Once both of them were properly seated on opposite sides, Jiang Yuchi finally had the leisure to check on the live auction broadcast on the big screen.
The items up for auction could be described as an eclectic mix. Crayon drawings, paper-cuttings, and origami were just the basics. Most of them were so exquisitely crafted that they hardly seemed like the work of children that age. The parents present tacitly understood this—after all, who hadn't done their child's homework at some point?
Since it was a kindergarten charity auction, unlike a formal auction, the bidding parents were identified not by numbered paddles, but by various cute animal monikers. The auctioneer was also extremely professional, calling out with great enthusiasm: "The Dolphin parent bids 700,000. Would the Samoyed parent like to raise it to 800,000? Very well, the Samoyed parent at 800,000."
"Would the Dolphin parent like to go up to 880,000? A lucky number! The Dolphin parent bids 880,000. Last call, going once, twice... sold! Congratulations, this artwork titled *Left Hand* by little Chu Jingxi now belongs to the Dolphin parent!"
880,000? Jiang Yuchi stared blankly at the wild crayon drawing on the stage, falling silent. If she remembered correctly, a particularly delicate enamel painting just a moment ago had only sold for 360,000.
In the spirit of humble inquiry, Jiang Yuchi asked Yu Buqi, "What do you make of this *Left Hand*?"
The young master rested his chin in his hand and said with unruffled composure, "Trash."
"Huh? Could there be some special art hidden in this? Some wild, unrestrained lines expressing the artist's profound thoughts, or something? Are we just lacking the capacity to appreciate this school of work? Is he a little Van Gogh? A little Monet?" After all, this was 880,000 they were talking about! There had to be some deep artistic refinement packed in there that she just didn't understand!
Yu Buqi made a gesture inviting his younger sister, who was in the same class as Chu Jingxi, to speak. Yu Buying put on a profound air and asked in return, "Mommy, do you know why this painting is called *Left Hand*?"
Without giving Jiang Yuchi time to think, Yu Buying eagerly spilled the beans: "Because the lazybones Chu Jingxi only found out about this event to fulfill a requirement, so he randomly grabbed a piece of paper in front of me, scribbled blindly with his left hand for a minute, and handed it in."
"Ms. Jiang must be wondering why this 'painstakingly' created piece of garbage by Chu Jingxi could fetch such a high price? Clearly, you didn't listen carefully to the opening rules. After the auction ends, there will be a dedicated, independent room for sellers and buyers to complete the handover of auction items on-site. The parent attending with Chu Jingxi tonight is his maternal uncle, He Haosheng, the CEO of He Real Estate." Yu Buqi reached out and tapped the screen at Chu Jingxi's location, where a middle-aged man who looked thoroughly stern was indeed sitting right next to him.
"Oh~" Jiang Yuchi experienced a sudden flash of enlightenment. So this wasn't selling children's artwork at all; it was clearly an opportunity to rub elbows and make connections with parents!
However, an even more important matter was clearly at hand right now: "Does that mean I'll have to go and socialize with whoever bought your works later?"
"Sorry, but I mildly rejected the kindergarten's invitation," Yu Buqi said. "As for Yu Buying, I suspect her barren little brain only just realized what was going on when she heard my words: *Ah! So this is something you can refuse!*" At the end of his sentence, Yu Buqi didn't forget to cover his face, pinch his voice, and start mimicking his sister's weird squeals.
This time, Yu Buying didn't fly off the handle quite so easily. She lifted her chin and said, "Sorry, but to someone with a malicious heart who got dumped: I planned ahead to use my own allowance to buy back my artwork and give it to Mommy."
Touching, simply too touching!
Meeting the little princess's expectant gaze, Jiang Yuchi could only smile and nod while silently weeping inside. Wouldn't it be better to just hand the money directly from her left hand to her right? Did they really have to let this deeply cunning kindergarten act as the middleman?!
To this, Jiang Yuchi could only console herself: it was a charity auction after all. Thinking of Yu Buying's saved-up allowance being used to do charity in both of their names made it rather meaningful, too.
