Soon, someone bid eighty thousand, and at that moment Chu Tianhe slowly raised his hand and spoke directly: "One million!"
Swish!!
Hearing this number, the entire hall instantly fell into dead silence!
In an instant, everyone's eyes were fixed on Chu Tianhe, and the sound of murmurs immediately erupted!
"It's him again!"
"Is this guy here to stir up trouble on purpose?"
"Who on earth is he?"
"One million, this guy must be out of his mind!"
Everyone knew that the replica was worthless, and bidding seventy or eighty thousand was entirely considered giving face to Director Liu. But now Chu Tianhe had bluntly called out one million—how could everyone not be shocked?
"Brother-in-law, what are you..." Qin Xiaomeng was also stunned, her face full of shock. She knew very well that Chu Tianhe might not even have one hundred yuan, let alone one million!
Blurting out such a high price, Qin Xiaomeng was dumbfounded. Director Liu had just said that in past auctions, the whole event would raise at most several hundred thousand. For Chu Tianhe to open his mouth and bid one million, wasn't this smashing the event?
"Mr. Chu, what are you..." Wu Tianhao's expression also sank, his brows furrowed as he looked at Chu Tianhe, feeling that such a bid was going a bit too far.
By calling out such a high price, how were the other corporate bosses supposed to proceed?
"What? Is Boss Wu not going to counter-bid?" At this moment, Chu Tianhe's gaze shifted to Wu Tianhao, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he said coldly, "Could it be that you are not giving Director Liu face? Or do you want to make things difficult for me on purpose?"
Just now, Chu Tianhe had already stated very clearly that he had no money!
Now, if no one placed a competing bid, this item would end up in Chu Tianhe's hands. When the time came and he couldn't produce the money, wouldn't he lose face and make a complete fool of himself?
"No, no, no." Wu Tianhao waved his hands hurriedly and said, "How would I dare to make things difficult for Mr. Chu?"
Wu Tianhao cursed inwardly. Even a fool would realize by now that Chu Tianhe was messing with him!
Yet Wu Tianhao had no other choice; the Wu family could not afford to offend this great deity, so he could only raise his hand and say, "One million one hundred thousand!"
Swish!!
The murmurs of the crowd abruptly stopped. The entire banquet hall was as silent as snow, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Almost in an instant, everyone's eyes focused squarely on Wu Tianhao!
No one expected that Wu Tianhao would actually counter-bid!!
"What is going on?"
"Why did Mr. Wu... why did he counter-bid?"
However, just as everyone was in shock, Chu Tianhe smiled faintly and spoke again: "Five million!"
Five million?!
This price made everyone's eyes widen in disbelief!
These people first looked at Chu Tianhe, and then immediately turned to look at the replica blue-and-white porcelain bowl on the auction stage!
Bidding five million to buy a replica?
At this price, you could probably buy a genuine antique!
"Mr. Wu, are you not going to counter-bid?"
However, while the whole room was silent, Chu Tianhe's gaze turned back to Wu Tianhao, asking with a tone full of nonchalance, as if they were just chatting after a meal.
At this moment, however, a layer of fine cold sweat had already broken out on Wu Tianhao's forehead. He hurriedly stood up and said, "Mr. Chu, I am truly sorry. My good-for-nothing son was reckless before, and I will definitely teach him a thorough lesson. I ask Mr. Chu to be magnanimous and give my son a chance."
Wu Tianhao was a smart man, and he knew in his heart that Chu Tianhe's bidding like this right now was a lesson to the Wu family—and the reason was none other than his own scoundrel of a son who had provoked Chu Tianhe. Therefore, he quickly offered an apology, hoping that Chu Tianhe would show mercy.
"Mr. Wu, if you don't place another bid, this blue-and-white porcelain bowl is going to fall into my hands." Regarding Wu Tianhao's apology, Chu Tianhe didn't take it to heart and reminded him once more.
