The next few items up for auction were mostly diamond jewelry raw stones, and since there was no prompt from the system, Shang Yunyuan wasn't interested and stayed silent.
Everything changed when a white diamond necklace named "Angel's Heart" appeared. With a starting bid of 12 million, it caught the attention of Xu Yiru and other nearby female celebrities, collectors, and young ladies from prominent families!
"This is the Angel's Heart! I see many eager bidders in the audience. Everyone, please hold your horses! Allow me to introduce this piece—its design is very classic. Surrounded by white fancy diamonds and a platinum chain, the centerpiece is a 43-carat diamond. Honestly, starting at 12 million is quite cheap, even a loss for our auction house! But I have confidence in this auction and in our offerings! So let's start the bidding at 12 million, with each increment no less than 1 million! Bidding begins!"
"13 million!"
"15 million!"
"Alright! This young lady bids 15 million!"
"16 million!"
"17 million!"
"Bid from guest number 35: 17 million!"
"18 million!" Xu Yiru finally spoke up, but only after discussing it with her father and brother; otherwise, she wouldn't have such funds!
Upon hearing Xu Yiru's bid, Shang Yunyuan smiled. This necklace was his!
But her bid of 18 million was quickly outmatched!
"Zhao family bids 20 million!" A woman from behind Shang Yunyuan shouted.
"22 million!"
"23 million!"
The prices kept soaring, leaving Xu Yiru feeling a bit frustrated. The necklace was stunning and brilliant, but the price was becoming outrageous, far exceeding her family's expectations. She felt sad but quickly shrugged it off, thinking maybe something better suited for her would come along!
At this point, the price had skyrocketed to 33 million, nearly tripling its original price. The number of bidders was dwindling, and each time the auctioneer had to ask before someone raised their bid!
When the price reached 38 million and there were no further bids, just as the auctioneer was about to drop the hammer, Shang Yunyuan lightly said, "40 million!"
Silence fell over the room. The man sitting next to Ai Hongcheng had finally made his move. Would anyone dare to continue bidding against him? What was his background? Was it worth offending him over a necklace with such low value?
As expected, no one wanted to take that risk, and soon the auctioneer declared the item sold—Shang Yunyuan had successfully secured the Angel's Heart!
People behind him were puzzled; why was a big man buying a women's necklace?
Xu Yiru stared blankly at Shang Yunyuan's back, feeling conflicted. Why was he buying that necklace? Did he already have someone special in mind?
After the transaction, the next item was up for auction, but Xu Yiru was still lost in thought, having missed three auction items. When the fourth item was presented, her father, Xu Daqiang, nudged her and said, "What are you daydreaming about? These items aren't expensive; just bid on whichever you like!"
Hearing her father, Xu Yiru snapped back to reality. She looked at the item currently up for auction—a pendant that seemed to be gold inlaid with jade. It was small but had a beautiful hue, priced at 2.3 million, now up to 2.4 million!
Xu Yiru liked it, as the small jade ornament symbolized blessings. Plus, jade and similar items from the Northern Merchants' Guild held collectible value. So she decided to bid right away. Shang Yunyuan noticed, casting a gentle glance at Xu Yiru. He understood the mindset of a shopping woman, so he wouldn't keep raising the bid or making it difficult for her!
Eventually, Xu Yiru won the small jade ornament for 3.5 million!
Nearby, the Zhao, Liu, and Deng families' young ladies looked disapprovingly at her. They hadn't bothered bidding on that "trivial item," leaving it for a bunch of young stars to fight over. They found it shocking that a young lady from one of the five great families would bid on something worth just a few hundred thousand—talk about embarrassing!
However, Xu Yiru didn't care. This was her first auction since returning home, and she was thrilled that her father and brothers were helping her buy things!
No matter what others said or thought, it didn't matter to her!
The auction continued, and during that time, a few girls got into a heated bidding war over a jewelry bracelet, leaving Shang Yunyuan astounded!
"Surprised?" Ai Hongcheng whispered in Shang Yunyuan's ear.
"Yeah! It's fine, just buy what you like! But why are those women getting so worked up? They look… well, awkward!"
"Oh, them! Their intentions are crystal clear. They want to leave a good impression on me, hoping their families will get close to me afterwards. You'll see, after this auction ends, all five prominent families will try to cozy up to me, haha!"