I’m a Villain! Why Are You Trying to Date Me?
Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Aside from his identity as the head of the Security Department, Lin Tian had no money, no power, no background—nothing. His father had already passed away, and though his mother was still healthy, she wasn’t in any position to help him.

At this point in the original plot, Lin Tian was merely a minor thug who died within the first ten chapters. If he didn’t want to die, his only option was to live cautiously and lay low. If he tried to confront the protagonist, the “Child of Destiny,” head-on, it would only lead to a senseless death.

Thinking of this, Lin Tian suddenly realized something.

[Could it be that this entire auction was being held early because Jiang Yifeng had faced setbacks with the Zhao and Bai families? Could the real purpose be to deliver a stroke of luck to Jiang Yifeng?]

Lin Tian’s mind spun with theories, unaware that several of his inner thoughts were already being heard loud and clear by Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, Xuan Yuan Qingya, and Bai Bing’er.

[All four female leads and the male lead are here… This situation is practically a harem war! But it’s not Jiang Yifeng’s harem war… It’s damn well mine…]

[I’m going numb. Wasn’t Jiang Yifeng supposed to be with Xuan Yuan Qingya today? Why did he show up at Bali Street? I never should’ve agreed to come with Zhao Mengmeng. I should’ve just run away. If I had, none of this would be happening.]

[Now I’m sitting next to Zhao Mengmeng and Shang Chan… Jiang Yifeng’s definitely going to notice me, right? Especially since the Zhao family must be his main focus right now. Ugh, and Bai Bing’er acted weird too… When she approached me earlier, that probably caught Jiang Yifeng’s attention too.]

[Only Xuan Yuan Qingya is acting normal, but why is her mother here? In the original story, wasn’t Xuan Yuan Xing not only the leader of the Star Group but also connected to high-level military forces? Damn… this is such a mess!]

[This auction will probably go on for over two hours. The items being shown now aren’t that interesting. Just calligraphy and antiques. Man, have I gotten arrogant? Each of these items could probably sell for astronomical prices, and here I am, acting like money doesn’t matter?]

[Once Jiang Yifeng gets those two auction items, nothing will be able to stop him, right? No wonder he’s the Child of Destiny… He just suffered setbacks with the Zhao and Bai families, and now an auction like this conveniently pops up. Maybe I should just resign. Once Jiang Yifeng rises to power, neither the Xinghai Group nor the Zhao family will be able to hold up…]

Lin Tian’s internal monologue was practically overflowing with valuable information.

Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, Bai Bing’er, and Xuan Yuan Qingya were all listening intently, analyzing every word.

At the same time, Xuan Yuan Xing had also learned from her daughter that Jiang Yifeng had used some underhanded tactics on her. Though she kept her composure outwardly, she was seething with rage inside.

However, since the auction was still in progress and Qingya claimed to be fine, Xuan Yuan Xing didn’t make a move immediately.

As for whether Qingya was really okay… Of course not!

Even though her “Heavenly Doctor Saint Physique” hadn’t yet awakened, Jiang Yifeng’s medical skills were already top tier. And medicine was a tool, if he could heal with it, he could just as easily harm.

Earlier, he had implanted a fine golden thread into Qingya’s body. If he didn’t extract it, it would continuously stimulate her hidden pressure points, keeping her in a state of low-grade arousal and distraction. While not overpowering, the effects would accumulate. If the problem wasn’t addressed in a few hours, Qingya might eventually lose control of her rational mind due to certain physiological responses.

There were only two ways to remove the golden thread: Either Jiang Yifeng takes it out himself. If not, Qingya redirects the “aroused” state toward someone else—essentially transferring focus as a way to dissipate the internal tension.

It sounded like mysticism, but in reality, it was just about psychological distraction. Jiang Yifeng had assumed that he was the only man Qingya trusted, so she’d naturally fixate on him.

The thread’s effects would last around ten hours. Once they wore off, Qingya would inevitably develop deeper feelings for Jiang Yifeng. Although the thread wasn’t having a strong impact right now, Qingya could feel something was wrong—the subtle heat in her body, the occasional rapid heartbeat—it was clearly unnatural.

