Chapter 28  : Antique Auction

A few days later, most people had forgotten about what had happened that night, except for a few who were waiting for the situation to deteriorate so that they could gloat at Chen Fan.

The incident at the gala had spurred Si Yinxia to work much more diligently than before. He engrossed himself in studying, basketball training, and Taekwondo training, trying all he could to prove to Xu Rongfei that he was the right choice for her.

On a Friday afternoon, Chen Fan contemplated if he should head back to Si Shui county to visit. He had been away from home for more than one and a half months, and if he counted the time of his past life, that would have been over five hundred years

Then his cell phone rang; it was Wei Ziqin.

“Hello, is this Mr. Chen? There is going to be an antique auction this evening. I am wondering if you are interested in coming along with me?” Chen Fan heard the voice on the other end of the line. He was slightly surprised by the invitation.

“This auction was also a networking event. The main goal was for similar minded people to meet and mingle. The items for sale are very interesting as well. I have heard that the allegedly cursed diamond: The Blue Hope, was going to appear at the podium.

The schedule of the items also included a few that were called ‘Dharma Artifacts.’ I remembered that you told us that you are a follower of the Dao, so I thought that you might be interested.”

Ever since Mr. Wei explained the power of a Transcendent Master, Ziqin was convinced that Chen Fan was related to all sorts of mysterious forces in the world.

“Dharma Artifact?” Chen Fan furrowed his brows.

Could it be the same Dharma Artifact such as the Flying Swords in the realm of cultivation?

“Bingo! It was said that these Dharma Artifacts were able to help stabilize the Feng Shui around the house and ward off the evil spirit in the world. But no one knows if that’s for real or not.” Wei Ziqin explained patiently.

“Interesting. Yes, I want to go.” Chen Fan said.

“Great, then I will pick you up tonight.” Wei Ziqin said carefully.

“It’s fine; I can go there by myself.” Chen Fan shook his head.

He was already amid an unwanted melodrama. If a beautiful girl appeared at the school and picked him up in a fancy luxury vehicle, his schoolmates were going to spin even more melodramatic tales about how he betrayed Xu Rongfei.

What happened at the Orientation Gala had put him under the spotlight, and he didn’t deign to attract even more attention.

“Just tell me the address, and I will take a taxi.”

“Very well. Tell them my name at the entrance; they will let you in.” Wei Ziqin nodded.

As soon as Chen Fan put down his cellphone, he saw Jiang Tanqiu’s curious gaze on him. “Who was that?”

“No one, just a friend asking me to come over tonight.” Chen Fan answered readily. He made another phone call to Sister Yin to ask for time off.

After the last class was over, Chen Fan packed up his books and left in a hurry.

Seeing Chang Wen was gone, Chang Wen snorted and then said, “Yinxia, why are you still so sad about that woman? She would rather pick a country boy over you. Can’t you tell that she doesn’t even care about you?”

“I have gotten three tickets to an antique auction tonight, why don’t you and Xinyu come with me? You need to relax, babe.”

Ji Xingyu hurried to chime in.

“Boss Si, I have heard about this party before.

“It was hosted by Fang Sheng International Group. They only reserve tickets for people with over fifty million yuan in assets. The antiques were all like voodoo and shit; it will be fun. Let’s go.”

“Indeed. Thanks to my uncle, I was able to get three tickets. I bet Chen Fan can’t even so much as work at such an event much less attend it.” Chang Wen smiled contemptuously.

Si Yinxia nodded. After days of hard work, he felt that he had regained some of his self-confidence; some relaxation wouldn’t hurt.

The party was hosted at a high-end club right beside the Yunwu Mountain. It was called “Hidden Dragon Villa.” It was a secluded suburb area surrounded by a quiet village.

Chen Fan went home and changed. He then took a taxi to the Hidden Dragon Villa. When he reached the destination, he saw the parking lot was already packed with high-end cars.

Vehicles such as BMW’s and Audi’s were the cheapest ones in this parking lot. There were many Lamborghinis, Porsches, and he even saw a Rolls-Royce Phantom VII with the license plate of 666-666. This car was worth over six million in 2007.

“There are a lot of rich people in Chu Zhou City. ” Chen Fan thought to himself.

Upon entering the lobby, he told the receptionist Wie Ziqin’s name, and the receptionist welcomed him into the event center.

