Perhaps startled by the auctioneer's sudden exclamation, Xie Zhuzhou woke from his light sleep. He looked around blankly before remembering that he had come to the auction with his eldest brother tonight.
The lot numbers onstage had advanced by more than a dozen.
"Why not keep sleeping?"
Xie Zhuzhou had already fallen asleep in front of Ji Wangchen twice. The latter seemed used to it and did not blame him. Instead, he even felt something around his neck.
He reached up to touch it. It was warm and soft. Looking down, he discovered it was a white travel pillow.
Looking again at Ji Wangchen's profile, Xie Zhuzhou suddenly felt that his eldest brother had become even more handsome. A warm current seemed to surge from his heart through his limbs.
Even so, Xie Zhuzhou's face remained expressionless, with only a fleeting trace of gratitude in his eyes. Ji Wangchen had no idea he had nearly warmed a heartless stone.
"I bought you a stone while you were asleep."
"A stone?"
"Don't you need one for your major?"
"I do. Thank you, Big Brother." Xie Zhuzhou wanted to say that his amateur skills hardly warranted a stone bought at auction, but he could not find a reason to refuse without seeming ungrateful. In the end, he decided to repay his eldest brother once he had money in his account.
Unbeknownst to anyone else, in just a few days, Xie Zhuzhou had already made enough grand promises to crush someone to death if piled together.
"Anything else you want? You missed quite a lot just now." Ji Wangchen's gaze remained on the stage, and he did not look at him as he spoke.
"No... It looks like it's almost over." Only then did Xie Zhuzhou come to his senses! He seemed to have missed the lot he had prepared!
Still, it only meant finding out a little later. Xie Zhuzhou was too embarrassed to ask Ji Wangchen, always worried about troubling him over minor things.
"Aren't you curious how much your item sold for?"
How could Xie Zhuzhou not be curious? But his neck was so stiff that he could not nod, and he continued pretending to be composed.
"No." He turned his gaze to the stage.
The previous lot had just been taken away, and the next was an ice-blue brooch, exquisite and beautiful beyond compare. The large screen displayed it from every angle, and it caught Xie Zhuzhou's eye at first glance.
It was a prized creation by Leon, a renowned designer from abroad.
"Bidding starts at two million!"
"Two million one hundred thousand!"
"Two million two hundred thousand!"
Xie Zhuzhou waited until the bidding had mostly run its course before raising his paddle to secure it. "Three million six hundred thousand!"
Sure enough, no one bid after that. Xie Zhuzhou thought that was a reasonable price for a brooch.
The surroundings instantly fell silent. No one dared raise the bid.
Who did not know that Xie Zhuzhou was a bully? Having him set his sights on you was no good, and he did not give anyone any face!
In short, even those who loved the brooch could only reluctantly let it go.
Some who disliked Xie Zhuzhou wanted to raise the bid, but their friends stopped them. "Forget it."
"We're just letting it go?"
"That person only took a fancy to one item. Just let him have it."
"No, is something wrong with you people? What's so scary about him?"
The friend stopping him panicked. Although he did not know what was so frightening about Xie Zhuzhou, anyone who could disrespect Master Elder Ji and Master Elder An and still be alive and kicking certainly had some ability.
"Anyway, you can't go wrong listening to me."
"You're exaggerating. But I won't give way next time. Being this wary of a mere illegitimate son is really giving him too much face." Wang Anning's tone was disdainful.
Half an hour later, Xie Zhuzhou finally went out wearing the frog mask. No one had laughed at him in the darkness, but the moment the lights came on, his expression darkened.
"Big... Brother..." His lowered voice carried a note of resentment.
Ji Wangchen said, "Take it off if you don't want to wear it."
Feeling the eager gazes of people passing by in twos and threes, Xie Zhuzhou gritted his teeth. Forget it. He still wanted a quiet life.
Back in the car, Xie Zhuzhou handed the black velvet box straight to Ji Wangchen.
"Big Brother, this is for you."
Ji Wangchen was a little surprised. He had thought Xie Zhuzhou had bought it for his father or a friend, not for him.
"You don't like it? Then..."
The corners of Ji Wangchen's lips lifted slightly, and he quickly took the box. "It'll do."
Xie Zhuzhou: ...
They arrived home.
Xiao Nan saw that, after all the miscellaneous expenses, service charges, and taxes, nearly a hundred million had actually reached the account.
Xie Zhuzhou gave Xiao Nan five million. Xiao Nan had previously advanced the auction lot's "entry fee," which was how it had made it into the auction.
Xiao Nan was both surprised and delighted. After deducting what he had spent, his "part-time pay" actually came to over two million! The brooch Xie Zhuzhou had bought Ji Wangchen had only cost a little over three million.
Xiao Nan took a deep breath and silently swore that Xie Zhuzhou would be his one and only boss from now on! He would never betray him!
Xiao Nan urgently needed money. With a monthly salary of twenty thousand, who knew how long it would take him to save enough for a down payment on an apartment in City A? Now, with just this one job for Xie Zhuzhou, plus his savings, he really could buy a small apartment in a decent location.
"That happy?"
"Of course! Young Master, you're too good to me! What have I done to deserve this!" Xiao Nan's eyes reddened with excitement, and he held back his tears. He thought about how his other colleagues had all mocked him before, saying his life was over. After all, assigned to a good-for-nothing young master, he probably had no hope of getting ahead.
If Xie Zhuzhou caused serious trouble, he would suffer along with him. Either way, things definitely would not go well for him.
Fortunately, none of the things he had imagined had ever happened. Aside from being rather stubborn, rather bullheaded, and rather aloof, Xie Zhuzhou had nothing but good points!
Putting all that aside, Xiao Nan now considered even his boss's flaws to be strengths! Stubbornness became strength, bullheadedness became determination, and aloofness became seriousness!
"You earned it. After all, you dared to gamble with your own savings before," Xie Zhuzhou said in a businesslike manner.
Xie Zhuzhou planned to invest this money according to the plot in his mind. There was still just enough time.
In the original novel, a pharmaceutical company developed a highly effective drug before the New Year. Once the news broke, its market value soared.
He would buy in at a low price while it was still cheap.
He left tedious tasks like opening an account and trading stocks to Xiao Nan.
Of course, he could not use all this money. He kept twenty million for social obligations and invested another twenty million in a new energy company that would take off in the future. Worried about possible butterfly effects, he did not invest everything.
As he spoke, Xiao Nan took notes.
Before he even had time to get excited, Xiao Nan went back into battle mode. It was nearly midnight before he had to leave the Ji Family residence.
As the car drove away, Xiao Nan glanced at the Ji Family's gates in the rearview mirror, filled with emotion. Xie Zhuzhou had clearly told Chu Yanzhang that he was living as a freeloader at home.
This was being a freeloader?!
Good grief, was he the only honest person in this world?