Doesn't Care At All

Tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Su Rui was in high spirits, playing world-renowned pieces with one hand, completely crushing Deng Hao and Bai Yanyun underfoot. Their previous arrogance had been ground into dust.

To utterly defeat an opponent in the field they were most skilled in, with an invincible stance.

How could such elation and satisfaction be expressed in words?

At this moment, Deng Hao's expression was incredibly grim. He had agreed to the previous bet, and now, in front of so many prominent figures from Tongzhou, backing out was naturally impossible.

But to sing "Where is the Road?" with Bai Yanyun in front of so many people would completely ruin his reputation.

"You... if you have this level, why didn't you say so earlier? You deliberately set us up!" Bai Yanyun's face turned from pale to red. She clenched her fists and asked through gritted teeth.

Su Rui, seemingly half-drunk, looked back at her and said, "Playing the piano is about cultivating sentiment and refining oneself, not a skill for fighting and competing. The foolish act of wanting the whole world to know just because you've learned a little music and achieved a little success... I won't do that."

Li Ruobing's lips curled up silently.

Bai Yanyun felt a dizzy spell, and under the bright lights, she even experienced a hallucination of tinnitus.

Su Rui's words were more damaging than his action of playing all those world-renowned pieces just now.

"The granddaughter of the Bai Family is just too naive and arrogant. Now look, she's made a complete fool of herself..."

"A few years ago, she couldn't beat Li Ruobing, and this time, her boyfriend was completely defeated by Li Ruobing's boyfriend in front of so many people. I'm afraid the shadow on Bai Yanyun's heart from now on will be impossible to remove."

"There's nothing she can do... Li Ruobing's unknown boyfriend is simply too outstanding. Bai Yanyun and Deng Hao completely walked into his trap, tsk tsk..."

"Oh, right, does anyone know Li Ruobing's boyfriend's name? What does he do?"

Among the crowd, some quick-witted individuals had already started trying to inquire about Su Rui's personal information.

Bai Yanyun and Deng Hao stood opposite the crowd, stunned, like two isolated quails.

"A bet is a bet, hurry up and sing!" From the crowd, someone who was enjoying the spectacle started to egg them on.

"Where is the Road? Haha, Li Ruobing's boyfriend is really something!"

"I haven't heard this song in a long time, I'm actually a little impatient now..."

The crowd was noisy.

Bai Yanyun's face was pale with embarrassment. She turned her pleading gaze towards the host, Hu Yuhua, but the latter casually turned his head away, pretending not to see her.

Deng Hao's heart immediately sank.

"Sing, or you can choose to renege. After all, in public, I can't do anything to you... However, you need to consider your future credibility in Tongzhou." Su Rui smiled, not staying there to continue pressuring the two. Instead, he turned and sat down next to Li Ruobing.

He quietly closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, as if to relieve his drunkenness.

Silence.

Countless pairs of eyes, with gazes of amusement, ridicule, or sympathy, fixated on Deng Hao and Bai Yanyun in the center of the hall, like sharp razors, making them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles.

After Su Rui sat there, he seemed genuinely unconcerned about the situation in the hall, closing his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, a intoxicating fragrance wafted from his nose.

Before he could react, Su Rui felt a pair of slender hands on his shoulders, gently pressing his slightly sore arms.

"Are you tired?" It was Li Ruobing's voice.

"A little." Su Rui smiled silently, quietly enjoying the Beautiful CEO's massage.

Even Su Rui was a little surprised that Li Ruobing would make such an intimate gesture in public.

However, it felt quite nice...

Li Ruobing's eyes were cool and clear. She didn't look at the two people in the center of the hall, but lowered her head and spoke softly with Su Rui.

Silence.

A dead silence.

Ten seconds later...

"You... you carry the load... I lead the horse..." Deng Hao's voice, suppressed extremely low and carrying a hint of anger and resentment, slowly echoed through the hall.

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Greeting the sunrise, seeing off the sunset..." This was Bai Yanyun's singing, squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Hahaha!" The laughter grew louder.

Three minutes later, when the last word of the song fell, Deng Hao and Bai Yanyun almost fled in panic without looking back.

Only two desolate figures and a wave of laughter remained.

Hu Yuhua silently shook his head, then walked back to Su Rui and said with a smile, "The auction is about to start. Little Su, we still need your help with the opening performance..."

Su Rui opened his eyes and nodded with a smile, "I'd be happy to oblige."

After the shock of Su Rui's masterful performance of world-renowned pieces just now, although the opening piano piece was also very beautiful, it didn't cause another huge sensation.

When the five-minute opening piano piece ended, the main event of tonight's Wen Feng Gala finally began.

After Hu Yuhua, as the first host, gave a speech, the auction ceremony began as scheduled.

Gentle music filled the hall. As the spotlights illuminated the stage, exquisite art pieces were displayed on the auction platform. Soon, people started bidding, clearly offering amounts higher than the intrinsic value of the items.

Su Rui didn't sit in the auction area. Instead, he had Li Ruobing stay there while he silently made his way to a corner and sat down, placing the plate in his hand on the table, looking completely detached from the gala proceedings.

"Heh heh, young man, why are you hiding in a corner like an old man like me instead of bidding in the auction?"

As soon as he sat down, a weathered voice reached him. An old man was also seated in the corner.

He looked about fifty-seven or fifty-eight, with graying hair, dressed in a simple Zhongshan suit, and his voice was full of vigor.

"This kind of ceremonial bidding is pointless... Everyone knows this is just a formality to give money to the higher-ups. There won't be any truly valuable collectibles appearing," Su Rui said casually, without any reservation.

"You speak quite frankly," the old man didn't deny it, just smiled and said, "Most people here, while shouting bids, are cursing inwardly. They know the things they're buying aren't worth the price, but they still have to pay high prices because it's an opportunity to show face in front of the higher-ups. If you don't want it, plenty of others do."

"Capital always serves power," Su Rui shrugged.

"You're right," the old man looked at Su Rui meaningfully and asked, "Since you understand this principle, why did you still offend the Bai Family, who have an official background, so severely?"

After tonight's events, Bai Yanyun would be famous throughout Tongzhou, and the Bai Family would be completely disgraced.

"If I said I don't care about the Bai Family at all... would you think I'm bragging?" Su Rui asked back with a half-truthful smile.