Wu Tianhao gritted his teeth in bitter hatred. How on earth had he given birth to such a bastard of a son? Of all people to provoke, he had to go and provoke Chu Tianhe—was he trying to drag the entire Wu family down to their deaths?!
"Five million one hundred thousand!"
Compelled by circumstances, Wu Tianhao made a counter-bid once again!
Whoa!!
When the price reached this point, the entire hall was shaken!
People no longer cared about the auction itself; instead, they all focused their attention on Wu Tianhao and Chu Tianhe, their eyes filled with utter astonishment!
Yet, that was not the end of it!
They saw Chu Tianhe smile faintly, adjust his sitting posture, look at the blue-and-white porcelain bowl on the auction stage, raise his hand once again, and say, "Ten million!"
Five million had already broken the cognitive limits of everyone present!
And now, Chu Tianhe had directly called out an exorbitant price of ten million!
A broken bowl worth a few hundred, with a starting bid of only ten thousand, was now forcibly pushed up to ten million!!
How absurd was this!
Even these corporate bigshots in the hall, who had seen plenty of grand occasions, had never witnessed such an auction. They all stood frozen in place, mouths agape, completely at a loss for words.
Right now, the most miserable person was undoubtedly Wu Tianhao!
His back was drenched in cold sweat, his face etched with pure tension. His gaze shifted from Chu Tianhe over to Director Liu, filled with a look of desperate entreaty!
He knew his son had offended Chu Tianhe, and he knew Chu Tianhe was currently punishing him, but keeping on bidding like this was no solution. Director Liu had to step in and put in a good word for him!
"Eleven million."
Wu Tianhao's heart was bleeding, but he had no choice and counter-bid once more. He knew that with this single opening of his mouth, he had just lost ten million—and that was no small sum!
"Mr. Chu, do you think... it's about time?" Finally, Director Liu spoke up. With a face full of amiable smiles, he said, "Mr. Chu, we must let a stream flow long, you see. This charitable event organized by our Public Security Bureau will have to be held again in the future. Don't you think..."
"It's about time!"
As he spoke, Chu Tianhe stood up, turned to glance at Wu Tianhao, and said, "I'll let Mr. Wu have this piece!"
Hearing Chu Tianhe's words, Wu Tianhao finally let out a long breath in his heart!
"Going once at eleven million, Mr. Wu!"
"Are there any other bidders?"
"Going twice at eleven million!"
"Going three times at eleven million, sold! Congratulations to the a pair of highly-fudged Ming Dynasty official kiln blue-and-white porcelain bowls at the price of eleven million!"
Following the host's announcement on stage, the guests in the hall could no longer hold back their laughter!
Although everyone knew the Wu family wielded immense power and would likely become Jiangzhou City's premier financial conglomerate in the future—and intended to curry favor with them—hearing that Wu Tianhao had paid an astronomical price of eleven million for a street-stall handicraft still made them want to laugh!
Wu Tianhao's fall from grace this time could certainly be considered a massive tumble!
"Are there any more collection pieces afterwards?"
At that moment, Chu Tianhe asked casually.
In an instant, Wu Tianhao's expression changed drastically. He shivered all over, his legs turning to jelly. If Director Liu hadn't been quick-witted enough to steady him, he likely would have collapsed straight to the floor.
"No more, no more." Director Liu hurriedly laughed to smooth things over. "The fundraising target for this auction has already been reached. Many thanks to Mr. Chu for your help. This eleven million will be donated in full to impoverished children."
"What programs are coming up next?" Chu Tianhe asked with a smile.
"No, there are no more programs!" Wu Tianhao waved his hands frantically, feeling a pain in his heart that words could hardly describe!
Just by auctioning off a single collectible, he had already paid a price of over ten million. If there were any more programs after this, it would surely cost him his old life!
"Today's charity banquet ends here. What remains is the dinner banquet. Mr. Chu, Miss Qin, will the two of you be staying for dinner?"
Director Liu was also extremely nervous as he hurriedly stepped forward to ask.
