CHAPTER 291: CHAPTER 90: A BATTLE WITH NO RETREAT

(It’s the start of the month, and I need to scrounge for some fan tickets to boost my confidence, I’m not stagnant water, I bubble up occasionally.)

Upon hearing this half-serious, half-joking "father-in-law," Su Qingzhang paused for a moment, taking a fresh look at Hang Yishao. In his eyes, Su Qingzhang saw earnestness. For someone of Hang Yishao’s age, such seriousness was rare and precious.

The Hang Family is certainly cunning and crafty. If it were the old days, once Su Ziceng married Hang Yishao, her marrying into their family would have meant the Su Family’s entirety falling into the Hang Family’s hands.

But back then, Hang Yishao didn’t seem to take particular interest in Su Ziceng. However, now the Su Family is about to welcome a new heir, and Su Ziceng is no longer the "Su Family’s only daughter" eligible to inherit the entirety of the Su Family’s fortune. Hang Yishao has become serious instead.

This time, disguised as a "project investment," negotiations that were essentially a marriage proposal took Su Qingzhang by surprise, but he quickly regained his composure as a businessman and laughed heartily, "A fine son-in-law."

Hang Yishao laughed along as well, and Su Qingzhang reached out his hand, both hands gripping each other tightly.

In the face of corporate interests, Su Ziceng’s happiness seemed insignificant. Su Ziceng had no idea that at the very top of "Shengshi Huasha," her life trajectory, which she had intended to derail, was being pulled back on track.

A year has passed, and seeing Yan Wuxu again, she had grown thinner, and her stomach was now quite sizable; judging by its size, she must have been four or five months into the pregnancy.

Sitting in Yan Wuxu’s room, Su Ziceng pinched her arm, bones were visible, and looking at her chin, it had become sharper too.

"What happened? I thought your aunt would fatten you up and send you back; how come you look more skeletal," Su Ziceng said half-jokingly and half enviously, she had gained a couple of pounds indulging her appetites in Bianjing City. Yan Wuxu, on the other hand, was strange, being pregnant but not gaining weight.

Yan Wuxu coughed, lowering her head guiltily, "Lately I just can’t seem to keep anything down, I throw up whatever I eat." She hadn’t been staying at Mrs. Yan’s place. After Deng Jiani and Hang Yishao broke up, the apartment that had been rented was left vacant, and Fei Qing had talked Hang Yishao into giving up the keys, the two of them spent most of their time cooped up there. The cigarettes Fei Qing had encouraged her to try before had been hard to set down; she couldn’t help but take a few drags every day, and as the days passed, her appetite suffered even more.

"Have you seen a doctor?" Su Ziceng suggested, she had heard that pregnant women could experience morning sickness, but theoretically, after four or five months, the symptoms should be nearing an end.

"No need. I don’t have any particular discomfort," Yan Wuxu dodged the suggestion, "Let’s talk about you, how have things been in Bianjing City?"

"There’s finally some progress," Su Ziceng blinked, not revealing too much, "You’ll know next Saturday evening."

"Next Saturday evening," Yan Wuxu was startled by Su Ziceng. What was this all about? According to Su Ziceng and Chang Chi’s previous arrangement, the auction was supposed to take place during the daytime from Monday to Friday. Even though Yan Wuxu wasn’t familiar with industry practices, she knew that auctions were usually scheduled during the day, including weekend days. Initially, Su Ziceng hadn’t fought for the prime time slot, and now she had set the time in the evening, which seemed far too capricious.

"Yes, in the evening, I’ve named this event the ’Night Auction,’" Su Ziceng couldn’t help but spit it out. Seeing that Yan Wuxu was still incredulous, she stood up.

"Imagine the various crowds, some in casual attire, some in formal dress, each in different halls. All the while they admire the art collection, sip wine, and discuss teas, they’ll view the various auction items," Su Ziceng tried to recreate the scene as much as she could.

After attending the Subi Auction House event presided over by Chang Chi, Su Ziceng had such an idea. Why must auctions mandate formal attire for participation, why must there be only one auctioneer, why must the auction items remain shrouded in mystery? The auction she was planning would be waves of ongoing bidding, without any order of precedence, professional analysis adding to the appeal of this "Night Auction."

"I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, but it sounds quite attractive," Yan Wuxu imagined. That day, which was the first auction of Subi, as she stood with a glass of drink on the much-attended auction stage, she still remembered the feeling. Back then, Su Qingzhang treated her as if she was the world’s treasure. But now, even though she has become thin to the point of being unrecognizable as pregnant, Su Qingzhang didn’t seem to care much. In his heart, was there only the deceased Ye Taina?