"That Li family has really fallen from grace, actually wanting to cooperate with your family," Qin Zhou said briefly before pulling Wen Yunyi away. This time, Wen Yunyi didn't forget to take Wen Cheng with him, grabbing her sleeve and dragging her forward.
Wen Cheng didn't quite understand why this handsome young couple needed to bring along such a high-wattage third wheel like her. To avoid being the only one feeling awkward, Wen Cheng quickly pulled Shen Feimo along, turning what was supposed to be a beautiful scene into a human Thomas the Tank Engine-like mess.
Why do I feel inexplicably envious of this kind of family?
“Hey, hey, that’s enough, Cha Cha. Just leave us here. This outdoor restaurant looks pretty nice,” Wen Cheng forcefully interrupted the spellcasting.
Wen Yunyi released his grip. He was getting more and more used to Wen Cheng calling him Chacha. Of course, the reason he wasn't angry at all today was because his past embarrassing experiences had caused trouble for Wen Cheng, and he felt guilty.
“That one just now,” Wen Yunyi said, tugging at his clothes.
"A sack, right? Ask the old man who collects junk; he has tons of them. I'll pick out an extra-large one for you!" Wen Cheng's serious expression completely put Wen Yunyi at ease.
Especially that "brother," Wen Yunyi knew he hadn't taken it to heart.
Qin Zhou's opinion of Wen Cheng had also changed drastically. She treated Xiao Yi very well, and to him, everyone was a friend.
"He just managed to secure a partnership with the Li family overseas, and he got a little carried away," Qin Zhou revealed the truth.
Wen Cheng nodded. He didn't know much about this kind of cooperation between powerful families until Wen Yunyi asked, "Is it the Li family?"
Hmm? Which Li family?
The world that only Wen Cheng didn't know about was achieved.
Qin Zhou continued, "Yes, it is. Wen's biological mother's family is in the gold industry. They made their fortune from a gold mine, and the previous generation moved abroad."
Wen Cheng, who had been listless, was suddenly jolted awake. Indeed, there was no explanation of Qi Ge's family in the book. When Wen Cheng came to this world, the world seemed to gradually become complete.
"Why haven't I heard Brother Qi mention it?" It's surprising that no one from such a powerful family as Liu Liangpeng has ever mentioned his relationship with Brother Qi, not even Brother Qi himself.
Wen Yunyi frowned. His parents hadn't explained the ins and outs of this to him in detail. "My older brother has never met the Li family, and the Li family has never sent anyone to see him. Mom and Dad haven't mentioned this matter either, so I don't really know what's going on."
Although Wen Cheng had no clue what to do, she began to feel inexplicably uneasy.
It wasn't until Qin Zhou said, "The Li family is old-fashioned and uncultured. In our circle, we only know their names, not their faces. My father said that the current head of the Li family is President Wen's maternal grandmother, a decisive and efficient old lady, not someone to be trifled with. She was the most opposed to President Wen's biological mother coming to China to develop her career. Apparently, it was because of this that President Wen's mother completely severed ties with the Li family, allowing her to live and develop her career in China. Anyway, she's not a kind person,"
"Then, when your uncle and aunt passed away, no one from the Li family came to visit?"
Qin Zhou shook his head, "It wasn't in my dad's description."
Wen Cheng felt a sharp pain in her heart. She thought of Wen Qi, who was only seven or eight years old. When he needed his family the most, his blood relatives chose to abandon him. If the Wen couple hadn't taken him in, would he have had a hard life? Would he have been sent to an orphanage like him? With Qi's personality, he probably wouldn't have made many friends in the orphanage. Wen Cheng suddenly felt very emotional.
This was also the first time Wen Yunyi had heard of this matter.
The two of them fell silent, like wilted mushrooms.
Finally, one of the two little mushrooms was taken away by her boyfriend, and the other was taken to a restaurant by her best friend to have a big seafood feast before she recovered.
The auction was scheduled to begin tonight. Wen Cheng had sent a message to Wen Qi in the afternoon but had not received a reply by evening. Five minutes before the auction started, Wen Cheng received a transoceanic call, but it wasn't from Wen Qi; it was from Yao Xingwei.
