Chapter 41: Aunt Li Yunmu

A woman in a bright yellow cheongsam walked across the deep brown carpet.

Her thick, glossy dark hair was styled into a low bun, secured with a solid peach-wood hairpin.

Her face was made up in a way that suited her age, charming yet undeniably elegant.

Even without saying a word, her innate confidence and poise allowed her to command the entire room as the center of attention.

Nan Xing instinctively straightened her posture.

Truth be told, growing up, she had never seen a single woman who could make her look twice.

Especially the woman's long, narrow, and profound eyes—deep and detached, giving her an inexplicable sense of having seen her somewhere before.

Nan Xing fixed her gaze on her, watching as the woman walked to the very last row and took a seat in a quite ordinary spot.

At the same time, in the adjacent VIP Box Number One, Li Sichen suddenly blurted out, "What the hell, why is my aunt here?!"

As if unable to believe his eyes, Li Sichen zoomed in on the screen again and again.

The next second, he finally confirmed that it was indeed his aunt, Li Yunmu.

Wasn't his aunt traveling the world?

For so many years, she rarely even returned for major holidays and festivals.

Yet here she was, appearing at an auction venue, which felt somewhat unbelievable.

Could it be that after traveling around the world, she had finally healed from the heartbreak and completely moved on?

According to Li Sichen's train of thought, that was entirely possible.

Li Yunmu in the past had been such a radiant and flamboyant person.

Both beautiful and fierce, an absolute powerhouse among women.

It was only unfortunate that she had met the wrong person, suffered the wounds of love, and thereafter treated everyone and everything with extreme coldness.

Back then, fearing that Li Yunmu might do something drastic, the elderly matriarch of the Li family had given up on pressuring her to marry, allowing Li Yunmu to spread her wings and pursue a happy, untethered life.

"Should we go out and say hello to your aunt?" Qin Luhye reminded him.

Qin Luhye and Li Sichen had grown up together wearing open-crotch pants as toddlers, and Li Yunmu used to babysit and play with the two of them often when they were kids; Qin Luhye naturally regarded Li Yunmu as his own aunt as well.

"I'd love to go out and say hello, but not right now,"

Li Sichen spread his hands, a look of distress on his face. "You know my aunt; she hardly ever comes home, but she is closest to my fourth uncle. If she sees me here, how am I supposed to surprise my fourth uncle?"

Based on his understanding of his aunt Li Yunmu, if she saw him here now, his fourth uncle would probably find out within the next minute.

At this moment, Li Sichen could only be glad that he had found Steward Shen Jijong in advance.

Otherwise, he definitely would have run into his aunt shortly.

A moment later, as the auction lecturer stepped onto the stage, the audience fell silent.

Prompted by a reminder from Shen Jijong, Nan Xing switched the screen display to a split view.

Showing the exhibits on stage and the audience in the hall respectively.

The lecturer invited for this auction was the industry-renowned auctioneer Chu Que, who had hosted hundreds of auctions both large and small.

In the spacious private box spanning over a hundred square meters, Nan Xing shifted into a more comfortable position, eating fresh fruit while listening to Chu Que's opening remarks.

After a burst of thunderous applause, the auction officially began.

Since the black-and-gold cufflinks Nan Xing wanted were placed second to last, she didn't care much about the preceding items.

Several rounds of bidding later, the proceedings could only be described as breathtaking.

In particular, a jersey worn by a certain baseball player sparked fierce competition among various tycoons, ultimately being secured by a film group CEO for ten million.

The reason this jersey was priceless, apart from the escalating bids between competitors, lay in the spiritual significance it embodied.

It was said that the athlete who had worn the jersey was none other than Ruth, hailed as the God of Baseball.

During his tenure playing for the New York Yankees between 1928 and 1930, Ruth had broken the major league home run record for three consecutive years.

Baseball was different from soccer or basketball, which required consuming time to secure a victory.

What baseball demanded was the spirit of facing opponents head-on and striving with courageous determination.

Therefore, this jersey was far more than just a piece of clothing.

The number printed on it was no longer an ordinary number.

Both had been imbued with a special significance.

"Tch, isn't it just a beat-up old jersey? I think that President Zhang is simply blind,"

"Why not buy something good with ten million instead of buying a bunch of ragged scraps? I honestly don't know what he's thinking!"

A young socialite sitting on the left-hand side of Nan Zhen'er chimed in.

This person was Wang Baozhu, the youngest daughter of the Wang Jewelry enterprise.

Wang Baozhu had been pampered by her parents since childhood, which fostered a willful and domineering temperament; she was always high-profile in her daily life.

When she spoke, she never considered the occasion and remained utterly reckless.

Nan Zhen'er tugged at her sleeve, offering a gentle reminder.

Wang Baozhu, however, remained unfazed and retorted, "Zhen'er, why are you pulling me? Don't you think that guy is a complete sucker? Anyway, if it were me, I wouldn't spend ten million to buy a worn-out piece of clothing that belonged to someone else!"

Nan Zhen'er thought for a moment and said softly, "Perhaps he just wants it for simple collection. Men, after all, care about their pride. You saw how many people were competing for this garment later on; naturally, he had to bid a higher price to win it."

"Only by getting the clothes into your hands will others believe you have that kind of strength."

"True," Wang Baozhu sighed softly, then suddenly recalling something, she said to Nan Zhen'er, "By the way, aren't you going to bid on the Pink Star for that sister of yours?"

Nan Zhen'er's spine stiffened, thinking to herself how long-winded this person was.

She had merely mentioned it in passing to make Nan Xing look foolish, yet someone actually remembered it...

Still, words spoken were like spilled water; even if Nan Zhen'er didn't want to admit it, there was no turning back.

Pausing for a moment, Nan Zhen'er spoke in a soft voice, "Well, Sister doesn't have a single piece of jewelry in her case, and even her perfume is some unbranded generic product. I really want to give her a proper gift to make her happy."

"Zhen'er, don't try to imitate him later. If anyone competes with you too fiercely, just give up."

"Anyway, it's not something you like; there's no need to empty your wallet for a country bumpkin."

"Exactly, Zhen'er, didn't you see Nan Xing's attitude earlier? She didn't take you seriously at all. Don't be foolish later on."

"She's just a stinky loser from the countryside who has never seen the world. Even if you really give her a diamond, would she even know how to use it?"

"But Zhen'er, if you really want to give her something, wait until the auction ends. We can accompany you to the shopping mall and just buy some secondhand bracelet or necklace to give her."

"I think that's a good idea. Besides, your sister is just a poor country girl; what kind of standards could she have for clothing and styling? She definitely can't tell quality anyway."

Hearing this, Nan Zhen'er secretly pinched her palm, burying her scheming thoughts deep within her heart.

"Well, I know. Thank you all for the reminder, but what I promised my sister, I must fulfill; otherwise, she'll blame me again."

"That ugly freak dares to blame you?" Wang Baozhu said indignantly. "It's fine, Zhen'er, you have us. If Nan Xing dares to bully you, we certainly won't let her off easy."

Nan Zhen'er shook her head, her expression pure and harmless. "It's just a diamond. If it can make Sister a little happier, then it's worth it."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship over such a trivial matter."

"The next lot is the Pink Star. No matter how much it costs, nothing compares to the importance of Sister's happiness."