The interior of the building was lavishly decorated to the smallest detail. It was evident that it was the most high-end club in Chu Zhou City. Under the bright crystal chandelier were groups of well-dressed upper-class guests.

There were many teenagers in the same age as Chen Fan in the event hall. He wagered that they were brought here by their parents to experience the posh life of their future. The teenagers had formed their own flocks and were chatting with each other.

Chen Fan clearly didn’t get the memo about the dress code. He walked into the event hall with just business casual shirt and pants, which made him stand out among the others.

The reception had a buffet bar, providing some refreshments for the guest before the auction started. Seeing Wei Ziqing had not arrived yet, Chen Fan decided to hit the buffet table first.

He grabbed himself a plate and started to pile it with Australian Lobsters Salad. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling out to him.

“Chen Fan, why are you here?”

The soft and musical voice was too distinguishable to have mistaken for someone else.

Chen Fan turned around and saw surprise was written all over Xu Rongfei’s face. He cracked a smile and then said:

“Why can’t I be here?”

Xu Rongfei blushed as the memory of what happened at the gala came back to her. She quickly changed the topic.

“I am here with Meng-Meng, she got me a ticket. I have heard that items for sale are very interesting, so I have agreed to tag along. ”

She batted her lashes while staring at Chen Fan with a pair of wide eyes. “Brother Chen Fan, did you come by yourself? Are you planning to buy anything?”

“He can’t even afford this Australian Lobster much less anything in the auction.” Jiang Churan appeared behind Xu Rognfei. She glared at Chen Fan watchfully.

Chen Fan’s smile disappeared, and then he said thinly:” Ran-ran is right, I am too poor to buy anything at the auction. I am just here for some food, and O’ Lord, have I hit the jackpot! They have some really nice desserts too, would you like to accompany me to sample some of those?”

“Oh, of course!” Xu Rongfei giggled.

Seeing the Chen Fan was clearly making a move on Xu Rongfei, Jiang Churan grunted under her breath as she became even more vigilant of the boy’s actions.

Not far from them, a few girls had formed a small circle and were glancing in Chen Fan’s direction.

“Is that Fei-Fei’s friend? Why didn’t she introduce him to us? ”

The oldest one spoke. She was in a low cut nightgown and wore her hair in an elegant high bun.

“That boy looks unfamiliar to me. Did you see how giggly Fei-Fei is? OMG- could that be her new boyfriend?”

“He is ugly. Maybe he is super rich. ”

These girls had grown up with Xu Rongfei and Jiang Churan but haven’t seen the two for ages. To their surprise, Xu Rongfei had ditched them only after a few minutes of reunion for an ordinary-looking boy.

Zhang Yumeng was among the girls as well, and she sneered and then said, “Not a boyfriend. Just a laborer from the countryside. He works part-time at a bar.”

Then she said bitterly, “I have no clue why Fei-Fei is so obsessed with that loser.”

“OMG! So he really is the boyfriend?” Everyone was shocked by the revelation.

Xu Rongfei’s high standards for boys was well known among her friends. Their jaws dropped after having learned that the pedestrian-looking, piss-poor country boy was her final choice.

Some girls were already pitying Xu Rongfei as they heaved sighs and shook their heads.

“Fei-Fei is too naive! It’s not going to end well.”

Most of these girls came from multi-million yuan families. Some of them were sent abroad to study ever since they were little. In their eyes, a laborer from the countryside would never make the cut as their boyfriend.

The girl in the low-cut gown furrowed her brow and said, “As her older sister, I need to talk some sense into her.”

“It’s fine if she uses him just for a while, but she is playing with fire if she ever lets herself fall in love with him. She is way out of his league, and their relationship is doomed from the very beginning.”

After saying that, the girls’ eyes lost focus for a second.

Her name was Han Yun, as the oldest girl of the crowd, she had already graduated from university. When she was in high school, she fell in love with a boy from a poor family. They stayed together despite the outcry from her family. However, as soon as the couple entered university, things took a turn for the worse. They started fighting and arguing every day until the boy left her for another girl.

Meanwhile, outside of the Hidden Dragon Villa. A jeep pulled over, and a strapping young man got off the vehicle.

“Are you sure Xu Rongfei is going to be here tonight?”

He turned around and asked one of his entourage.

“Yes, I heard it from Lou Xiaoxiao. ” A boy in a sleek buzz-cut answered.

With only a second of hesitation, the young man said, “Very well, let’s go in.”