Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

The moment Xu Ke saw Xie Jiancheng raise his hand, he was completely dumbfounded.

It was one thing for Master Jintong to raise his hand; he could understand that Master Jintong was trying to curry favor with him. But he truly couldn't guess the motive behind Xie Jiancheng's bid. What is he after? Besides, strictly speaking, this auction belongs to the Xie Family. The money from selling the Jade Mountain Lotus goes right back into their pockets. So what is Xie Jiancheng playing at? Is the boss paying himself with his own money? After this transaction, he'll have to pay a portion of it out as employee salaries. He'd actually end up losing quite a bit...

A dead silence fell over the crowd. Everyone stared at Xie Jiancheng's raised hand, their mouths agape. Their thoughts mirrored Xu Ke's. Xie Jiancheng, what are you doing?

"Uncle... why are you buying this?" Bai Qian'er asked in astonishment.

She thought about it carefully but couldn't find any reason why Xie Jiancheng would need to purchase the item. If the Xie Family needed the Jade Mountain Lotus, couldn't they have just kept it for their own use from the start?

"I'll tell you later," Xie Jiancheng said with a slight smile, not revealing his true reason.

This only puzzled Bai Qian'er further.

Onstage, the auctioneer, An Zhidong, looked at his boss, his face a mixture of embarrassment, disbelief, and sheer bewilderment. "This..."

"Just continue as normal," Xie Jiancheng said with a faint smile. "Don't I have the right to bid as a guest?"

An Zhidong had no choice but to obediently continue. "One hundred twenty million, going once."

But by now, no one had the mind to compete with Xie Jiancheng. They might have harbored thoughts of challenging Master Jintong because, despite his high status, he likely had no direct financial interests tied to theirs. The Xie Family, however, was different. They were powerful, influential, and immensely wealthy. There was no way anyone could outbid them.

Master Jintong also gave up any idea of competing. He couldn't beat Xie Jiancheng, and blindly raising the price was meaningless. With a dark expression, Master Jintong could only sigh in regret. This left Tang Yingchang at a loss, only able to whisper words of consolation to him.

"Why did it come to this?" Shi Hongda's face was grim. He hadn't expected this outcome either. Now, he had no chance of obtaining the Jade Mountain Lotus.

"Forget it. Let Xie Jiancheng have it. It's his family's property anyway, so long as it doesn't go to Xu Ke," one of the Twin Elders of Yin and Yang said.

Their only goal was to prevent Xu Ke from obtaining the Jade Mountain Lotus and delay his ascension to the Innate realm. As far as they were concerned, it made no difference if Xie Jiancheng got it.

"Fine," Shi Hongda replied, his face filled with resentment, though he was powerless to do anything.

"The Jade Mountain Lotus goes to Mr. Xie Jiancheng!" With no other bidders, An Zhidong quickly finalized the sale.

After the gavel fell, An Zhidong was about to announce the end of the auction. The collection of items and payments was typically handled after the event concluded. Aside from the luck-based gambles, which were settled on the spot, this was the procedure for all other auction items.

But at that very moment, Xie Jiancheng stood up under everyone's watchful eyes and walked toward the auction stage.

Seeing his boss approach, An Zhidong's expression changed. "Mr. Xie, this..." He thought Xie Jiancheng was heading for the Jade Mountain Lotus to break protocol and take it away prematurely.

"It's nothing, don't misunderstand. I just want to say a few words," Xie Jiancheng said, waving his hand dismissively.

An Zhidong finally breathed a sigh of relief, while the audience below watched Xie Jiancheng's actions, utterly baffled.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Xie Jiancheng began with a smile, "this auction was supposed to conclude here, but there's something I'd like to share with all of you. Everyone must be wondering why I bid for this Jade Mountain Lotus, right?"

The crowd nodded subconsciously.

"My reason for bidding on this Jade Mountain Lotus is actually quite simple," Xie Jiancheng continued. "I want to invest in the future of a young friend with limitless potential."

At that, the crowd froze for a second before their expressions changed dramatically. Before today, they might not have known who Xie Jiancheng was referring to. But after the events of this auction, how could they not know?

They all turned to look at Xu Ke, their eyes flashing with disbelief.

Shi Hongda's eyes went wide. "What did he say?"

The two ancient faces of the Twin Elders of Yin and Yang darkened instantly. "That conniving bastard... did he just play us?"

They had only held back because it was Xie Jiancheng bidding. Who could have possibly known that the item was intended as a gift for Xu Ke? A deeply ominous premonition filled their hearts. Is Xu Ke about to break through to the Innate realm? This was terrible news.

"Why?" Fang Caizhe ground his teeth.

As for Xu Ke, he was simply dumbfounded, muttering, No way...

"That's right," Xie Jiancheng announced with a broad smile. "I am giving this to my new friend, Xu Ke, whom I've known for less than two days. This is a gift to mark our meeting. I hope you'll accept it."

When the answer was exactly what they had suspected, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Their gazes, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, shot toward Xu Ke.

What makes Xu Ke so special? It's one thing to have a female CEO worth tens of billions take an interest in him. But now even the Xie and Bai Families, the dual monarchs of Sui City, are on good terms with him? Moreover, they hadn't forgotten that just two days ago, Xu Ke had utterly humiliated Xie Jiancheng's son. And now, in a complete reversal, Xie Jiancheng was publicly giving him a gift worth one hundred twenty million?

What on earth was this world coming to?

In truth, Xie Jiancheng's motives were simple. First, he found Master Jintong's earlier analysis quite reasonable. He also knew that Xu Ke had no money of his own. While the Wang Family Corporation could easily spend a few hundred million, it was impossible for them to do so on Xu Ke's behalf. Therefore, Xu Ke definitely couldn't afford the Jade Mountain Lotus. Since that was the case, Xie Jiancheng decided he would buy it to ingratiate himself with the young man.

Second, by purchasing the Jade Mountain Lotus, he wasn't just gifting it to Xu Ke; he was publicly demonstrating the Xie Family's strong relationship with him. However, this "public demonstration" wasn't for the families in the audience. It was for the powerful figure backing Xu Ke. On behalf of Xie Hezheng, he wanted to convey a message to this person: "We, the Xie Family, are your friends!"

Finally, Xie Jiancheng's last consideration was purely for his own benefit. By presenting this gift and openly expressing his admiration for Xu Ke, he was forcibly binding Xu Ke to the Xie Family. In a way, Xie Jiancheng had just forged a "pseudo-alliance" for both sides.

"Alright, Zhidong, after the auction ends, just hand it directly to Xu Ke." Seeing Xu Ke's stunned expression, Xie Jiancheng looked satisfied as he walked off the stage.

He left a flustered An Zhidong standing there, speechless. He, too, was shocked by his boss's declaration.

When Xie Jiancheng reached Xu Ke's group, he smiled. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Xu Ke, who had been frozen for a long while, finally managed a wry smile. "Mr. Xie, was this really necessary?"

He truly didn't need the Jade Mountain Lotus.

"This is the Xie Family's apology," Xie Jiancheng said with utmost sincerity. "I am apologizing to you on behalf of my thoughtless wife and son. This is merely the first gift. Please, accept it without worry."