Chapter 41: Auction

Su Mi listened, but it didn’t register at all.

She wasn’t interested in such things. If not for the need to avoid deviating too much from the original host’s persona, she could have holed up in Prime City without ever stepping out the front or back door.

She completely missed Shen Han’s thoughtfulness. Su Mi quickly found an excuse. “But I haven’t gotten up yet…”

Shen Han said helplessly, “Didn’t you just say you got up? Have you eaten?”

Su Mi chuckled. “The first thing I did after getting up was order food, then reply to your message. I haven’t had time for anything else.”

Shen Han confirmed, “You’re really not coming?”

Su Mi replied swiftly. “Really not coming. Too lazy to change clothes. Anyway, I won’t be coming here often.”

Shen Han didn’t push her. She chuckled lightly. “It’s good you’re not coming. This cocktail party is like a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair. If you came, you’d get eaten alive.”

Su Mi took it at face value. “Dragon’s den or tiger’s lair?”

She had been wondering earlier who drugged Shen Han at the Shen Family Banquet.

This… all the way in Haicheng, Shen Han hadn’t even brought Secretary Zhuang or an assistant. Wouldn’t that make it even easier for someone to drug her?

Su Mi hurriedly cautioned, “If there are lots of people with bad intentions, we’re in unfamiliar territory here. Sister, if anything feels off, come back early?”

Shen Han said, “It’s fine.”

Su Mi heard the casual tone in her voice and worried she wasn’t taking it seriously.

She anxiously added, “Really, be careful with any drinks you take. Don’t eat or drink anything that’s been out of your sight…”

She nagged on with a bunch of safety tips.

After all, she had firsthand experience with Shen Han being slipped the aphrodisiac.

In unfamiliar Haicheng, if something happened to the all-important Shen Han again, they’d really have to head to the hospital.

Shen Han stood in a corner of the cocktail party, listening to the girl’s fragmented nagging in her ear as she recited some standard safety advice.

It felt very considerate, utterly sincere.

Shen Han unconsciously curved her lips. The tense expression she’d worn all day relaxed, and a hint of pleasure she herself hadn’t noticed appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Su Mi rattled off a whole string, nearly resorting to horror stories for examples.

After a long spiel, she finally wrapped up. “Anyway, once the auction ends, send me a message. I’ll pick you up downstairs at the hotel.”

The idea had only just occurred to her amid the nagging.

It was a last-resort plan.

If Shen Han really got drugged or things went south, as long as she got in touch, Su Mi could take her straight to the hospital for the antidote.

Note to self: Absolutely not stepping foot in Shen Han’s hotel room this time.

One step further back—the auction list even listed start times. If Shen Han ghosted without messaging, then she would…

Call the police.

Su Mi had thought it all through. After her final words, she waited for Shen Han’s reply.

…Huh? Where’d she go?

She glanced at the call screen. The timer was still running; the other side was still connected.

Su Mi said, “Hello?” She softened her voice and probed. “Sister?”

Had something already gone wrong?

Over at the cocktail party, a beauty made her belated entrance.

Haicheng’s famed social butterfly, the undisputed top beauty, the Yin Family’s young miss—Yin Zhi.

She wore a red gown and entered with graceful poise, her figure proud like a blooming red rose.

The moment she stepped into the banquet hall, she spotted the Alpha standing plainly in the corner—yet still drawing every eye.

Shen Han.

Towering head and shoulders above the rest, dazzling a thousand times more than in any photo.

Next to her, Haicheng’s pampered young heirs looked like so many crooked melons and split dates.

Onlookers stared at the beauty blazing like flame, paused, then flashed smiles and sauntered toward the corner.

They exchanged glances: No one gave her the heads-up? Looks like she’s spoken for.

Another: She probably doesn’t care anyway.

Yin Zhi truly wasn’t bothered.

She lifted her skirt hem and glided right up with elegant steps. Her smile shone brilliantly as she greeted her with poised grace.

“Hello, President Shen. I’m the auctioneer for tonight’s charity auction—Yin Zhi. Apologies; the TV station had a field shoot today, so I was held up getting back.”

Yin Zhi’s voice was soft and gentle, her famous “beauty voice” flowing into the ear like a clear spring.

As the woman approached, Shen Han muted her side of the call.

Seeing it was just a self-introduction, she nodded and lightly tapped the floating screen hovering by her ear.

In a call.

From the private earpiece, Su Mi’s voice had tensed. “Sister? You still there? Everything okay?”

No clue what she was worked up about.

Shen Han smiled sardonically.

A gentle smile bloomed on the icy woman’s lips, like a corner of eternal glacier suddenly thawing.

Her clear voice came out lazy and easygoing. “What’re you so nervous about? You think your sister could get eaten?”

Yin Zhi froze for a split second, then recalled that Shen Han did have a nominal little sister, still in school.

On the other end, Su Mi let out a breath of relief. “Just scared, that’s all.”

Oblivious to Shen Han’s situation, she pressed on for confirmation. “Message me when it’s over, okay?”

Shen Han chuckled lightly. “Got it.”

Su Mi figured the call was wrapping up.

Then suddenly, she heard Shen Han address someone else—whoever it was. “You’re the auctioneer, right?”

The other voice sounded like pure beauty just from the timbre, soft and yielding. “Yes, President Shen.”

