The Favored Heiress
Chapter 217: The Autobiography of the Stock God

Chapter 217: Chapter 217: The Autobiography of the Stock God

Li Qiao ignored Duan Yixuan’s dazed expression, casually letting go of her, and turned to walk toward her Mercedes.

Duan Yixuan steadied herself, standing by the wall of the studio with a vacant gaze, her heart pounding as she wondered where she could come up with a million for Li Qiao.

Even though her family was well-off, they were not so wealthy as to throw money around carelessly.

At that moment, as Li Qiao sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, she rolled down the window, rested her arm on it and glanced at Duan Yixuan, "Cousin, this is the last time."

In the past, she hadn’t cared much about Duan Yixuan since her petty schemes for attention were harmless.

But this time, Duan Yixuan’s attempt to put pressure on the South Sea Police Station through online friends had affected her godfather, so Li Qiao had to give her a lesson.

Duan Yixuan stood rooted to the spot, her mind full of the thought of a million, and she didn’t clearly hear what Li Qiao had said.

She regretted immensely, but it was too late.

...

After leaving the socialite studio, Li Qiao didn’t return to the lab but instead went alone to the Elegant Villa Garden apartments.

As the sun dipped behind the Western Hills and dusk fell, she sat by the window bathed in twilight, tapping her fingers lightly on her knee.

Soon, her phone rang. Li Qiao looked down and answered in an unhurried tone, "How is it going?"

A calm and respectful middle-aged male voice came through the speaker, "Miss, I have checked the upcoming auction lists, and there are currently no suitable lots of ancient ink or Xuan paper, mostly imitations with little value appreciation potential."

Hearing this, Li Qiao frowned slightly and had to put aside the thought of finding high-quality ancient ink and Xuan paper for her grandfather. She then asked casually, "How about the other items?"

There was a few seconds of thoughtful silence before the man spoke, "The recent lots are mostly art and jewelry which the miss may not be interested in. However... there is an autobiography titled ’The Autobiography of the Stock God’ that’s attracting high interest and is a bit strange indeed."

The Autobiography of the Stock God?

At the mention of the words "stock god," Li Qiao became inexplicably interested and narrowed her eyes, "What about it?"

"Here’s the thing, Miss. The ’Autobiography of the Stock God’ began circulating at various auction houses about a few months ago.

It is strange because it went unsold through three different auctions, supposedly due to a prohibitively high starting price.

As you know, items that go unsold are either reassessed or have their reserve prices decreased.

But after being unsold, this autobiography was listed at the top-end by Venus, with its price not falling but rather increasing from the initial thirty million to a starting bid of fifty million.

Now, quite a number of people are inquiring about who the consignor of the autobiography might be."

After listening to the man’s explanation, Li Qiao’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

Venus, being one of the top ten auction houses, had items listed that were notoriously hard to come by.

The autobiography that had gone unsold three times without any market was indeed added to Venus’s catalogue, an odd occurrence indeed.

Li Qiao pondered with her gaze lowered and after a moment, asked, "Is there an auction description for that autobiography?"

"Yes, just four words, ’The Autobiography of the Stock God,’" the middle-aged man replied with a sheepish chuckle.

Li Qiao paused, "That’s it?"

The man, fearing Li Qiao wouldn’t believe him, explained earnestly, "Miss, there’s really nothing else, not about the autobiographer, not the era, not the life story, not the origin, nor the provenance... all the supposed introductions are blank."

"It’s actually quite normal to have three failed auctions. Each bidder at the auction is cunning. Who would pay a high price for a biography with unclear origins?"

Li Qiao looked at the last of the twilight on the horizon and slowly curved her lips upward, full of interest, "When will the autobiography go on auction at Venus?"

Immediately after, there was the sound of pages turning on the other end of the phone. A few seconds later, the person replied, "Next Friday, there will be a Renaissance art auction at the Venus Hall, and ’The Autobiography of the Stock God’ will officially go on auction that day."

"Hmm, send me an invitation," Li Qiao said indifferently and then hung up the phone.

She became somewhat curious.

’The Autobiography of the Stock God,’ she wondered if it had any connection to the Female Stock God that Charles mentioned.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Li Qiao then left the apartment for South Sea Police Station.

...

In the chief’s office at the police station, Fei Zhihong was still working overtime.

As Li Qiao entered, he looked up with a smile and closed the file in his hands, "Qiaoqiao, you always handle things efficiently."

Compared to the urgency in his voice on the phone, Fei Zhihong now seemed completely relaxed, sitting back with his leg crossed and looking rather comfortable.

Li Qiao walked over to the sofa and seated herself, propping her forehead with one hand, "I’m sorry, godfather, for causing you trouble."

Fei Zhihong rose with a chuckle and got a cup of warm water, walking over to her. He shrugged indifferently, "You’re making your godfather feel like an outsider. It’s not really a big deal. The news online has been retracted now. As long as we prevent the situation from escalating, there’s nothing serious."

He made it sound easy, but Li Qiao knew it wasn’t so simple.

She took the cup of water with a word of thanks and looked at Fei Zhihong, who had taken a seat next to her, "So, godfather, what do you plan to do? The video might have been taken down, but this concerns the reputation of the South Sea Police Station. If we do nothing, people might suspect us of covering up."

Li Qiao’s analysis was incisive, Fei Zhihong’s smile faded slightly, and he frowned, "You’re right. Actually, I’ve already discussed it with the special case team. We certainly need to explain to the public.

So, I’m considering releasing a police statement first, revealing some details. We can’t allow people to keep pointing fingers at the police station. Otherwise, I would be failing in my duty as chief."

Hearing this, Li Qiao took a sip of water and gazed with a cold look at the wall opposite, silent for a moment before speaking, "In the draft of the police statement, godfather, it would be best to include a cautionary note."

Fei Zhihong looked puzzled, "A cautionary note?"

"We appreciate the oversight from netizens who reported the issue, but the police station follows strict procedures when dealing with major cases. The internet is not a place to resolve cases. Please remain rational and avoid jumping to conclusions or stirring up public sentiment."

Li Qiao read out a passage with a clear voice. The confusion in Fei Zhihong’s eyes intensified, "What’s the purpose of adding that? Could it make people think the police station is avoiding responsibility?"

"Not at all," Li Qiao replied evenly, her fingers tightening slightly around the paper cup, "The fact that she released the video and stirred public sentiment came first. If the police station mentions nothing of it, it might seem as if we were forced to disclose the case details.

Only by adding this sentence can we make the public understand that this is a major case that cannot be disclosed casually."

At this, Fei Zhihong had an epiphany, narrowed his eyes, and slapped his thigh, urging Li Qiao, "Send me that sentence in a message. I’ll have this included in the police statement draft tonight."

Li Qiao complied, taking out her phone and typing out the sentence in full.

No sooner had she hit the send button than an excited Fei Zhihong narrowed his eyes in thought, gradually calming down, "Qiaoqiao, if we publish this, won’t it possibly lead to wide-ranging attacks on the whistleblower by netizens?"

Stirring public sentiment against the law enforcement authorities, forcing the police station to disclose details of a major case.

Netizens have discerning eyes, and anyone with a bit of sense could understand the serious implications of this.