At seven in the evening, the entrance hall of the Conrad Mandarin Oriental Hotel was swarming with luxury cars.
Under the night sky, a black stretch Pullman slowly circled the roundabout before coming to a stop. The uniformed doorman hurried forward, white gloves pulling open the rear car door as he respectfully greeted the man, "Mr. Chen."
Liang Weining got out from the other side, the night breeze caressing her bare legs, triggering waves of chilliness.
With the outdoor temperature in the teens, a thin layer of silk stockings was utterly insufficient for warmth. She regretted not changing into something more appropriate before leaving; the big boss had mentioned that mere attendance sufficed, and there was no need for excessive formality.
Lost in thought, Chen Jingyuan also exited the vehicle.
The doorman led the way, escorting the two towards the hotel lobby.
Chen Jingyuan's eyes swept over the secretary walking beside him. She followed quietly, her expression gentle yet indifferent, her face bathed in the grandeur of the lights, casting her delicate features as if they were fragile.
Before they entered the elevator, he unbuttoned his suit jacket single-handedly and took it off, passing it to her.
Liang Weining reached out to catch it, neatly draping it over her arm when she heard the man's low voice say, "Put it on."
??
She was slow to react for two seconds before understanding.
She declined politely, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, it's not cold inside."
Chen Jingyuan looked at her and remained silent.
The auction was on the 17th floor. Liang Weining unexpectedly discovered that the doorman had also pressed the button for the top floor.
The elevator ascended slowly.
In just a few dozen seconds, they reached the 17th floor.
The elevator doors opened with a "ding", and the deep voice of the big boss smoothly entered Liang Weining's ears.
Turned out Chen Jingyuan had not planned to attend the auction himself this evening.
She went alone and then, Mr. Chen asked her to bid as she saw fit.
This meant she should bid on whatever item she thought was good.
Since becoming a secretary, this was the first time Liang Weining felt so perplexed.
As she recovered from her daze and hurriedly turned to ask the man before the elevator doors closed, "What's Mr. Chen's budget?"
Everything else could be discussed later, but this was important.
Chen Jingyuan looked at her calmly, his thin lips parting slightly, "There is no limit."
"..."
This was even more stimulating.
Liang Weining nodded, displaying a faint smile, "Rest assured, I will handle it well."
The elevator doors closed, and the man's towering figure gradually faded from view.
She restrained her smile.
Her heart was in a flurry.
Exhaling, she walked composedly towards the venue, treating it as an opportunity to broaden her horizon.
By this time, the bidders had all arrived.
Liang Weining found her seat, close to the front row and right in the center beneath the display stage.
This spot was ideal, allowing a full, unobstructed view of the collectibles.
The name "Mr. Chen" truly carried weight.
On the small table beside her, there rested tonight's auction catalog. After studying it carefully, Liang Weining had her targets in mind.
A water-ink painting named "Lofty Peaks" and a white jade inkstone with patterns originating from the Ming Dynasty.
The chairman cherished the collection of historical and contemporary inks. These two items, with their taste and grandeur, were the perfect gifts for an elder.
Moreover, given the elder's status, there was nothing he lacked.
What mattered was Mr. Chen's filial piety.
Ten minutes later, the auction officially began.
The first item sparked quite a sensation.
As various bids came in from below, the seat beside Liang Weining, previously empty, suddenly welcomed its occupant.
The somewhat familiar scent of men's cologne wafted into her nostrils, and she, instinctively looking sideways, couldn't help but flinch.
Chen Shao'an?
The name associated with this seat...
Well, it's a small world indeed.
"Second Young Master," she greeted proactively before he recognized her.
Chen Shao'an sat down nonchalantly, and hearing the girl's voice next to him, he turned his head listlessly only to be met by a pair of clear, kind eyes.
His first reaction was, "Is big brother here, too?"
Liang Weining kept her smile, "Yes."
"Which piece has he taken a fancy to?"
"Not sure yet."
Seeing the girl joking around, Chen Shao'an snorted disdainfully, "What, relying on big brother's backing, has Secretary Liang become even more dismissive of me now?"
That was harsh.
