Liu Yutong turned her head and said lightly, "Mr. Lin, surely you don’t think I’m desperate to acquire those six supermarkets, do you?"
Lin Muyang was momentarily speechless, unable to respond.
When he had acquired Bright Pearl Supermarket, there had been a hint of personal motive behind it. He had known from the start that Dragon Supermarket was Liu Yutong’s core business, and taking over Bright Pearl was crucial to the expansion of Wanlong.
His plan had been to use it as leverage—to offer her the supermarket at a 30% discount, with one condition: that she become his girlfriend.
In all his life, he had never met a woman like her. As the saying goes, the unattainable always stirs desire.
Admittedly, he had only pursued her at first because of a bet with a friend—an absurd wager involving nearly 10% of his company’s shares. Yet, after nearly two months, he hadn’t made the slightest dent in her indifference.
Instead, he found himself falling deeper into the chase.
Lin Muyang was the type of man who was fiercely proud and stubbornly self-assured. Failure was not an option for him. Even if it cost him tens of millions, he was determined to win Liu Yutong over.
He had considered simply giving the supermarket to her outright, but that wasn’t feasible yet. Though he had substantial funds at his disposal, reckless spending could jeopardize his financial project if cash flow dried up.
Moreover, he needed significant capital to bid on land and fuel that very project. If it collapsed, he’d become a laughingstock.
A 30% discount meant sacrificing nearly ten million yuan—a grand gesture, he thought, to prove his sincerity in pursuing a woman.
But he had overestimated his charm. Liu Yutong wasn’t the type to be swayed by money, no matter the sum.
So what if she couldn’t acquire Bright Pearl Supermarket? At worst, she’d put in the effort to scout new locations and open branches. Site selection, renovation, hiring—it might take three to five months, but it was doable.
The only downside was that new stores would need time to build reputation and foot traffic, possibly sparking direct competition. Given the choice, an acquisition at a premium was preferable—hence why so many retail chains favored mergers over starting from scratch.
Efficiency was one reason; avoiding unnecessary competition was another.
Lin Muyang’s expression darkened. "In that case," he said, unable to hide his irritation, "I’ll keep Bright Pearl Supermarket for myself. After all, its performance has been quite strong lately."
His pride was wounded. Few things stung more than outright rejection for a man as arrogant as he was.
Liu Yutong chuckled. "Mr. Lin, you must not know me well. In business, I’ve never failed to get what I want."
"Wanlong Supermarket will acquire Bright Pearl at the 30% discount you offered—but with no additional conditions."
Then, her tone shifted. "Oh, and one more thing. Wanlong has prepared over a hundred million in funding to bid on plots 09-14 in the west district. I assume your financial project doesn’t hinge on that area’s development?"
Lin Muyang’s pupils contracted sharply. A chill ran down his spine as he stared at the woman behind the wheel, her demeanor deceptively casual. He realized, too late, his fatal mistake—he had treated this as a high-stakes romantic game, while she had been setting a trap all along.
And he had never encountered a woman so confident, so domineering—more so than even himself.
He had tried to use Bright Pearl as leverage to win her over, only for her to counter with a move that forced him into a corner.
Today’s land auction would draw many local and out-of-town tycoons, most of whom were eyeing plots in the north. Few would pay attention to the west district.
But Lin Muyang was different. His lifeline was tied to those western plots.
The redevelopment project in the old western district was already in his hands. Securing the surrounding land would be a game-changer, giving his financial venture a critical boost.
He had to have those plots—just as Liu Yutong was determined to claim the southern fringe.
Yet no one knew she would be bidding, nor what her true target was.
Lin Muyang, on the other hand, had no secrets left from her.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Ms. Liu, are you venturing into real estate now?"
Unconsciously, his tone had cooled, laced with wariness.
Liu Yutong kept her hands on the wheel, driving smoothly as she replied, "What’s the matter, Mr. Lin? You can dabble in supermarkets, but I can’t try my hand at property?"
Her casual retort left him speechless once more.
The car soon pulled up outside the auction venue.
Before it even came to a full stop, Yun Cheng’s tall figure appeared at the door. His sharp gaze swept over Lin Muyang in the passenger seat before he extended an arm, bowing slightly in a gentlemanly gesture.
Liu Yutong rested her hand lightly on his arm and stepped out with effortless grace.
Then she glanced back at Lin Muyang, still seated inside. "We’ve arrived, Mr. Lin. Planning to spend the night in the car?"
Lin Muyang hurriedly climbed out after her.
With an invitation in hand, Liu Yutong led Yun Cheng into the auction hall. Lin Muyang now knew she was serious—this wasn’t a bluff.
Participation in an auction of this caliber required proper credentials. Her invitation proved she had planned this well in advance.
With every step she took, his heart sank further.
If Liu Yutong truly intended to go all out, targeting the plots he needed, what could he do?
He could resort to his parents’ connections to salvage the situation—but he wouldn’t. Especially not his father’s.
Though he knew most of what he had was owed to that distant, unfeeling man, the thought of relying on him was unbearable.
And how could he call someone a father when that man treated his own son as a stranger in public?
Others might tolerate it, but not Lin Muyang—not with his pride.
The auction had drawn many real estate moguls, including representatives from the locally prominent Yu Corporation.
A few officials were present as well, led by Bright Pearl City’s chief administrator.
After all, today's auction was of a grand scale. As the administrative chief, his presence naturally carried the hope of selling more land to boost Bright Pearl City's fiscal revenue.
Moreover, the more land sold, the greater the subsequent development efforts would be, driving economic growth more significantly.
The current economic climate wasn’t particularly favorable, with negative news constantly emerging from abroad, and the real estate industry showing subtle signs of stagnation—even decline.
This was precisely why Bright Pearl City had decided to host its largest land auction in years, aiming to attract as many developers as possible to invest.
After all, the more plots available for auction, the higher the chances that developers would find something appealing.
Liu Yutong received her bidder’s number and took her seat in the second-to-last row.
She couldn’t shake the strange feeling that the officials on stage kept glancing subtly in her direction.
Logically, in such settings, the leadership’s attention should be focused on the developers seated closer to the front—those with the strongest financial backing.
The shell company she had acquired was practically insignificant here, hardly worthy of their notice.
Though puzzled, Liu Yutong brushed it off and waited quietly for the speeches to conclude and the auction to begin.
