Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

As far as Xie Jiancheng was concerned, the only logical explanation was that Xu Ke had bid for his sake. After all, if Xu Ke disliked antiques and was just trying to squander money, why hadn't he bid when An Zhidong first presented the item? Why did he wait until after Xie Jiancheng had claimed the chalice was his before making an offer...

There was only one answer!

It was obvious. No one was bidding on the item Xie Jiancheng had brought out, so Xu Ke stepped in and bought it!

Xie Jiancheng's face filled with gratitude. "Xu Ke, thank you!"

Xu Ke, who had been staring intently at the Bronze Wine Chalice, whipped his head around in surprise. "Family Head Xie, what is it?!"

"It's nothing. I understand. Nothing more needs to be said."

Xie Jiancheng patted Xu Ke's shoulder.

Xu Ke was even more baffled. What the hell? What happened while I was talking to Bai Qian'er?!

While the front row conversed, the back row was in an uproar.

"Has Xu Ke lost his mind? Does he have more money than he knows what to do with? Or is he just showing off?"

"Damn it, I think he bought it deliberately to curry favor with Xie Jiancheng."

"Another one of the Xie Family's bootlickers. He'll pull any stunt to please his master."

The crowd was abuzz, but everyone's opinion boiled down to one thing: there was no way Xu Ke actually wanted to buy this for himself!

Meanwhile, Shi Hongda and the Yin Yang Elders burst out laughing.

Shi Hongda even raised his voice so everyone could hear, exclaiming, "Xu Ke, you have that much money to burn? Six million just for a lottery ticket?"

The Yin Yang Elders cackled deviously.

Their Qin Family dealt in antiques, but even they wouldn't burn money to this degree! In their eyes, Xu Ke's actions were no different from simply giving money away.

The onlookers remained silent, but they all looked at Xu Ke as if he were a clown.

So what if Xu Ke knew Shi Hongda was mocking him? He couldn't refute it. After all, he really had spent six million on a lottery ticket.

But without even turning his head, Xu Ke said coolly, "You're right, I do have more money than I know what to do with. Huang Zhendong just compensated me with several tens of millions last month."

"Forget six million. I wouldn't mind spending ten million, since it's your family's money anyway."

Shi Hongda's face instantly flushed crimson. "You—you—you..."

He stammered for a good while but couldn't get a single coherent word out. Humiliated, he could only slump back into his seat. Just as Xu Ke said, how could it possibly hurt to spend someone else's money?

Seeing Shi Hongda silenced with a single sentence, the crowd shook their heads. This old fool's fighting prowess is pathetic!

After Shi Hongda sat down, the Yin Yang Elders consoled him. "Brother Shi, don't worry about it."

"So what if he used your money to please Xie Jiancheng?"

"Let's see what he's going to use to bid on the Jade Mountain Lotus later. The man's an absolute idiot!"

Shi Hongda's expression eased slightly. "That's right."

"When the time comes, he'll be short this crucial six million, and we'll get to watch him miss out on the Jade Mountain Lotus he wants so badly!"

In their minds, they had already decided that the Jade Mountain Lotus was the item Xu Ke desired most.

After a few brief arguments, order returned to the auction. Since no one bid after Xu Ke, An Zhidong eagerly announced, "This item goes to Mister Xu Ke!"

"Mister Xu, please come to the stage! We will now invite the master appraiser to witness the birth of a miracle!"

The gambling segment of the auction always involved revealing the results on the spot. Otherwise, what was the point?

The corners of the spectators' mouths curled into smirks as they waited to watch Xu Ke make a fool of himself.

Bai Qian'er, vexed that he wouldn't listen to reason, said, "You don't even like antiques. I have no idea why you'd spend this money... It pains me just thinking about it."

"Aren't you just embarrassing yourself by going up there now?"

Xu Ke shook his head as he stood. "You don't understand!"

"Right, only you understand! You could tell it was real with a single glance," Bai Qian'er said indignantly.

She fumed. I'm worried sick about his money, and he tells me I don't understand? What an asshole!

Xu Ke said nothing more and walked straight toward the stage.

An Zhidong looked at Xu Ke as if he were his savior. He didn't care what others thought about Xu Ke sucking up to Xie Jiancheng. All An Zhidong knew was that Xu Ke had extended a helping hand at this critical juncture. Not only had he preserved the face of both the Xie Family and Xie Jiancheng, but he had also saved him, the auctioneer, from utter humiliation...

"Mister Xu, a man of remarkable talent!" An Zhidong began with a compliment.

"Thank you!" Xu Ke smiled, his gaze fixed on the locked Bronze Wine Chalice. "May I take it out for a look?"

"Of course!" An Zhidong readily agreed and looked at Lin Fang. "Miss Lin, if you would."

Lin Fang kept her head low. "Yes."

She stepped forward with the key and unlocked the case, still avoiding a direct glance at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke couldn't be bothered with her. He was too busy examining the Bronze Wine Chalice, his eyes filled with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. I hope these six million won't let me down!

Seeing Xu Ke staring intently at the Bronze Wine Chalice, An Zhidong said, "Mister Xu, Master Jintong will be here shortly, so there's no need to worry."

"Master Jintong has a keen eye; he won't let a hidden gem like this chalice be overlooked."

He said this, but in his heart, he didn't believe a word of it. He had seen clearly how little confidence Xie Jiancheng had in the chalice. The chances of Xu Ke having found a hidden treasure were extremely low.

Hearing An Zhidong's words, the crowd below let out a series of snickers. Even now, this An Zhidong hadn't forgotten to comfort Xu Ke? It was hilarious!

At this moment, Xu Ke had no time to pay attention to what An Zhidong was saying, nor did he care who Master Jintong was. Because the moment a *click* sounded from the lock, his breathing became hot and heavy...

The glass case was open.

Instantly, Xu Ke saw an extremely faint red light flash across the chalice's grimy surface. At the same time, a familiar aura that only he could perceive pulsed from it. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Xu Ke was ecstatic. He carefully lifted the chalice with both hands as if it were a peerless treasure, an uncontrollable smile spreading across his face...

Son of a bitch, I bet right!

In his haste, however, Xu Ke couldn't yet determine how long the Dragon Essence contained within the chalice would support his cultivation... But he was sure of one thing: this item would have no problem sustaining his breakthrough to the Innate Initial Stage!

As Xu Ke picked up the Bronze Wine Chalice, everyone's gaze was locked on him. When they saw his excited expression, the entire auction house fell silent in stunned confusion.

"Has the shock broken his mind?"

"Did he go insane on the spot after seeing how ugly the chalice is?"

"Tsk, tsk... what a weak constitution! Shouldn't he have expected this when he decided to suck up to Xie Jiancheng?"

The crowd sneered and jeered. No one would ever believe his reaction was because he had obtained a treasure.

Lin Fang and An Zhidong exchanged a worried glance. They too were afraid that the shock had been too much for Xu Ke. For someone who wasn't a top-tier tycoon, spending six million on a worthless chalice would be hard for anyone to accept, let alone a commoner like Xu Ke, who came from a humble background.

Just then, after examining the chalice for a few moments, Xu Ke asked An Zhidong, "May I take it with me now?"

At his words, the entire venue was stunned once more.

***

Author's Note: To my dear readers, I've received all your suggestions about the update schedule and plot. I'll do my best to make adjustments... As for the female lead, I'll also have her appear more often for some sweet, romantic moments...

[But I'm really not writing a romance novel, folks...]