As the leader's speech concluded, there were ten minutes left before the auction officially began.
Yun Cheng leaned slightly toward Liu Yutong and whispered in her ear, "Miss, Yu Corporation's representative is Yu Fei."
"Mm, I saw him," Liu Yutong replied, taking a sip of mineral water. Her gaze swept past the front row. She hadn’t expected Yu Corporation to send Yu Fei, the spoiled heir, to such a crucial event.
Were the Yu family already rushing to groom their successor?
"Miss, something seems off," Yun Cheng remarked.
"What do you mean?" Liu Yutong asked casually.
"Look at the woman sitting next to Yu Fei—her nameplate doesn’t indicate she’s from Yu Corporation. Also, have you noticed? The auction rules this time seem different from before," Yun Cheng pointed out.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Liu Yutong’s lips. "Yun Cheng, your observation skills have sharpened. I suspect this auction will likely be a blind bid. And judging by the situation, certain parties have probably already colluded behind the scenes."
As she spoke, she glanced again at Yu Fei in the front row.
To Yu Fei’s right sat a poised, professional-looking woman, while to his left was Lin Muyang. The three of them looked like they were in cahoots.
Given Lin Muyang’s status and Yu Corporation’s backing, changing the auction to a blind bid format wasn’t surprising.
In this day and age, blind auctions for land weren’t uncommon.
Both traditional auctions and blind bids had their pros and cons.
Traditional auctions were straightforward—highest bidder wins, with all processes transparent and public. Yet beneath this seemingly fair system lurked numerous pitfalls. For instance, well-funded bidders could exploit their advantage, openly or covertly intimidating competitors or engaging in collusion to rig the market.
Take Bright Pearl City, for example. Most real estate developers instinctively backed down whenever Yu Corporation made a bid. Their hesitation wasn’t just about competition—they feared retaliation from Yu Corporation in the future.
And then there was Lin Muyang—a man with a special status and deep connections. Who would dare challenge him head-on? No one wanted to risk being targeted later.
Blind auctions, on the other hand, simplified things.
All bids were submitted anonymously, opened uniformly, and displayed only by number, with no company information revealed.
The entire process concealed critical details. Developers could only judge based on the price, making the system appear fairer—at least on the surface.
This fairness, however, was built on mutual ignorance.
But for Liu Yutong, these so-called "hidden" prices were practically an open book.
Just as Liu Yutong was sizing up the front row, Lin Muyang and the others turned to look back at her.
Yu Fei visibly stiffened upon seeing Liu Yutong. "Lin, why is Liu Yutong here? Did you invite her?"
Lin Muyang didn’t want to address the question. "This isn’t the time for that. I’m determined to win those plots in the west of the city. I’ll need you to divert some funds to me."
Yu Fei immediately responded, "Money isn’t an issue. Yu Corporation has prepared 800 million for this auction. If it were a traditional bid, that might not be enough, but since it’s a blind auction, I can spare you 100 million. But Lin, why the sudden shortage? I thought you had everything under control."
He had some idea of Lin Muyang’s situation. Truthfully, the switch to a blind auction might have been Lin Muyang’s doing.
Of course, he kept that thought to himself—voicing it in front of Lin Muyang was out of the question.
Logically, in a blind auction, no one should know Lin Muyang’s targets or reserve prices.
Yet Lin Muyang had been scowling and now asked for extra funds. It didn’t make sense.
Lin Muyang couldn’t help glancing back at Liu Yutong again, lowering his voice. "Liu Yutong knows which plots I’m targeting. To be safe, I need to raise my bids by 10%."
Yu Fei’s eyes widened. "What? That’s tens of millions more! How does she know?"
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he whispered, "Is this because of the Mingcheng Supermarket incident?"
Lin Muyang nodded grimly.
If this had happened to anyone else, Yu Fei might have laughed—getting outmaneuvered by someone you were pursuing was ironic. But with Lin Muyang, he had to swallow his amusement.
"Honestly, Lin, you should just talk it out with her. Losing tens of millions like this isn’t worth it."
"Leave it. This is personal."
Seeing Lin Muyang’s resolve, Yu Fei dropped the subject and switched gears. "What about the shares you promised…?"
Lin Muyang cut in, "I keep my word. No takebacks."
Yu Fei brightened. "That’s what I like about you, Lin—straightforward!"
He then turned to the woman beside him. "Ms. Su, arrange for 100 million from the company’s funds to be transferred to Lin."
Su Lin hesitated. "Madam insisted these funds were solely for the auction. Diverting 100 million might result in losing some plots."
Yu Fei waved it off. "Don’t worry. I’ve already made the necessary arrangements—no one would dare oppose Yu Corporation. Besides, we still have reserve funds."
In truth, Yu Fei had brought far more than the official 800 million—his personal stash added another 200 million, bringing the total to a billion.
Simply put, he and his mother were leveraging Yu Corporation’s influence for personal gain.
Yu Corporation’s primary target was Plot 33 in the northern district, where they planned to build Bright Pearl City’s largest commercial hub—a wholesale market modeled after Wucheng’s successful format.
They had already secured a partnership with Wucheng. Once completed, the market would undoubtedly become Bright Pearl City’s premier shopping and wholesale destination, attracting tourists and merchants alike.
The plot was also adjacent to the northern district’s Fengshui River, making it ideal for residential development.
Since Yu Corporation intended to build the wholesale market there, they naturally wouldn’t let the surrounding prime plots fall into competitors’ hands.
However, Yu Fei’s mother had her own agenda. She secretly allocated 200 million from Yu Fei’s private company to secure adjacent plots. Once Yu Corporation’s commercial hub took off, these lands would skyrocket in value.
In Bright Pearl City, any area touched by Yu Corporation’s investments never failed to appreciate.
If—just if—Yu Mo ended up inheriting the corporation, she and her children needed a safety net to avoid being cast aside.
Of course, Yu Haolong, Yu Fei’s father, knew nothing about this embezzlement. He was currently recuperating in a hospital’s VIP ward.
Seeing Yu Fei’s insistence, Su Lin had no choice but to comply.
