Chapter 196: The Strange Treasure Holder
Meanwhile.
Lin Ruoxi had changed back into her work clothes, resuming her aloof and domineering female CEO persona. The soft, cute, and gentle demeanor from before was completely gone.
This stunning transformation left Cheng Yuan dumbfounded.
"Honey, just how many sides of you are there that I don’t know about?"
Lin Ruoxi smiled. "Darling, don’t you worry. My hidden side is reserved for your eyes only. If I told you this was my first time wearing a maid outfit, would you believe me?"
Cheng Yuan nodded without hesitation. "I believe you! So... will you wear it again in the future?"
Lin Ruoxi’s gaze suddenly turned very aggressive. "Darling, do you want me to wear it?"
"Well... Hahahaha..."
Cheng Yuan could only laugh sheepishly. He couldn’t bring himself to voice such a request.
Lin Ruoxi gave him a knowing look. "I understand. It all depends on your performance! If you behave yourself... it won’t just be the maid outfit. Bunny girl, teacher, flight attendant, nurse... all of them are on the table."
Cheng Yuan was absolutely floored!
’So my wife can unlock this many skills?’
’Life from now on definitely won’t be boring!’
’What kind of treasure did I marry?’
After they went downstairs, Lin Ruoxi reverted to her icy demeanor and greeted her parents, "Mom, Dad, good morning."
Lin Xinghe said excitedly, "Ruoxi, you have no idea! Your phone was off last night, but our phones were blown up by calls from wealthy businessmen! Today is just a small auction, but over a hundred distinguished guests have shown up! This turnout is on par with the major auctions of other houses!"
Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Seems like I won’t need to contact any extra guests."
Lin Ruoxi smiled. "Looks like our results aren’t too bad."
Hua Yao gave a wry smile. "Let’s not celebrate too early! Too many guests and too large a scale isn’t necessarily a good thing. If the quantity and quality of our auction items aren’t up to snuff, we’ll be heavily criticized."
Lin Ruoxi’s expression turned a bit serious. "The treasures we’ve acquired, plus the items from the Treasure Holders, are barely enough to handle this small auction. But since our small auction has already reached this scale, what are we going to do for the major auction at the end of the month? If it comes to it, we might just have to limit the scale of the small auction."
Cheng Yuan grinned. "There’s no need to limit the scale of the small auction. Go ahead and go all out. I’ve got plenty of treasures, enough to last at least half a year. After six months, Yuanxi’s reputation will surely resonate throughout the entire antiques world. By then, we can operate normally, and the supply of treasures will balance out."
The three of them looked at Cheng Yuan, pleasantly surprised. "Xiaoyuan, how many treasures can you get?"
Cheng Yuan recalled the treasures in the Wang Family’s Treasury and said uncertainly, "Probably a few thousand pieces?"
A few thousand pieces??
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao stared at each other in disbelief.
"Xiaoyuan, you’re not pulling our leg, are you? The Lin Family is considered a major family in the Provincial City, and our entire Treasury has less than a hundred antiques. You can get your hands on several thousand?"
Cheng Yuan didn’t explain. He turned to Lin Ruoxi. "Ruoxi, contact Manwen immediately. She has all the items."
"Okay."
Lin Ruoxi quickly dialed Shen Manwen’s number. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. The other end of the line was very noisy; Shen Manwen was clearly busy.
"Ruoxi, I’m pretty busy over here. If you have something to say, just say it."
"Manwen, Cheng Yuan said you have a batch of antiques?"
Shen Manwen smacked her forehead. "Look at me, my brain’s all foggy from being so busy these past few days! That batch of antiques has already been brought back to Luocheng. They’re stored in a warehouse at 43 Haier Road. The code for the keypad lock is 776608. You can just go and get them directly."
"Okay, Manwen, you’ve been a huge help. I have to treat you to a meal!"
"I’m in the Provincial City right now, so it might be a while before I can come home. We’re sisters, why be so formal? Besides, Cheng Yuan is the one who helped me out immensely. I should be the one thanking you! These treasures were always meant for you!"
Lin Ruoxi glanced at Cheng Yuan with a complicated expression. She never imagined that he had done so much for her, all without a word.
’How lucky am I? To have met Cheng Yuan, to have married Cheng Yuan!’
Lin Ruoxi hung up the phone and looked at Cheng Yuan with immense gratitude. "Darling, thank you!"
"Ruoxi, everything I do is what I should be doing. There’s no need to thank me. Come on, let’s go to Yuanxi first. After the small auction is over, we’ll go inspect the treasures."
"Okay! Since we don’t have to worry about treasures anymore, let’s go big with today’s small auction!"
With their worries gone, Lin Xinghe drove the family of four to the Yuanxi Auction House, all in high spirits.
Today was the day of Yuanxi’s debut auction.
Many people were waiting with bated breath. Some hoped for Yuanxi’s rise, while others hoped to see it make a fool of itself.
Seeing so many guests arrive at Yuanxi, those who had hoped for its humiliation were disappointed and quickly sent word back.
"Boss, I’m afraid Yuanxi is about to take off! Today is just a small auction, yet more than a hundred distinguished guests showed up! We need to hurry up and get on good terms with them!"
"Old Master, your concerns were spot on. If we don’t move against Yuanxi, it really might become a major force! A good thing Second Master has already made arrangements!"
"Look, President Lin is here!"
"Is that the Pearl of Luocheng? She’s truly beautiful! So elegant! She seems utterly untouchable!"
...
Listening to the crowd’s chatter, Cheng Yuan felt a thrill of satisfaction. Ruoxi, the Pearl of Luocheng, an existence others deemed untouchable, was the same woman who wore a maid outfit and sweetly called him ’Hubby’.
The thought was just too exhilarating!
The thought of Lin Ruoxi’s flawless body made Cheng Yuan’s breathing grow heavier. He stole a glance at the ice-cold Lin Ruoxi.
Cheng Yuan truly couldn’t imagine how his wife could so perfectly embody two such opposing temperaments: icy coldness and gentle charm.
"Greetings, President Lin."
"President Jiang, you’ve arrived! Please, come in! Your seat is in the second row!"
"Director Qian, your presence brings honor to our humble Yuanxi! Your seat is in the front row!"
...
Tempered by her recent experiences, Lin Ruoxi handled her hosting duties with a warmth that felt like a spring breeze, earning unanimous praise from the distinguished guests.
’President Lin is truly worthy of being called the Pearl of Luocheng!’
’She’s the very embodiment of beauty and nobility!’
After greeting the VIPs, Lin Ruoxi breathed a small sigh of relief and habitually glanced toward the Treasure Holders’ section.
Most of the Treasure Holders met her gaze with friendly smiles, but one, who was wearing a baseball cap, subconsciously tugged the brim down, his eyes shifting nervously.
Lin Ruoxi frowned and asked in a low voice, "Mom, Dad, who is that Treasure Holder over there in the baseball cap? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before."
Lin Xinghe glanced at the man and smiled. "That Treasure Holder was introduced by an old classmate of mine! He just arrived in Luocheng by high-speed rail last night, so it’s normal that you haven’t seen him."
Lin Ruoxi nodded, her worries assuaged.
But Cheng Yuan still felt that something was off.
That Treasure Holder was faintly emitting a strange fluctuation.
With a sense of caution, Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil to take a look, and then couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
’Well now!’
’Well, well, well!’
’This Treasure Holder is really ’hiding a universe up his sleeve’!’