I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 237 - 234 Charity Auction (Thanks for the tip!)

Chapter 237: 234 Charity Auction (Thanks for the tip!)

Jiang Chen spoke sweetly and persuasively, using all of his charm to finally soothe Shi Qianxi.

Perhaps angered by her father’s philandering ways, the lady no longer insisted on having Jiang Chen introduce her around.

The two of them moved to a quieter corner.

"Jiang Chen, then tell me, what should I do?"

Shi Qianxi speared a cherry with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

Jiang Chen’s thoughts spun.

No matter what the relationship between Pei Yunxi and Shi Zhenhua really was, at least from the current situation, Shi Zhenhua definitely had designs on Pei Yunxi.

Looking at it this way...

Jiang Chen suddenly realized that he and the lady beside him were unexpectedly on the same side.

"Your dad and your mom are already divorced, him finding someone else seems to be his prerogative..."

"People can get remarried after a divorce!"

Finally.

Jiang Chen understood this woman’s thinking.

She wasn’t just venting her annoyance.

Remarriage.

In ordinary families, this might indeed be possible, but for high-status households like the Shi Family, a separation usually meant there had been serious consideration and weighing of pros and cons, and there was little chance of reconciliation.

Shi Qianxi now seemed like a naive child, still holding out hope for something doomed to never happen.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen felt that this lady was quite pitiful. However, it appeared he could indeed "lend a hand".

Shi Qianxi did not want her father to find new happiness with someone else.

Her stance, to a certain extent, was highly consistent with his.

If Pei Yunxi really became this lady’s stepmother, whom would he "fawn over" then?

Although marriage didn’t prevent one from stealing someone else’s partner, Jiang Chen asked himself and realized he couldn’t bring himself to break up someone’s family.

So.

He had to act before it was too late to salvage the situation.

"What you said isn’t wrong, perhaps once your parents calm down, they will realize they are the right ones for each other..."

He pretended to mull it over.

"That’s right, my mom helped a lot with my dad’s business at the beginning. It wouldn’t have flourished without her. Why should those vixens benefit from her hard work!"

Miss Shi was visibly indignant, her gaze firm and harsh as she declared decisively, "I absolutely won’t let those vixens get their way!"

Instead of responding, Jiang Chen simply nodded silently, seemingly in admiration of Miss Shi’s determination to defend her family.

"Qian Qian."

At that moment, a middle-aged man approached, his temples tinged slightly with gray, seemingly around the same age as Shi Zhenhua.

He stopped in front of Shi Qianxi, a kind smile on his face.

"In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown into a young lady."

"Hello, Uncle."

Miss Shi’s expression transformed in an instant, beaming sweetly.

"I was just telling your father I hadn’t seen you around, turns out you were with your boyfriend."

The man’s gaze shifted to Jiang Chen’s face.

"Hello."

Jiang Chen nodded politely with a warm and modest smile.

"Not bad, a fine match of talents and looks."

Shi Qianxi’s smile brightened even more as she blatantly, and against Jiang Chen’s resistance, cuddled closer and hooked her arm through his.

"I have long heard that the Sun Family has a fine son, and seeing you today, your reputation is well-deserved..."

As Jiang Chen was inwardly struggling, he froze.

Shi Qianxi also looked confused, then hastened to clarify, "He’s not Sun Xiyu..."

"What?"

The man’s smile stiffened.

"He’s not Sun Xiyu, his name is Jiang Chen..."

The man, likely another powerhouse in his own field, saw his smile slowly fade as he looked at Jiang Chen, whose expression had become somewhat stiff, and his own eyes grew incredibly odd.

Then, he forced a few awkward chuckles.

"Sorry, it’s my mistake. Carry on with your conversation, I won’t disturb you any longer."

With that, he turned and walked away.

"Jiang Chen, you’re not angry, are you?"

Miss Shi turned around.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Chen pulled his arm free and shook his head, "Who is he?"

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know?"

Jiang Chen was taken aback.

"Yes, I don’t know."

The same Shi Qianxi who had appeared compliant and sensible now said nonchalantly, "My father has so many friends, how could I possibly recognize every one of them."

"Then just now..."

"It was all an act for the crowd, isn’t that what everyone here does?"

"..."

Jiang Chen was left speechless.

Indeed.

Women are born actresses.

At that moment,

Pei Yunxi returned to the main hall, her enchanting eyes scanning the bustling venue.

But with two to three hundred guests moving around, it was impossible for her to spot the young man whom she had arranged to watch over her sister.

Who was this young man she had arranged to keep an eye on her sister?

Could just an ordinary college student dare to address the Shi Family’s daughter so boldly and loudly?

If the national goddess had known about the "outrage" Jiang Chen had once committed against Shi Qianxi, she probably wouldn’t be so shocked now.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know.

This was her first encounter with Shi Qianxi tonight, and the latter’s unruliness was on full display.

Even daring to defy the authority of Shi Zhenhua, and when asked by that young man to apologize, she actually complied.

Incredible.

Unbelievable.

A multitude of questions swirled in the heart of this exquisite actress.

Just what was the identity of that young man?

And what was his relationship with the Shi Family?

But before she could locate the other person, the lighting in the banquet hall changed.

The organizers announced the formal start of the dinner.

A vice mayor of East Sea personally took the stage to give a speech.

"So, does that mean someone donates their own item for auction, and then the money raised from the auction is donated to the charity foundation in the name of the item’s owner?"