"Hey bro, the initial version of our investment project is finished. You're a professional, do you have some free time these next couple of days to go take a look?"
Since Wen Cheng was home and on holiday these past few days, she decided to keep a close eye on the projects she had invested in.
"Okay, sure."
After agreeing, Wen Cheng turned off her phone and followed the excited Shen Feimo into the auction hall.
The auction was divided into two floors, and the seating arrangement was quite particular. There were six rooms on the second floor, four belonging to established families and two to newly emerging families. The Wen family was one of them. Wen Yunyi was originally going to come up as well, but since he was representing his company, he sat in the second row on the first floor, which was a very good spot.
Wen Cheng and Shen Feimo sat in a small private room. In front of them was a circular railing, and a waiter in a tuxedo stood beside them to introduce the items to be auctioned. In front of Wen Cheng was an exquisite booklet listing the items to be auctioned that day.
Wen Cheng glanced around listlessly, then inadvertently caught sight of the person sitting opposite her, Liu Liangpeng.
"Whose house is that across the street?" Wen Cheng asked the waiter, looking up at him.
The waiter bowed very politely and replied, "They are people sent by the Li family."
Author's Note:
Good night~
Chapter 140 Evil Intentions
Wen Cheng frowned. It concerned the Li family; even if the person sitting opposite him was that bastard Liu Liangpeng, it was enough to warrant his attention.
He found it strange that such a large family as the Li family, with such a significant collaboration, would even allow Liu Liangpeng to attend an event like this. No wonder Liu Liangpeng acted so arrogantly today.
A wicked thought gradually formed in Wen Cheng's eyes.
"Chengcheng, how's the air up there?" Gu Yuning came in from outside just before the auction was about to begin. Today she was wearing a floor-length dress with white lace embellishing the hem, and her long black hair was styled into a beautiful bun.
“It makes no difference to me,” Wen Cheng said honestly, lazily tracing the rim of her wine glass with her index finger.
Upon seeing this, the waiter immediately poured Gu Yuning a glass of freshly decanted red wine, demonstrating his excellent professional skills.
Gu Yuning sat opposite Wen Cheng, greeted Shen Feimo, and then discussed the events of the day: "I just got the news. What did you guys do in the main hall? You seem to have really angered Liu Liangpeng."
"He's the one who has no sense of propriety!" Shen Fei spat, and with his strong desire to express himself, he quickly and clearly explained the matter.
"Damn, he actually managed to curry favor with the Li family?!" Gu Yuning found it utterly unbelievable.
Wen Cheng became interested. "Is the Li family very powerful?"
Gu Yuning nodded seriously, "The Li family can be considered a truly profound family. Although my family started to prosper in my grandfather's generation, it is still not as powerful as the Li family. Their roots have already spread hundreds of meters underground, and now almost no one can shake them. In addition, their previous generation went abroad, and they can develop even more recklessly overseas. In short, the Li family is now the big BOSS in the game, and no one can touch them."
Gu Yuning's description made Wen Cheng's wicked thoughts stop.
"Then, what's the meaning of that guy sitting there?" Wen Cheng pointed to a spot not far away.
Gu Yuning looked over, then her expression froze: "...Is the head of the Li family blind?"
"Sister Yu Ning, in your opinion, what is the Li family trying to do?" Wen Cheng really knew very little about the affairs of these wealthy families, but fortunately Gu Yu Ning came along.
Gu Yuning stroked her chin. "Well, either the Li family has gone mad, or they can't conveniently step forward themselves and want to find a buyer to purchase what they want."
That's right!
Wen Cheng pulled out her phone account, which currently had 40 million yuan. The majority of the money came from the red envelopes she received on her birthday, followed by occasional donations from Brother Qi, and her monthly living expenses.
I wonder if this money can hold off Liu Liangpeng.
"Sister Yu Ning, how much money do you have in your account right now?" Wen Cheng leaned closer, her round eyes eliciting a wave of affection from Gu Yu Ning, who reached out and tapped Wen Cheng's full forehead with her finger.
"What, want to try it out? I didn't expect you to be interested in this~" Gu Yuning teased.
"I wanted to scare Liu Liangpeng, he just cursed me so horribly~" Wen Cheng unconsciously used a coquettish tone.