Liang Weining sighed softly, lowering her voice as she explained, "Mr. Chen has given me full authority, but I'm still unsure. Could you help me out, Second Young Master?"
Chen Shao'an couldn't stand the innocence and harmlessness of this Little Secretary.
Time and again, she left him half dead with anger, and it was he who ended up being scolded by the big boss.
He, the esteemed Second Young Master of the Chen Family, always ended up falling for the tricks of this little girl.
Thinking back to those three days of 'imprisonment', Chen Shao'an couldn't shake off the gloom in his heart. If it weren't for his older brother being present today, he would have definitely sought a hundredfold, even a thousandfold revenge from this Little Secretary.
Liang Weining, of course, was well aware of what the wastrel young master was pondering over.
But she didn't care.
After all, she was used to it.
In a silent moment, Chen Shao'an pointed at a number on the catalog with his finger. Liang Weining looked closely and saw it was the white jade carved inkstone she was interested in.
"Answer a question honestly for me, and I won't compete with you tonight," he said.
Chen Shao'an's words were laced with a veiled threat.
If she didn't cooperate, she would walk away empty-handed, unable to explain herself to Chen Jingyuan. Failing at even a small task, what right did she have to be the chief secretary?
Liang Weining looked helpless, "Second Young Master."
Here we go again.
Chen Shao'an looked away, asking her, "Why didn't you reply to the message I sent you last Thursday night?"
A message?
Oh.
This must be that traditional Chinese mini essay.
Putting on an act of surprise, Liang Weining said, "The Second Young Master sent me a text message?"
When it came to acting, she did have some talent.
Seizing the moment before Chen Shao'an could speak, Liang Weining continued, "My phone is set to automatically block spam messages. I didn't expect it to be so blind."
The girl spoke while pulling out her phone, navigating to the settings screen, and stretching it out towards Chen Shao'an with a sincere expression, "Second Young Master, you just have to click here, and it will be unblocked."
Chen Shao'an: ...
Clearly, this answer wasn't enough to satisfy the young master.
"I'm giving you one last chance," he said, with an impatient tone.
As the third auction item, "Lofty Peaks," began bidding, Chen Shao'an glanced at the girl beside him, then calmly called out, "Twenty million."
Liang Weining's heart skipped a beat.
This guy was actually targeting both of the items she was after.
Every bid she made tonight represented Mr. Chen.
In terms of financial resources, Chen Jingyuan was far stronger.
Yet for an auction item, the Executive Director of Zhonggang was actually encouraging his secretary to openly contend with his own brother, which seemed somewhat beneath his status and generous spirit.
But if Liang Weining simply gave up on "Lofty Peaks," she would only have the white jade carved inkstone as her last choice.
Clearly, Chen Shao'an was not going to make it easy for her to win.
She was caught in a dilemma.
To bid or not to bid, either way was a dereliction of her secretarial duties.
Liang Weining wanted to curse his entire family, but remembering that this included her own boss, she thought better of it.
In no time at all, "Lofty Peaks" had been bid up to thirty million.
Seeing Chen Shao'an's confident demeanor, Liang Weining tugged at her lip, "The Second Young Master is truly imposing."
The young master raised an eyebrow, "What's so special about that?"
No sooner had his words fallen than someone placed a bid for thirty-two million.
On this new base, Chen Shao'an nonchalantly added another three million.
The opponent continued with a bid of "thirty-six million."
Chen Shao'an was about to place a bid when the girl interrupted him.
Liang Weining gently reminded him, "For a contemporary ink painting, this price is already the limit."
"The limit of a painting depends on the person, not the painting itself," he replied.
He didn't ignore the admiration that was flashing in the girl's eyes; to him, it was quite gratifying.
So, before his opponent could raise the bid further, Chen Shao'an simply went all in, raising his paddle to fifty million.
Fifty million?!
The other bidders turned their heads towards the source of the bid after hearing the amount.
And saw it was the Second Young Master of the Chen Family.
No surprise there.
The Second Young Master was famously indulgent and libertine among the upper echelons of the local social circles. Tonight, who knew which lady's favor he was trying to win by throwing around his money?
Fifty million for a contemporary piece of art.
Tsk.
It really did seem like a case of, "more money than sense."