After several rounds of bidding, it was finally time for the star of tonight’s auction—the Pink Heart.
The moment the red silk was pulled away, the dazzling pink diamond radiated a brilliant glow beneath the lights, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
The entire room erupted in gasps.
At that moment, a lowered voice sounded beside Jiang Zongyan’s ear. “Jiang Zongyan, don’t you dare bid against me.”
“……”
Jiang Zongyan turned around and met Zhou Sui'an’s furious gaze.
He understood at once.
So Zhou Sui'an wanted to bid on the diamond too.
Judging from Zhou Sui'an’s reaction, he clearly didn’t want his brother to win it.
Jiang Zongyan was certain the diamond was meant for that third-rate celebrity.
No wonder Zhou Suisui had been sulking ever since they arrived, her cheeks puffed up like a little pufferfish.
He raised an eyebrow and said lazily, “No can do. I’m going to win it and give it to someone as a glass marble.”
Zhou Sui'an scoffed. Who would spend several hundred million on a diamond just to use it as a glass marble?
Who was he trying to fool?
“Don’t believe me?”
Jiang Zongyan smiled.
Then he pulled a palm-sized brocade box from his pocket and quietly opened it for Zhou Sui'an to see.
Zhou Sui'an was nearly blinded by the flash of light and sucked in a sharp breath.
Holy crap!
Seven crystal-clear pink diamonds lay quietly inside the box. They looked exactly like the Pink Heart on the auction platform, with flawless color and clarity. The only difference was that they were slightly smaller.
What kind of lunatic carried something like this around with him?
Did he think they were worthless cabbages?
“Perfect. That makes a full box for her to play with.”
As Jiang Zongyan spoke, he gave Zhou Suisui, who was sitting beside him, a meaningful look.
“!!”
The alarm bells in Zhou Sui'an’s heart began ringing wildly.
This was bad!
Jiang Zongyan’s entire plan was aimed at his little sister!
When they had been talking earlier, his sister had apparently told Jiang Zongyan that she liked the Pink Heart.
There was no way he could let Jiang Zongyan win it.
He changed his mind.
He wasn’t going to give it to Su Wan anymore. He was going to win the Pink Heart and give it to his sister.
No matter how good a gift from some other man was, it could never compare to one from her own brother.
He couldn’t let his sister be lured away by a few lousy diamonds.
“The opening bid is three hundred million. Please place your bids. The highest bidder wins. Everything will be fair and aboveboard.”
After introducing the origins of the Pink Heart in both Chinese and English, the auctioneer waved his hand and invited everyone to begin bidding.
“Three hundred and fifty million.” Someone raised his paddle immediately.
“Four hundred million.” The person beside him quickly increased the bid.
“Excellent! Mr. Chen of Guangshi Technology has bid four hundred million! Is anyone willing to go higher?”
“Five hundred million!”
Zhou Sui'an raised his paddle.
“Five hundred million and one hundred.” Jiang Zongyan followed at an unhurried pace.
“Six hundred million!”
“Six hundred million and one hundred.”
“Seven hundred million.”
“Seven hundred million and one hundred.”
No matter how much Zhou Sui'an bid, Jiang Zongyan always raised the price by exactly one hundred.
Zhou Sui'an was so furious that he ground his teeth, his face turning dark.
The people around them were dumbfounded and began whispering among themselves.
“I heard that the Crown Prince and Eldest Young Master Zhou have been at odds since childhood. Looks like the rumors are true! Two CEOs fighting over a single diamond—and acting so childish!”
“So what if they’re being childish? They casually throw around hundreds of millions. Can you do that?”
The other person immediately fell silent.
From the last row, Su Wan watched the two men compete and practically beamed with delight.
Fight, fight! The fiercer the better. In the end, the diamond would still belong to her.
She could hardly wait to see Zhou Suisui humiliated.
After several more rounds, Zhou Sui'an could no longer sit still.
Most of his money was in Zhou Suisui’s hands. Even if he sold his house, he could only scrape together a few hundred million at most.
Jiang Zongyan, on the other hand, looked completely at ease.
If they kept raising the bid like this, wouldn’t they simply be giving the auction house money for nothing?
Jiang Zongyan had to be insane.
Usually, the man looked sharp and calculating. When it came to money, he was as sly as a fox, and he never gave an inch on any project involving the Zhou family.
