Everyone turned to see who the fool raising the paddle was. Chu Shangluo also looked over, his eyes first catching the prominently raised paddle number. As his gaze lowered further, he noticed the hand holding the paddle — fair and delicate like white jade.

Next, his eyes met a pair of cold, beautiful eyes. Ren Jiaoming was holding the paddle high, completely unfazed by the attention he was drawing. His outstanding presence made him impossible to ignore, even while seated among the crowd.

Many in the audience were already aware of the dramatic entanglements between Chu Shangluo and Ren Jiaoming. Ren Jiaoming placing a high bid on a worthless apple immediately made some people realize the complicated dynamics between the two.

Wen Yan, who had just been gloating over Chu Shangluo’s embarrassment, was now glaring at him with jealousy burning in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Chu Shangluo stared silently at his phone, smoking without a word.

The auctioneer, after quickly consulting with Yu Corporation’s staff about the mix-up with the auction item, smoothly regained control of the situation with a smile:

“A charity auction is, after all, about charity. All proceeds from tonight’s event will be donated to orphanages. The item itself is less important than the generosity behind it.”

He then looked toward Ren Jiaoming and continued, “Bid number seven has placed a bid. Do I hear a second bid?”

Though everyone in the room was wealthy, businesspeople tended to be overly concerned with value — and a clearly worthless apple? One fool was enough. Surely, no one else would be foolish enough to bid, right?

The next moment, the auctioneer announced, “Bid number thirteen!”

Everyone was stunned and turned to see the person holding paddle number thirteen.

Chu Shangluo bumped Lin Zhi, who was sitting beside him and holding the paddle. With a helpless look, he asked, “What are you doing? It’s already at five hundred thousand. Do you even have a million to spend?”

Lin Zhi grinned. “A million? Of course, I can afford that. I just don’t want you losing face like that. My boss needs to make a grand impression.”

Chu clenched the cigarette between his teeth, grabbed Lin Zhi’s wrist, and pressed it down, commanding, “Don’t you dare raise that paddle again.”

The auctioneer continued, “Any more bids?”

Ren Jiaoming glanced at Chu Shangluo and raised his paddle again.

“Bid number seven,” the auctioneer called.

Suddenly, another paddle went up. The crowd looked over in shock to see the bidder was none other than Song Yuchu, a prominent figure seated next to Ren Jiaoming and a key executive from Yu Corporation, who maintained a calm and gentle expression.

“Bid number nine,” the auctioneer announced.

The next moment, the number 20 paddle was raised in the crowd.

This time, the bidder was the young master of the Jiang family, sitting behind Chu Shangluo and leering at him with a lazy and idle demeanor. The crowd was stunned — within just a few minutes, an apple worth less than a dollar had been bid up to 2.5 million?!

Ren Jiaoming raised his paddle again.

“Bid number seven, once,” the auctioneer called.

Song Yuchu smiled as he raised his paddle.

“Ah! Bid number nine, once,” the auctioneer continued.

Jiang Jia, not willing to lose out, raised his paddle with both hands.

“Bid number 20, once, 4 million!”

“I’ll bid 5 million!” Chen Tianyun, enjoying the chaos, grinned as he joined in.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. Ren Jiaoming glanced at Chen Tianyun but remained unfazed, continuing to raise his paddle.

Soon, the auction became a showdown among these individuals. When the small apple reached a price of 30 million, everyone’s gaze turned toward Chu Shangluo, who was quietly smoking.

At this point, the debate over whether the apple was worth 30 million had lost its meaning. It was clear to everyone that the contest wasn’t about the apple but about competing for Chu Shangluo’s favor.

Such an absurdly high price not only flattered Chu Shangluo but also allowed the bidders to express their intentions. It was an obvious attempt to win his approval.

The crowd found it increasingly amusing. It was the first time they had seen several men blatantly competing for attention in an auction. They were observing the ever-calm Chu Shangluo, wondering how he had managed to turn these men into rivals.

