Chapter 118: Zhang Zhigang Has Arrived
Lin Ruoxi felt uncertain herself, but she had to lift their spirits. Otherwise, her parents would lose all their Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
"Mom, don’t worry. Didn’t Cheng Yuan say so? The Antique Appraisers, the Treasure Holders, and even the Noble Consorts coming to show support—he can handle them all."
Hua Yao shook her head without a word.
Lin Xinghe hesitated. "Ruoxi, it’s not that we don’t believe in Xiaoyuan. But so far, aside from the few VIP guests who confirmed a few days ago, not a single Treasure Holder or VIP guest has contacted us. Tomorrow is the preliminary auction. Can Xiaoyuan really handle it? If it’s really not working, should we just postpone the date?"
Lin Ruoxi shook her head decisively. "If we postpone the preliminary auction, it means we’ve admitted defeat! From now on, we’ll forever be overshadowed by Huanya Auction House! We absolutely cannot back down!"
As the three were talking, Cheng Yuan walked into the small villa’s living room with Shen Youchu.
Lin Ruoxi said, a little reproachfully, "Cheng Yuan, where did you take Youchu to play? You didn’t even bring me! That’s not cool at all!"
Cheng Yuan smiled. "We weren’t playing, we went to train."
Lin Ruoxi shot Cheng Yuan an annoyed look. "Youchu is so delicate. Why are you making things hard for her? A girl should learn more elegant arts."
Cheng Yuan smiled. "You can teach her the elegant arts! I’ll be in charge of teaching her kung fu."
"True. Asking you to teach fine arts would be a bit much."
Cheng Yuan gave a sheepish smile and turned to Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao. "Mom, Dad, this is Youchu, the little sister I just adopted. Youchu, hurry and greet Uncle and Auntie."
"Uncle, Auntie."
Shen Youchu bowed obediently.
Lin Xinghe and Hua Yao’s eyes lit up.
’What an adorable, beautiful little girl!’
"Youchu, this is a small gift from Auntie. You must accept it."
Hua Yao took out a gift box she had prepared in advance.
Shen Youchu instinctively looked at Cheng Yuan. He gave a slight nod, and only then did she accept the gift box. "Thank you, Auntie!"
"Go on, Youchu, open it and see."
Shen Youchu opened the gift box. Inside was a very exquisite diamond necklace, with a sapphire that gave off a faint luster at its very center.
Shen Youchu’s beautiful eyes widened instinctively. This was the first necklace she had ever received in her life!
And it was so dreamily beautiful!
"Youchu’s skin is so fair. This necklace will definitely look beautiful on her."
Lin Ruoxi deftly helped Shen Youchu put on the necklace.
It had to be said, Hua Yao had good taste. Shen Youchu’s entire aura was elevated once more, making her look like the young lady of a noble family.
"Xiaoyuan, Youchu, you two have been in Cultivation all afternoon, you must be tired, right? Have something simple to eat."
Hua Yao quickly served the meal.
Cheng Yuan and Shen Youchu were indeed a bit hungry and started to eat heartily.
Lin Ruoxi’s family of three, however, didn’t have much of an appetite.
During the meal, Hua Yao looked like she wanted to say something several times, but Lin Ruoxi stopped her each time.
Cheng Yuan noticed the subtle exchange between Hua Yao and Lin Ruoxi and asked with a smile, "Mom, don’t mind Ruoxi. If you have something to ask, just ask."
"Xiaoyuan, I heard the bet you made with Ruoxi yesterday. Have the Antique Appraisers and Treasure Holders contacted you? What did they say? Can they confirm they’re coming tomorrow?"
Uh...
Cheng Yuan was a bit embarrassed. He hadn’t asked about that yet.
He trusted Zhang Zhigang’s character. Zhang Zhigang had said he would return to Luocheng within three days, and Cheng Yuan believed he wouldn’t go back on his word.