Yet now he was acting on impulse, throwing hundreds of millions into the bidding without even blinking.
“Seven hundred and fifty million!”
Zhou Sui'an gritted his teeth.
“Seven hundred and fifty million and one hundred.”
Jiang Zongyan remained utterly calm.
Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his fingertips casually against the table. An air of effortless composure surrounded him, as though several hundred million were nothing more than pocket change.
The innate nobility and confidence etched into his very bones instantly drew the attention of the entire room.
The people around them began whispering again.
“Looks like Eldest Young Master Zhou is about to concede.”
“It’s only seven hundred and fifty million. Conservative estimates put this diamond at nine hundred million. Why has he stopped bidding?”
Backstage, the organizers were pacing anxiously. They had thought tonight’s auction might set a new record, but Zhou Sui'an had given up so soon.
Su Wan frowned as well, her face filled with resentment.
What was wrong with Zhou Sui'an? Why didn’t he keep bidding?
Zhou Suisui watched as her brother was crushed by Jiang Zongyan and, for the first time, felt utterly satisfied.
The auctioneer tapped his gavel.
“Seven hundred and fifty million and one hundred, once! Seven hundred and fifty million and one hundred, twice! Is there anyone else willing to bid?”
Once Jiang Zongyan made a bid, anyone with even a little sense stayed out of it.
It was obvious that the Crown Prince was determined to win the Pink Heart tonight.
The only question was: which lucky woman would receive it?
Zhou Sui'an clenched his fists tightly and remained silent.
The smile on Su Wan’s face instantly froze. She widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Seven hundred and fifty million and one hundred, three times…”
Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel, someone suddenly stood up from within the crowd.
“Eight hundred million!”
The clear, resonant voice shocked the entire room.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Xiang Lingxiao held his paddle high and curled his lips into a smug smile. His face, swollen from being beaten up by the twins, looked rather comical.
“Eight hundred million?! Isn’t that the Second Young Master of Tianyu Group? My goodness, Tianyu Group is actually that wealthy!”
“Didn’t they only recently rise to prominence? They actually dare to challenge the Jiang family?”
“Pfft. Don’t you think he looks hilarious?”
The crowd murmured among themselves.
Zhou Suisui’s expression darkened instantly.
Xiang Lingxiao!
That man really was impossible to shake off. He was everywhere!
Cui Wu leaned toward her ear and whispered, “Miss, didn’t Tianyu Group only recently go public? How can they have so much money?”
Looking at Xiang Lingxiao’s smug expression, Zhou Suisui suddenly curved her lips into an evil smile.
So he wanted to show off, did he?
Fine. She would let him show off to his heart’s content.
Xiang Lingxiao was enjoying the attention of the entire room when he suddenly met Zhou Suisui’s smile through the crowd.
For some inexplicable reason, a chill ran through him, raising goosebumps all over his body.
It felt as though she was plotting something—and that he was about to suffer terribly.
A moment later, he decided he was overthinking it.
She was just a little girl. What could she possibly scheme against him?
With that thought, he gave Zhou Suisui a gentle smile.
Once he won the diamond, it wouldn’t hurt to give it to her—as long as she apologized to him and said a few nice things.
Zhou Suisui tilted her head and returned an innocent, angelic smile.
“……”
Xiang Lingxiao froze, and half his body went weak.
She turned away, withdrawing her gaze, and whispered into Cui Wu’s ear:
“Sis Wu, help me buy a few trending searches. Say things like ‘Tianyu Group spends 800 million on a pink diamond’ and ‘Xiang Lingxiao splashes out a fortune to win a beauty’s smile.’ Then pay a few marketing accounts to praise Xiang Lingxiao for being young, promising, and outrageously generous. Push Su Wan’s Weibo post to the top and steer the public’s attention toward the two of them…”
Cui Wu shuddered as she listened, looking at Zhou Suisui with undisguised fear.
“Miss, if I ever offend you, just tell me straight away. I’ll change immediately!”
This wasn’t an angel at all. She was clearly a little devil!
She was playing way too dirty!
Who didn’t know that Xiang Lingxiao was a spoiled rich heir? Yet Miss insisted on calling him young and promising.
The internet was about to get a whole new source of entertainment.
Complaining was one thing, but Cui Wu immediately pulled out her phone and began working at lightning speed.
The young miss’s move might be ruthless, but it was incredibly effective.
