"Two hundred million high-grade spirit stones!" Xiao Qiu spat out through gritted teeth.
Ye Fan's expression remained calm, even serene, as he raised the bid. "Five hundred million high-grade spirit stones."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
This was sheer madness.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the "Hai" box, eyes filled with shock and awe.
Five hundred million high-grade spirit stones!
Who was this young man? How could he possess such wealth and boldness?
Curiosity about Ye Fan's identity spread through the crowd, growing ever stronger.
Unfazed, Ye Fan's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Anyone else want to bid?"
As he spoke, he cast a deliberate glance at Xiao Qiu.
Xiao Qiu's face darkened, his eyes blazing with fury as veins pulsed on his forehead.
Ye Fan was humiliating him on purpose, making it impossible for him to maintain his dignity.
Anger surged within Xiao Qiu, and he wished nothing more than to storm into the "Hai" box and kill Ye Fan on the spot. But at the Tianqiong Auction House, he didn't dare make a move.
"Hmph. Boy, today's humiliation... I'll repay it someday!"
Though Xiao Qiu raged inwardly, he kept a faint smile on his face, staring at Ye Fan with a forced politeness that barely masked his loathing.
It wasn't that he didn't want to keep bidding, but the spirit stones they'd brought totaled only five hundred million.
It was as if Ye Fan had anticipated this outcome. He smirked and said, "If you don't have the money, don't act like you do in front of me! Pathetic."
In that moment, Ye Fan felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction, as if a warm current had spread through his entire being. His previous frustration with Su Chen had been unbearable, but now, he was reclaiming his pride by stepping over Xiao Qiu.
This feeling of trampling someone beneath his feet... it was exhilarating.
Ye Fan's arrogant words echoed throughout the auction hall, like thunder exploding in everyone's ears.
All eyes turned to him, wide with disbelief.
Did he just call Xiao Qiu a "pathetic nobody"? His courage was audacious to the point of recklessness.
"You're courting death!" Xiao Qiu's face was red with fury, bloodshot eyes fixed on Ye Fan as he let out a furious roar.
He was the Xiao family's core disciple, feared by many, and no one had ever dared to speak to him like this.
Smack!
He slammed his fingers on the table, looking ready to pounce and kill at any moment.
"If you're not satisfied, feel free to raise the bid," Ye Fan shrugged, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Hearing this, Xiao Qiu's face turned pale, and his body trembled. With only five hundred million spirit stones at his disposal, he had no means to continue.
"What? No more bids? Weren't you just so bold? Keep going!" Ye Fan taunted, fixing Xiao Qiu with a contemptuous look.
Ye Fan's arrogance stirred murmurs of disapproval from the crowd, many shaking their heads in sympathy.
This young man... he was courting disaster.
Xiao Qiu's expression shifted through a range of emotions before he finally clenched his teeth and muttered, "You've got guts, but mark my words—you'll pay for this."
Ye Fan laughed. "Coward!"
"Pathetic loser!"
"And he calls himself 'Young Master Xiao'? Pathetic!"
Unable to hold back, Ye Fan jeered again.
Xiao Qiu's face twisted in fury, but he said nothing more. With a sharp flick of his sleeve, he stormed out of the auction hall.
Though he had lost this auction, he was far from defeated.
He would make arrangements to wait outside the Tianqiong Auction House for Ye Fan—and then he'd have his revenge!
In the "Hai" box, Xia Qingxue and Xiao Ruoyu watched Ye Fan, his arrogance on full display, faces filled with disdain.
"Hmph, all that fuss just to win a broken jade pendant. What's there to be so smug about?" Xia Qingxue scoffed, her tone dripping with contempt.
Xiao Ruoyu remained silent. Her gentle nature kept her from arguing with anyone.
Hearing this, Ye Fan glanced at Xia Qingxue with a smirk. "A big-chested woman with no brains."
"What did you say?!"
Xia Qingxue's eyebrows shot up, and she glared at him, her tone brimming with anger.
"I said, you're big-chested and brainless." Ye Fan shot back without a trace of hesitation. After all, Xia Qingxue was not his woman.
"You!"
Xia Qingxue's cheeks flushed crimson, too angry to find words.
"Qingxue, don't lower yourself to his level," Xiao Ruoyu intervened, trying to calm her friend.
Though gentle by nature, Xiao Ruoyu would never allow anyone to bully her close friend.
"Sister Ruoyu, he's simply too obnoxious!" Xia Qingxue pouted, looking aggrieved. "If my husband, Su Chen, had wanted that broken jade pendant, Ye Fan wouldn't have stood a chance."
Su Chen!
The moment Ye Fan heard that name, his pupils contracted, and his expression shifted drastically.
In his fit of pride, he had completely disregarded Su Chen's presence.
Even though he held more than ten billion high-grade spirit stones, enough to crush Xiao Qiu, he knew these stones were nothing in the face of Su Chen.
What he feared most was Su Chen joining the auction for the incomplete jade pendant.
And as fate would have it…
"Ten billion high-grade spirit stones!" a calm yet overpowering voice rang out from outside.
Ye Fan's face paled instantly.
Su Chen had intervened!
One move, and Su Chen had crushed him completely, showing no mercy. It was as if Su Chen were saying, "You, Ye Fan, think you're qualified to compete with me? I'll end this game in one strike and leave you with nothing."
Xia Qingxue and Xiao Ruoyu were also shaken by Su Chen's domineering voice.
Spending ten billion high-grade spirit stones on a damaged jade pendant... this was the ultimate show of dominance.
"My husband is the most powerful man in the world." Xia Qingxue cast a contemptuous glance at Ye Fan and sneered, "Compared to my husband, you're less than a speck of dust!"
She was utterly captivated by Su Chen, lost in a love that seemed unshakable.
"You—!"
Her words struck at Ye Fan's pride, hitting him right where it hurt.
Unfortunately for him, there was no retort. With Su Chen's bid of ten billion, he simply couldn't compete.
At the same time, Xiao Ruoyu's eyes glistened with intrigue. For some reason, she suddenly felt a surge of curiosity about Su Chen.
As the young mistress of the Xiao family, even she couldn't casually spend ten billion high-grade spirit stones.
She glanced at Ye Fan, instinctively comparing him with Su Chen in her mind.
The contrast was undeniable—Ye Fan, selfish and small-minded, couldn't hold a candle to Su Chen.
Su Chen was like a celestial star, noble, influential, and adored by all.
Ye Fan, on the other hand, was nothing more than a lowly commoner, struggling in obscurity, his life riddled with hardships and filled with petty ambitions.
One in the heavens, the other on the earth—their difference was insurmountable.
No wonder Xia Qingxue had ultimately submitted to Su Chen. His charisma was so powerful that she willingly abandoned her former pride, devoting herself to him entirely.
If she had to choose between Su Chen and Ye Fan, Xiao Ruoyu wouldn't even hesitate; she would stand by Xia Qingxue's choice without a second thought.
It wasn't that she was superficial—any sensible woman would make the same decision.
"Sigh… this is the gap between them," Xiao Ruoyu murmured to herself, watching Ye Fan, who looked like a cornered, enraged beast.
Her thoughts drifted away.
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