Chapter 26

"Tonight."

Qi Chao emphasized, "Remember, don't tell your father or Lan Luo."

"Okay."

Moss had no objections. He wanted to surprise his father too.

As they spoke, footsteps sounded outside the door. Qi Chao fell silent and smiled at Moss.

This afternoon would be Lan Luo's final treatment. If nothing unexpected happened, he would apply the ointment this afternoon, and after washing it off tomorrow, his skin would fully recover.

Perhaps because he had slept for so long that afternoon, Lan Luo showed no signs of sleeping. Normally, the little one should have gone back to his room by seven.

Sitting on the sofa, Qi Chao glanced at Lan Luo and the Doctor sitting across from him. He coughed lightly and smiled. "It's almost eight. Lan Luo should go to bed."

He should go to bed.

But Lan Luo did not want to sleep.

"Go to bed." After saying that, Qi Chao smiled at the Doctor. "Brother Shen, shouldn't you rest too? You worked intensely for four hours this afternoon. You should turn in early."

Shen Yuxi's lashes concealed the confusion in his eyes. When he looked up again, he seemed persuaded. He smiled softly and said gently, "Then I'll go back to my room and rest first." As he spoke, he called for Lan Luo to go upstairs with him.

Lan Luo was not sleepy, but when his father spoke, he did not dare protest. He obediently followed behind him.

Qi Chao remained downstairs for a while. Once he was sure the father and son would not come back down, he knocked on Moss's door.

As night deepened, the two of them sneaked out of the house like thieves. Yet not long after the older and younger pair left, two figures appeared on the stairs.

"Father, where are Master and Big Brother going?"

Lan Luo looked somewhat puzzled.

Shen Yuxi narrowed his blue eyes without saying anything.

Chapter 26

Blue Star's auctions attracted all sorts of people. For safety's sake, Qi Chao had specially prepared a cloak for Moss. After getting off the aircraft, Moss pulled up the hood, revealing only his bandage-wrapped chin.

"Moss, stay close to me, okay? Don't talk to strangers, understand?" Qi Chao chattered as they walked toward the auction house.

Moss did not make a sound, but his hood bobbed up and down several times in an obvious nod.

It was only eight fifteen. The auction had already begun, and out of nearly thirty lots, they had reached the fifteenth. Fortunately, Qi Chao had arrived at just the right time. The diamonds he had his eye on were all around the twentieth lot.

Qi Chao had deliberately booked seats in a front-row corner. After finding them, he handed Moss pictures of several lots he had chosen so Moss could look them over in advance.

There were not many people attending the auction. Out of nearly five hundred seats, only half were occupied. Though there were few attendees, every one of them was either wealthy or influential.

The host onstage spoke with dazzling eloquence, never repeating himself. From time to time, he cracked harmless little jokes to liven up the atmosphere, making the bidders below laugh heartily.

"This one looks the best."

Moss handed Qi Chao a picture of his favorite diamond, one the size of a pigeon's egg. His tone was earnest. "This diamond is so bright. Father will definitely like it."

The lot Moss pointed to was the largest and brightest of all the diamonds. It was surely extremely valuable. On Blue Star, top-quality diamonds could cost tens of millions.

"Then we'll bid on this one."

Qi Chao spoke quietly, amusement in his eyes, as if he had not realized that with only one million Star Coins, he might not be able to afford such a large diamond at all.

It felt good to have his suggestion accepted.

Even Moss was no exception.

He did not like auctions, but he could tolerate this one for now. Moss tugged at the bow on his wrist as he thought to himself.

Onstage, the host was introducing the twentieth lot. Qi Chao glanced up before lowering his head again, his distinct-knuckled fingers lightly tapping the screen.

Buying the best diamond with his current savings might be difficult, but it was not impossible. The original owner's status as the son of the richest man was still quite useful. At the very least, the person organizing this auction was more than willing to do him this favor.

Auctions like this on Blue Star seemed transparent on the surface, but there were many hidden rules beneath it. The original owner had attended more than ten auctions. With those memories, Qi Chao naturally understood the auction world's rules inside and out.

That was also one reason Qi Chao had come to an auction rather than choosing diamonds from a relatively cheaper diamond company.

After nearly thirty years of clawing his way through society, Qi Chao would choose the option most advantageous to himself if there was a shortcut to take, so long as it did not violate his principles.

The diamond Moss and Qi Chao had chosen was the twenty-third lot. After the host read out its number and gave a brief introduction, someone immediately raised a paddle to bid. One bidder after another drove the price higher.

Yet after Qi Chao bid seven hundred thousand, none of the previous bidders raised their paddles again. The host brought down the hammer, and the valuable diamond was sold to Qi Chao for seven hundred thousand.

Things had gone suspiciously smoothly. Qi Chao did not know what price the auction owner had paid to persuade those bidders to stop bidding, but since the owner was willing to help him, it meant that establishing ties with the richest man was far more attractive than such petty profits.

Qi Chao remembered the favor. He typed a few words of thanks in the chat window, exchanged practiced business flattery with the auction owner, then stopped.

It was nearly nine thirty now. Moss went to bed at ten, and Qi Chao kept track of the time as he quietly told him, "Once the auction staff bring us the diamond, we'll leave."

"Okay."

Moss had no objections.

Having bought the Doctor's gift, Qi Chao felt as though he had completed some task, and his heart relaxed considerably. He looked up at the host, treating the rest of the auction as entertainment.

Earlier, he had focused only on choosing diamonds and had no idea what the remaining lots were. Resting his head on one hand, his dark brown eyes held a trace of amusement. But when he saw the next item onstage, the smile in his eyes vanished instantly.

"Next is lot number twenty-five—S-Rank Doll Twin Mirrors!" The host knew that many people had come specifically for this lot. Barring surprises, the final price for number twenty-five would definitely be the highest of the night.