Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Oh No, I Became a Stand-In

“Cough, cough, cough…” This time, Du An Rao really couldn’t hold it in and sucked the water right up her nose, choking until the world spun.

She had been eating melon for so long, and now she found out that she was actually the main character of the melon?!

“D-Duo Bao Ge?” Jiang Chang Bin’s face was also full of shock and confusion. “You mean Duo Bao Ge is…”

“That’s right. Duo Bao Ge is a business my father and I helped Grandmaster Yuan buy and keep for his disciple, who is Miss Du. In theory, Miss Du is the true owner of Duo Bao Ge.”

Jiang Chang Bin: “!!!”

The Qiu mother and son: “!!!”

Du An Rao: “…” So I just climbed to the peak of life by hugging my Master’s thigh?

Xi Jing Yue: “…”

“Could you have made a mistake? My Master does have some real skill, but…” This was too wild. Just like that, she had become a multimillionaire—no, a billionaire. Even cheat stories don’t open the cheats this wide. Even wish-fulfillment novels wouldn’t dare write it like this!

“There’s no mistake.” Old Master Wen was absolutely confident in his judgment. “Twenty years ago, right before your Master left, I asked him how I was supposed to find you in the future and hand this shop over. He only said that the time had not yet come. When the time came, you would appear on your own.”

Du An Rao: “…” But twenty years ago, I hadn’t even been born yet! Also, why does this sound so much like some vague scammer’s line? It’s too much. Help!!!

“These words are way too vague. How can you be so sure that the person you are looking for is me and my Master? What if you accidentally picked the wrong person to repay…”

Before Du An Rao could finish, Old Master Wen cut her off: “Hahahaha, that was exactly what I thought at the time. There are so many people in this world, and so many years would have passed. Mistakenly repaying the wrong person is no joke.”

“I pestered him for a long time until he finally left some slightly more concrete information. He said his future disciple’s surname would be Du, and that twenty years later, the year you turn eighteen, you would appear on your own, carrying the very string of copper coins he had in his hand at that time—that is, the one you have now.”

Du An Rao froze and lowered her head to look at the string of coins in her hand.

Before she could think too much about it, she heard Old Master Wen add: “Oh right, there’s also that stone from earlier.”

“That stone? What about that stone?”

“That stone isn’t actually one of my own collectibles. It was something your Master left behind before he left back then.”

“My Master left it?” Du An Rao’s eyes widened again in surprise. “Why would my Master leave something like that?”

“I don’t know either. At the time, he just said it would be useful to you. When you came to this auction house at eighteen and saw that stone, you would know what to do. In other words, whoever bought that stone today would be the one we were waiting for.”

Jiang Chang Bin frowned a little: “So that’s why you set that special rule and personally waited here for whoever bought the stone.”

“That’s right. Of course, I was also really curious about what treasure was hidden inside the stone that Celestial Master Yuan specially left for his beloved disciple.”

Du An Rao pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

In this way, it made sense why the stone had reacted with a mystic anomaly the moment Du An Rao touched it, as if it were deliberately trying to draw her attention.

It was, from the start, something an old acquaintance had left behind.

Not to mention, the rough inside even contained spiritual marrow that Du An Rao had only ever seen before at her Master’s place.

Du An Rao gripped the Five Emperor Coins in her hand tightly. Thinking of everything Old Master Wen had just said, a subtle feeling rose in her heart.

But she quickly pressed the feeling down for now, let out a long breath, and said: “Even so, I still have to go back and confirm this with my Master. Besides, this auction house was founded by you, and you’ve been running it all these years. For you to suddenly give it to me…”

No matter how she looked at it, it felt like a pie had fallen from the sky. And she had no idea if this pie was truly delicious or secretly poisonous inside.

Many gifts from fate already have their price written on them. She could not let herself be blinded by the flash in front of her and drop her guard.

Hearing this, Old Master Wen glanced at his son. The smile on his face became even more sincere.

There are not many people who can keep a clear heart and stay cautious when faced with sudden wealth, especially when the little girl in front of him was still so young. It showed her nature.

“That’s how it should be. But you don’t need to worry too much. Back then, it was already agreed that this auction house was opened for you. These years, even though our family has been the one running it, we have never shorted ourselves any wages we should be paid.”

In simple terms, you are the boss. We are just employees working for you and taking a salary. That is perfectly reasonable.

“Besides, the kindness your Master showed our family is so great that even if we gave up all our wealth, it wouldn’t be too much. This is just one auction house. It’s nothing.”

Du An Rao: “…” This auction house takes up an entire mountain, and it’s still “nothing”? So this is how the truly rich see the world?

“And to be honest, people in business like us usually worship some auspicious beasts or immortals to protect the home and keep the wealth safe. Your Master is no different from that to our family, so…”

In other words, they had treated all the money the auction house earned over the years as an offering to Du An Rao’s Master.

Du An Rao: “…” So that’s how it is. For some reason, I suddenly feel like laughing. What is this?

[Master: “…” Oh no, I became a stand-in!]

“I understand what you mean. Let me confirm this with my Master first, then we’ll talk.”

“Of course. The doors of our auction house will always be open to you and Mr. Yuan.”

This night had truly been full of ups and downs. She had gained a lot, but it also left her exhausted.

After entering the private room, the Qiu mother and son, like Xi Jing Yue and the other person, did their best to act like background decoration and did not speak much the whole time.

Once they came out of the room, they finally could not hold back and sighed: “I didn’t expect your Master to have such a deep connection with this auction house. But it makes sense. Only someone like your Master, a true recluse expert, could teach a disciple as outstanding as you, Miss Du.”

“…To be honest, I didn’t expect it either.” Du An Rao gave two dry laughs. It was clear she still hadn’t recovered from the shock that her own Master was actually a hidden expert.

You couldn’t really blame her though. In front of her, her Master really wasn’t very reliable. Most of the time she had to clean up his messes. She truly could not see even a trace of “expert” on him.

“Let’s stop talking about that. Auntie Qiu, I’ll leave the original stone with the Gods of Blessing, Rank, Longevity, and Joy pattern in your care. Please have your company’s craftsmen rush the work a bit and make the bracelet for me first. I need it soon. As for the labor costs and the one hundred million you lent me today, I’ll pay you back after I go home and sort everything out.”

“Since you’ve asked us to do this, that means you trust us. Auntie will definitely do it beautifully for you and won’t delay your important matters. As for the money, there’s no rush. In fact, I just happen to have something I want to discuss with you.”