But she didn’t want to leave because, she still wanted to keep listening to Lin Tian’s thoughts. In fact, she found that when she focused all her attention on Lin Tian, those strange feelings would subside. It was almost as if Lin Tian were a remedy that alleviated her symptoms. This combination of reasons led Qingya to say she was fine and Xuan Yuan Xing to delay her action.

The mother and daughter pair quietly sat in their private booth, watching auctioneer Xue Xue present item after item without bidding themselves. These were things the Xuan Yuan family didn’t care for.

Elsewhere, Bai Bing’er and her father Bai Ze also hadn’t bid on anything yet. Bai Ze had come specifically for Qi Baishi’s Twelve Landscapes Album, and nothing else interested him. Bai Bing’er, meanwhile, was too focused on analyzing Lin Tian’s thoughts to bother with any auction items.

Similarly, major figures like the Li family head Li Siyu from Tian’an, Zhou Wenlong of the Zhou family in Licheng, and Luo Xiangguo of Xinghui all had their eyes on specific targets.

At high-end auctions like this, a catalog of all items was typically distributed to invited guests a week in advance, so they could prepare funds and strategies. However, not everyone had a particular goal. The Meng family patriarch, Meng Youqian, was one such case. He was just here to spend money.

T/N: Youqian – ‘You’ means abundant and ‘qian’ is money. His name literally means wealthy

At that moment, Meng Youqian and his daughter Meng Xiaoling were sitting three booths away from Lin Tian. With a cheerful grin, Meng Youqian said: “Sweetie, see anything you like? Buy whatever you want! Daddy will get it for you!”

Meng Xiaoling shook her head, lightly biting her lip.

“Dad, why is Bai Bing’er here?”

Meng Youqian’s smile faded slightly, sighing.

“Well, the Bai family is one of the major families in Licheng. There are five or six top-tier items being auctioned secretly tonight, so it’s natural that Bai Ze was invited… Still upset about what Bai Bing’er said to you last time?”

Meng Xiaoling pouted.

“You know as well as I do. She’s a freak who can read minds. Ever since that incident… I get nervous just seeing her!”

Meng Youqian ruffled her hair and chuckled.

“No worries. Daddy will get back at her for you. If Bai Bing’er bullies you, I’ll bully her dad. After all, our family is richer than theirs!”

Just then, Qi Baishi’s Twelve Landscapes Album was brought on stage. Bai Ze started bidding, and Meng Youqian happily followed along, raising the price by just 100,000 each time Bai Ze bid, clearly doing it just to irritate him.

As the auction continued, Xue Xue presented item after item. Out of 20 publicly listed items, 14 had been sold, with the highest price reaching 640 million!

Lin Tian trembled on his seat.

[What kind of monsters are these people?! Every single item was going for hundreds of millions!]

After the 20 public items were auctioned, more than an hour had passed. Xue Xue bowed slightly and smiled.

“Next, we move on to the secret auction items.”

Lin Tian instantly tensed up.

[Here it comes! If nothing has changed, the first secret auction item should be Jiang Yifeng’s major opportunity!]

He was deep in thought, unaware that his internal voice was still being broadcast to the four women around him.

Shang Chan and Zhao Mengmeng both straightened up, faces unreadable. In the next booth, Xuan Yuan Qingya frowned.

“Jiang Yifeng’s fated treasure? Hah, we’ll see if he can even live to claim it.”

With that, she turned to her mother and said softly, “Mother, I want the first auction item.”

Xuan Yuan Xing looked surprised but nodded without questioning. Her daughter had always been a little headstrong, and that was fine. If she wanted something, then so be it.

Meanwhile, Bai Bing’er also smiled and turned to her father.

“Dad, I want the first auction item.”

Bai Ze nodded. He had already won the Twelve Landscapes Album, though thanks to Meng Youqian’s interference, what should have cost 200–300 million ended up costing him 490 million.

Since his own hobby was so expensive, he didn’t mind indulging his daughter a bit.

“Alright, I’ll buy it for you as a birthday present. Sound good?”

“Mm!” Bai Bing’er’s lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by excitement.

On stage, Xue Xue finally revealed the first secret auction item.

“First item in the secret auction: a 24-kilogram raw agarwood log. Starting price: 37 million.”

Her clear voice echoed, and the partitions between private booths began sliding away, one of the rules of the secret auction.

Lin Tian looked around nervously.

[It’s starting…!]