My Perfect Female CEO

As the host’s voice fell, the second round of bidding began, with a heated clash and fierce collision unfolding in the shadows.

Although none of them knew how much the others had bid, it was precisely this hazy contest that made everyone’s blood surge uncontrollably.

Whether their bids were high or low would all depend on how this round turned out; no one could stay calm.

"After that five hundred million sky‑high price, what kind of astronomical figure will appear next?" The host was far from calm as he thought.

"What kind of struggle and competition will this mysterious Ancient Painting face now?"

"I’m really curious—just what kind of secret is hidden inside this mysterious Ancient Painting?"

"If we could catch a glimpse of the mystery within the Ancient Painting, it’d be a stroke of fortune—only a pity this wish can’t be realized."

The rich men discussed like this, itching with curiosity. In their eyes, the Ancient Painting was no longer some "shabby painting," but a mysterious piece harboring unknown secrets. This air of mystery truly fascinated them.

But no matter how strong their interest, there was one thing that couldn’t be changed: they had no way of learning the secrets of the Ancient Painting.

In the box where the three members of the Black Cat Team were, the two subordinates held tight control of the bidding device, leaving Ma De out in the cold.

Ma De’s five hundred million bid had really scared the hell out of the two; faced with such a perilous situation, they naturally guarded against Ma De as if he were a thief, afraid he’d pull another outrageous stunt.

Ma De could only give a bitter smile and sit there dazedly to one side.

Nagano Yoko, Charles, Hose, and Ying Zi could no longer maintain their composure.

"For the second round, how much is appropriate?" Nagano Yoko asked.

"This scale is really hard to judge," Charles said in a low, steady voice.

In the first round, they had tentatively bid ten million; relatively speaking, that was already a sky‑high price. Of course, compared to the Ancient Painting’s value, ten million was just peanuts.

Above ten million, there had been bids of one hundred million and five hundred million—figures that were enough to make anyone depressed.

By now, Nagano Yoko and Charles were a bit lost, not quite sure what to do.

If they bid too low, they might brush past the Ancient Painting and miss it altogether.

But if they bid too high, they’d end up the ultimate suckers.

After weighing it from all sides, Nagano Yoko and Charles truly did not know how to choose.

And this was only the second round of bidding; once it got to the third round, wouldn’t it be even harder?

"We have to go over five hundred million, but by how much is appropriate?" Hose muttered. "Within the range we can actually bear, this level is really hard to grasp."

"How about we just go all in and bid one billion at once?" Ying Zi bit her lip, making this decision with great difficulty.

Nagano Yoko and Charles suddenly looked at each other, both showing hesitation in their eyes.

"Isn’t that a bit too high?" Nagano Yoko said. "We only have about one point seven to one point eight billion in hand. If we blow it all, it might not be a good thing."

This doubt wasn’t hers alone; the others around her felt the same. It was something they simply couldn’t avoid.

The funds Nagano Yoko and Charles had combined were only that much; any more and they really couldn’t come up with it.

"Let’s gamble. One billion—we can give it a try," Charles said, sweeping away his hesitation and making a decisive call.

"Then we’ll gamble. If we try to compete with President Chu in terms of financial strength, we’re stretched thin. We can only hope President Chu hasn’t pooled enough funds—that’s our chance," Nagano Yoko said, hardening her resolve.

Just like that, the bidding device transmitted an earth‑shattering price.

In the box where Ye Fan, Mengyao, Zhang Lu and the others were, they too were discussing the bid for the second round.

"Ms. Spendthrift, it’s on you. Let me see what it looks like when money flows like water," Zhang Lu said to Mengyao with great interest, her eyes narrowing mischievously.

Watching Mengyao’s bold and lavish bids had truly shocked Zhang Lu.

Because of this, she had given Mengyao a new nickname: Ms. Spendthrift.

Mengyao smiled, looked at Ye Fan, and said, "What do you think is appropriate?"

"Just add a bit on top of five hundred million. No need to guess what’s in the other side’s head before you bid," Ye Fan said.

Mengyao had indeed wanted to guess Nagano Yoko and Charles’s bidding range and then outbid them by a notch.

Ye Fan saw right through what she was thinking. Mengyao smiled helplessly and said, "Nothing can be hidden from you."

In that instant, a competitive streak truly rose in Mengyao’s heart.

After hearing Ye Fan’s words, she casually named a price.

On top of the five hundred million, she only added another two hundred million.

"You live up to the name Ms. Spendthrift—just one casual cough and it’s a seven hundred million bid," Zhang Lu gave Mengyao a thumbs‑up and said admiringly, "If I had that kind of money, I’d be living the easy life."

"Stop teasing me," Mengyao rolled her eyes at Zhang Lu.

"This game is getting harder and harder for me to understand," Lu Binwang muttered under his breath.

"Same here," Qi Haomin said, puzzled.

Lu Binwang and Qi Haomin stood off to the side, really just watching the show. As the owner and seller of the Ancient Painting, it almost felt like none of this had anything to do with them anymore, like they’d lost control of reality.

"I wonder what kind of sky‑high price will appear next?"

This curiosity was not only on the minds of all the rich people, but also what the anxious host was eagerly waiting to hear.

Soon, the statistics from backstage came through.

The host suppressed his excitement and announced loudly, "Now I’ll announce the results of the second round of bidding. The highest bid is one billion, and second place is seven hundred million. At this moment, aside from these two friends who are still interested in the Ancient Painting, everyone else has lost interest. Let’s congratulate these two friends—they’ve offered an unprecedented sky‑high price. This is also a glorious event never before seen in my auction career. I believe that even among all of you present, such a price is something few have ever witnessed."

Before the host even finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.

Their uncontrollable excitement spread like ripples of water, sweeping out in all directions.

"Hiss!"

"What kind of Ancient Painting is this? What secret does it hold to be worth such an outrageous amount?"

"My God, what on earth is going on?"

"Just what unknown secret does it hide?"

The rich were shocked to their core and could no longer stay calm. Such a sky‑high price completely rattled them.

"I swear on my conscience, based on my many years of experience and expertise, this is nothing more than a simple Ancient Painting. There’s nothing special about it at all. Why, then, is it worth so much?" Some experts were baffled to the point of madness.

Faced with this situation, there was no way to remain calm.

At this moment, the mysterious Ancient Painting had already seized everyone’s mind and attention.