Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Everyone was baffled. They hadn't expected that after just touching it twice, Xu Ke would try to walk away with the Bronze Wine Chalice.

The crowd exchanged looks. What kind of stunt was this?

Now that he had what he came for, Xu Ke was already planning to grab Tang Yingchang and leave Sui City, especially while Shi Hongda and his companions were still tied up with the auction. After all, the Bronze Wine Chalice was the only reason he'd come. With it in his possession, leaving immediately was the only logical choice!

But An Zhidong could not possibly agree. He grunted, "Mister Xu, that's against the rules. We need to wait for Master Jintong to arrive and give his appraisal. Only after he has finished can we let you take it."

Xu Ke's brow furrowed slightly. "It's that troublesome?"

"That's right!"

Just as Xu Ke was about to speak, Shi Hongda stood up from the audience and said coolly, "Xu Ke, stop playing dumb."

"You knew before you came on stage that items won by gambling on fortune can't be taken away without an appraisal. What are you trying to pull? Are you just worried that you'll be too embarrassed when the appraisal reveals you spent six million on nothing but a lesson?"

The moment Xu Ke spoke, Shi Hongda knew. He wants to run because he can't accept that Xie Jiancheng swindled him. I'll make sure he loses face in front of everyone.

Xu Ke stared at him, completely baffled. "What are you talking about? This chalice is genuine. There's no need for verification!"

The declaration stunned the entire room for a moment before a wave of thunderous laughter erupted.

A hint of shame crept onto Bai Qian'er's face. What is Xu Ke doing? Is he trying to be a comedian?

Even An Zhidong and Lin Fang, standing beside Xu Ke, felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment. Has he lost his mind?

Shi Hongda laughed heartily. "I knew you were a sore loser, but I didn't realize you were *this* pathetic!"

"The appraisal hasn't even begun, and you're already claiming it's real? What, did you personally bury this Bronze Wine Chalice during some ancient dynasty?"

Hearing this, the crowd roared with laughter. "That's it, that's it!"

"Maybe he did! He must have buried it a few hundred years ago to be so certain!"

People love to watch a good joke, especially at someone else's expense. Those who would kick a man when he's down are the most enthusiastic of all.

Fang Caizhe joined the jeering, his eyes gleaming with triumph. Now that Bai Qian'er has seen Xu Ke make a fool of himself in public just to suck up to the Xie Family, she's bound to be deeply disappointed, right?

At this, Xie Jiancheng could no longer sit still. He stood up and frowned. "We will find out if it is real or fake soon enough. Why cause such a ruckus? If an outsider saw this, they would think we people of Sui City are all just troublemakers!"

Xu Ke kindly saved me from embarrassment; how can I just sit here and watch him be ridiculed?

The crowd quieted down.

Shi Hongda snorted coldly. I know exactly who he's calling an 'outsider', he thought. This is Sui City; the stage belongs to the Xie and Bai families, not the Huangs. Fine. I'll endure it for now and watch how Xie Jiancheng scams this fool.

He sat back down with a thump.

Just then, a voice from the entrance shouted, "Master Jintong has arrived!"

The crowd buzzed with excitement, craning their necks toward the entrance. They couldn't wait for Master Jintong to arrive and put Xu Ke in his place.

A dark-faced old man with spiky, inch-long hair walked in.

I swear I've never seen an old man with skin this dark, Xu Ke thought. He's nearly as dark as someone from South Africa… But despite Master Jintong's dark face, his eyes are as deep and clear as a fathomless pool, not cloudy like most elderly people's. The sight of those eyes sent a chill through Xu Ke. This man's cultivation is probably nothing to scoff at.

"Master Jintong, long time no see!"

"Master, your composure is as profound as ever, your wisdom self-evident. You are truly as brilliant as always!"

"Master, I've recently acquired a piece…"

As Master Jintong walked in, all the Family Heads rose to their feet. Such grandmasters had no conflicts of interest with them, commanded absolute authority in their fields, and could play a crucial role when needed. Naturally, everyone was eager to please them.

But Master Jintong's expression remained neutral. He offered a slight nod and walked on as if no one else was there. He walked to the front row, where Bai Qian'er, Xie Jiancheng, Tang Yingchang, and the others also rose.

Xie Jiancheng smiled. "Master Jintong, thank you for your trouble today."

"It's no trouble. Appraising one item or two, it's all the same to me."

Master Jintong nodded, a stiff smile on his face. The crowd noted that his attitude was much better when facing one of the overlords of Sui City.

The crowd was immediately filled with envy. Only the Xie Family has enough influence to get Master Jintong to do an appraisal for free, right?

A small smile touched Xie Jiancheng's lips. I wouldn't have called upon a top figure like Master Jintong for a Bronze Wine Chalice that's obviously fake. Master Jintong was only here because Xie Hezheng had asked him to come yesterday to appraise an antique. When Xie Hezheng learned that I was also auctioning the Bronze Wine Chalice, he simply asked Master Jintong to handle both. The official reason was that Master Jintong's presence would lend more weight to the chalice's appraisal. In reality, however, his motive was simply to flex on Xu Ke. Look how powerful our Xie Family is. We can even get Master Jintong to attend a minor auction like this.

Afterward, Xie Jiancheng smiled and nodded toward the stage. "It's up there, the Bronze Wine Chalice."

Master Jintong walked over, his gaze finally meeting Xu Ke's.

"Please hand it to me," Master Jintong said indifferently.

Xu Ke passed it over without hesitation.

Master Jintong took the chalice but didn't look down to inspect it. Instead, he asked again, "Before I came in, I heard you say that there was no need for further verification. Is that correct?"

"That's right. It doesn't need to be verified," Xu Ke replied calmly.

An irritated smile touched Master Jintong's dark face. "Why?"

"Because it's genuine," Xu Ke said again.

"Arrogant! Do you know what you're saying?" Master Jintong snapped.

With that, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Everyone wore looks of eager anticipation, ready for the drama to unfold.

Fang Caizhe grew even more excited. Everyone knows how fanatically reverent Master Jintong is when it comes to antiques. Xu Ke's baseless conclusion must have really set him off.

Shi Hongda and the Two Elders of Yin and Yang were practically salivating at the thought of Master Jintong teaching the ignorant upstart a harsh lesson.

Bai Qian'er's expression changed. She turned to Xie Jiancheng and whispered, "Uncle, why is Master Jintong so angry?"

"This…" Xie Jiancheng's expression turned grave, and he was about to get up to mediate. If Master Jintong gets truly angry, this situation will be impossible to control.

However, before he could even rise, Xu Ke spoke again, shattering any thought of mediation.

"I know what I'm saying," Xu Ke repeated. "It's genuine."

At this, Master Jintong's face became utterly grim. "Arrogant, ignorant, and utterly devoid of reverence!"

"Do you know who is standing before you?"

Master Jintong, who had been waiting in a side hall, knew that Xu Ke had only touched the chalice for two minutes at most. How could he dare to make such a definitive conclusion in that short time? Even I, Master Jintong, with my nationwide reputation, wouldn't dare be so presumptuous. And yet this boy is so certain? Such audacious ignorance!