CHAPTER 128: CHAPTER 19: UNVEILING BRILLIANCE (PART 2)

Chang Chi glanced at the auction item list, and foreseeing another round according to the price, it would soon be Su Ziceng’s dress’s turn, the dress with a starting price of one hundred and fifty thousand. Suddenly, an auction house employee rushed in, "The dress is missing?"

"!!" Chang Chi immediately turned to Chang Mei with a pleading look. Chang Mei scanned the room and noticed Zhou Dagen had joined the crowd, yet Su Ziceng was still nowhere to be found.

The third auction item had been sold for one hundred and fifty thousand, and the western wall clock that had been moved aside was ticking "tick-tock." Chang Chi wiped the sweat from his forehead and murmured, "The auction list has already been distributed, changing the order now would probably not be appropriate."

"Just proceed as planned, even if we lose face, it will be Su Ziceng who’s shooting himself in the foot. Besides, your godfather is watching from below, what’s there to fear," Chang Mei replied with experienced ease, gesturing for Chang Chi to notify the auctioneer to announce the next item.

"The fourth exhibit is the brainchild of the mysterious master designer New," the temporary auctioneer, having gone through the previous three lots and seeing the lukewarm interest of the guests below, was somewhat dispirited until he saw the name New, which revived his spirits.

An employee brought the auction item out. Everyone’s eyes turned to the stage to see a gorgeously framed dress box, yet aside from the box itself, there was nothing inside.

There was a momentary buzz of discussion in the room, which then quieted down. The dress had finally appeared. The dress was still there, but instead of lying starched and motionless in the dress box, it was vividly worn on Su Ziceng’s body.

The red dress, under the soft lighting, glittered attractively. The chill of winter vanished against the backdrop of roses. "Angel’s Short Wings" captivated everyone’s breath and gaze, transporting them into a summery sea of flowers.

"Start the bidding." Su Ziceng walked next to the auctioneer, nodded her head, then reminded him with a prompt.

"Including the person?" Qiu Zhi from the front row unwittingly asked, evoking several stern glares from the first row. He quickly shrank back into his seat, not daring to make another sound—he did not come today to be a live target.

"The lady is wearing the unique design by New, the starting price for this dress is one hundred fifty thousand, of course, this price does not include..." the auctioneer, holding the gavel, exaggeratedly gestured, "this beautiful lady."

"Two hundred thousand," Su Qingzhang was the first to raise his board.

Hang Yishao hesitated for a moment, then offered, "Two hundred and fifty thousand!"

Qiu Zhi looked at Su Ziceng on the stage and pondered over his own savings, then clenched his teeth and bid, "Three hundred thousand."

Su Ziceng, dressed in the gown, remained unmoved. She quietly stood beside the auctioneer, giving a nod towards a corner of the room.

All the lights in the auction house dimmed, presenting the stunning spectacle of the phosphorescent evening gown once more before the audience.

Gasps rang out one after another in the room, especially among the female guests who began whispering excitedly to each other.

The bright red hues highlighted Su Ziceng’s even more delicate and pretty face, and with the increasingly evident smile at the corner of her mouth, Su Ziceng at this moment resembled a barrel of aged fine wine, intoxicating the hearts of onlookers without a single sip.

"Fifty thousand," Su Qingzhang had never seen a dress that could make his daughter stand out so much. A sense of pride welled up in his heart—his daughter was priceless.

Chang Chi’s gaze, however, fell upon Hang Yishao. Hang Yishao’s eyes were fixated on the auction platform, his hand gripped the chair, and his body involuntarily leaned forward.

"The person who wins this dress will also gain an extra bottle of ’Royal Salute 50’," Su Ziceng’s sudden interjection surprised both the auctioneer and Chang’s mother and daughter.

Originally, this bottle of alcohol was going to be auctioned off together with the "Black Spade K" series that came after, and no one knew why Su Ziceng suddenly changed her mind, deciding to pair the fine wine with the luxurious dress.

"Good, let us thank this lady for her generous donation," the auctioneer, faced with the successive changes, got excited as well, "I believe that the gentleman who wins this dress, when presenting it to his beloved woman, will be even more inclined to enjoy a drink under the moonlight with her. A beautiful woman, fine wine, and a lovely scene truly make for one of life’s greatest pleasures."

"One million!" The auctioneer and everyone in the hall turned to the first row. No one expected that just as the talk of beauty and wine concluded, another beauty in the crowd couldn’t hold back any longer.

Wen Maixue revealed a faint smile. She calmly accepted the gazes coming from all around, although in her heart, she was not the slightest bit willing. A dress worn by Su Ziceng, and that bottle... the wine taken from the Wen family, she had to buy them back.

Wen Maixue’s voice was soft as a feather, making the few gentlemen in the audience too embarrassed to raise their paddles.

Su Ziceng also felt somewhat uncomfortable. She didn’t believe that Wen Maixue had much interest in a dress she had worn. As for the idea of selling the bottle of wine with the dress, it was Zhou Dagen who came up with it at the last moment.

"When I drink, if there are women present, I tend to drink a lot. Paying for it also feels very gratifying," Zhou Dagen tutored Su Ziceng, "When you stand on that stage, you have to impress every man there, be they strangers or acquaintances. That’ll send the price soaring."

The price did soar, but the buyer was a bit unsatisfactory.

"This lady bids one million, is there a higher bid?" the auctioneer’s passionate voice echoed throughout the hall. After circling once, no one responded with a higher price.

"One million for the second time, one million for the third time," seeing no one responding, the auctioneer’s pace picked up like rapid gunfire, striking decisively with his gavel.

Wen Maixue, who had won the liquor and the dress, did not have much joy but simply stood up and thanked everyone in the hall.

"Damn Su Ziceng, causing her to spend an extra several hundred thousand for no reason." Wen Maixue came with the intention of winning at all costs, but only for that bottle of liquor. As for the dress "entrusted" to her, she had originally intended to ignore it.

"The fifth item on display is..." The auctioneer, having learned a lesson, looked at Su Ziceng beside him, whose eyes were now curved into a smile.

"Still pairing fine wine with beauty," Su Ziceng gestured towards the back of the stage, where a figure in pure white slowly walked out. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)