Every couple in the banquet was given a round fan with different numbers for them to bid with during the auction. The Li couple received the number 45.
The first item auctioned was a ruby diamond with a startling starting price of 100 000 USD. Feng Mian let out a low whistle at the rich's past time of wasting money. She herself was from a nouveau rich family, but her parents had her sent to boarding school since junior high to be independent, and her allowance only allows for three or four pairs of nice sneakers every year. The Feng couple had risen to their current status by the principle of hard work and taught their daughters to do the same. Although she knew that her parents do attend auctions, she had never accompanied them to one before.
Expensive hundreds of thousands worth of items were brought out and bids after bids were called out, each one higher than the previous. Hao Junlin maintained an uninterested face until one particular painting was brought out.
Edward Hopper's Chop Suey.
Hao Junlin stood straighter, his glinting eyes remained undeviating from the artwork under the veil. He wasn't the only one who was interested and several bidders have put out their price, raising it now to 200 000 USD.
Feng Mian saw his rare enthusiasm and thought that she wouldn't mind spending money."Do you want it?" she asked.
Hao Junlin looked at her, his brows furrowed. "It's a bit expensive," he said modestly.
"It's okay, it's only a bit. You're the legal wife, so my money is your money. And Li Xiaocheng's money is my money. Everyone's happy."
System 555: 'Are you not counting Li Xiaocheng as a person anymore?'
Feng Mian raised her fan, her momentum strong and fierce. "300 thousand!"
The crowd gasped. Their CEO just raised the price by 100 000 in one go. How domineering! How handsome! That's how a CEO should be!
"400 thousand!" Someone else raised the bid.
Everyone's head whipped to see the source of the voice. Who is this brave young man competing with their mighty CEO?
System 555: "The second male lead has made his entrance. He's Zhang Wei, your predestined rival Xiao Mei oh~"
Feng Mian is usually a free-spirited person who preferred staying out of trouble's way but the type who gets extremely competitive once she sets her eyes on something.
'You want to compete with daddy for money? Bring it on, let's see just how rich you are.'
System 555 expressed, 'It's not your money.'
"500 thousand!" Feng Mian shouted.
The second male lead wasn't going down without a fight either. "600 thousand!"
The value had gone way above its original price. The auctioneer began to sweat bullets, he felt that although the painting was rare, it wasn't worth 600 thousand. But these two rich personages wasn't someone he could offend.
Feng Mian's young blood soared. She grounded her teeth, "One. Million."
'This daddy's pocket is as deep as the South China sea. Let's see you if you dare walk out of here broke!'
The crowd broke out into loud excited whispers. Five times the original price oh!
Hao Junlin tugged onto Feng Mian' sleeve. "It's not worth one million." Though he was highly intrigued, that was an extravagant price to pay for just one painting. It's not like Leonardo da Vinci or Picasso painted it.
Zhang Wei stood up. He had been eyeing this painting for a long time and had come here specifically to buy it off, he hadn't really expected that someone would be willing to pay a million for it.
He tried to negotiate. "Mr Li Xiaocheng, I really like this Chop Suey painting very much. I'm willing to pay you one million for it, so can Mr Li consider selling it to me?"
Feng Mian turned to face him as she remained sitting. "If it were for myself, I'd be happy to give way to you Mr Zhang, but my wife only likes this one painting so I'm afraid today I won't leave here without it."
The crowd cooed unanimously. 'Oh, so CEO Li is willing to throw millions away just to receive a single smile from the beauty. Who knew he was so enamoured by his wife, a truly romantic couple.'
Hao Junlin was also surprised that Feng Mian was so persistent to get Chop Suey for him. There was a feeling of cotton candies tickling his heart.
Zhang Wei who had a budget threshold could only throw in the towel. Although reluctant, he had to keep face and bowed out gracefully, "Seeing that Mr Li's wife is also a fan of this painting, I am glad to see it go into the right hands."
Feng Mian gave him a disingenuous smile. She now knew why money makes the world go round. Having more money than others means that you hold power over others.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel twice. "The painting Chop Suey by Edward Hopper is sold to number 45 with one million USD. Congratulations to Mr Li and his wife as the new owner of this remarkable art."
