The little drama came to an end. Although an important guest left the party in a huff, it didn't matter much to the organizers. Or perhaps, they were just helpless about it.
Could they really blame the young master from the Chu family?
Chu Yuxuan was still making snide remarks about Wang Long, completely oblivious to a woman in a cheongsam sitting not far from the front row, who was smiling lightly at him. "He used to be so quiet. When did he become so sharp-tongued?" Situ Jingyao muttered to herself, finally looking away after a while. Her gaze accidentally fell on Xue Can, who was not far away.
Xue Can's eyes were cold and piercing. After staring at Chu Yuxuan for a moment, he walked towards Situ Jingyao and sat beside her.
"What are you doing here?" Situ Jingyao asked irritably. "The Xue family never likes to show their faces in public." Xue Can didn't answer her question directly, instead, he said, "I don't like the way you look at him."
Situ Jingyao rolled her eyes. "Master Xue, do the words 'making much ado about nothing' not exist in your vocabulary? Stop belittling yourself, it's really annoying."
Xue Can replied with a sarcastic tone, "His wife is the most beautiful woman in Jiangcheng. Are you making much ado about nothing? Or is it beneath you?"
"None of your business!" Situ Jingyao shot back. "Get lost, don't spoil my mood."
"Well, I'm sitting here today. I'd like to see who has the guts to make me move," Xue Can retorted defiantly.
Situ Jingyao was speechless and too lazy to argue with him. She turned away and started chatting with someone else.
Soon, the evening event officially began.
When it came to the auction of the art pieces, Chu Yuxuan wasn't particularly knowledgeable or interested. His eyes were fixed on Zhao Yanan on stage, filled with deep affection.
There were three hosts in total. Compared to the other two professional hosts, the ever-cool Zhao Yanan spoke little, only responding occasionally. In the end, the organizers had invited her mainly to add some glamour to the event.
It seemed that Zhao Yanan felt a bit uncomfortable under Chu Yuxuan's gaze, often casting warning glances at him. But the young master was enjoying it thoroughly, not only ignoring her warnings but becoming even more brazen.
Their exchanged glances were all caught by Situ Jingyao. The bewitching woman in the cheongsam watched their interaction with a flicker in her eyes, her smile unchanged.
The event proceeded smoothly, and the auction was quite intense.
As the event neared its end, Chu Yuxuan was considering bidding on something, when a diamond necklace came up. The starting bid was 1.5 million.
Seeing the dazzling necklace, Chu Yuxuan raised his paddle without waiting for the host to finish the introduction and directly bid 3 million.
As soon as he spoke, Xue Can also raised his paddle, "5 million."
Chu Yuxuan turned towards the voice and accidentally spotted Situ Jingyao. She smiled and nodded at him, acknowledging him.
Out of courtesy, Chu Yuxuan nodded back, then raised his paddle again, "6 million."
Xue Can: "8 million."
Chu Yuxuan smirked, "10 million!"
Xue Can: "12 million."
The crowd was in a frenzy, and the host was excited. Zhao Yanan looked at Chu Yuxuan and gently shook her head.
Raising a bid from 1.5 million to 12 million? Crazy. Too much money to burn?
However, Chu Yuxuan ignored her warning, and no matter how much Xue Can bid, he raised it by another million, relentlessly raising his paddle, not stopping for a moment.
When Xue Can called out 20 million, Zhao Yanan finally couldn't hold back and said to the frantically bidding Chu Yuxuan, "Mr. Chu, calm down."
Chu Yuxuan stood up with a smile, "Wife, should I bid or not? I'll listen to you."
"Hahaha..."
His words caused an uproar of laughter, and many people chimed in, "Mr. Chu, we didn't know you were afraid of your wife... How did it turn into a public display of affection?"
Zhao Yanan's cheeks flushed. She didn't dare look at Chu Yuxuan and didn't know what to say, standing there awkwardly.
"Wife, I think you'd look great wearing this necklace, so..." Chu Yuxuan glanced sideways at Xue Can and raised the bid again, "22 million, because things should come in pairs."
Just as Xue Can was about to raise his paddle again, Situ Jingyao calmly pressed down his hand and whispered, "Xue Can, do you want to make a name for yourself? The Xue family can't afford the limelight, right? Why are you even competing with him? Isn't it beneath you?"
Xue Can frowned but ultimately gave up. He sarcastically remarked, "They really are a loving couple, aren't they, Yao Yao?"
Situ Jingyao snorted coldly, not responding.
After the event, Zhao Yanan headed backstage first. Chu Yuxuan stayed in his seat, waiting. After a moment of hesitation, Situ Jingyao walked over.
"Chu Yuxuan, what a coincidence."
Chu Yuxuan looked at the hand she extended and gave it a light shake, "Yes, quite the coincidence."
"Hey, when you have time, come teach me calligraphy, okay?"
Chu Yuxuan opened his mouth, swallowed the words "no time," and said instead, "We'll see."
Situ Jingyao felt a bit awkward and, after a pause, remarked, "They say Mr. Chu is a notorious playboy, but I didn't expect you to be so considerate of your wife. Heh heh..."
Chu Yuxuan smiled. For some reason, he suddenly felt that Situ Jingyao's features were somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where or when he had seen her before.
From childhood until now, he didn't seem to know anyone with the surname Situ...
As he was thinking, Situ Jingyao rubbed her cold arms and muttered, "It really is a bit chilly tonight... What's wrong with the air conditioning in this venue?"
Chu Yuxuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, it is a bit cold."
With that, he took off his jacket.
Situ Jingyao smiled, but in the next moment, she saw Chu Yuxuan carrying his jacket and walking towards the backstage area. She looked up and realized he was going to meet Zhao Yanan.
Watching him drape the jacket over Zhao Yanan's shoulders, Situ Jingyao couldn't help but laugh at herself. She sighed softly and turned to leave.
"Where's my coat?" Zhao Yanan asked curiously. "You should wear your jacket; it's pretty cold."
Chu Yuxuan glanced in Situ Jingyao's direction and replied, "I'm not cold. You should put on your coat later. Look at you; your face is getting pale from the cold."
Zhao Yanan didn't refuse again. She looked up at Chu Yuxuan, a bit annoyed, and said, "Why spend so much money? No one bid on that bottle of wine when it was at 700,000. I gave you a look, but you didn't bid on it."
Chu Yuxuan chuckled, "It's for charity. After all, I'm a member of the Chu family. How could I be stingy? Besides, it's Chu Zhiqing's money, so I don't mind."
Zhao Yanan rolled her eyes at him. "Let's go home."
Not far away, Xue Can watched the couple with a wicked smile on his lips.