As the head of the Lou Group, its largest shareholder, and president, she certainly had the capital to back her position.
She was approaching fifty, yet her appearance remained as youthful as a woman in her early twenties. Whether it was due to lavish spending or meticulous care, no one could tell.
Lou Mingxin didn’t know what was going through these men’s minds, but from their smiles and glances, it was clear that their thoughts were anything but decent.
However, having dominated the business world for two decades, she was long used to it.
Women in the public eye always had it harder than men—this was how she comforted herself.
Yet, at moments like this, a certain face always surfaced in her mind. Why was it that she was constantly scrutinized, while that woman was never belittled by these men? Why did they instead swear unwavering loyalty to her? Even after all these years, they still regarded her as the unattainable moon in the sky, the irreplaceable mark in their hearts.
“President Lou, this way to your private room.” A staff member approached, gesturing politely.
Following Christie Auction House’s standard protocol, each seat corresponded to a unique number, complete with a matching bidding paddle.
The more prestigious the guest, the closer their seat was to the front.
As for private rooms, only the most elite VIPs could enjoy such treatment. To date, the number of individuals worldwide who qualified for a private suite at a Christie auction could be counted on one hand.
Lou Mingxin happened to be one of them.
Amidst envious gazes, she and her young male secretary followed the staff member out.
A quiet murmur arose from the crowd—
“What’s she acting all high and mighty for? That private suite isn’t even hers—it just happens to bear the same Lou surname. A pheasant can never be a phoenix.”
“What do you mean? Isn’t that President Lou’s suite? Whose is it, then?”
“Of course, it belongs to the other President Lou… What a pity…”
“Pity? What do you mean?” The gossip-hungry onlookers pressed for more.
But the speaker simply shook her head and sighed.
The woman had been dead for twenty years—what was the point of bringing her up?
She swirled the wine in her glass and walked away, lost in thought.
Beyond the private suites, the auction hall also had seating areas.
In the dead center of the first row sat Hu Taiming, chairman of Qingjiang Group—one of China’s top five retailers—accompanied by his youngest daughter.
The father and daughter whispered to each other.
“Daddy, is our seat the best one?” The little girl beamed. “My English teacher says this is the ‘center’—the C-spot!”
Hu Taiming chuckled, tapping her nose affectionately. “Aren’t you clever! You even know English now!” But then, his tone shifted. “This is a good seat, but it’s not the best.”
“Then where’s the best?” As expected, children always had endless questions.
Hu Taiming glanced toward the second floor. “See those lit-up private rooms up there? That’s where the real VIPs sit.”
“One, two, three… There are three rooms with lights on! Which one is the best-best-best one?”
Hu Taiming was startled. He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he counted—
Three rooms were lit up?!
As a frequent attendee of Christie’s auctions, he might not make it to every single one, but he never missed the major events. Yet, this was the first time he’d seen more than one private suite in use—let alone three!
What kind of storm had blown in three such esteemed figures?
And how had there been no prior whispers about it?
This auction’s item must be something truly extraordinary.
“Daddy! Daddy! You haven’t answered my question! Which of the three rooms is the best?”
Hu Taiming hesitated before replying, “The one that bids the most and spends the most money, of course…”
Before the auction officially began, the suite-lighting ceremony took place.
“Daddy, what’s a lighting ceremony?”
“Mm… Something like this!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a red lantern lit up in the suite on the left. The host’s voice rang through the hall—
“Red Lantern: Lou Group!”
No one was surprised. After all, Lou Mingxin had always been a frequent patron of Curtie’s private suites.
What truly piqued everyone’s curiosity were the remaining two—
“Purple Lantern: Yufeng Group!”
“Orange Lantern: Dr. X!”
A collective gasp filled the hall.
People stared at each other in shock, eyes widening in disbelief.
“This… This… How is this possible?!”
“Both of them showed up?”
“Hasn’t Yufeng Group been silent for years? Why did they suddenly reappear? Like a ghost returning from the grave…”
“My guess? They’ve been operating in the shadows all these years and are just now stepping into the light.”
“Forget Yufeng Group! Did no one hear? The orange lantern is Dr. X!”
