The Favored Heiress
Chapter 233: My Bottom Line, Five Hundred Million

Chapter 233: Chapter 233: My Bottom Line, Five Hundred Million

Chewing on Li Qiao’s words, a hint of mockery emerged in Shang Fu’s enchanting eyebrows and eyes.

A young girl of tender years, truly hypocritical and vain.

At this moment, with Li Qiao’s head half-lowered, Shang Fu couldn’t see her expression, contemplated a moment, and then with arms crossed, sneered, "Since it wasn’t Shaoyan who gave it to you, could it be that you earned it yourself?

Why don’t you tell us, what kind of treatment does a top-tier member get at Venus?"

Shang Fu was certain that Li Qiao wouldn’t be able to say.

Even herself, after striving for so many years, was only a mid-level member of Venus.

Li Qiao, what made her qualified to rank among the top-tier?

At that time, Li Qiao, twirling the invitation in her hand, looked up with an indifferent gaze at the arrogantly disdainful Shang Fu and countered, "Why should I tell you? If you’re curious, why not join the top-tier members yourself and find out?"

Shang Fu couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh, an audacious little girl indeed. She arched her eyebrows and continued sarcastically, "So, you can’t really say, can you?"

Li Qiao didn’t want to waste words and lazily waved her hand with the invitation at Shang Fu, "Think what you like, I’ve got things to do, see you later, Elder Sister Shang."

Shang Fu’s fingers curled, and as she turned to watch Li Qiao stroll away lazily, a fierce look crossed her glamorously menacing eyes.

She was determined to see how Li Qiao would squander Shang Shaoyan’s money tonight.

——

At half-past seven, dusk settled heavily.

In the Congressional Center of South Sea City, Venus Hall appeared resplendent and majestic against the night sky.

Statues of Venus stood atop the building, with alternating flashes of golden spotlights adding a touch of mysterious nobility.

Before long, the latest fire-red Maserati drove through the VIP passage into the underground garage.

Near parking spot number 312, a middle-aged man clad in a British suit stood attentively.

As the car door opened, a slender, tall figure stepped out.

Dressed in a black casual suit, more than half of the fair cheeks were covered by a black mask, leaving only a pair of clear, perfectly arched deer eyes visible.

It was Li Qiao indeed.

The middle-aged man stepped forward respectfully and bowed, "Miss."

Li Qiao closed the car door and handed over the invitation, "Uncle Zong, please take care of this."

Uncle Zong received the invitation with both hands and gestured respectfully towards the elevator not far away, "Please, this way."

Five minutes later, Li Qiao had taken off her mask and was sitting in a private lounge exclusively for top-tier members.

On the large screen ahead, the live auction scene was being broadcasted synchronously.

Li Qiao sat in the center of the sofa; a fish-white marble table before her displayed the evening’s auction catalogue and introduction.

She flipped through it casually and soon found a picture of "The Autobiography of the Stock God" on the last page of the catalogue.

The book was a brown leather notebook, about the size of a palm and utterly unremarkable.

It was no surprise that it had failed to sell three times.

At that moment, Uncle Zong brought a fruit plate and flower tea to the table, glanced at the catalogue page, and asked instinctively, "Miss, aside from this autobiography, are you interested in any other items?"

Li Qiao tapped the edge of the table with her fingertips, looking forward at the other introductions, "How much money is left in my fund?"

Uncle Zong quickly took out a special Venus smartphone from his coat, turned on the screen, and handed it to Li Qiao, "Currently, there are seven billion."

"Hmm, let’s tentatively set it at this autobiography, my bottom line, five billion," Li Qiao pointed at the introduction of the autobiography, her voice calm and detached.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zong’s expression flickered, and he frowned with a suggestion, "Miss, might that be too high? The origins of this autobiography are unclear, and even though it has made it into Venus, there might not necessarily be anyone bidding for it."

Venus Auction House has extremely high confidentiality measures for its clients’ privacy.

For top-tier members who enter the bidding, there is no need to show their faces at the auction, and they can bid anonymously.

They simply need to inform the butler of Venus of their bottom-line price, while the details of the auction can be watched through a live broadcast on a screen.

As Li Qiao’s proxy butler, Uncle Zong believed, based on his many years of experience, that the autobiography wasn’t even worth fifty million.

At this moment, Li Qiao took the floral tea from the table and blew on it before taking a sip. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Do you think that something that made it into Venus won’t be bid on, Uncle Zong? Besides, it’s the last item of the evening."

"This..." Uncle Zong fell silent, and then suddenly recalled the numerous discussions about the autobiography by the bidders during this period. Perhaps... it really wasn’t a given.

Li Qiao raised her eyebrow at him, deciding, "Let’s start with a base price of five hundred million. If anything changes, I’ll let you know at any time."

"Alright, I’ll go and make the preparations now."

Before leaving, Uncle Zong specifically tested the walkie-talkie earpiece with Li Qiao to ensure the signal was normal, then he retreated and turned to leave the lounge.

In the nearly hundred-square-meter lounge, Li Qiao watched the screen opposite her with boredom, resting her cheek on her hand.

Shortly after, she picked up the remote from the table and switched the live broadcast to the entrance of Venus Hall.

The more distinguished the identity, the more privileges one enjoys in a member-only auction house.

As a top-tier member, Li Qiao could watch the red carpet scene of all mid- and low-level members through the broadcast.

At that moment, at the entrance of Venus Hall, a steady stream of bidders walked on the long red carpet.

The men were dressed in suits and shoes, the women with elegant hairstyles and fragrant dresses.

It was as if attending a grand banquet of the wealthy, with many political and business celebrities from South Sea City gracing the occasion—an exceptionally grand scene.

After watching for a while, Li Qiao suddenly spotted a few familiar figures in the crowd.

Oh, Shang Fu had arrived.

The newly crowned Best Actor, Ou Bai, was also there.

Li Qiao raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. Ou Bai was actually going through the main entrance—was he not a top-tier member yet?

At that moment, Li Qiao’s gaze fell on Shang Fu. Dressed in a striking champagne-colored mermaid dress, her figure was graceful and her posture noble; she walked alone on the red carpet, drawing the attentive gazes of many men.

She seemed to be enjoying it, occasionally flipping her long hair, seductive and alluring.

Li Qiao’s lips curled up slightly, her smile growing deeper and more profound.

...

At eight o’clock sharp, the auction officially began.

The well-known auctioneer Zhang Yong stood at the podium, delivering a lengthy opening speech to set the atmosphere.

The auction hall of Venus, both upstairs and downstairs, was filled to capacity at this time.

Li Qiao wasn’t interested in the other lots; according to the catalogue, "The Autobiography of the Stock God" was the last to come up for auction.

She settled into the sofa, picking up a piece of fruit and placing it in her mouth, watching the live broadcast with lackluster interest.

Right then, her phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Li Qiao glanced at it, answered the call, and pressed the speakerphone button, "What is it?"

The call was from Fu Lvting.

Lately, he had been busy at the Affiliated Hospital and hadn’t been to the lab much.

From the other end of the phone, Fu Lvting’s voice sounded somewhat low, as if deliberately subdued, "Do you have time tomorrow, the weekend?"

"What’s the matter?" Li Qiao asked in a faint voice, her fingers rubbing the teacup.