Chapter 672: A Million Times for You (34)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
She then looked at Jin Qingyan, wondering to herself, Just how did he know that the item in the box was a sham without even taking a look?
If it were a counterfeit, the auctioneer wouldn’t be able to escape scot-free.
An Xiaoning’s mind was filled with questions.
Once they exited the elevator, Ye Xiaotian hopped inside his car to leave. “Would you like to go home together with me?” Gu Beicheng asked.
“I’ll go back tomorrow morning. Those people I bought are still in the hotel.”
Gu Beicheng glared at Jin Qingyan, who was standing beside her, and said, “Forget it, I don’t feel safe leaving you here. I’ll go back with you tomorrow morning. I’ll just check into the hotel tonight.”
Jin Qingyan gave him the side eye and stood with his hands behind his back while waiting for Fan Shixin to drive the car over.
The pair of siblings entered the hotel, leaving Jin Qingyan alone by the roadside.
“Heartless creature,” he scoffed.
The car stopped beside Jin Qingyan swiftly, and he opened the door to get inside.
“Young Sir, was it another sham again tonight?”
“The auctioneers are getting more and more horrid and substandard with their acting chops… I knew it’d be a wasted trip tonight. There wasn’t any improvement at all,” he said with much disdain, crossing one leg over another.
“I saw Ms. An and Mr. Gu entering the hotel together just now. Why didn’t you tag along with them, Young Sir?”
“What’s the point of doing that? Didn’t you see how Gu Beicheng was staring at me just now? He was acting as if I were a predator hunting for prey,” Jin Qingyan remarked scornfully, sounding rather disgruntled.
Fan Shixin could not contain his amusement and burst into laughter. “Going home without doing anything else doesn’t seem like something you’d do, Young Sir,” he teased.
“Whatever, that hotel belongs to the Gu Corporation. I won’t be able to get up to anything.”
Fan Shixin remained quiet and continued to drive steadily.
…
“Do you have any questions for me?” Gu Beicheng asked, handing her a cup of warm tea.
An Xiaoning placed the cup on the headboard and switched on the heater in the room. “What’s the point of such an auction? If the auctioneer knew the item was inauthentic, why did he have the audacity to put it up for auction when he knows he’d have to cough up the money he swindled?”
“You don’t understand. It’s because this item has been auctioned multiple times before and, ultimately, there’s always someone who falls for it every single time. In the end, only half the amount of money lost will be recovered. But the very fact that everyone still rushes to attend such auctions just goes to show that they’re willing to be cheated out of their time and money rather than miss the golden opportunity,” Gu Beicheng explained.
“But no one has seen it before. How would they know if it’s authentic or not?”
“Those people who are bent on acquiring it have all brought an authenticator with them. A treasure map from decades ago would be examined first for paper quality, followed by the other aspects. However, none of the maps put on auction have ever passed the paper authentication.”
“Does such a map really exist?”
“It probably does. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so highly coveted. I could tell that Jin Qingyan’s attitude toward the auction was similar to mine. He was just there to take a look,” Gu Beicheng said truthfully.
“Well, to me, it’s as good as a mythical object that only exists in fantasies. Aren’t they just a bunch of lunatics to be vying with each other over a treasure map that no one has ever seen before?”
Gu Beicheng decided to change the subject and asked, “How many people have you bought?”
“Fourteen in total. Eight of them have serious illnesses. I bought them for ten million dollars,” said An Xiaoning.
“Usually, those who have been sent to training camps from a young age wouldn’t be abandoned unless they’ve fallen ill or made some mistakes. What diseases are they plagued with…?”
“All sorts of diseases and ailments. But… do you know of any gangs or mafia organizations that are led by a female leader?” An Xiaoning asked.
“I do, but there are only very few female leaders. Women are mostly too soft-hearted to be leaders. There’s only a small minority who are ruthless and firm enough in their decisions.”
“One of the men I bought used to be a boy toy of a female triad leader. He was severely sexually abused…”
“He even divulged that to you? Could it be that he was afraid that you’d need those services too?” Gu Beicheng asked in astonishment.
Blushing red with embarrassment, An Xiaoning answered, “I don’t need those.”
He chuckled and said, “He probably told you that because he was worried that you’d need him to serve you sexually. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had to come clean about his condition. After all, being impotent doesn’t get in the way of guarding your house or working for you.”
He did make some sense.
“He was worrying too much.”
“I think so too.” Gu Beicheng placed his teacup down and said, “I’m going back to my room next door. I’ll make the transport arrangements for you tomorrow morning. You don’t have to worry about it. Go to bed and get a good rest. Goodnight.”
An Xiaoning nodded and answered, “Goodnight.”
He closed the door, after which An Xiaoning took a look at the time to find that it was already eleven o’clock at night. So much time had passed without her realizing it.
Just as she lifted the duvet and was about to lie down in bed, an object on the bedsheets caught her attention.
She was greatly taken aback by the item, which had been obscured under the thick duvet earlier on.
She knelt on the bed and emptied the bag, which contained a few boxes of facial masks.
They were from expensive and luxurious brands.
There was a note in between the boxes. She picked it up to read the message written on it: “Here’s a present I got while I was here for a tour around the place. You don’t have to thank me.”
She could recognize the handwriting right away. It belonged to none other than Jin Qingyan.
She crushed the note into a ball and dumped it into the rubbish bin before placing the boxes of masks onto the table.
She thought it would be a waste to throw the masks away, too, given that they were expensive and of top quality.
Thus, she decided to give it a try and put on a sheet of facial mask before bed.
To her surprise, she discovered that the serum was indeed very effective when she was washing her face at six o’clock in the morning. Not only did it brighten her complexion, but her skin had also become lustrous and dewy. Indeed, they weren’t expensive for no reason.
She left her room at 6:50 AM and chanced upon Gu Beicheng, who happened to be exiting his room as well. The two of them then headed downstairs together.
The fourteen men were already waiting in the hotel lobby.
So was the car outside. An Xiaoning instructed them to get inside a van while she got into the same car as Gu Beicheng.
She took a nap along the journey to catch up on some of the sleep she had missed the night before.
Gu Beicheng drove her home personally to Sanqiao Estate before leaving.
“This is my house. You guys will be living here too from now onward. Come in. There’s ongoing construction in the mansion and the backyard for a basement to be built. So, there’ll be some construction noise,” said An Xiaoning.
The fourteen men entered one after another, not daring to utter a single word.
She removed the mask on her face as soon as she entered the living room, revealing her true identity. Their jaws dropped, and they stared at her in astonishment, clearing dumbstruck.
“You didn’t guess that I’d be An Xiaoning, did you? I haven’t purchased your daily necessities and supplies. Those of you who mentioned last night that you were ill are to be hospitalized from today onward. You may only return after you’ve received treatment and completely recovered, or if your condition has stabilized, in the event that your illness can’t be treated. The remaining six of you, please take a step forward,” An Xiaoning said with a faint smile.
They were No. 5, No. 6, No.7, No. 9, No. 10, and No. 11.
“Two of you shall remain at home later while the other four shall follow me to the furniture mall. I’ll get the furniture store to deliver the furniture to our doorstep after the purchase. Those of you who are at home will supervise the staff of the furniture store when they’re moving the furniture into the house. Let’s strive to purchase and settle everything we need by today. Supervise the construction workers as well.”
“Yes, Master.”