
He personally verified it with the staff several times. Upon receiving their confirmation, he looked at the audience with an awkward expression and announced, "This auction has a rather special item."
Saying this, the auctioneer extended his hand and showed it to the crowd: "It's this piece of paper!"
"What? Paper?"
"Damn, who sent this as an auction item? Are they trying to cause trouble?"
"This is a charity auction jointly organized by several major families. Daring to cause trouble here is suicidal!"
"Who is it? Who has such audacity?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd was aghast. They couldn't believe anyone would dare to disrupt a charity auction. Offending those powerful figures could spell ruin in the southern province.
The auctioneer continued, "This paper also has a line written on it: 'With this, liver cirrhosis can be cured once!'"
"Pfft!"
At that moment, many guests who were sipping champagne spat it out.
The scene was so comical that it was unbelievable unless one was present. Dozens of people spitting at the same time – what a ludicrous sight.
"'With this, liver cirrhosis can be cured once?' Hahaha, who sent this? Are they here to make a joke?!"
"This is the first time I've heard of someone bringing something like this to an auction. Truly eye-opening."
"Whose item is this? This is clearly an attempt to disrupt the event."
The hall descended into a cacophony of chatter, with everyone speculating who had the gall to play such a prank at such an occasion.
At this moment, hearing the auctioneer read the words on the paper, an elder sitting in the VIP lounge frowned slightly.
"It's her! She sent this note!" At this point, a woman's gloating voice rang out from the crowd.
Instantly, all eyes turned in the direction of the voice.
Zhang Lin pointed at Qin Shuran nearby, a triumphant smirk on her face.
"Who is this woman? She looks so unfamiliar."
"You don't know her? She's Qin Shuran, the eldest daughter of the Qin family, and also the fiancée of Liu Qianze of the Liu family."
"What? She's Qin Shuran?!"
"I heard that at Old Master Qin's birthday banquet, Qin Shuran openly admitted to cohabiting with another man, which greatly angered Liu Qianze at the time."
"That kid is the man she's cohabiting with, right?"
"Damn, that kid is bold! How dare he show up in a place like this with Qin Shuran? If Liu Qianze saw this, wouldn't he be so angry he'd spit blood on the spot!"
Some recognized Qin Shuran's identity, and upon seeing a strange man with her, the atmosphere in the hall became even more peculiar.
Liu Qianze, standing inside, felt as if he were being slapped repeatedly by the surrounding whispers, making him wish he could disappear into the ground!
"This auction item is from Miss Qin Shuran of the Qin family, with a starting bid of 20 million!"
The moment the auctioneer finished speaking, the previously noisy hall fell into absolute silence, everyone staring in stunned disbelief.