However, the truth was, Chu Shangluo had no idea what the crowd was thinking. He simply continued smoking, puzzled about when he had become the center of such attention.

At this moment, Wen Yan’s jealousy was so intense that he looked as if he might burst into flames. He struggled to control his anger, confused about why every time he tried to embarrass Chu Shangluo, he ended up inadvertently boosting his reputation.

Wen Zhengyang glanced at his son’s frantic expression and reminded him, “Stay calm. This has nothing to do with us.”

Wen Yan clenched his fists, held back by his father’s restraint, unable to lash out.

The final bid of 30 million was placed by Song Yuchu, who had been competing with Ren Jiaoming. Even though Ren Jiaoming was his superior and the young master of Yu Corporation, this was his only chance to make an impression in front of Chu Shangluo. He couldn’t let it slip away.

Young Master Jiang’s forehead was beaded with sweat. He repeatedly tried to raise his paddle, but each time his hand lifted and then fell back down. He looked at Chu Shangluo with difficulty and whispered, “Chu Shangluo, what should I do? I don’t have any money left. How about you lend me a few hundred million, and I’ll raise the paddle again?”

Chu Shangluo looked at him with amusement and firmly refused, “No.”

Young Master Jiang felt a bit downhearted and grunted unhappily, lowering his head.

Lin Zhi had never expected such a situation to unfold. During the bidding, he had taken the opportunity to raise the price while Chu Shangluo wasn’t paying attention, but in the end, his savings were insufficient to continue. He felt disappointed, once again realizing that he really didn’t have the ability to compete with Ren Jiaoming. Not only was he not as good-looking as him, but he also didn’t have as much money.

Ren Jiaoming watched Chu Shangluo’s back with a slightly bitter feeling. He spoke up, “One hundred million.”

This caused an uproar in the room. The number was simply too outrageous?! At the same time, they were confused as to how Ren Jiaoming could have this much money. He had always been working as a secretary and worked tirelessly all year round. There was no way he could have this kind of savings.

Song Yuchu glanced at Ren Jiaoming in surprise. Seeing Ren Jiaoming’s gaze fixed on Chu Shangluo with determination and obsession, he bit his lip and didn’t raise his paddle again. He knew that he had no chance of winning this bidding war against Ren Jiaoming.

Chen Tianyun tilted his head and grinned but didn’t raise his paddle.

The auctioneer swallowed and glanced at the “apple” on the podium, saying, “Bid number seven, one hundred million, once. Is there a second bidder?”

Silence filled the room.

“One hundred million, twice…”

“One hundred million, three times!” The auctioneer struck the gavel. “Congratulations, Mr. Ren, for winning the item donated by Mr. Chu.”

Chu Shangluo exhaled smoke, thinking how outrageous Ren Jiaoming was. Yu Corporation really was absurdly rich! He felt a burning gaze from behind him, fixated on him. Chu Shangluo didn’t turn around because he knew that if he did, he would definitely meet Ren Jiaoming’s eyes.

Just then, his phone beeped with a new message. It was from an unknown number: “Your white jade apple has been found. Wen Yan bribed the staff to switch the apple. Watch for the drama in the next round.”

Chu Shangluo stared at the new, unfamiliar number, realizing it must be from Ren Jiaoming. Over time, he had blocked more than ten of Ren Jiaoming’s numbers, so how could he have so many different phone numbers?!

When he looked up again, the ceremony staff brought out the next item for auction. The guests in the room tightened their grips on their paddles, eager to participate — after all, this was the item they had been waiting for.

The auctioneer said, “This is the last item for tonight’s auction, donated by the young master of Yu Corporation… a vintage videotape recorder.”

The staff uncovered the red cloth, revealing an old-fashioned tape recorder.

The auctioneer continued, “Inside, there is a precious video. The person who wins this auction will have the privilege of playing this rare and meaningful video for everyone.”