My Perfect Female CEO

After countless calls and anticipation, it finally appeared.

The Ancient Painting containing the map fragment appeared on the stage, and in the private boxes the various tycoons cast more than a little interest its way. In terms of brushwork and the patina of history, this Ancient Painting could be considered a fine treasure; coupled with the fact that it was from a famous master’s hand, it made the painting stand out even more.

However, the Ancient Painting, like the other lots, still had a specific valuation.

Falling into the hands of these rich men, the Ancient Painting was nothing more than a hobby, or a collectible, or perhaps a status symbol for them to flaunt.

The wealthy bidders present at the auction weren’t particularly anxious, nor did they treat the appearance of this Ancient Painting as some all‑eyes-on-me moment.

Because in their eyes, this Ancient Painting wasn’t some peerless treasure; it was just a valuable item, nothing more.

But for people like Nagano Yoko and Charles, who had their own special agenda, this Ancient Painting was literally worth a king’s ransom.

Judged purely by market value, the Ancient Painting wasn’t even on par with most of the other lots in the auction hall. Its uniqueness lay elsewhere—what Nagano Yoko and the others hungrily sought was the map fragment hidden within.

"It’s here, it finally arrived." Nagano Yoko and Charles exchanged a look, their expressions suddenly tightening with tension.

Hose and Ying Zi were also visibly excited, their burning gazes locked onto the stage, staring fixedly at the Ancient Painting.

In an instant, their emotions swung wildly, and countless thoughts surged up from the depths of their hearts.

How could they not be nervous?

All this time, everything had been for the sake of getting this Ancient Painting, and so many accidents had happened along the way, with such heavy losses.

Now that the Ancient Painting had finally appeared before their eyes, the excitement and exhilaration in their hearts were beyond words.

They had fought in the shadows so many times without obtaining what they had been scheming for night and day. Now, at last, was an open, aboveboard chance to get the Ancient Painting. If they missed it, they might never again find an opportunity this perfect.

It was no exaggeration to say that if they lost this chance to obtain the Ancient Painting, Nagano Yoko and Charles had no idea whether they would ever find another moment to seize it; what could be predicted was that it would be almost impossible.

As long as they got their hands on the Ancient Painting on stage, then even if Ye Fan still held the map fragment he had snatched from West Gu Xiu, it would all be for nothing. The success before them, for Nagano Yoko and the others, symbolized an overwhelming victory.

Therefore, this Ancient Painting was of paramount importance.

"We must get it; we absolutely cannot miss it." Nagano Yoko and Charles thought in unison.

Ma De and the others could only look on with burning envy. Staring at the eye‑catching Ancient Painting on stage, no matter how much greed they felt, they couldn’t actually do anything. They were poor, their pockets embarrassingly empty, and they didn’t dare compete by shouting bids against these big shots in the hall.

In the past, they had fought and killed just to obtain a map fragment.

Back then, their greed had already been intense.

Now they could only watch helplessly as something containing an earth‑shattering fortune sat right in front of them, while they remained powerless.

That sense of defeat made them feel a deep shame and dejection.

On stage, after a few polite words, the auctioneer finally introduced, "I won’t go on at length about the details of this Ancient Painting. I believe all of you already know more or less. What I want to emphasize is that this Ancient Painting is incomplete. Yes, you heard me, it has a defect. Only friends who are interested should participate in the bidding. Whether the final price is high or low, as long as you feel it’s worth the money, that’s all that matters."

"The starting price is one million. Each raise must be no less than ten thousand. Now we begin the first round of bidding." The auctioneer’s voice rang out.

"One million? That’s a bit too low. On its artistic value alone, the Ancient Painting is worth more than that." Charles frowned.

"When the auction house says the Ancient Painting is incomplete, what exactly do they mean? What part is missing?" Nagano Yoko also frowned.

The two of them really couldn’t figure out the stakes behind this and were unusually perplexed.

"Could this be a setup?" Hose speculated.

"What makes you say that?" Charles asked, his eyes flashing.

"Here’s what I’m thinking: what if Ye Fan really is in collusion with the auction house? They deliberately claim the Ancient Painting has a defect to drive down the bidding price. After all, if this Ancient Painting were auctioned purely on its merits, it would be terrifying—who knows how sky‑high the final price would go." Hose said calmly, "The auction house making such a big show of this—doesn’t that suggest they don’t want too many people getting involved in the bidding, so that Ye Fan and Mengyao can win the Ancient Painting more easily?"

Ying Zi said gravely, "Looked at that way, it’s not without logic. After all, the major backer behind the auction house is Lu Binwang, and the owner of the Ancient Painting is Qi Haomin. With those two, no strange development would be surprising. The auction house side wanting to earn a bit less is perfectly reasonable; nothing unexpected about that."

"So Ye Fan and the others really might be in collusion with the auction house?" Charles said, angered.

The line of thought they were following was something anyone would naturally arrive at.

"There might be another possibility: maybe the Ancient Painting really does have a problem—what’s missing is the very thing we need." Nagano Yoko said, "If that’s the case, then even if we bid successfully and get it, we’d have no face to go and make trouble with the auction house afterwards. They’ve already made a point of saying it clearly. Even if it’s ambiguous and not fully explained, it still lets them shrug off a lot of responsibility."

"If that’s really how it is, then Ye Fan and Mengyao’s schemes are a bit too vicious, aren’t they?" Ying Zi said angrily.

"So what should we do?" Hose asked anxiously.

"We adapt as we go and take things as they come," Charles said. "Let’s first watch how the bidding price for the Ancient Painting fluctuates. From that, we can tell whether it really is missing something, or whether they just want us to think it is."

"That’s a very hard line to walk," Ying Zi said without hesitation.

It really was a problem; one misstep and everything they’d built could collapse. How could they not be worried?

If the supposed defect in the Ancient Painting was fake and they let it slip by, they would regret it endlessly.

If the defect was real, then they naturally had to tread carefully.

No matter how they looked at it, the problem had become very complicated.

"Ye Fan and Mengyao have handed us a tough question," Charles said bitterly. "The ones setting the exam want to disrupt our mindset, overwhelm us, and make us lose our composure."

"If that’s their thinking, then they’re underestimating us," Nagano Yoko snorted.

"Three rounds of bidding. From how the offers come in, we’ll be able to see how high Ye Fan and Mengyao are willing to go. We’ll just wait and watch," Charles said.

Given the current situation, they could only take things one step at a time.

The pressure forcing them forward was no longer something they could control.

Driven by the lure of the Ancient Painting, they were all hanging on by sheer will.