Chapter 199

Chapter 199: Not a Single One Is Innocent

Up on the stage, the host was still wearing a professional smile and giving a passionate introduction for the item. He had no idea that the piece in his hands held such an important place in all kinds of top-ranking, dog-blood romance novels.

Seeing the guests whispering and talking excitedly at the mention of Master Liang’s name, he gave a satisfied smile and went on: “It is worth mentioning that this jewelry set is not only Master Liang’s final work. When he designed this necklace, it was during his golden wedding with his wife. The inspiration for this necklace came from their beautiful love story, walking hand in hand through many decades of ups and downs.”

“In the center of the necklace is a very rare and beautiful tanzanite. This ten-carat tanzanite has a rich color and is crystal clear, truly the finest among tanzanites. Around it are inlaid a total of five hundred and twenty tiny white diamonds, which are Master Liang’s confession of love to his wife.”

“You could say that this necklace is, at its core, a witness to Master Liang and his wife’s love. Because of that, this jewelry set has another name: Eternal Love. The starting price for this set is ten million, and each raise must be no less than one hundred thousand. Guests who are interested may begin bidding now.”

As soon as the host finished speaking, someone in the crowd immediately raised their paddle.

“Ten million.”

“Eleven million.”

“Twelve million.”

“…”

The appearance of Heart of the Ocean instantly heated up the atmosphere. Paddles kept rising. In just a short time, the price broke twenty million and headed for thirty million.

“No wonder it is the top star of the jewelry world,” Du An Rao sighed. “Its starting price is already higher than the earlier items, and so many people are fighting to bid on it. The price is shooting up like it is riding a rocket.”

As if she had heard Du An Rao’s sigh, Ms. Qiu leaned past Xi Jing Yue and asked: “Miss Du, are you interested in this jewelry set? If you like it, I can…”

“No, no, I am just here to watch the fun. If I were really interested, I would have already raised my paddle,” Du An Rao quickly said.

[Heaven can be my witness, I really just want to watch the fun and snack on some gossip, not become part of the gossip myself. Do not drag me into it!]

Jiang Chang Bin and Xi Jing Yue: “Pfft…”

Ms. Qiu looked at Du An Rao for a moment. Seeing that she really did not seem very interested in this jewelry set, she did not push it any further and sat back down with a nod.

There were many people bidding on such a hot item, but it still did not take long to decide the winner.

When the price was in the twenties and thirties of millions, the competition was fierce. But once it went past forty million, there were fewer bidders, and the amount and frequency of each raise slowly began to drop.

“Forty-one million.”

“Forty-one million five hundred thousand.”

“Forty-two million.”

“…”

Resting her chin in one hand, Du An Rao watched the last few bidders go back and forth. Her eyes flashed, as if she had noticed something: “That number fifteen over there…”

Following her gaze, Jiang Chang Bin looked over and saw a middle-aged couple dressed properly and covered in glittering jewelry. “What about number fifteen?” he asked.

“They seem to really want this necklace. From the very beginning, they have followed every single raise, and they follow very closely,” she said.

Xi Jing Yue had also noticed the couple and almost immediately guessed who they were. In a low voice, he explained to Du An Rao: “That is the chairman of Anxiang Group and his wife. Anxiang Group mainly makes perfume and fragrance products. The chairman and his wife are in a business marriage. They have no real feelings for each other, and after getting married, they each did their own thing. It is just that…”

Smelling the scent of gossip at once, Du An Rao excitedly leaned closer to Xi Jing Yue.

A faint scent of soap drifted over and made Xi Jing Yue’s thoughts stall for a moment.

“Cough, cough. It is just that Anxiang Group is preparing to go public, and not long ago the two of them were photographed spending the night outside with their own lovers. For a while, all their past scandals got dug up. Issues with the personal morals of the company’s top management seriously hurt the group’s reputation and also hit their plans to go public…” he said.

With that explanation, Du An Rao understood right away.

“So you are saying they want to use this Heart of the Ocean to save their marriage’s image, steady the company’s stock, and help the company go public smoothly?” she asked.

“You are very smart,” he said.

Du An Rao gave a little “hee hee” laugh, a bit embarrassed. “I am not that smart,” she said.

[Of course I am! After reading so many books, I am basically a seasoned pro now. How could a little bit of simple business knowledge like this stump me?]

Xi Jing Yue could not help laughing. This little liar…

“This Heart of the Ocean is Master Liang’s final work and carries the effect of a famous name. Together with the fact that its inspiration comes from his many years of true love with his wife, as long as the two of them manage to win this necklace, then pick a suitable occasion for the husband to give it to the wife and show off their love, and match it with the right public opinion online, they can greatly reduce the negative impact of their earlier scandals on the company,” he explained.

After hearing his explanation, Du An Rao nodded, her expression complicated.

[Using someone else’s love to prove your own love? I really do not understand the logic of you rich people.]

But this also showed that money could make the devil push the millstone. Only with money could you buy this necklace, and only with money could you pay an online army to whitewash your image.

When enough people say something, and say many different versions of it, it makes others confused and unable to tell truth from lies.

After a wave of such operations, whitewashing naturally worked. Even what was black could be talked about as if it was white.

This couple knew that well, which was why they were so unrestrained. Their high-profile bidding right now was not without the arrogance of people who believed they could control others’ hearts.

But in Du An Rao’s eyes, things were not that simple.

Their company was about to go public, and then scandals about the chairman and his wife’s private lives suddenly broke at just that time. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. It was most likely that a rival company had done it on purpose.

And the idea that the other side would let them solve the crisis with just this one necklace was clearly impossible.

[Sure enough, wherever there is a Heart of the Ocean, there is conflict. The world is such a mess that not a single Heart of the Ocean is innocent.]

The two men: “…” Ahem. If Heart of the Ocean could talk, it would probably say it was being wronged.

“Forty-nine million five hundred thousand.”

“Fifty million.”

“Fifty million. Is there any higher offer? All right, fifty million once, fifty million twice, fifty million three times, sold! Congratulations to guest number fifteen for winning this Heart of the Ocean, which represents beautiful love,” the host called out.

As the hammer that symbolized the dust settling came down, the hall filled with applause. The chairman of Anxiang Group even stood up on purpose and waved his hand, his face full of smug smiles.

The applause soon faded, and the next item was brought on stage.

“The next item is a Yuan blue-and-white entwined chrysanthemum vase. The base diameter of this vase…” the host began.

While the host on stage talked at length about the blue-and-white porcelain inside the glass case, Du An Rao suddenly seemed to notice something and sat up straight with a jolt.

[Huh, this vase…]