In the meantime, the female lead was watching the show from afar. She looked at the handsome Li Xiaocheng who threw money as if it could grow on trees just because of one word from his wife. Deep in her heart, she felt envy for his object of admiration. If she could land such a good man, she could even sleep laughing.
***
Good guy Feng Mian was busy washing the superglue off her and Hao Junli's hands with soap and water in the VIP bathroom. Their hands were scrubbed until they became red.
"You didn't have to you know." Feng Mian knew he was talking about the painting.
"It's okay, one million isn't that much to me anyway. It's rare that you like something. We've been living together for quite some time and I only treat you to McDonald's every now and then and rarely buy you presents, you can consider this a late birthday gift."
Hao Junlin hummed lowly, his face shifting sideways. Still, Feng Mian could vaguely see the red traces on his ear.
System 555: "Yo, this Hao Junlin is like a shy maiden."
Feng Mian: "He's always been a little shy so he could come across as cold sometimes. He's not a very social person but he's not all too bad when you get to know him."
"It's done now." Feng Mian grabbed a tissue to dry her hands off with.
Walking out of the bathroom, they hadn't expected to bump into the female lead. Female leads are a rare specimen that is more prone to accidents than other normal people, especially when the male lead is within radar.
Yu Yan had been carrying stacks of plates and had accidentally hit Hao Junlin who was in her blind spot while she was walking. The plates crashed and fell down to the floor along with Hao Junlin who hadn't expected the collision as soon as he got out.
"Junlin, are you okay?!" Feng Mian was worried that he might have caught onto the broken pieces of plates on the ground.
Hao Junlin's face paled and he clenched his abdomen in pain. For some reason after being knocked down, there was acute pain in his stomach area.
The female lead also panicked when she saw who she had knocked into. "I'm sorry! Are you alright?!"
Hao Junlin's breath faltered. He gritted through his pain, "No."
Sensing that something was fearfully wrong, Feng Mian picked Hao Junli off from the ground into a bridal carry and ran all the way back to their car. Thankfully, the chauffeur had been waiting for them. The chauffeur was about to open the door, but Feng Mian beat him to it, prying the handle open with one hand as she held Hao Junlin with the other.
"To the hospital," her tone was dire as she ordered.
"Be fast."
***
Hao Junlin was carried into the emergency room by Feng Mian. She waited outside in anxiousness while the doctor attends to her housemate.
Feng Mian: "Baobei, could it be cancer? Or maybe tuberculosis? The plot wouldn't try getting rid of a cannon fodder this way right?"
System 555: "Calm down Xiao Mian, as far as I know, the plot hadn't mentioned the side character having any life-threatening diseases. Hao Junlin should be fine."
After what felt like forever, Feng Mian was finally called into the ward.
The doctor looked at the patient's husband carefully and recognised them for the finance newspaper he read. After knowing that Li Xiaocheng was about the get married, many young ladies in the capital, both single and not single, shed tears of blood.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Mr Li, your wife is fine. She was just in shock."
Feng Mian breathed a sigh of relief. She moved to sit on the side of Hao Junli's bed and saw that he was clearly fine.
"Then why was her stomach in pain?"
"That's what I was about to tell you. Mr Li, Mrs Wan, congratulations! Your wife is one and a half months pregnant!"
Hao Junli who was sitting on the bed perfectly healthy immediately fell back in shock.
Feng Mian grabbed unto him. "Shit! Hao Junli ah! Hao Junli! Get yourself together!"
Hao Junli grabbed the lapels of Feng Mian's shirt, making the fabric bundle in his fist. "You... Did. This. To. Me!" The man who just received earth-shattering news completely fell unconscious after spitting out his last words.
Feng Mian was also just as frightened by the news. Whoever baby's it was, it surely wasn't hers. Pei! Last time she was a nanny, this time she became a daddy! She didn't sign up for this ah.
"Hao Junli, wei! I didn't do it ba!" She shook patient who fainted a moment ago in a rush of distraught.
The doctor in charge for the first time in his life saw a married couple who looked like the apocalypse was coming when their pregnancy was announced. So was he wrong about them being a happy couple, and the arrival of a child was not a joyous occasion?