“Mister Su, do you really intend to do this? Put up your own 15% Equity Stake in Jinse Technology for auction?”
Song Li followed Su Bingren out of the Yunshan restaurant and asked him quietly.
“Yes.”
Su Bingren did not say much. He simply stood at the entrance of the Yunshan restaurant and gazed toward the end of the road.
The streets were overflowing with heavy traffic. Vehicles moved back and forth in a constant stream, and everyone seemed to be in a great hurry.
Lin Luan and Su Jin had rushed off to settle the bill, so at this moment, only Song Li and Su Bingren were there talking.
“It’s just a test, is it necessary to go this far?” Song Li could not help but ask.
Su Bingren did not answer immediately. He merely took out an old-fashioned pipe and silently lit it.
“You told me as well… that Lin Luan… is just a boyfriend Su Jin rented to lie to me, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Song Li lowered her head. She had indeed informed Su Bingren; after all, it was a fact she had to report as his assistant.
Su Bingren’s gaze remained fixed on the road. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see his daughter sitting on the back of the bicycle again, her hair tossed by the wind and her expression slightly panicked.
“Since you already know he’s a fake boyfriend, why bother setting a test for him?” Song Li asked, unable to restrain herself. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just expose him?”
“Well,” Su Bingren spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of tenderness, “it’s because Su Jin likes him.”
Song Li looked up in surprise.
“I know my daughter,” Su Bingren smiled. “She has that… *tsundere* personality you young people often talk about, right?
“I haven’t seen Su Jin show that kind of dependence on someone in a long time. But just now, when the two of them rode that bicycle over, I saw that shy look on her face again.”
“It was just like when I used to send her to school when she was little.”
Su Bingren reminisced about his life before he had made his fortune.
Back then, when he took Su Jin to school, his tiny daughter would sit on the back seat and hug his waist, her laughter as crisp as wind chimes.
“It’s been a long, long time — ” Su Bingren’s voice dropped lower, ” — since I’ve seen that kind of expression on Su Jin’s face. Like a normal girl, she was shy, flustered, and even secretly happy.”
He turned to look at Song Li, his gaze deep and profound. “Song Li, you told me he’s a rented boyfriend. That means once the contract ends, he’ll leave, right?”
Song Li seemed to understand something. “Yes… what do you mean?”
“Exactly.” A knowing smile appeared on Su Bingren’s face.
“When the contract ends, and this silly girl realizes she’s grown used to having that person around, when she realizes she misses him and cares about him… when that time comes, with her personality, what do you think she’ll do?”
Song Li was silent for a moment before giving her answer, “The young lady will find her own way to bring him back.”
“Yes.” Su Bingren nodded. “That is exactly Su Jin’s personality.
“She… probably hasn’t even fully realized it herself.
“So, as an old father, I have to vet the person she’s chasing for her.”
Su Bingren gave a faint smile.
“Isn’t it a bit too dangerous to put that 15% Equity Stake up for auction just like that?” Song Li asked.
“Don’t worry.” Su Bingren looked into the distance. “This equity won’t actually fall into the hands of an outsider. I’ve already made arrangements with the auction house.”
“Are you… are you really not going to pressure her to marry anymore?” Song Li said slowly.
“I pressured her to marry because I was afraid Su Jin would follow in my footsteps. Her mother ran away because I was solely focused on my career,” Su Bingren said.
“But now that Su Jin already has someone she likes, why would I need to pressure her?
“I’ll leave the matters at the auction to you, Song Li.”
“Yes.”
The wind brushed past the Yunshan sign, and Su Bingren left one last sentence behind:
“The rest depends on that young man’s choice.”
***
Lin Luan desperately wanted to question Song Li about exactly who she was bidding for.
But the distance between the two of them was far too great. Unless he shouted at the top of his lungs, it was impossible for Song Li to hear him.
If he actually did that, he would likely be escorted out by security.
Moreover, even if Song Li heard him, she could just pretend she hadn’t.
It wasn’t that Lin Luan hadn’t considered the possibility that Song Li was bidding on Su Jin’s behalf, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
After all, if Song Li were helping Su Jin, there would be no reason for her to raise the price again at such a critical moment.
‘Why is this ‘loyal maid betrays her master’ trope happening right next to me?!’
“No. 100, 550 million going once!”
Dammit!
Lin Luan nearly ground his back molars to dust.
What could he do? He was already out of money.
“No. 100, 550 million going twice!”
‘Think, Lin Luan! Is there anyone who can save the day?! Is there?!’
In an instant, Lin Luan found his mind was a complete blank.
He had no one he could rely on.
“No. 100, 550 million — “
Just as the Auctioneer was filled with ecstasy, preparing to drop the gavel to finalize the largest transaction of his career, Lin Luan spoke up again.
“I bid 600 million.”
Lin Luan stood up and held his number plate high. His gaze crossed the layers of the crowd to look at the Auctioneer on stage, who was about to drop the hammer.
His posture was one of burning his bridges.
“600 million?!”
All eyes shifted at once to the young man with Number 88, who had just shouted such a staggering price.
600 million! This had already far exceeded the estimated value of the item itself.
It didn’t even seem like an auction anymore; it was like he was declaring ownership of the item.
the oily-faced wealthy businessman who had been bidding against Lin Luan until the end now stood with his mouth agape, looking at Lin Luan as if he were a madman.
When stubbornness reaches a certain level, it is no longer just being headstrong; it’s called conviction.
He began to admire Lin Luan in his heart.
Although he felt Lin Luan’s bid was insane — auctioning an item worth 400 million at most for 600 million was a move made without a single thought in his head — he hadn’t felt this kind of hot-bloodedness unique to the youth in a very long time.
‘This young man…’
He gave an appreciative smile.
“Mister Number 88 bids 600 million! 600 million!” The Auctioneer’s voice rose with excitement. “Is there anyone higher than 600 million?”
The entire hall was silent. Song Li sat in her chair with an expressionless face; she seemed to have lost all interest in the item in an instant.
“600 million once — “
However, before the Auctioneer could finish his sentence, a staff member dressed in a black suit hurried onto the stage and whispered a few urgent words into his ear.
The ecstasy on the Auctioneer’s face vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning cold in an instant.
He raised his hand to signal for silence and cast a sharp gaze toward Lin Luan below the stage.
“Mister Number 88, I am sorry to interrupt your bidding. According to the emergency verification we just received, the bank card under your name that you provided to us before the auction only contains 500 million.”
He paused, and every word felt like a heavy punch to Lin Luan’s heart.
“Please verify your ability to pay on the spot. Otherwise, this bid will be deemed invalid, and you may face corresponding legal responsibilities.”
Lin Luan felt as if he had fallen into an icy lake, his entire body freezing cold.
Luo Ji fell into an icy lake and realized the Dark Forest Law; Lin Luan fell into an icy lake and only realized he was finished.
He didn’t know what he had been thinking just now. In the heat of the moment, he had shouted 600 million.
He clearly knew that the card Su Bingren had given him only contained 500 million.
He also knew that he fundamentally could not produce that sixth 100 million.