“Who? I’ve never heard of them. What kind of company is this?”
“Exactly! Every other name here represents a corporation or a family, and then out of nowhere—some random ‘doctor’?”
“You people are so narrow-minded! Stuck thinking only about businesses and money. Think bigger—think national level!”
“Huh? National level? What do you mean?”
“Dr. X is China’s top strategic advisor! The highest-ranking government think tank leader!”
“Hiss— Are you serious? I’ve never even heard of him…”
“The government always keeps a low profile. If Dr. X is here, then whatever Christie is auctioning tonight must be incredibly significant…”
The auction hall buzzed with speculation.
But the private suites weren’t exactly calm either.
Upon hearing the name “Yufeng Group,” Lou Mingxin’s brow twitched. Then, at the mention of “Dr. X,” her frown deepened.
“Quite the turnout tonight.”
She was usually the only one occupying a private suite. But now, there were three, each with a formidable reputation.
Her secretary placed his hands on her shoulders and began a gentle massage, his voice soothing. “President Lou, is there something you want from today’s auction? I can bid for you.”
Lou Mingxin relaxed under his touch, her brows softening. “Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The secretary smiled attentively. “It’s no trouble at all.”
….
In the purple-lit suite—
Jiang Fuyue, disguised as a man with a mask, sipped her tea but put it down after just one taste.
Dressed in black with her long hair tied into a high ponytail, Liu Sisi noticed her reaction and asked, “Too hot?”
Jiang Fuyue replied, “It’s stale. I’d rather drink plain water.”
Liu Sisi, unfamiliar with tea, simply said, “Oh. Want to try some pastries?” She held out a tray.
Jiang Fuyue took a piece, tasted it, and nodded. “Not bad. Try one.”
Liu Sisi hesitated before taking a bite. “A bit too sweet.”
“Better sweet than bitter.”
“Fair enough.”
….
In the orange-lit suite—
Unlike Jiang Fuyue’s relaxed atmosphere, tension ran high.
A man sat at the round table, his silver mask concealing most of his face. On either side of him sat a male and a female colleague.
“X, are you sure the item will be auctioned tonight?” The male colleague asked nervously.
“We received reliable intel. You do know what ‘reliable’ means, right?” The female colleague rolled her eyes.
“I’m just worried! What if it’s another wild goose chase like last time?”
At that moment, the masked man finally spoke—
“It won’t be.”
His voice was deep, magnetic, yet distant enough to make others hesitant to approach.
The two fell silent.
The female colleague sneaked a glance at him, but all she saw was an indifferent profile—cold as frost, distant as snow.
Her eyes dimmed.
After all, he was the legendary Dr. X. How could he possibly look at her?
At that moment, noise drifted up from downstairs—
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Christie Auction House, Yunxia Auction Hall! We are truly grateful for the presence of all our esteemed guests today. We hope you arrive with excitement and leave with satisfaction!”
The host launched into a grand, flowing speech, and the guests inside the hall responded graciously with applause.
“As you can see, the lights are on in all three VIP rooms on the second floor. Christie is deeply honored by the arrival of our distinguished guests!”
“Without further ado, I now declare the 1,682nd Platinum Auction of Christie—offi-cially—begun!”
A dramatic symphonic score suddenly began to play, swelling with rising tension. Five seconds later, it cut off abruptly. The entire venue went dark, save for one lone spotlight illuminating the auction platform, casting warmth and light.
“Now, let us welcome our first auction item—”
The host’s voice echoed through every corner of the hall via the microphone, reaching the ears of every attendee.
A young woman in a floor-length cheongsam, her hair elegantly styled in a traditional bun, walked forward slowly with a tray in hand. She stopped at the center of the stage, standing poised and graceful, her eyes straight ahead, her smile forming a perfect arc.
Everyone’s attention shifted to the tray she held. But from that distance, the item was too small and indistinct to be seen clearly.
At that moment, the 3D projector mounted on the ceiling activated, zooming in on the object in the tray, automatically breaking it down into components and details, and finally projecting all of it in high resolution onto the large LCD screen at the back of the hall…
