Chapter 157

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Chapter 157: Trapping Ye Chen

After returning to his seat, Ye Chen withdrew his gaze.

This girl named Ye Xiao had already messed up his plans several times.

It was only because Ye Xiao was decently good-looking that he had held back so far.

But putting up with it once didn’t mean Ye Chen would keep putting up with it. Otherwise, wouldn’t that make him a turtle?

He took out his phone and sent a message to someone in his contacts labeled “Uncle Shou.”

“Uncle Shou, help me look into this girl named Ye Xiao—what’s her background?”

Ye Chen, though a bit dim-witted, firmly believed in his own irresistible charm ever since he adopted the overbearing CEO persona.

But that didn’t mean he was totally brainless. If he wanted to deal with someone, the first step was understanding their background.

As the saying goes, “A powerful dragon doesn’t suppress a local snake.” Even if he was the dragon, this wasn’t his turf—he had to be cautious.

Of course, if Ye Xiao had a strong background, that was fine. He wouldn’t mind playing a long game.

This sharp-tongued little girl was the first of her kind he’d encountered. She was kind of interesting. If only she weren’t targeting him, he’d happily sic her on his own enemies.

Let her go and mock and taunt them—most people would just have to endure it. After all, if you fuss too much over a little girl, people will say you’re petty and lack class.

How satisfying would that be?

But if Ye Xiao didn’t have much backing… a wicked smile tugged at Ye Chen’s lips.

Tonight, he was going to properly “punish” this little girl, let her understand who the real small fry was—who the real daddy was.

Of course, Ye Xiao had no idea what Ye Chen was thinking.

At the moment, she was taking advantage of the situation to grow closer with Liu Nanxi, deepening their bond—when she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.

She couldn’t help glancing at Ye Chen.

That bastard… don’t tell me he’s got his eye on me now? That’s bad news.

Being overly noticed by a “child of destiny” would definitely make things harder for her own development. But when it came to these small-fry “sons of destiny,” maybe it was just in her nature—she couldn’t help but want to tease and ridicule them.

Watching them clench their fists yet be helpless to do anything about it, all flustered and furious—it was just too satisfying.

After some thought, Ye Xiao decided that once she got back, she’d find a chance to give the other big-sister small fries a heads-up during their training. She’d remind them to be on guard if they ever ran into Ye Chen—or Chen Chen.

“Snacks? Where are the snacks?”

Just then, Li Mengyue, who was gaming with Jiang Qingyue over voice chat and had grown bored of clicking pixel blocks, suddenly snapped awake.

Oh, it was a dream!

She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and went right back to sleep.

The auction continued, though compared to the Heart of the Ocean, the following items were somewhat underwhelming.

Most were in the range of a few million to tens of millions.

None came close to that 400-million sky-high price tag again.

Until Ye Xiao saw something she rather liked—and casually placed a bid.

That’s when Ye Chen started bidding against her.

As the price reached Ye Xiao’s mental ceiling, she stubbornly raised it two more times.

But then she noticed Ye Chen was clinging to her like a piece of gum—either trying to win the item or simply trying to annoy her.

“This guy… is he a child or what?”

Realizing this, Ye Xiao shook her head helplessly, clearly annoyed.

Liu Nanxi and Su Ruoxue also noticed what was happening.

After Ye Xiao changed seats, Su Ruoxue quietly moved one row forward too, sitting right beside her.

The organizers saw it was the young madam and simply turned a blind eye.

After all, Su Ruoxue was entitled to a front-row seat anyway.

Liu Nanxi wanted to help Ye Xiao—but she had no money.

“Xiao Xiao, if there’s anything you really want, just tell me. I’ll bid on it for you.”

In her mind, it was inevitable that Liu Nanxi would one day become part of Ye Xiao’s sisterhood.

Seeing that Liu Nanxi couldn’t help, and she could, Su Ruoxue didn’t show it on the surface—but inwardly, she was feeling rather pleased.

“Alright, Sister Ruoxue. If I really see something I want, I’ll let you know.”

After enduring Ye Chen’s malicious bidding, Ye Xiao noticed he wasn’t trying to avoid paying.

He just didn’t want Ye Xiao to win anything.

Later, during the auction, Teacher Wang Gang kept glancing meaningfully at Ye Xiao.

At first, she found it strange. But after two items failed to reach their reserve prices, she figured it out.

Wang Gang was giving her a signal—he wanted her help.

Ye Xiao was hesitant. After all, this was Gu Family’s turf. Helping Gu Tingyuan would be helping the enemy.

But then she remembered she and Gu Tingyuan hadn’t completely fallen out yet. In fact, thanks to Su Ruoxue, Gu Tingyuan had even greenlit several things for her Yun-Xiao project.

So Ye Xiao decided—letting Ye Chen suffer was the priority here.

To Gu Tingyuan, a few millions here or there was nothing.

But to Ye Chen, a newly risen second-gen who probably hadn’t yet secured much of the family estate—this would hurt.

Time to make him bleed a little.

Soon, the next item was presented.

It was a painting claimed to be an original by Tang Yin. But according to Sister Tongzi’s appraisal, it was undoubtedly a replica—though still from the same dynasty.

Not many buyers saw through it, but plenty were tempted. If it were real, it would easily be worth tens of millions.

Starting price: 2 million.

Having understood Wang Gang’s intention, Ye Xiao casually raised her paddle. “2.5 million!”

“Xiao Xiao, didn’t I say—if you want something, tell me and I’ll bid?”

Ye Xiao flashed Su Ruoxue a mysterious smile. “Just watch, Sister Ruoxue.”

Why 2.5 million? She was calling Ye Chen an idiot—“250” in Chinese slang.

Liu Nanxi and Su Ruoxue both immediately got it.

Sure enough, the next second, Ye Chen raised his paddle.

“3 million!”

“3.5 million!”

“5 million!”

“7 million!”

“10 million!”

Teacher Wang Gang watched nervously.

The price was still reasonable for now, but what about later?

This girl came with the young madam. If Ye Chen stopped bidding and the girl got carried away and bought it, what then?

“I bid 15 million!”

Ye Xiao put on a determined face, biting her lip like this was her absolute limit.

Ye Chen saw her expression and became even more pleased.

Ever since rejoining the family, his grandfather had handed him a card that could move up to 10 billion yuan.

15 million? That was like buying lemonade when he was earning 4,000 a month—completely casual.

“20 million!”

Things were heating up. Teacher Wang Gang began to regret it. Worst case, he’d have to use his commission from the Heart of the Ocean to help the girl out a little. It would hurt, but better that than her getting stuck with the bill.

He just hoped Ye Chen would be the one to win it in the end.

“25 million!”

Ye Xiao glared at Ye Chen through gritted teeth, her acting flawless.

Seeing this, Ye Chen smiled smugly.

Of all the people present, he was probably the only one who could throw around 10 billion in liquid assets without blinking.

“50 million!”

Ye Chen declared without hesitation.