Volume One, Chapter Nineteen: He Did Not Wish to See Her in Intimate Moments With Another Man
Downstairs.
As the bidding continued, the jade bracelet had already soared to seventy million. Xu Zeyan felt as though his hand weighed a thousand pounds and could no longer lift his paddle. Beside him, Wen Qianxue seemed oblivious to his predicament, brimming with excitement. Secretly, he opened his phone and sent out a message; after a while, he managed to raise his paddle once more.
Finally, the price reached eighty million, and now only Xu Zeyan and Wen Xuyu remained in the competition.
“Ninety million!” Xu Zeyan gritted his teeth and called out.
Was this wretched bracelet really worth so much?
Wen Xuyu smiled happily. Seeing Xu Zeyan’s dark, sullen face, she decided to give him another heavy blow.
“Ninety-five million!” Lu Zhao raised his paddle.
All eyes turned at the sound.
“Who’s the one upstairs?” Wen Qianxue pouted in dissatisfaction.
Why did she feel that person was always opposing her?
Around them, the murmured discussions never ceased, everyone speculating who would take home the jade bracelet.
“That private box is usually reserved for that person, isn’t it?”
“That lunatic?”
“Shh, keep your voice down!”
“Seems so, but I heard he doesn’t like these occasions. Besides, this isn’t the first time the Qiao family has held a charity auction. Has he ever attended?”
“That’s true…”
“No matter, whoever it is, we’re in for a show!”
“……”
Xu Zeyan listened to the chatter, his brows tightly furrowed.
These people were indeed snobs. So what if it was Bian Xunzou himself sitting up there? He was just a lunatic! Besides, Xu Zeyan had never offended him.
Wen Qianxue had clearly caught some of the talk and seemed relieved.
Bian Xunzou, a grown man, bidding for a bracelet? Was he intending to give it to Wen Xuyu? What a joke! Surely it wasn’t Bian Xunzou himself up there.
In the private box, Wen Xuyu smiled like a cat that had stolen cream.
“Lu Zhao,” she patted his shoulder, “do you think they’ll keep bidding?”
“They probably won’t…” Lu Zhao hesitated, knowing the price had already far exceeded its true value, and doubted they had the means to continue.
“No, no,” Wen Xuyu looked enigmatic. “Why don’t we make a bet and see if they follow?”
“…What do we bet?” Lu Zhao felt a chill gaze assessing the arm Wen Xuyu had rested on his shoulder.
“Just a meal!” Wen Xuyu didn’t press him.
“…Alright,” Lu Zhao agreed, quietly moving back a little.
Sure enough, the piercing gaze softened.
What on earth was Master up to?
*
Downstairs.
Wen Qianxue glanced at Xu Zeyan, hesitating, her voice full of remorse.
“I’m sorry, Zeyan. I was too greedy. I shouldn’t have asked for such an expensive gift…”
“Qianxue, don’t say that. We’re getting married, what’s mine is yours. It’s just a jade bracelet—I’ll buy it for you!”
On stage, the auctioneer had struck her gavel twice, about to finalize the sale when Xu Zeyan raised his paddle and shouted, “One hundred million!”
“Oh yes!” Wen Xuyu held her breath, then leapt up at the sound of his voice. “I guessed right! Lu Zhao, you need more practice!”
Lu Zhao admired her, giving a thumbs-up.
So sly, she’d “earned” eighty million from the two of them without lifting a finger.
The auctioneer continued the process. Wen Xuyu smiled, imagining their faces as if they’d just swallowed a bitter pill.
“One hundred million, once!”
“One hundred million, twice!”
“One hundred million…” The auctioneer raised her gavel high.
Wen Qianxue clenched her fists excitedly—the jade bracelet was finally hers!
But in the next moment, a shadow fell beside Wen Xuyu.
A paddle marked “Two hundred million” was suddenly raised, stunning the entire hall.
Wen Xuyu realized the “culprit” had calmly returned to his seat.
She stared wide-eyed, unable to help but ask, “Are you insane?”
Lu Zhao was also shocked—such extravagance, bidding two hundred million just like that.
