The starting price for the auction was set at one thousand yuan by Xiang Wan, but now the bidding has exceeded seven figures, and the price is still skyrocketing.
"Wow, wow, wow, Butterfly's livestream room is as impressive as ever."
"Earlier someone compared this to a Sotheby's auction, and I realize now how limited my experience was. I think the price for Butterfly's third divination will only slow down around eight figures and wrap up in nine figures."
"This isn't just a divination worth a thousand gold anymore—it's worth billions! Why are there so many rich people? Adding one more like me wouldn't hurt, right?"
"I'll fight you rich people for it!"
Honestly, even Xiang Wan herself was stunned by how high the bidding had climbed from its humble one-thousand-yuan starting price. She had anticipated the auction might go a little higher, but this was beyond her expectations.
The price had already reached eight figures, and although it had slowed down, it was clear that those remaining in the race were all extremely wealthy individuals. They didn't lack money; in their world, money was just a meaningless string of numbers. Investments and financial planning could replenish the funds they spent in no time.
At this moment, Lu Jingcheng sat in his car, smoking a cigarette while watching the auction on the platform. He couldn't think of another way to contact Zhuang Zhou Meng Die, so he asked his uncle to deploy their financial might.
Just throw money at it!
The Jiang family was not short on money. Jiang Xiao, as the sole heir to the family fortune, had a net worth exceeding billions. Without Jiang Xiao, Lu's aunt and uncle would lose all hope for the rest of their lives. They were willing to spend every penny to save their only child.
Among the people fiercely competing in Zhuang Zhou Meng Die's livestream auction were Lu's aunt and uncle.
The Jiang family villa was brightly lit. On the sofa sat a pair of powerful business figures, now just like ordinary parents, their hair turning gray from worry as they anxiously watched the bidding. They feared they'd miss the opportunity if they weren't careful.
At first, Uncle Lu had been skeptical of his nephew's suggestion to visit this fortune-teller's livestream. But now, after joining the bidding for the third divination, he realized just how in-demand it was.
His hands were sore from clicking, trying to keep up as the price surged from one thousand to one hundred thousand. He had to draw on the skills he'd honed as an apprentice on the factory assembly line just to get it up to one hundred thousand, only to find that was just the beginning.
He and his wife both logged into the livestream room on their phones, competing for the final spot. They were new fans of Zhuang Zhou Meng Die, but her long-time fans weren't amateurs either. With millions of people in the livestream room, there were plenty of wealthy individuals who didn't mind spending this kind of money. Everyone wanted the opportunity to seek fortune and avoid misfortune through this third divination. How could they not compete for it?
"We're falling behind!" Jiang's mother exclaimed anxiously as she watched her phone screen. Even though the bidding had already reached nine figures, over a billion yuan, an amount some small- and medium-sized companies couldn't even muster as cash flow, it had now been outbid for a single divination.
The fans in the livestream room watching the spectacle were envious to the point of jealousy, their eyes turning red. A divination that could be auctioned for over a billion yuan—this was several times higher than the most famous Hong Kong master, Wong Yishan.
"Am I counting wrong? Has it really surpassed a billion?"
"Ten, hundred, thousand, million... Oh my god, I can't keep up with the numbers."
"I could work from the dawn of time and still never make this much money!"
When the bidding reached the billion mark, the numbers started to climb more slowly, until it finally settled at 240 million yuan for the winning bid.
"Two hundred million?"
"Two hundred million!"
"Since when did 40 million become just a rounding error? Doesn't it deserve to have a name too?"
"Forty million yuan... That's enough to buy a big house inside the Fifth Ring Road in the capital."
"This is painful to watch. Seeing other people make money feels worse than death."
"But if you think about it, the one making this money is Zhuang Zhou Meng Die. I feel like with her abilities, livestreaming is beneath her now. We should cherish the opportunity to see her stream, because if one day she catches the attention of the authorities and they take her into secret protection, we'll never get to see her livestream again."
"Exactly! For someone like Butterfly, money is just a meaningless string of numbers now."
Coincidentally, Xiang Wan saw this comment and immediately screamed in her heart, "No, no, no! It's not meaningless! I still need to make money to buy a mountain, build a cabin, and cultivate in peace!"
Whether it was two hundred million or forty million, the auction price was indeed astronomical, especially with taxes coming into play later. So, even though the money was credited to Xiang Wan's platform account immediately, it would take another day to withdraw it.
But that didn't stop her from starting the divination for the winning bidder: "Let's welcome the user 'Jianghu Person.' What would you like to know?"
Xiang Wan initiated the connection and saw the worried faces of Jiang's father and mother, red-eyed, clinging to each other.
Jiang's father looked at Xiang Wan and said, "Streamer, my nephew said you're incredibly accurate with your divinations, so we bid for this opportunity. Please help us find out where our child has been taken."
"Wow, spending two hundred million on a divination, and he says it so calmly, as if the money means nothing."
"That's the disparity between the rich and the poor in the world. What can you do?"
"I'll just lie here and do nothing. Why should I aim for a three-billion-a-month salary when three thousand is enough for me to live on?"
"How can you sound so proud of being lazy and useless?"
"Hmph, as long as I refuse to hustle, no one can force me into it. No more competitiveness, starting with me."
"Let's all slack off, starting with me, and send the world economy back thirty years."
At this point, Xiang Wan was seriously examining Jiang's parents' facial expressions and couldn't help but say, "Huh?"
Jiang's parents became even more anxious, immediately asking, "Streamer, what is it? Is something wrong with our child...?"
Xiang Wan shook her head. "No, actually, I know your child pretty well. He used to be the top supporter in my livestream."
Yes, used to be. Ever since Jiang Xiao had been kidnapped, a wealthy woman had quickly taken over as the top supporter in Xiang Wan's livestream.
As soon as she said this, everyone remembered who Xiang Wan was talking about. After all, this person had been with Butterfly since the early days, helping to build the account from scratch. He had become such a loyal fan that even without financial support, he would habitually be present every time she went live.
"Wait, the top supporter is a super-rich second-generation heir?"
"That guy got kidnapped?"
"Why? How could such a naïve, rich guy like him get kidnapped? He was the top supporter for Butterfly, always the first to contribute."
"I always knew he was rich. He used to send tens or even hundreds of thousands without blinking. But now I realize, compared to his insanely wealthy parents, that was nothing!"