My Perfect Female CEO

In the private room where Ma De and his two subordinates were, their resentment and complaints against Ma De ran deep.

"Captain, don’t act like you’re something you’re not, it only makes a joke out of yourself. Just say it’s to vent some anger, but right now we don’t have the luxury to vent. One wrong move and we’ll die without a burial place. You really should think things through, five billion—you haven’t considered what that even means. If the auction house holds us accountable and the painting ends up in our hands, wouldn’t it be utterly embarrassing? At that point, we won’t even know how we died."

One subordinate admonished through gritted teeth, frustrated with his naivety.

The other person also spoke harshly: "Even if we break our bones, we can’t take out five million, let alone five billion. Captain, you’re gambling with our lives, and it’s a pointless gamble."

Ma De’s reasoning was simple; in his view, this ancient painting was sure to be highly sought after.

If that’s the case, why couldn’t he join in on the action?

As long as it could get Ye Fan and Nagano Yoko to compete, he thought his bid should be acceptable, right?

Starting with a sky-high price, he ought to have made an impression, hadn’t he?

He achieved his goal, made his impression, but being criticized like this by his two subordinates, he gradually regained his senses.

"I understand what you mean, I’ll follow your advice." Ma De became more compliant.

He also realized he had been too reckless; in matters concerning the survival of the Black Cat Team, he needed to be careful.

"That’s more like it." The two subordinates nodded, placing the bid button aside, not allowing Ma De to hold it anymore.

"This time, we’ve come in force yet might gain nothing," Ma De lamented.

"Better than dying. The enemy is stronger than us; we’ve already lost some companions. We can only strive to lose fewer people, so we absolutely can’t be foolish enough to offend anyone further." A subordinate showed a helpless expression.

"After the auction ends, we should prepare to leave. This place, fraught with issues, is no longer a place we can stay. For everyone’s survival, we’ll have to flee." Another person’s face turned ashen.

Unlike when they arrived full of fighting spirit and confidence, they had already lost the chance to seize anything. The current situation indeed seemed unclear. If they still thought they could get a slice of the pie, the outcome wouldn’t be something they could accept.

Meanwhile, various wealthy individuals were also in constant discussion.

In one private room, a tycoon asked, "What exactly is that ancient painting? Could it be that it harbors some secrets?"

"It’s hard to say." The speaker was an appraisal expert who accompanied the tycoon to this auction. Without hesitation, he said, "From the appearance of the ancient painting, it shouldn’t be something incredibly valuable. While ancient paintings are somewhat precious, it’s not extraordinarily so."

"It seems, apart from the auctioneer being able to provide a suitable answer, no one else knows." Someone else spoke up.

A tycoon suggested, "Should we try to probe other private rooms and inquire? Surely those who placed bids know the secrets of the ancient painting."

A specialist replied, "It’s likely you’d find nothing. Even if the ancient painting does hold secrets, those who know those secrets wouldn’t easily tell others."

"Boss, we should not act rashly and risk offending Mr. Ye and President Chu," the tycoon’s secretary advised, "Bear in mind, Mr. Ye and President Chu are also in the auction hall. Perhaps the sky-high bid was placed by them."

The tycoon’s face turned pale, he quickly said, "Thanks for the timely reminder, otherwise I might have disturbed them. We don’t know Mr. Ye and President Chu’s reason for being in Jin City. Now it seems their purpose is likely clear."

"Mr. Ye and President Chu came for this ancient painting; that seems clear now. But someone actually dares to bid against Mr. Ye and President Chu—this is asking for death!" One person expressed full of apprehension.

"No matter what, this is not something we should get involved in; let’s wait and see." The tycoon quieted down.

"If possible, perhaps we could confirm with Patriarch Lu, after all, he is the big boss of this auction." The tycoon’s secretary reminded him.

"Forget it, let’s not stir up trouble. Such a sky-high price is beyond our capability to participate in." The tycoon pondered for a moment before making up his mind and said, "Jin City has never been peaceful; this flood is certainly not something we have the qualifications to get involved in."

In their respective private booths, the tycoons were all making their own plans; although interested in the ancient painting, they understood the old adage that curiosity killed the cat. Thus, each behaved sensibly without resorting to any extreme measures.

The auctioneer saw the discussions around him and refrained from comment, simply waited quietly for a while.

Not only did the people at the auction need to digest this information, but he also needed time to process it.

When the sound of discussions gradually quietened, the auctioneer finally spoke, "I believe everyone now understands that the ancient painting before me is quite unusual. As for in what way it is unusual, everyone sees it differently and has their own reasons and ideas. I won’t elaborate further here."

"If you ask what’s strange about the ancient painting, I don’t know either—from my viewpoint, it’s just a simple ancient painting."

"I believe many are curious about what secret this ancient painting holds?"

"Unfortunately, I don’t know either, and therefore can’t help to clear up your concerns."

The auctioneer’s face was joyous, speaking sincerely without hesitation.

"Even the auctioneer in charge doesn’t know the secret of the ancient painting?"

"It seems this is true."

"Surely, the owner of the auction knows the wonders of the painting."

"It looks like this ancient painting will only reveal itself to those who understand it; others are destined not to own it."

"Not even a peek at the painting’s secret is possible."

"If the auction told everyone the secret of the painting, I believe people would surely vie for it. At that time, it wouldn’t be the shocking scene you see now but an unprecedentedly lively one."

Listening to the auctioneer, many tycoons became increasingly curious.

But alas, without this chance, they could only sigh in frustration.

Desire to uncover the secret within was particularly urgent, but by what means to understand had become a significant issue.

With the auctioneer’s clear declaration of ignorance, their path to further discover the secret of the ancient painting had been blocked.

"Now, I announce the start of the second round of bidding; please go ahead," the auctioneer’s smiling voice finally spread throughout.