Chapter 216: I Do
Seeing the anticipation, the auctioneer smiled and said, "Since everyone is so eager, let's begin."
"The Heart of the Angel. The starting bid is ten million! Each increment must be no less than one million!"
"Let the bidding begin!"
"Fifteen million."
"Twenty million."
"Twenty-three million!"
The pink diamond's actual value was somewhere around fifty million.
The ones bidding now were the more average clients in the auction hall.
The truly wealthy always made their move at the very end.
Chuyue naturally liked the pink diamond too, but she didn't say anything.
Soon, the auction price had soared to sixty million.
At this price, more than half of the bidders had been eliminated.
Only a small portion remained, continuing to place bids.
Before, the price would jump ten million in just three bids.
Now, even after five bids, it couldn't break seventy million.
Finally, someone from a top-tier family spoke up. "Seventy million."
It was as if he had opened the floodgates; the others chimed in one after another.
"Eighty million."
A single bid adding ten million immediately discouraged the remaining ordinary buyers in the hall.
The battlefield that followed was no longer one they could participate in.
"One hundred million!"
"One hundred and ten million!"
Chuyue nervously squeezed Xiao Ye's hand. She was finally beginning to understand the concept of money just being a number.
For a pink diamond worth fifty million, they were already bidding up to one hundred and fifty million.
This was an amount of money most people couldn't earn in dozens of lifetimes, even if they never spent a dime.
Xiao Ye smiled and held Chuyue's hand, then calmly announced, "Two hundred million."
Chuyue's head snapped toward him. "You're bidding on it too?"
Xiao Ye didn't answer, instead looking at the others.
"Patriarch Xiao is truly impressive! Raising the bid by fifty million in one go. I concede."
"It seems Patriarch Xiao is trying to win a beauty's smile. Since that's the case, I should naturally step aside and let him."
Xiao Ye was the newly appointed Patriarch. This was his first public appearance, so if he was determined to win the pink diamond, he would surely see it through, no matter how high the final price soared.
This was no longer about money, but a matter of face for his debut.
'Why should we be the ones to make an enemy of him?'
'It's just a pink diamond. If we wait, another one will always come along.'
Besides, many of them were bidding on it for their wives or mistresses.
There was no need to offend the Xiao Family over a woman at a time like this.
Xiao Ye gave the crowd a slight nod, thanking them for withdrawing.
"Two hundred million, going once!"
"Two hundred million, going twice!"
"Sold!"
"Congratulations to Patriarch Xiao for his successful bid for our Heart of the Angel!"
The staff was very efficient, bringing the pink diamond over immediately without needing to handle the transaction backstage first.
With the Xiao Family's power on full display, there was no way they would lose face over two hundred million.
Xiao Ye took it and placed the pink diamond ring directly on Chuyue's hand.
"You... you bought this for me?" Chuyue covered her mouth in astonishment.
"Yes. I bid on it specifically for you. I wanted to give you a one-of-a-kind engagement gift."
Chuyue's eyes immediately reddened. She could feel how much Xiao Ye cherished her.
It wasn't just about the money, but also the sincerity behind it.
Xiao Ye was now the Patriarch of the Xiao Family. It was no exaggeration to say, what kind of woman couldn't he have if he wanted?
Many women would even throw themselves at him. Not to mention, Xiao Ye was so young he could easily form a marriage alliance with another Hidden Clan.
But not only did he not do that, he had brought Chuyue with him to two important events.
And now, he had placed this pink diamond on her hand.
This was a ring, and it carried a special meaning!
Xiao Ye looked at Chuyue's reddened eyes and declared in a clear voice, "Chuyue, marry me!"
The hall was silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous applause!
Chuyue was stunned for several seconds before she finally reacted. "I will!"
She threw herself into Xiao Ye's arms, so shy she wished she could bury her face completely.
Xiao Ye gave her an adoring kiss before announcing, "Everyone, our engagement ceremony will be held very soon."
"When the time comes, you are all welcome to attend."
"Don't you worry, Patriarch Xiao, we'll definitely be there!"
"Congratulations, Patriarch Xiao, on winning the fair lady's hand! May you grow old together!"
"Patriarch Xiao, congratulations!"
With his arm around Chuyue, Xiao Ye left the auction hall.
The moment they stepped outside, they were immediately swarmed by the media.
Chuyue shyly covered her face, but in doing so, she revealed the enormous "pigeon's egg" on her finger.
She didn't have it when she went in, but she did coming out. It was clearly the auctioned item, the Heart of the Angel!
Instantly, more media crews flocked over, snapping photos nonstop. The constant camera flashes made it seem like broad daylight.
The two got into the car, and Xiao Ye gave an address.
"Let's go. Next, I'll show you the second surprise."
The car drove for a full hour and a half before finally arriving at the other side of the Imperial City.
When they got out, all they saw was a very ordinary mountain road.
Xiao Ye took Chuyue's hand. "Come on, let's go up."
They walked halfway up the mountain, and the view suddenly opened up before them.
There, hidden in the mountain forest, was a manor. It wasn't huge, but it was nestled right against the mountain range behind it.
The air was fresh, and the scenery was magnificent.
The courtyard was filled with blooming flowers, swaying in the cold wind.
"It's so beautiful!" Chuyue stared at the scene in disbelief.
Outside, everything was so bleak that even the leaves had fallen from the trees.
But here, there was a field of flowers that seemed to stretch on endlessly!
It was a beauty that was also somewhat staggering.
"This is Banshan Villa, one of the Xiao Family's properties."
"My father, the true previous Patriarch of the Xiao Family, Xiao Ling, once gave this place to my mother as a wedding proposal gift."
"After my mother passed away, no one ever lived here again."
"Liu Loulan wanted to come, but she didn't dare."
"She had done too many things to feel guilty about, especially concerning Xiao Ling."
"So this place has always been managed and cleaned by a single housekeeper. The Xiao Family never comes here."
"In truth, for nearly twenty years, no true member of the Xiao Family had set foot here. Xiao Ye was the first."
"Chuyue, from now on, this place is yours."
"That's not to say I'm only giving you this one asset. Everything I have, you will have too."
"But I'm giving this to you specifically as a proposal gift. It holds extraordinary significance for me, and for the Xiao Family!"
Chuyue looked at the flowers covering the mountainside and knew this was by no means a small undertaking!
Xiao Ye had only just taken over the Xiao Family. To achieve something like this must have required an immense amount of manpower and resources.
'To think he would go to such lengths for me!'
Chuyue, wearing Xiao Ye's jacket, broke into a blissful smile.
At this moment, she finally understood Lin Aoshan's intentions.
'Grandpa really did have my best interests at heart. I was just too blind to see it before!'
Chuyue ran into the flowerbeds and looked back at Xiao Ye, her smile bright and radiant.
She opened her arms, enjoying the fragrance of the flowers. "Come on!"