Shen Feimo glanced sideways: ? ? ? Didn't you just curse back, and your words were definitely not elegant!
"What?" Gu Yuning, protective of her brother, scooped Wen Cheng into her arms. The girl's unique fragrance made Wen Cheng feel the tenderness of a family member, and he had no other thoughts. It seems that he really is gay.
"It's alright, I still have 60 million here, go ahead and spend it!" Gu Yuning waved her hand domineeringly, causing her two little admirers to clap wildly!
The area downstairs gradually quieted down, and the auctioneer, dressed in a suit, walked onto the stage. He was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, slightly overweight, but with a steady presence that immediately gave the impression that he was a professional.
The items auctioned on Zhuiyue are incredibly diverse. Five percent of the auctioned items are donated to charity. While the percentage may seem small, the actual revenue generated is enough to support several organizations for over a year.
The first item up for auction was a crackle-glazed porcelain piece from the previous dynasty. This was just a small appetizer, and the bidders were mostly businessmen in the back row downstairs, who just wanted to make their names known beforehand. In the end, this piece of porcelain was sold for 1.3 million cups. Although it didn't cause a big splash, it did warm up the room and gradually aroused everyone's interest.
The second item was a rare, discontinued perfume from the last century. Many of the young ladies present were clearly more interested in this collectible perfume than the previous one, and the number of bidders gradually increased.
Seeing the interest gleaming in Gu Yuning's eyes, Wen Cheng asked, "Sister Yuning, are you interested?"
"I have a bottle at home that's worth more than this,"
...He asked too many questions.
"I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg; the big orders are coming soon!" Gu Yuning's eyes sparkled with the unique gleam of a woman shopping, only the price she paid for her shopping was far greater than that of the average person.
Wen Cheng glanced at her phone again during this break. She hadn't expected anything, but then she saw a pop-up message.
Wen Qi: [Sorry, Chengcheng, I just woke up. How are things going on your end?]
Author's Note:
Good night~
Chapter 141 Competition
Wen Cheng's eyes lit up.
[Attending the auction in place of my parents, I'm exhausted.]
Wen Chengcheng becomes very honest at times like this.
[Take pictures of whatever you like.]
Can I not take any photos?
Wen Qi paused in typing, a rare faint smile appearing on his lips, which surprised Secretary Zhao. It had been several days since they left, and this was the first time she had seen President Wen smile. Her tense heart instantly felt a brief moment of relief. "Chengcheng, well done!"
【Yes, that's fine. I've already made the donations for the charity project in advance. Whether the Wen family participates or not is just a formality.】
Wen Cheng's feet dangled in the air, drawing circles several times before finally landing.
Then Wen Cheng asked the question that concerned her most: "Brother Qi, can you come back before your birthday?"
Wen Qi's breath hitched. He could almost picture the child looking at him expectantly. An impulse surged within him; if it weren't for the raft of reason clinging to him, he would have been completely overwhelmed.
"President Wen, it's almost time," Zhao Si reminded him from the side.
Wen Qi hummed in response, a layer of icy coldness settling over him. He hastily sent a single message and then put his phone away.
Wen Cheng waited quite a while before receiving a message from Wen Qi: Chengcheng, I'm sorry, but don't have too much hope for this.
Actually, Wen Qi hadn't finished speaking. He still had next year's birthday, and the year after that. If he lived long enough, he could even spend forty or fifty more birthdays with Wen Cheng.
Unfortunately, Wen Cheng only sees the present moment.
"Sigh," Wen Cheng sighed, putting down her phone.
"Chengcheng, what's wrong?" Shen Feimo, who never forgot to freeload even after arriving here, asked.
Wen Cheng shook his head. After all, how could a single person understand his pain of not being able to celebrate his partner's birthday?
As the auction progressed to its halfway point, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, with each item becoming rarer and more precious, including some rather bizarre and unusual items. Despite this, prices remained stubbornly high. Throughout this, Wen Cheng secretly observed Liu Liangpeng's reaction across from her.
It wasn't until Liu Liangpeng's reaction to a gold-inlaid jade bracelet made in the last century that Wen Cheng was certain, and she gave the waiter a look signaling that they could prepare to bid.