Proofreader & Editor: Howard Wong
Shen Yan and Su Zhen hurried over, supporting Su Ran from both sides.
With tears in her eyes, Su Ran glared at Fang Yuxue, her emotions spiraling out of control: "It's you! It's all because of you! You're the one who kept filling my head with the idea that He Ju is no good, that nothing about him is right. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess! Fang Yuxue, I hate you!!"
Su Ran's shrieking drew onlookers' attention. Shen Yan and Su Zhen felt embarrassed, but before they could speak, Su Ran shook them off and charged at Fang Yuxue.
Fang Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected Su Ran to be so audacious, especially with him standing right there.
Su Ran's move was so unexpected that Fang Zhou couldn't stop her in time, and she rushed straight at Fang Yuxue.
Everyone thought Fang Yuxue was in for it again, but who was she? She had been caught off guard once before, and it was only because she had insulted He Ju first that he retaliated. She had to accept that.
But what right did Su Ran have?
Thus, Fang Yuxue's expression quickly turned icy. As Su Ran lunged at her, Fang Yuxue swiftly sidestepped and then grabbed Su Ran's hair, dragging her forcefully in front of her.
Fang Yuxue looked at Su Ran with a mix of disdain and hatred: "You're ridiculous. Weren't the things I said the truth? You're selfish and self-centered, yet you blame me for your faults. Damn it! You're playing the victim after causing all the trouble? I haven't even sought revenge for the mess you've caused me, and yet you have the nerve to come after me?"
As she spoke, Fang Yuxue's expression grew more ferocious, and she yanked Su Ran's hair harder, causing her to scream in pain.
Security was quickly approaching.
Shen Yan was ashen-faced, but it was Su Zhen who reacted first, trying to pull Su Ran away, only to be firmly blocked by Fang Zhou.
Amidst the standoff, Su Ran howled in pain: "Let go of me!!! Fang Yuxue, this isn't over between us!"
Fang Yuxue stared at her coldly, her gaze chilling: "Su Ran, it's far from over between us! If my Fang family suffers because of He Ju, I'll make sure your Su family goes down with us!"
The security team rushed over: "What's going on here? Stop causing trouble!"
Fang Yuxue quickly released Su Ran and then prepared to leave with Fang Zhou.
Shen Yan finally snapped out of it, about to seek justice for her daughter, but Su Zhen grabbed her: "Enough, do you want to embarrass us further?!"
Fang Yuxue glanced indifferently at Shen Yan, muttered something under her breath, and walked away with her head held high.
Shen Yan was so angry she felt chest pain: "Look at that little wretch's eyes, I wish I could tear her to pieces!"
Su Zhen didn't bother with her, just kept apologizing to the security team until he had seen them off with bows and nods.
Only then did Su Zhen sternly pull Su Ran up from the ground and push her towards Shen Yan, barking: "Get back to your room!"
Su Ran was dazed: "Dad…"
Su Zhen glared: "Go!"
Shen Yan had no choice but to curse under her breath as she dragged Su Ran away.
The commotion had caught the attention of He Ju and his group, but no one was interested in prying.
Based on Su Ran and Fang Yuxue's temperaments, He Ju could guess they were at each other's throats again.
He Ju's mood improved considerably. He wanted to see more of this drama in the future.
If the Fang and Su families could tear each other apart without his intervention, he would be more than happy to watch.
Soon after, the second half of the auction began.
When the sixteenth item was presented, He Ju received a message from Si Hua—a news report featuring him and Si Hua entering a hotel and shopping at a market.
The headline was sensational: "A Look at the Leisurely Lives of Some Gigolos and Their Wealthy Patrons."
He Ju couldn't help but laugh at the article's vivid descriptions.
Bai Yan: "It's the final stretch, and you're still not focused? What's so funny?"
He Ju shook his head, handed his phone to Bai Yan, and then told the person behind him: "Bid on this one."
Immediately, Elder Seven excitedly raised his paddle, engaging in a fierce bidding war with the crowd, and finally secured the seventeenth item for ten million.
He Ju nodded in satisfaction. The item was worth far more than ten million.
Fatty and Motor were eager to try their luck, but with limited funds, they had to wait and hope to snag some good deals at the lowest prices.
After reading the report, Bai Yan was furious: "Who wrote this? Are they trying to provoke us? They even leaked your photo and workplace details…"
The more Bai Yan read, the angrier he got: "No, I need to trace the IP address of this account."
He Ju grabbed Bai Yan's hand: "Don't rush, let's deal with this after the auction."
At that moment, everyone's phones received a multimedia message.
Confused, people checked their phones and saw the same report He Ju had just read.
Whispers began to spread:
"I wondered how he had so much money. Turns out he's hooked up with a rich patron…"
"If it weren't for being the Chairman of Starshine Group, how would he ever get that position?"
"Tsk, you can't tell these days, young people have no shame…"
Fatty rolled his eyes: "What do these people know? How dare they say that?"
Motor said nonchalantly: "Look at them, they're just jealous. Even if Ju Ju wanted to, it's none of their business…"
The usually silent Elder Seven spoke up: "They're probably trying to distract us, so they can easily get what they want in the next part of the auction."
He Ju nodded: "Elder Seven, you've become insightful. Not just the code monkey anymore, eh?"
Elder Seven coughed awkwardly and fell silent.
Bai Yan sensed something was off: "What's up? Do you have a countermove?"
A sly glint flashed in He Ju's eyes; he indeed had a countermove, one that would be a fatal blow to Qiu Shaoze.
He Ju casually pulled out a USB drive and handed it to Elder Seven and Motor: "Motor, please help Elder Seven out."
Motor laughed heartily, taking the USB from He Ju's hand: "Then you better bid on something good for me later."
He Ju nodded: "You'll leave satisfied."
That's how it should be among brothers!
Motor and Elder Seven left.
Fatty was still confused: "What are they up to?"
Bai Yan was equally clueless.
Only He Ju whispered: "Movie time."
What???
Bai Yan and Fatty were even more baffled.
But He Ju had no time to explain, because when the twentieth item came up for bid, Qiu Shaoze raised his paddle: "Fifty million!"
Without looking back, Bai Yan countered: "One hundred million!"
Qiu Shaoze was frustrated. Didn't that matter to He Ju and his group? Wasn't He Ju the type to care most about pride and reputation?