"What do you think?" Chu Tianhe turned his head to look at Qin Xiaomeng.
"We... we probably shouldn't stay for dinner here, right?" Qin Xiaomeng forced a smile. She was still shocked by the price Chu Tianhe had just called out and hadn't recovered her wits yet.
"Then we won't eat." Chu Tianhe smiled and said, "Let's head back."
"Oh, okay." Qin Xiaomeng nodded hurriedly, standing up to leave.
"Mr. Chu, I... I'll send a car to take you!" Director Liu hurriedly waved, calling his driver over to escort Chu Tianhe and Qin Xiaomeng away.
"No need!" Chu Tianhe waved his hand, leaving Director Liu without an ounce of face, and stood up to lead Qin Xiaomeng out toward the banquet hall doors.
At this moment, just as when Chu Tianhe had first arrived, everyone's gaze once again converged upon him. Only this time, the look in everyone's eyes had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation from before!
Everyone was inwardly guessing just who on earth Chu Tianhe could possibly be!!
To be able to compete with the Wu family in bidding under such circumstances, right in front of so many people, and make Wu Tianhao suffer such a colossal setback—Chu Tianhe's identity had successfully captured the attention of every single person present!
"Dammit, making me lose over ten million for nothing!" Watching Chu Tianhe's departing figure, Wu Tianhao finally couldn't help cursing out loud in anger!
"Alright, Brother Wu, that man is someone you cannot afford to offend. Just consider it spending money to avert a disaster!"
Chu Tianhe's departure allowed Director Liu to finally relax as well. With a heavy sigh of relief, he slumped into a chair.
"No, Director Liu, you misunderstood. I'm not complaining about Mr. Chu; I'm cursing that good-for-nothing son of mine!!"
Wu Tianhao was a sensible man. No matter how formidable Chu Tianhe was, it had nothing to do with their Wu family; the crux of the matter was that his own son had provoked the man, which was how this disaster was brought upon their heads!
"Where is Wu Peng? Call him over here for me!" Wu Tianhao's angry, roaring rebuke rang out. "I'm going to teach this father-ruining beast a proper lesson today!"
Just as Wu Tianhao's angry curses died away, a man in a suit immediately stepped forward and said, "Chairman, after you slapped Young Master Wu earlier, he left ahead of time..."
"Where did he go?" Wu Tianhao demanded angrily.
"I don't know. It sounded like he contacted some street hoodlum named Brother Ying, saying he was... going to deal with someone."
"What?!!" Hearing this, Wu Tianhao's eyes split open in fury, his lungs practically ready to explode with rage!
No one knew a son better than his father. Wu Tianhao knew Wu Peng's temper all too well. When the boy said he was going to deal with someone, he was undoubtedly going after Chu Tianhe!
"Damn it, this little beast is going to get me killed!"
Wu Tianhao panicked instantly. He hurriedly punched out a dozen phone calls trying to track down Wu Peng, terrified that the boy would bring down some catastrophic disaster upon him.
Meanwhile, after leaving the charity banquet, Chu Tianhe took Yang Huijuan and Yaoyao directly to a Western restaurant.
"Daddy, are we eating here today?"
Yaoyao blinked her eyes as she looked at the Western restaurant before her, which felt like something straight out of a dream to her.
"Mmhmm, we're eating right here today."
Chu Tianhe smiled, crouching down to gently stroke the top of Yaoyao's little head.
"Tianhe, isn't consumption here quite high?" Standing nearby, Yang Huijuan frowned deeply as she looked at the Western restaurant in front of them. This place was considered one of the top high-end restaurants in Jiangzhou City, and a meal here would cost a pretty penny.
"A four-star Michelin restaurant. For the four of us to eat a meal here, it'll cost at least twenty thousand or more!" Qin Xiaomeng also furrowed her willow-like brows. Her gaze shifted over to Chu Tianhe as she asked, "Brother-in-law, are you sure we're eating here tonight?"
"Twenty thousand?"