Jiang Chen, attending this kind of event for the first time, understood some of it.

"Mhm, that’s basically how it works."

Shi Qianxi, sitting next to him, nodded her head. Between them was a small round table with a number plate and some snacks and drinks on it.

"What about the people who spend the money to bid? Aren’t they just suckers?"

Jiang Chen lowered his voice.

"How could that be, although the money is donated in the name of the consignor, once you win the bid, the item is yours."

Jiang Chen was enlightened.

Right.

The reputation is gained by the consignor, but the actual item goes to the buyer.

This was much more elegant than just donating money.

No wonder high society cherished a sense of ceremony in everything they do.

"We would like to thank Mrs. Liu Yunan, president of the Hui Sheng Group, for her donation of the Ruyi, the first auction item of the evening, with a starting bid of 800,000."

The lights dimmed, enhancing the drama and making the stage even more dazzling.

Carefully, a worker in white gloves brought the first auction item onto the stage, and the big screen displayed the details of the gilded copper Ruyi to all the guests.

About fifteen centimeters in length, the back featured a beautiful red pattern, though not of gemstones, but made of glass, with a watch embedded at the top. Rich in a blend of Chinese and Western styles, it was no antique, but definitely qualified as a fine piece of art.

"900,000."

"1 million."

"1.1 million."

...

Bidders were raising their paddles in turn.

As per the rules, each bid raised the price by an additional 100,000.

The price kept climbing.

"1.6 million, guest number 132 bids 1.6 million!"

The suavely-dressed auctioneer surveyed the room.

"Is there anyone else interested in this Ruyi?"

Even though the purpose of tonight’s gathering among the socialites was to buy a good reputation, spending money still needed some moderation.

High society may lack nothing, but it certainly isn’t lacking in wisdom.

This Ruyi had already been overbid. To bid higher would not be charity but playing the fool.

"1.6 million once."

"1.6 million twice."

"1.6 million... for the third time!"

Bang!

The auctioneer’s gavel struck sharply, "Sold! Congratulations to guest number 132 and Mrs. Liu Yunan for their contribution to charity!"

Applause filled the room.

"Next up, our second auction item of the evening is a 15th-century cotton cloth with mineral pigments Thangka of Sakyamuni and the Sixteen Arhats, donated by the renowned art collector, Mr. Ma Bowen, with a starting bid of 2.5 million!"

"2.8 million."

"3 million."

"3.5 million."

Of course, this set of Thangkas of Sakyamuni and the Sixteen Arhats was naturally more collectible than the earlier Ruyi, as evidenced by the rapidly rising bid prices.

Jiang Chen glanced at the lady beside him; the grandma here seemed entirely unconcerned as she idly enjoyed the snacks with no apparent interest in the auction.

Indeed.

A woman who dares smash blood diamonds worth hundreds of millions wouldn’t give a second look to trifles of this degree.

In just a minute or so, the Thangka bid skyrocketed to five million before the forest of paddles began to thin out.

The Thangka ultimately went under the hammer for 5.5 million.

Before coming here, Jiang Chen had thought there might be fierce competition, but the auction was unexpectedly calm. The items up for bidding were not exceptionally rare treasures - forget something like the Sun Family’s Eye of Medusa; there wasn’t even a single item with a starting bid over ten million.

Buyers were in tacit agreement, almost always driving bids above the item’s value, but not by too much.

Initially, Jiang Chen was surprised. After all, media hype had distorted values to the point where one might genuinely believe a billion was nothing to the rich. Jiang Chen was no exception, thinking that at a gathering of this caliber, wildly throwing around tens of millions or even billions in bids would be normal.

But Jiang Chen soon realized the truth.

He had been brainwashed by the internet in the past.

To be aware, even for a rich young master like Sun Xiyu, finding fifty million in cash would require borrowing.

Truly affluent individuals who treated money as meaningless numbers weren’t that common.

Furthermore.

Charity wasn’t about showing off wealth. The notion of "too much of a good thing" was something these famous figures from all walks of life surely understood.

"Aren’t you going to buy something?"

Miss Shi, perhaps having eaten and drunk her fill, turned her head and asked.

"Why aren’t you buying?"

Jiang Chen retorted.

"I don’t have any money."

"Didn’t you say your parents gave you shares?"

"Yeah, but that’s just shares, not cash. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind doing some charity."

Jiang Chen came to a realization.

That’s right.

Shares are shares.

Not cash.

"So when you talk about a project worth several hundred billion, are you essentially saying you’re getting something for nothing?"

"Jiang Chen, how can you say that? Those shares are indeed worth that much, and the annual dividends aren’t small at all!"

Miss Shi argued her point energetically.

It seems I underestimated her.

Born into such a family, how could she not know the ins and outs of business? Moreover, her skill in subtly switching concepts was truly elegant.

"Next is this piece of jewelry, donated by Miss Pei Yunxi. It’s the farewell work of the internationally renowned jewelry master Manolankin Mohanti, with a starting bid of eight million."

At the sound, Jiang Chen no longer cared to argue with Shi Qianxi and turned his head sharply.

On the big screen was a sapphire necklace, its magnificent glow captivating everyone’s attention.

Why does it look a bit familiar?

Jiang Chen suddenly remembered that when he had run into Pei Yunxi earlier, she seemed to be wearing this piece of jewelry around her neck.

Perhaps it still retained her body heat and scent.