Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 490 - 491: Mutual Toughness

Soon, the bidding began.

"Five thousand." A celebrity raised a standard sign.

"Ten thousand." Another celebrity also raised a standard sign.

After others had called out bids three times and the price had reached "fifteen thousand," He Jinxia raised a special sign, directly doubling the current bid.

Auctioneer, "Thirty thousand! Thirty thousand for the first time, thirty thousand for the second time, thirty thousand for the—"

Suddenly, a celebrity in the crowd raised their sign, and the auctioneer instantly changed tune, "Sixty thousand!"

He Jinxia frowned slightly because the celebrity who raised the sign was sitting somewhat far away, so she could not clearly see who it was, but she knew it was a female celebrity.

"Sixty thousand for the first time, sixty thousand for the second time, sixty thousand for the third—"

He Jinxia raised her sign again, not doubling it this time, but adding thirty thousand.

"Ninety thousand! Ninety thousand for the first time, ninety thousand for the second time, ninety thousand for the third—"

The auctioneer hadn’t finished the third call when the previous celebrity raised their sign once more, stunningly doubling it!

"One hundred eighty thousand!"

He Jinxia was slightly startled; this time, looking over, she finally made out the features of the female celebrity—it was Deng Zhaoyan.

Deng Zhaoyan slightly turned her head to look behind, as if searching for someone, it was unclear if she found whomever she was looking for, yet He Jinxia, observing her expression, felt she seemed quite smug.

She chuckled with a hint of amusement; the actual price of this ancient-styled dress was less than ten thousand, and even considering its collectible value, it barely reached ten thousand. She initially planned to buy it for thirty thousand, which was already three times its price.

Now, hitting a price of one hundred eighty thousand, which was six times more than she anticipated, honestly, it was not a loss at all.

"One hundred eighty thousand for the first time, one hundred eighty thousand for the second time, one hundred eighty thousand for the third time! Sold!!" stated the auctioneer with a definitive gavel.

A staff member removed the dress, and after the auction ended, this piece of clothing would be delivered to Deng Zhaoyan.

After successfully bidding for the item, Deng Zhaoyan turned her head back once more, the corners of her mouth wearing an impeccable smile, but He Jinxia knew it was provocative.

He Jinxia’s eyebrows quirked; she was not going to fall for Deng Zhaoyan’s trick.

She wasn’t upset at all; if Deng Zhaoyan was willing to spend more money for charity, He Jinxia would be grateful. If possible, she would even thank Deng Zhaoyan in person, though she guessed Deng Zhaoyan would not accept it.

What’s the most bitter thing in the world? It’s when you think you can capture someone’s attention, but in reality, you are just a part of the scenery they don’t even want to glance at. For Deng Zhaoyan, that was exactly her position in relation to He Jinxia.

A mere buffoon, not worth mentioning.

Having successfully auctioned an item far above its original price, a slight smile graced the auctioneer’s face, and he became even more enthusiastic about the upcoming auction items.

Next up for sale was an ancient bowl with some collectible value. He Jinxia got involved in the bidding, and Deng Zhaoyan happened to like this bowl as well. Eventually, it turned into a bidding war between He Jinxia and Deng Zhaoyan.

He Jinxia would not buy auction items far exceeding their worth; having money did not mean she had no other place to spend it, so often, in the end, the items would be bought by Deng Zhaoyan.

As the next item was presented at the auction, He Jinxia and Deng Zhaoyan seemed to clash as if destined, shouting their bids until in the end, it boiled down to a competition between them both.

Some celebrities distant from the action were unaware, but those next to He Jinxia saw everything clearly; every time He Jinxia raised her bidding card to bid on an item, Deng Zhaoyan was sure to intervene.

The surrounding celebrities couldn’t help but watch He Jinxia curiously and discreetly distanced themselves from her. Clearly, they all realized Deng Zhaoyan held a grudge against her!

If bidding on the same item once was a coincidence and twice was a rather unlikely coincidence, then bidding on the same item three times was no coincidence—it was an inevitable target!

Especially when He Jinxia paused in the middle of the auction and didn’t bid on a few items, yet once she started bidding again, Deng Zhaoyan’s bids promptly followed, like a demon relentlessly pursuing her.

The celebrities sitting around He Jinxia exchanged glances; it was obvious that there was old animosity between these two.

Deng Zhaoyan’s continuous successes in acquiring items at the auction, often not equating to their actual value, also caught the attention of some stars, including Geng Ni, a fashion industry rival competing with Deng Zhaoyan.

Geng Ni was a top-tier celebrity, unlike Deng Zhaoyan who became famous through variety shows, Geng Ni first made a name as an international supermodel.

After several years of hard work, she was nominated as one of the top hundred most valuable supermodels globally, became the face of several major cosmetics brands, ensuring a high standard, and then shifted to participating in variety shows.

Once her popularity was secured through variety shows, she naturally entered the ranks of top-tier celebrities.

The number of international supermodels is limited, and the list changes annually. Geng Ni’s inclusion on it spoke volumes about her high commercial value, especially since the modeling world had been particularly trendy in recent years, ensuring that the discussion around the status of models would sooner or later be elevated.

Geng Ni was seated to the right of Deng Zhaoyan, separated by one seat, and Geng Ni’s frequent bidding did not escape her notice.

Geng Ni’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, sensing something unusual about Deng Zhaoyan today. With the auction offering exactly sixty-seven items, and Deng Zhaoyan clinching several, it was clear some stars would end up with nothing.

Having once been burnt by Deng Zhaoyan’s actions, Geng Ni instantly became alert, suspecting a trick was at play!

She first sent a message to her team, deciding not to wait any longer and bid on an item ahead of others.

As for the item fetching a price not high enough, Geng Ni had no choice but to secure an auction item first, which was certainly better than falling into Deng Zhaoyan’s trap later and ending up empty-handed, right?

If this were leaked to the media, the mockery would be even harsher!

Auctioneer: "One hundred thousand for the first time! One hundred thousand for the second time! One hundred thousand for the——"

Geng Ni revealed her doubling card.

Immediately, the auctioneer’s words took a turn, "Two hundred thousand for the first time! Two hundred thousand for the second time! Two hundred thousand for the third time! Sold!! Congratulations Geng Ni on acquiring this item."

Deng Zhaoyan shifted her gaze to the right; she had seen Geng Ni bidding, hence her decision not to bid.

With an auction item secured, Geng Ni felt much more relieved, and seeing Deng Zhaoyan looking over, Geng Ni gave her a smile.

Deng Zhaoyan responded with a smile, her large eyes, enhanced with colored contacts, concealing her thoughts, and swiftly she diverted her gaze.

One of the celebrities sitting around He Jinxia was from the same agency as Geng Ni. She glanced at her phone and saw a message from her agent asking if she knew why Deng Zhaoyan kept bidding on items.

The star hesitated for a moment, then revealed the clash between He Jinxia and Deng Zhaoyan.

In fact, it wasn’t so much a clash as it was Deng Zhaoyan’s one-sided crushing; He Jinxia’s financial power simply couldn’t match Deng Zhaoyan’s.