Watching the harmonious mother-daughter duo snuggling close together, the briefly neglected Yu Buqi resentfully shoved another small piece of cake into his mouth. *Fine! My single-celled Paramecium of a sister actually evolved into a multicellular organism behind my back!*
The auction proceeded very quickly, driven entirely by the goal of pleasing both hosts and guests. Buyers, sellers, middlemen, and even onlookers all felt they were getting a good deal, and soon enough, they reached the grand finale: Yu Buying's artwork.
Inside the slowly rising glass cabinet sat a cute, button-eyed handmade doll. The black-haired doll paired with black button eyes looked quite adorable, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't particularly refined and even appeared rather rough in a few spots. However, when the auctioneer introduced it as a handmade doll titled *Mommy* created by little Yu Buying, a brief commotion stirred through the venue, and many people quickly grew eager to raise their paddles.
Yu Buying had originally planned to wait until no one else was bidding before making her move, but seeing that the bids had already reached 9.5 million with four families still competing, Jiang Yuchi turned to look at Yu Buqi. Yu Buqi immediately and sensibly picked up the phone inside the room, stating his bid in a flat tone.
"The Panda parent has bid 9.6 million. Good, the Corgi parent directly raises it to 9.9 million... We have just received a message! Our distinguished Box 1 guest, the Shark parent—who is also the parent of little Yu Buying—bids 15 million!"
Silence quickly fell over the venue. The four families who had been bidding so fiercely earlier tacitly lowered their paddles. 15 million was entirely within their expectations, and raising it further was certainly possible, but for the Yu family to increase the bid by 5 million in one breath clearly showed they had no intention of letting Yu Buying's artwork slip away. Bidding any further at this point would simply mean being tactless and making an enemy of the Yu family.
Just as the auctioneer was about to hammer down this sale once and for all, his sharp eyes caught someone in the audience raising a paddle again!
"The Cheetah parent, who hadn't made a move this entire time, bids 16 million!"
For a moment, all eyes in the room turned toward the direction of the bid. Jiang Yuchi looked rather surprised at the screen, which had been specially zoomed in to show the bidder: a mother and daughter accompanied by a small boy. The young lady wore an ugly expression, holding a phone to her ear with one hand while her other hand tremblingly raised the paddle.
It turned out to be old acquaintances: Madam Jiang and Jiang Zhixin. The little boy beside them was presumably the son of Jiang Zhixin and her husband, Xu Yuan.
What kind of performance were they putting on? Just an hour ago, she had put them firmly in their places and left them looking eager to avoid her at all costs. Were their skin itching for trouble again this time, trying to deliberately drive up the price and empty her wallet?
Without needing instructions from his mother, Yu Buqi skillfully reported the new price to the other end of the phone. To everyone's surprise, Jiang Zhixin actually followed up with another bid. He turned around and used his eyes to ask Jiang Yuchi what she planned to do.
Jiang Yuchi signaled for the buyer, Yu Buying, to make the decision. After struggling with her thoughts for a moment, Yu Buying declared, "If she bids up to 70 million, it means she really loves it, so let her have it. I can make an even prettier one for Mommy."
"Alright, Mommy will make it with you then." Jiang Yuchi didn't think Jiang Zhixin would go so crazy as to actually spend 70 million on a doll—unless Jiang Zhixin was a masochist who hadn't gotten beaten up enough just now and wanted to spend a fortune to throw herself in front of her to get beaten again.
When the price was pushed to 60 million by Yu Buqi, Jiang Zhixin was clearly having an argument with the person on the other end of the phone, but she still raised her paddle at the very last moment, gritting her teeth as she raised the price to 62 million.
Now things were getting interesting.
Yu Buqi calmly raised the price straight to 70 million, then offered a friendly tip: "Ms. Jiang, are you sure you're prepared to meet her and take a friendly photo together? This is the highest amount tonight, and who knows, tomorrow your deep sisterly bond might make the front page of the charity's official website."
The moment Jiang Yuchi imagined herself shaking hands, smiling, and taking a picture with Jiang Zhixin—that latent manic-depressive patient—she suddenly felt that bumping the price up by another 10 million wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Before she could tell Yu Buqi to shout 80 million, another commotion erupted from below. Jiang Zhixin had raised her paddle yet again, and again, and again, and again!
"The Cheetah parent jumps straight from 70 million to 100 million!"
Jiang Yuchi was completely at a loss. She now reasonably suspected that Jiang Zhixin might actually have a secret crush on her.