“Weren’t you after this bracelet?” Bian Xunzou’s tone was indifferent, as if commenting on the weather.
Wen Xuyu was speechless. At this moment, she truly understood the saying, “A smile never disappears, it simply shifts.” Now she was the one who’d just swallowed the bitter pill.
*
Even when the jade bracelet was presented to Wen Xuyu, she still couldn’t grasp Bian Xunzou’s motives.
Two hundred million!
“Try it. Hold out your hand,” Bian Xunzou said softly, his voice low and steady.
Wen Xuyu pursed her lips and slowly raised her left hand. The man immediately clasped her wrist, his thumb gently stroking her slender bones, and the jade bracelet slipped on effortlessly.
His once warm hand now carried the chill of the wine glass, sending a shiver through Wen Xuyu.
“Perfect fit.” Bian Xunzou lowered his gaze, passing judgment.
Her delicate wrist matched the bracelet’s size exactly. Beneath her fair skin, blue veins faintly showed, perfectly complementing the bracelet’s hue.
Wen Xuyu looked up at him, sensing something was amiss. Wasn’t this man being too nice to her today?
She had no time to ponder further before a waiter knocked at the door, “Mr. Bian, the ball is about to begin!”
Beside her, Lu Zhao handed over a dark gold griffin mask.
Bian Xunzou raised his hand and put it on. He was tall, his aura cold and distant, and now, even more dignified and noble.
His black suit traced broad shoulders, with cufflinks glinting subtly under the lights. From above, he was all wide shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs—restrained yet alluring.
Bian Xunzou turned slightly, drawing his right arm back, elbow bent at a perfect angle.
“Come.”
Wen Xuyu’s stiletto heels paused, and she reached out to take his arm.
He wore a black suit with a dark green tie, matching Wen Xuyu’s outfit, so that at first glance, they looked like a couple.
The hem of her black dress brushed his trousers, like waves lapping at rocks, charged with intimacy.
Bian Xunzou’s dark eyes flickered as they walked out together.
After a few steps, by pure chance, they ran into Lu Baiqian emerging from his own box.
Wen Xuyu’s heart skipped a beat, her hand unconsciously tightening around Bian Xunzou’s arm.
Their private boxes were so close—when she’d gone upstairs, surely Bian Xunzou hadn’t noticed?
Bian Xunzou glanced sideways but said nothing, leading her straight past.
Lu Baiqian watched them leave, his gaze deep.
“Third Young Master, shall we go?” Meng Jin asked in a low voice.
“No,” Lu Baiqian closed his eyes, “Back to the Lu family.”
He didn’t want to see her being intimate with another man.
“Very well.”
*
Downstairs, the crystal chandeliers glimmered with gentle amber light.
The symphony began its first notes in the shadows, the cello’s low hum spreading like silk.
Qiao Wanyun spotted the pair and immediately excused herself from the crowd, approaching them with a smile.
“President Bian, you were truly generous just now,” she said, catching sight of the jade bracelet on Wen Xuyu’s wrist and teasing, “All to win a beauty’s smile?”
Bian Xunzou glanced at her, clearly uninterested in conversation.
Qiao Wanyun was unfazed. She extended her hand to Wen Xuyu, smiling.
“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Qiao Wanyun—half a sister to Bian Xunzou, you might say.”
Wen Xuyu shook her hand, curious—what did “half a sister” mean?
Bian Xunzou seemed to pick up on something and replied lazily, “Adopted.”
Wen Xuyu understood.
“You two really have a special connection,” Qiao Wanyun’s gaze swept over them, teasing with a smile.
Wen Xuyu forced a laugh, inwardly grumbling.
How could they not have a connection? They were practically linked in mind!
Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Guests moved aside, clearing the central floor.
“What’s happening…” Wen Xuyu was puzzled.
“According to our family’s tradition at charity auctions, the first dance of the evening is led by the highest bidder,” Qiao Wanyun explained. “That means you two—a cool two hundred million!”
Wen Xuyu: “……”
But… Wen Xuyu still couldn’t piece it all together. Judging by Qiao Wanyun’s demeanor and her earlier words, she seemed to have known Bian Xunzou would bid such a high price.
What was really going on?