Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Shi Hongda and the Yin-Yang Elders, believing they had found the real reason, clenched their teeth in frustration before settling into their seats. Their seats were in the second row, though not directly behind Xu Ke, but rather at the edge of the aisle.

Surrounded by a crowd, Xu Ke noticed the three men approaching, a serious glint in his eyes. He was very concerned about one thing. These three were undoubtedly here to stop him from bidding on items. If they pooled the resources of their two families to bid against him for the Imperial Tomb Relic, he would be completely out of options.

Now, Xu Ke could only hope that the three of them didn't have as much money as he did.

As time passed, nearly all the major and minor families of Sui City had arrived. Although being encircled by the crowd was terribly annoying, Xu Ke hadn't been merely wasting his time with small talk. In the process, he had collected the contact numbers of nearly a dozen Family Heads. Several of them were involved in medical supplies and equipment, and one family had made its fortune through law firms. Considering the future development of his medical hall and Yihe Pharmaceuticals, Xu Ke exchanged contact information with them.

Once Xu Ke had gathered a considerable network, Xie Jiancheng noticed the first signs of irritation on his face and subtly dispersed the crowd.

"The auction will now begin. Will all the Family Heads please take their seats."

After the crowd cleared away from Xu Ke, a man in a white suit walked onto the stage and announced the start of the auction.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

A smattering of applause broke out. Xu Ke found it somewhat novel. He had assumed this kind of auction would require a cumbersome opening ceremony. Instead, it began with a single sentence, skipping any preamble.

However, on second thought, Xu Ke found it acceptable. After all, the auction had been held so many times that if every event began with a long-winded speech, the audience would surely grow impatient.

While Xu Ke was lost in thought, Lin Fang pushed a small cart covered with a red cloth up beside the man in the white suit. She seemed nervous, keeping her head down as she approached, daring not to meet Xu Ke's gaze from her spot on the stage.

The man in the white suit wore a pleasant smile. "Hello everyone, I am your old friend, An Zhidong, and I will be hosting today's auction as usual."

"Our first item today, as is tradition, is a test of your luck."

No one in the audience seemed surprised. This was a staple of every auction.

But upon hearing this, Xu Ke was taken aback. "A test of luck?"

Knowing Xu Ke was confused, Xie Jiancheng smiled and explained, "This lot is like gambling on Jade Stones. The quality of what you buy is entirely dependent on luck."

"In a way, this is a segment for the other families of Sui City to see how much you're willing to bet on your own good fortune."

Understanding dawned on Xu Ke, and he shook his head. "It seems only the wealthy can afford to spend money here. Someone from a small family like mine probably won't spend a penny."

Hearing this, Xie Jiancheng's expression grew complex. He glanced at Xu Ke as if to say something, then looked away. A small family? What kind of joke is that?

Bai Qian'er raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with spending a little money to chase some good fortune?"

"The first 'good luck' item at our small-scale auction never goes for that much. I remember the record is just over a hundred thousand. You buy it and have it appraised on the spot. Even if the item is bad, the loss won't be that great."

To her, spending a little over a hundred thousand to court good fortune seemed perfectly reasonable.

"I generally don't pay for vain and elusive hopes. That's something a wastrel would do," Xu Ke said, shaking his head.

He had an unspoken thought—he wouldn't even spend a few yuan on a lottery ticket, let alone such a large sum. Spending over a hundred thousand just to chase good fortune? What a bunch of wastrels!

Bai Qian'er muttered, "Unwilling to fight, unwilling to make a small bet... you're as dull as an old man!"

Xu Ke turned his head away, offering no reply.

Bai Qian'er huffed.

Xie Jiancheng, however, was struck by Xu Ke's words and fell into deep thought, his expression turning grave.

"I generally won't pay for vain and elusive hopes." That statement showcases his stability. I need to write that down; it can be used in his character assessment later. Truly, only someone brought up by a major power would be like this. If it were my own prodigal son, he'd have already caved to Bai Qian'er's goading and thrown away a few hundred thousand by now...

If Xu Ke knew what Xie Jiancheng was thinking, he would probably be rendered speechless for a long time. *Patriarch Xie, you really don't need to overthink it...*

Afterward, Xu Ke turned his attention to the stage. He wanted to see which wastrel would spend over a hundred thousand on this game of chance.

As An Zhidong continued speaking, Lin Fang removed the red cloth covering the cart.

In that moment, Xu Ke's eyes locked onto it.

When Xu Ke saw what was inside, one word immediately leaped to his mind—*Fuck!*

As the red cloth fell away, it revealed a Bronze Wine Chalice.

Seeing the object, the crowd murmured in surprise. "Aren't we auctioning Jade Stones this time?"

"Correct!" An Zhidong said with a smile. "The item up for auction this time is said to be an Imperial Tomb Relic recently unearthed in Haojing."

"After we acquired this Bronze Wine Chalice, we have yet to have it appraised by a master, so we cannot confirm its authenticity."

"Therefore, we invite you all to rely on your luck. See if fate allows you to connect with the vastness of history and own a chalice once used by an emperor to hold fine wine."

"The starting bid is 6.66 million!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Suddenly, no one wanted to play along. Spending over a hundred thousand on a gamble was acceptable to them. But spending six million on a pure gamble? That was clearly treating them like suckers!

"That starting price is way too high!"

"Exactly! Why can't you just do it like before?"

"Let's have a pass, bring on the next item!"

This wasn't the first auction for this crowd. As soon as An Zhidong announced the price, they exploded in protest without hesitation. It wasn't just because An Zhidong's price was ludicrous; they also feared this would set a precedent. What if the Deyun Hotel actually sold it for such an absurd price? It would lead the auction house to believe they could be scammed without resistance. Once is a fluke, twice is a pattern. They didn't want to show up to future auctions just to be treated like suckers.

However, simply boycotting the event would mean offending both the Xie and Bai families. Therefore, these Family Heads, who clearly understood the stakes, immediately began to ridicule An Zhidong. By doing so, they hoped to maintain a relatively fair trading environment for future auctions.

Even Bai Qian'er couldn't help but frown. "It's only been a few years since I left. How have these people started running so wild..."

"Spending six million on a fake would make you the king of all wastrels!" This time, she found herself agreeing with Xu Ke.

But she failed to notice that Xu Ke's face was currently alternating between shades of white and red.