Chapter 109 - Mystery Man
Bai Xia turned her head slightly and glanced toward the man seated beside Gu Nan. For a brief moment, an inexplicable sense of familiarity flashed through her heart. His profile looked calm and distant, his posture steady, yet there was something about him that tugged faintly at her memory. However, Bai Xia only paused for a second before withdrawing her gaze. Whatever that feeling was, she chose to suppress it for now.
On the stage, the host's clear voice rang out once more.
"The next item on our list is an undeveloped piece of land. It covers one hundred acres and can be used for planting, commercial development, or construction. The starting price is two hundred million yuan."
The hall instantly fell into silence.
Compared to the previous properties, this piece of land was huge, but its uncertainty made many bidders hesitate. Some whispered to one another in low voices, calculating risks and profits. Others simply chose to observe.
As expected, the quiet did not last long.
Bai Xia lifted her paddle calmly.
"Four hundred million yuan."
The hall went dead silent again.
No one raised their paddle.
No one even whispered this time.
"Four hundred million once!"
"Four hundred million twice!"
"Sold to the lady in the front!"
The hammer slammed down cleanly.
Bai Xia slowly exhaled. At this point, she was already more than satisfied with everything she had acquired tonight. The system's target was nearly complete. The remaining items were left for the other bidders.
As more properties were auctioned off one after another, Bai Xia did not raise her paddle again. Her calm withdrawal made many people secretly breathe a sigh of relief. If she continued bidding, the rest of them might as well have gone home.
At last, the auction officially came to an end.
Bai Xia did not intend to socialize. She stood up and was about to leave with Stella, but several people quickly stepped forward, their faces full of eager smiles. Some held business cards in both hands, others greeted her with polite flattery.
"Miss Bai, may I know which company you represent?"
"Miss Bai, I hope we'll have a chance to cooperate in the future."
"You were truly impressive tonight."
Bai Xia did not refuse them outright. She accepted a few business cards gracefully and returned polite smiles, her attitude calm but distant.
Soon, everyone moved toward the settlement area to finalize payments and sign contracts. The place was prepared with snacks, champagne, and refreshments. Business negotiations began instantly in low, strategic tones.
Bai Xia stood talking with a few businessmen when a sharp, mocking snort suddenly pierced the air.
"I don't believe you can actually pay for anything you bought. You're probably just being sent here by some man."
Gu Nan walked toward Bai Xia holding a glass of red wine, her chin slightly raised in arrogance. Behind her trailed several young women, their eyes filled with malice and curiosity.
These girls had no personal grudge with Bai Xia, but Gu Nan had deliberately misled them. She told them that Bai Xia had stolen her former boyfriend, was now being kept by a rich old man, and had deliberately come to the auction to show off with money that did not belong to her.
Spurred by gossip and jealousy, the girls immediately turned hostile.
"Yes, stop pretending. We all know it's not your money!"
"What a shameless woman."
"She clearly came here to seduce men. Look at how seductive she's dressed."
Bai Xia lowered her eyes and glanced at herself indifferently. She was wearing a simple white chiffon blouse paired with neat black office trousers. The outfit was clean, elegant, and professional. There was nothing provocative about it at all.
The businessmen standing beside her looked at Gu Nan and the others as if they were idiots. Some of them almost wanted to laugh out loud.
Why would the boss of XB Group be kept by an old man?
Not to mention that Bai Xia's father owned one of the largest construction companies in the country. These girls were utterly ignorant.
At that moment, one middle-aged man spotted his own daughter among the group. His face turned pale instantly. He hurried over, grabbed her arm, and dragged her in front of Bai Xia.
"Miss Bai, please forgive her. She's not feeling well today and lost her judgement."
The girl struggled unwillingly, but her father did not let go. He forcibly pulled her away and apologized repeatedly before leaving in embarrassment.
The moment some of the girls heard the surname "Bai," their expressions changed drastically. A few of them quietly stepped back.
The Bai family had recently broken into Shanghai's top ten richest families and was currently ranked fourth.
Seeing how respectfully that businessman had apologized, they could already guess Bai Xia's identity.
Fear replaced their arrogance in an instant.
One by one, they retreated awkwardly.
Gu Nan, however, misunderstood the situation completely. She thought those girls fled because they were afraid of her instead. She lifted her chin proudly and snorted again.
Her heart was burning with resentment.
Even though she now had a new boyfriend who was rich and handsome, Fu Jian was still the most handsome man she had ever known. The mere thought of Bai Xia being with him made her furious beyond measure.
She hurled a few more sharp, disdainful remarks, but Bai Xia ignored every single one as though they were nothing more than thin air.
Gu Nan grew even angrier when she realized she had lost her backup. Her gaze fell onto the glass of red wine in her hand, and a malicious idea suddenly formed in her mind.
She took a few steps forward, deliberately quickened her pace, and pretended to lose her balance. Her body swayed as if she were about to fall, aiming to pour the wine directly onto Bai Xia's clothes.
But Bai Xia had already seen through her foolish plan.
At the critical moment, Bai Xia sidestepped cleanly.
Gu Nan lost her balance completely. With a shrill scream, she fell hard to the ground. The wine glass shattered instantly, and sharp fragments pierced into her palm.
Blood spilled onto the polished floor.
Her scream attracted everyone's attention.
Gu Nan got up from the ground in rage and pain, her eyes bloodshot. Without thinking, she rushed toward Bai Xia as if she wanted to tear her apart.
Before she could take two steps, Bai Xia lifted her hand and delivered a fierce slap across her face.
The crisp sound echoed through the hall.
Gu Nan's face swelled immediately, her cheek puffing up like a pig's head. She looked utterly miserable. Tears of pain and humiliation burst from her eyes as she glared at Bai Xia with pure hatred.
For a moment, she wanted to fight back.
But the cold warning in Bai Xia's eyes froze her in place.
In the end, Gu Nan could only clench her fists tightly before turning around and running away in shame.
Bai Xia did not even spare her a second glance. She calmly turned back and continued talking to the people she had been speaking with before, as if nothing at all had happened.
However, Gu Nan's sharp voice soon rang out again from behind.
"She's there! She pushed me and slapped me!"
Gu Nan returned, this time holding a man's arm tightly. Her eyes overflowed with grievance and pride, as though she had finally found her shield.
When Bai Xia turned around and locked eyes with the man beside her, her expression finally shifted.
Her pupils shrank slightly.
Why was it him?