Return to the Day When My Pregnant Wife Jumped Off the Building-Chapter 283: Avoiding You Becoming a Fool_1

Since the "charity dinner" card had been played, naturally there had to be charity.

In this kind of game that resembled socialites playing house, auctioning was the most convenient, direct, and effective method of engagement.

Typically, the items up for charity auction were not particularly precious, usually sentimental keepsakes or collectibles. Wealthy people would buy them at high prices, thus gaining both reputation and the appearance of good taste—a win-win situation.

The focus of this evening’s dinner was to celebrate the Emperor’s birthday through charity and love, so most of the auction items were donations from the people of Fusang, with the remaining being artworks gifted by related departments of Han Country as gestures of friendship.

And now, the bronze hairpin being auctioned on stage was brought forth by the Counselor of the Consulate, a donation from the Furukawa Family, said to be the work of a Great Fusang Craftsman and a relic of the Counselor’s grandmother.

Just now, in his haste, Xiao Ming’s raised voice attracted the attention of the entire venue.

Some recognized him and responded with polite smiles; others unfamiliar began to inquire around them, whispering amongst themselves.

There were even those whose faces turned sour, some evidently quite angry.

"Uncle, that bastard must be doing this on purpose!"

Guan Ruiming spoke in a hushed tone to Guan Qingchang, "In a charity auction, everyone’s bids are calm and mild, who comes in adding twenty grand right off the bat?"

Guan Qingchang furrowed his brow and said, "Don’t worry about him, just keep bidding.

If the Ye Family has set their sights on that hairpin and you can’t handle this little task, no one in the Guan family will have it easy."

"Alright, I got it."

Guan Ruiming turned back, glared fiercely at Xiao Ming, and raised his bid number.

Next to him, Lu Lichun had a glint in her eye, her expression unchanged, as if she had heard nothing.

"Hey! So it’s the Gus who want it, what a small world!"

Xiao Ming scoffed coldly, then bid again, "One hundred and ten thousand."

The starting bid for the hairpin on stage was twenty thousand, with each subsequent bid needing to be at least one thousand more.

Guan Ruiming just raised his number without a word, indicating an increase of one thousand on top of the base bid of one hundred thousand. By jumping nine thousand in his next bid, Xiao Ming not only slapped faces but also showed his determination to win.

Of course, in Guan Ruiming’s eyes, this was nothing but a deliberate attempt to drive up the price and disgust him.

So, he raised his number again and loudly declared, "One hundred and fifty thousand!"

Xiao Ming shrugged, lifting his number but remained silent.

That meant this time he only added the minimum bid of one thousand.

It was a clear provocation!

The guests in the room began to murmur among themselves, especially the local socialites and merchants from Lingnan, who were trying to find out or guess what Xiao Ming was up to with his antics.

Given Guan Qingchang’s status, it didn’t make sense for Xiao Ming, an outsider, to make enemies so eagerly, even if he didn’t respect the man.

Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth—no one’s business has ever thrived on making enemies.

However, Xiao Ming’s subsequent behavior was like that of a vulgar, rude, and arrogant nouveau riche second-generation.

When Guan Ruiming bid the base price, he bid high; when Guan Ruiming bid high, he returned to the base price, toying with the man, utterly indifferent to the displeasure and discomfort of the leaders and citizens of Fusang in the room.

After all, this was a celebration of the Emperor’s birthday, which was now turning into no less than a farce—who would stand for that?

Thus, Guan Ruiming and Xiao Ming went back and forth, the auctioneer unable to get a word in. Before long, the price of the hairpin climbed to three hundred thousand.

No sooner had Xiao Ming put down his number than a suppressed but furious voice rang out behind him, "What are you doing? Do you want to die?"

He turned around, his gaze indifferent as he met Furukawa Shizuka’s eyes, ablaze with anger, "Do you believe I dare to strip off your clothes right here and now?"

Furukawa Shizuka instinctively stepped back half a step, took a deep breath, and said in a normal tone, "Mr. Xiao, please restrain yourself. No matter what you wish to do, this kind of childish behavior will greatly affect the image of Han Country."

"Cut the crap," Xiao Ming cursed as soon as he opened his mouth, "It’s just some old man’s lousy birthday, not some solemn occasion. It can’t affect shit."

If you don’t want me to make a scene, then go find the guy with the surname Guan.

As for that hairpin on stage, I’m set on getting it—no one else will do!"

After saying this, he raised his bidding paddle again.

That’s because Guan Ruiming had just bid a new price of 310,000.

Furukawa Shizuka clenched her teeth and turned to leave.

Before long, someone approached Guan Ruiming, and the two quickly got into an argument.

Ultimately, Guan Qingchang turned around with a dark look in his eyes, said something to Xiao Ming, and Guan Ruiming angrily smacked his paddle on the table before the person who came bowed and left.

"Ah..."

Xiao Ming shook his head and sighed, then said to Ding Jianwei, "Even someone of Guan Qingchang’s status doesn’t dare to go against the small fry’s face. So much for any ’astonishment theory,’ it’s premature!"

"Cut the crap!" Ding Jianwei didn’t have an ounce of patience for him at that point, "The item is yours now, let’s go backstage and see just how much of a treasure it really is."

"Why go backstage? You can do it right here."

Patting her cheek, Xiao Ming stood up and headed towards the stage.

The auctioneer, overflowing with enthusiasm, was praising Xiao Ming’s generosity, trying to smooth over the commotion that had just happened. When Xiao Ming walked straight up, the auctioneer was at a loss for words, not knowing what to do.

Xiao Ming gave him a smile, squeezed past him, and spoke into the microphone, "Good evening leaders, colleagues, and friends from allied nations. My name is Xiao Ming.

First, please allow me to apologize for the incident that occurred earlier.

Because, no matter the cost, I had to win this bronze hairpin. Unfortunately, Mr. Guan was unwilling to part with it, which led to that indecent scene. I made you laugh and ask for your understanding."

Having said that, even though there were many in the audience who were still displeased, the surface atmosphere was cordial, so everyone clapped their hands.

"Thank you!"

Waiting for the applause to subside, Xiao Ming then said, "Next, I’d like to ask Mr. Guan Ruiming, why did you so desperately want this bronze hairpin?"

Guan Ruiming, caught off guard by the public query, hesitated and said, "Because... Because it was made by a Great Fusang Craftsman, it has fine workmanship, and I really like it.

Moreover, it is a relic of Counselor Furukawa’s grandmother. That Counselor Furukawa would offer such a valuable item shows his regard for the friendship between our two nations.

As a businessman, not only can I witness such a grand event, but I can also be a part of it. It’s an extremely fortunate experience.

Thus, for me, it’s not just a beautiful bronze hairpin, but also a memory worth cherishing forever."

Whether true or not, his words were beautifully spoken and elicited a favorable impression from the audience.

Therefore, the applause rang out again, much warmer than what Xiao Ming had received earlier.

Xiao Ming maintained his smile until the applause died down, then he made a shocking statement, "Since that’s the case, I need not apologize to you. You should actually thank me.

Because I’ve saved you from being an idiot!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and Guan Ruiming stood up abruptly.

"Mr. Xiao, what do you mean by that?"

"Please, everyone, calm down. I will explain right away," Xiao Ming replied.

He borrowed a pair of gloves from a hostess, put them on, and then picked up the bronze hairpin from the display stand. Then he announced loud and clear, "The main reason I wanted to buy it is that it is not, in fact, any damn thing made by a Great Fusang Craftsman!"