Today was already the third day. Moreover, it was already dark, and there was still no news from Zhang Zhigang.
’Should I call and ask?’
Just as Cheng Yuan was hesitating, his phone suddenly rang.
Cheng Yuan took out his phone and looked at it, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. He really hadn’t misjudged the man. Master Zhang hadn’t flaked!
"Teacher Zhang, I was starting to think you’d forgotten our agreement."
"How could I forget? I’m already on the plane. I’ll be arriving at Luocheng International Airport within three hours. You, the boss, had better arrange for a pickup!"
"No problem!"
After a bit more small talk, Zhang Zhigang said the plane was about to take off and hung up.
Cheng Yuan looked at Hua Yao with a smile. "Mom, you don’t need to worry anymore. The Antique Appraiser is sorted out."
Hua Yao breathed a small sigh of relief, but her expression remained very serious.
Having an Antique Appraiser just meant they wouldn’t become a laughingstock. The current situation was still far from optimistic.
Huanya Auction House could easily crush them in terms of both the number of Treasure Holders and VIP guests!
"Ruoxi, go catch some sleep. In two hours, come with me to the airport to pick someone up."
"I already slept this afternoon."
"Alright then."
Two hours later, Lin Ruoxi got behind the wheel and set off with Cheng Yuan, heading straight for Luocheng International Airport.
「At the same time.」
Lin Ruoxi’s uncle, Lin Xingchen, along with his wife and son, had arrived smoothly in Luocheng to preside over tomorrow’s preliminary auction!
After all, Mu Qingfeng was only the old master’s assistant; he didn’t have enough clout.
Mu Qingfeng picked them up in a Mercedes-Benz van. He eagerly pulled open the door. Lin Xingchen’s family of three sat in the middle and back rows, while Mu Qingfeng took the front passenger seat.
After the van started moving, Lin Xingchen asked coolly, "Assistant Mu, what’s the situation?"
"Reporting to you, First Master, the situation is excellent! We’ve hired a total of five Antique Appraisers to form an appraisal team. Over the past few days, more than 160 Treasure Holders have contacted us. After several days of screening, we’ve selected a few dozen of the more valuable antiques for the preliminary auction. The number of guests applying to attend is simply countless! We were forced to set a threshold; guests with a net worth below thirty million will have to wait for the next auction."
Lin Xingchen nodded slightly. "Well done."
His tone shifting, Lin Xingchen asked coolly, "And how are things on Ruoxi’s side?"
Mu Qingfeng couldn’t help but shake his head slightly. "Miss Ruoxi’s situation... it’s hard to put into words. To this day, she still hasn’t hired a single Antique Appraiser. The number of Treasure Holders is in the single digits. The only attending guests are a few merchants from out of province, and they’re only coming out of respect for the Second Master."
Lin Xingchen shook his head gently. ’The old master is too cautious,’ he thought. ’In a situation this one-sided, why would I need to get involved personally?’
To be certain, Lin Xingchen pressed, "Assistant Mu, is your information accurate?"
"Extremely accurate. We have several insiders among the people Lin Ruoxi has tried to hire."
"Good enough."
Lin Xingchen’s son, Lin Ruolong, snorted coldly. "Ruoxi is just getting too full of herself! Does she think she became the boss of a jewelry company on her own merit? If it weren’t for the Lin Family’s blessing, she’d be nothing! Tomorrow, we must make Ruoxi face reality and go back to the Provincial City obediently to marry Gu Chen!"
Lin Xingchen’s wife, Jiang Yue, said indifferently, "I heard something seems to have happened to the Gu Family. I think we can put the marriage contract on hold for now. But regardless of whether Ruoxi marries Gu Chen, she can’t marry some country bumpkin. As a daughter of a wealthy family, she should have the awareness to contribute to the family’s development."
For a moment, all four of them sneered. It was as if Yuanxi Auction House was already firmly in their grasp, ready to be manipulated as they pleased.