Before Chu Tianhe could answer, Yang Huijuan let out an involuntary gasp of shock.
Twenty thousand yuan was practically an astronomical sum to Yang Huijuan; spending that much money on a single meal made her heart ache.
"No, Tianhe, let's not eat here. It's too expensive. Let's go home and I'll cook for you."
Yang Huijuan waved her hands repeatedly. Twenty thousand yuan was enough to cover half a year of living expenses for her, and she certainly wouldn't be willing to spend it all on one meal.
"Auntie, let's just eat here today. Rest assured, in the future I'll make sure you all live a good life."
Chu Tianhe smiled faintly. In the eyes of Qin Xiaomeng and Yang Huijuan, Chu Tianhe was a soldier who had just doffed his uniform and retired from military service, so he shouldn't have much money on hand. But in reality, to Chu Tianhe, the Master of the Pantheon, money was already nothing more than an inconsequential number!
"No, no, how can we eat here? It's too expensive. Let's go back and cook."
Yang Huijuan still disagreed; twenty thousand yuan was simply too much for her. However, right at that moment, a woman wearing a red long dress walked over with a smile on her face. It was Yue Linglong, whom Chu Tianhe had called over to take care of Yaoyao. Because of Liu Hongyue's appearance, she had previously been temporarily dispatched by Chu Tianhe to execute another mission, but now she was temporarily stationed in Jiangzhou City once more.
"Hall Master, everything has been arranged. Please come inside to dine!"
Right now, Yue Linglong had clearly put effort into dressing up specifically for the occasion. Set off by her crimson dress, her brows were like painted brush-strokes and her skin like snow. Her smooth dark hair cascaded down to her slender waist, and paired with her slightly flushed cheeks and the sunlight shining upon her, she appeared exceptionally alluring and enchanting. Where was there any trace of the fierce warrior who had once dominated the battlefield? She looked entirely like a delicate, demure young maiden of the Lin Family—seven parts beautiful and three parts seductive, her very bones seeming to melt with charm. Compared to Qin Xiaomeng, who was hailed as the number one beauty of Jiangzhou City, she was not the least bit inferior!
"While in Jiangzhou, don't call me Hall Master." Chu Tianhe frowned slightly and reminded her: "Just call me Brother Tian."
"Understood, Brother Tian. The seats have been arranged at VIP C06, by the window. Is that alright?" A faint, gentle smile curved the corners of Yue Linglong's mouth, and her voice was soft to the extreme.
"Mmhmm!" Chu Tianhe nodded, smiling as he picked up Yaoyao. He then turned his gaze to Qin Xiaomeng and Yang Huijuan, saying, "Xiaomeng, Auntie, let's go in. This meal is on her treat!"
"Thank you, Auntie Linglong." Hearing that Yue Linglong was treating them, Yaoyao spoke with a very sweet mouth, flashing a big, bright smile directly at Yue Linglong.
"You're welcome, Yaoyao can just order whatever she likes to eat." Yue Linglong—the decisive and ruthless deity of the battlefield, ranked number one among the top domestic assassins—was currently as gentle as water. If any other person who knew Yue Linglong were to witness this scene, they would never believe their own eyes!
"Brother-in-law, did she just call you Hall Master?" After they were seated, a trace of doubt flashed across Qin Xiaomeng's eyes as she looked at Chu Tianhe.
What had happened back at the charity banquet had already left Qin Xiaomeng filled with doubts. She didn't understand why her brother-in-law, who had already stepped down from military service and doffed his uniform, could still wield such terrifying deterrent force!
Could it be that he had some other identity?
"Hall Master?" Hearing this, Yang Huijuan immediately chimed in, "Tianhe, are you still running some kind of business? What kind of shop do you run?"
Whether it was Yang Huijuan or Qin Xiaomeng, they were both ordinary folk and naturally knew nothing about the Seven Halls of the world, naturally assuming that Chu Tianhe was engaged in some kind of commerce or running a storefront.
