My husband Can Cultivate

The auction was about to begin. To ensure everything was foolproof, Chen Mo made a point to confirm the details with Liao San.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Chen, everything is arranged," Liao San said with a smile. "Today’s auction is just a formality. The items will definitely end up in the hands of the Hanfang Association."

"Good. If this gets done, your immigration will be a piece of cake," Chen Mo replied, smiling. "A single word from Mr. Chuyun is all it takes."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen, and thank you, Mr. Chuyun! I’ll be sure to handle this for you!" Liao San said, his face wreathed in smiles as he bowed obsequiously.

Soon, the auction began. Liao San personally presided over it. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced with a smile, "to save time today, we won’t be auctioning each item individually. All ten lots will be auctioned simultaneously!"

This was a strategy he had pre-arranged with Chen Mo. If anyone refused to play by their rules, this method would force them to back down. Since all ten items were being auctioned as a single package, many people couldn’t afford to bid even if they wanted to.

Take Yang Qi, for example. He didn’t have that much money. These guys are truly devious.

"Do you have enough money?" Yang Qi asked Lei Yingying.

"It’s going to be tough," Lei Yingying said, frowning. "The Lei Mansion’s financial power can’t compare to the Hanfang Association’s. For them, it’s just moving money from one hand to the other, so no matter how high the price goes, they aren’t afraid. They only have to pay the taxes. It looks like today’s bidding is going to be difficult."

"A fifty-percent tax means they can’t afford too high a price, and besides, the Hanfang Association is notoriously stingy," Yang Qi said with a smile. "Still, we can’t be underprepared. Let me think of something."

He immediately took out his phone. Tapping on Lin Qingxuan’s profile picture, he sent a short message: "Need to borrow some money!"

I really have no other choice. He only had about two billion himself, which likely wouldn’t be enough. The Qifei Group was still in its development phase and didn’t have much liquid capital, so his only option was to borrow from Lin Qingxuan. She’s my woman, after all. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed.

At that moment, the bidding began. Liao San explained the specifics of the ten lots and then announced, "The starting bid is one billion, and each raise must be no less than ten million!"

The starting price alone was enough to frighten off many people. One billion. In all of Jingnan Prefecture, how many people could produce such a sum?

Still, to create the semblance of a real auction, a number of shills began calling out bids. However, they only raised the price by ten million each time. After a long while of this, the price had only increased by a mere one hundred million. It was obvious they were all working for the Hanfang Association.

The few legitimate bidders who wanted to participate ultimately gave up. No one wanted to offend the Hanfang Association, which was currently at the peak of its power. Those who crossed them often ended up dead under mysterious circumstances.

In the past, I didn’t understand what was going on, but now I do. It’s all the work of the Heavenly Dog Society. When commercial tactics fail, they resort to despicable methods like assassinating their competition. Truly shameless.

Many people at the scene actually had the means to bid, but they abandoned the thought as soon as they saw Chen Mo was present. It wasn’t worth making an enemy of the Hanfang Association over some material possessions. To die without even knowing why would be a tragic fate.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, a proud smile spread across Chen Mo’s face. Very good. This is how it should be. When he felt the time was right, he raised his paddle. "The Hanfang Association bids 1.2 billion!"

Getting all ten treasures at this price would be an absolute steal. The four special treasures alone were worth more than 1.2 billion, to say nothing of the six national treasure-level cultural relics.

Seeing Chen Mo make his bid, the shills stopped their theatrics. Cameras from all the major media outlets swiveled to focus on him, likely assuming this was the final result. Chen Mo and Liao San exchanged a smile, both wearing the satisfied expression of a successful scheme.

Liao San chuckled. "One-point-two billion, going once! One-point-two billion, going twice!"

At this, Chen Mo’s smile grew even wider. Once this task is complete, I’ll save my own skin and secure my position. No one will be able to challenge me again.

But in the next moment, his smile froze on his face.

"One-point-three billion!" Lei Yingying’s voice rang out.

Instantly, everyone was stunned. Liao San was stunned. Chen Mo was stunned. Even the shills in the audience were baffled. What the hell? Isn’t she supposed to be a shill? Doesn’t she know when to quit while she’s ahead? Is she crazy, still bidding?

All eyes turned toward the back of the room. Yang Qi kept his head down, unnoticed, as everyone’s gaze fell upon Lei Yingying, who calmly removed her sunglasses to reveal her face.

Chen Mo was furious. Damn it, how did she get in? He had explicitly warned Liao San that while anyone could enter, the people from the Lei Mansion were to be barred. And yet, here was Lei Yingying.

Of course, he didn’t know that Yang Qi had knocked out a shill and snatched the entry ticket from his hand to help Lei Yingying get in. That shill was still sleeping soundly, perhaps never realizing he would make an outstanding contribution to protecting his country’s treasures.

"How did you get in?" Chen Mo blurted out instinctively.

"How strange. Is the Lei Mansion not allowed at this auction?" Lei Yingying replied with a smile.

Realizing his slip-up, Chen Mo clenched his teeth. "But I already bid 1.2 billion. You didn’t bid before. Why are you bidding now?"

"Am I not allowed?" Lei Yingying retorted. "The auctioneer hasn’t struck the gavel. It’s perfectly normal for me to bid, isn’t it?"

Chen Mo’s face turned grim. Things are spiraling out of control. This is trouble.

Lei Yingying turned to Liao San. "Auctioneer, what are you waiting for? If there are no other bids, the items are mine," she said with a smile. "Or could it be that this auction is a sham?"

"Ahem... one-point-three billion. Is there another bid?" Liao San asked awkwardly.

"One-point-four billion!" Chen Mo bit out through clenched teeth. He was forced to keep bidding. The higher the price, the more they would have to pay in taxes—a very troublesome prospect.

"One-point-five billion!" Lei Yingying called out, showing no sign of stopping. Yang Qi had told her to acquire the items no matter the cost. Money could be earned again, but if these treasures were lost, they would be gone forever.

"Damn it, 1.6 billion!" Chen Mo yelled, on the verge of going mad. She’s doing this on purpose, just to spite me!

"One-point-seven billion," Lei Yingying countered, her expression serene. She clearly had no intention of stopping.

"One-point-eight billion!" Chen Mo ground out. I have to complete this mission. Otherwise, I’m a dead man.

"Two billion!" Lei Yingying called out immediately.

This was every last cent Yang Qi possessed. They were betting it all, determined to see this through to the end.

The crowd watched, dumbfounded. What was the Lei Mansion thinking? Were they trying to force a showdown with the Hanfang Association? The two families had business dealings with each other. Weren’t they afraid of retaliation? Was it really worth it for some material possessions?