Seeing this, Chu Tianhe smiled faintly and smoothly explained, "Oh, I used to run a traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture clinic, and Linglong was an employee at my shop."
"Where is the shop located?" Hearing this, Yang Huijuan pursued the questioning further, "How is the business?"
Faced with Yang Huijuan's persistent inquiries, Chu Tianhe was utterly helpless, and cast a quick glance at Yue Linglong.
"Business is pretty decent." Yue Linglong immediately picked up the thread, smiling, "When it's good, it can bring in twenty to thirty thousand a month. But because Brother Tian came back to Jiangzhou, the shop over there was transferred."
"You're not doing it anymore?" Yang Huijuan wore a look of regret, then shifted her gaze to Chu Tianhe and said, "Tianhe, if you have this skill in traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture, you should keep doing it. Isn't that much better than going to work as a salaried employee at some company?"
"Listen to Auntie. Open another shop right here in Jiangzhou City; I'll help fund it for you. Open it over near the affluent residential district—there are a lot of rich people there, so the business is bound to be good."
Yang Huijuan was a woman who lived a practical life and remained rather conservative in her thinking. Hearing that Chu Tianhe possessed such a skill, she didn't want to see him let it go to waste.
"Auntie, Brother Tian, he..." Seeing this, Yue Linglong quickly stepped in to smooth things over. Chu Tianhe was the Hall Master of the Pantheon after all; if he were really made to practice traditional Chinese acupuncture for a living, wouldn't outsiders die of laughter if word got out?
However, before Yue Linglong could finish speaking, Chu Tianhe waved his hand to interrupt her, then smiled and said, "Alright, we'll listen to Auntie. But as for the capital to open the shop, Auntie doesn't need to put up any money. Linglong still has some savings on hand, so we'll let her fund it."
Chu Tianhe knew that Yang Huijuan didn't have that much money, and the tiny bit of savings she did have was entirely her coffin money—that money could not be touched.
"This... wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Yang Huijuan paused slightly, her gaze shifting directly to Yue Linglong. At the same time, Qin Xiaomeng's beautiful eyes flicked over to look at Yue Linglong as well!
"Brother-in-law, you and Miss Linglong seem very close. Funding a shop is no small sum; it will take at least twenty-odd thousand!"
Qin Xiaomeng felt a sour sensation in her heart. In terms of looks and figure, this Yue Linglong was not a bit inferior to her, and moreover, having spent these past years by Chu Tianhe's side, their bond must be very deep!!
Although Qin Xiaomeng believed in Chu Tianhe's character and knew he would never do anything to wrong her sister, the fact that Yue Linglong was treating them to a meal and funding a shop still made Qin Xiaomeng feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Miss Qin, you've misunderstood!" Yue Linglong smiled faintly and was just about to offer an explanation when she suddenly heard a string of curses coming from outside the private dining room: "Chu Tianhe, you little punk, you think you're worthy of coming to a place like this to eat?!"
"Get your ass out here right now!!"
"Today, I'm going to cripple you right here, you bastard!"
As the curses rang out, the people inside the private room instantly tensed up.
"It's Wu Peng!"
Qin Xiaomeng's gaze turned to Chu Tianhe, her eyes filled with tension. She knew Wu Peng quite well; back when they were in school, this guy was someone who held grudges and sought revenge for the slightest grievance. Since Chu Tianhe had made Wu Peng look foolish back at the charity banquet, this fellow had now come to exact his revenge!
"Qin Xiaomeng, you really are cheap enough. With all the men in the world, of all people to love, you had to fall for your own brother-in-law!"
"What kind of twin beauties of Jiangzhou—in my eyes, neither of you Qin family sisters is any good!"
"Chu Tianhe, get your ass out here!!"
Wu Peng's curses drew closer and closer, clearly indicating he had already entered the restaurant. Hearing this, Qin Xiaomeng's face burned with embarrassment, her cheeks flushed scarlet as she didn't even dare to meet Chu Tianhe's eyes.