Shen Han said, “Could you bring me an auction list?”

Yin Zhi blinked in surprise. She truly hadn’t expected to end up doing grunt work like this someday.

She glided off gracefully to the far side of the party, where the organizer’s manager handed her a gold-embossed, elegant list. She skimmed it first.

The charity auction had been thrown together hastily. The lots were a hodgepodge with no real theme—fancy jewelry and handbags, ancient paintings, art pieces that felt like filler. But the copy for Shen Han included the headliners: a yacht and a private island.

Recalling the intel she’d dug up on Shen Han, Yin Zhi asked, “Why no Buddhist ritual items? Doesn’t her family have a tradition of that?”

The manager wiped sweat from his brow, thinking: Haicheng folks don’t go in for that. Totally different beliefs.

He replied, “With the yacht and island, that’s plenty heavyweight. Word is she hit the Seaport Yacht Club just yesterday—probably into that sort of thing.”

Yin Zhi patted her chest. “That’ll do.”

She committed it to memory in a flash, then brought it over and presented it with both hands—baring exquisite wrists like the full moon, flawlessly maintained.

Offering pearls before swine.

Shen Han promptly shared a copy with Su Mi and asked the girl waiting somewhat dazedly on the line, “Anything you like on today’s auction list?”

Unsure of Shen Han’s tastes, the organizers had tossed in a bit of everything, complete with estimated price ranges for each.

Handy for Su Mi.

Su Mi hadn’t expected Shen Han to send it over, but it fit her style.

Sprawled on the bed, she reviewed the original host’s records of past gifts from Shen Han, ballparked an acceptable range, and picked out two jewelry pieces.

Nothing else caught her eye.

Guess she was just a dirt-dog after all—couldn’t spot the collection value in those art pieces.

She did gawk at the estimates a few times, though.

Shen Han offered no opinion on her picks and had Yin Zhi jot them down.

Yin Zhi stayed unruffled, noting them with elegant poise before speaking softly again. “Is your sister only picking two pearl jewelry pieces? The royal blue sapphire in this auction is gorgeous too—8.8 carats, light and crystalline. Perfect for a necklace or ring.”

Su Mi heard the beauty’s voice drift over from the other side again and paused. “Huh?”

The same sister who’d introduced herself as auctioneer.

Clueless about the scene over there, Su Mi figured it was Shen Han’s doing and flipped ahead as suggested for a peek.

Prices: tens, hundreds of thousands, millions…

“No thanks.” Su Mi shot back at once.

She flipped back to double-check her selections—not nearly as pricey, much more her speed.

With a small exhale, Su Mi moved to shut it down. “Just those two. No need for anything else. Gotta eat now, sister.”

Shen Han: “Okay.”

Su Mi: “Mm, bye sister! Message me after the call ends!”

The call ended. Shen Han shook her head at Yin Zhi. “Note those two for now.”

Yin Zhi smiled, in no rush to leave. “Today’s lots cover a wide range, but they all carry Haicheng flair—rare even nationwide. Photos don’t do them justice. We’ve got a preview display. Mind if I take a moment to show you around?”

She paused, then added, “Come to think of it, my own sister’s in middle school. We’re close, so I know what girls that age like. They’re shy about voicing preferences. As a fellow big sister, I might offer some useful pointers.”

Shen Han’s face had reverted to its usual chill. She coolly furrowed her brow for a beat, considered, then nodded. “Appreciate it.”

Yin Zhi’s charming smile widened as she gestured with a pale wrist toward the far side of the hall. “Right this way.”

.

Su Mi finished dinner and idly pulled up a documentary in her room. She got lost in it, wiped a tear from her eye when it ended, and checked the time.

Nearly 10 p.m.—right around the end time listed in the auction booklet.

Su Mi tentatively messaged Shen Han: Sister, you done?

No reply.

Su Mi froze. Had some emergency cropped up?

She fired off two more messages. Still nothing.

Su Mi felt like a bird startled by a bowstring’s twang.

Crap—had she jinxed it?

Had Shen Han actually run into trouble, wherever she went?

Su Mi hurriedly called Secretary Zhuang. He knew Shen Han was there for the conference and likely had the banquet’s location.

Secretary Zhuang picked up mid-overtime.

With Shen Han away in Haicheng, urgent matters had fallen to him.

The overtime pay was generous, though, so he wasn’t too grumbly.

He listened to Su Mi’s rambling account and wild guesses, puzzled but reassuring. “It’s fine, Miss Su. In all my years with President Shen, she’s never had an incident at a banquet. She’s probably just networking.”

Su Mi thought: That’s ’cause you ain’t seen nothin’. Your boss had a close call half a month back.

She asked him to pinpoint the banquet location.

He pulled the address from old emails in seconds and sent it over, along with contacts for Shen Corporation allies in Haicheng. “Miss Su, feel free to head there. I’ll check with my Haicheng contacts. For anything urgent, reach out to President Li first. My light brain’s always on—standby mode. No need to worry.”

Su Mi said okay.

Still in her nightie, she threw on some casual clothes and headed downstairs.

In the lobby, formal-clad guests were trickling back. The evening party had mostly drawn Haicheng locals, so the crowd stayed light.

Enough to confirm the event had wrapped.

She hailed a cab straight to the auction venue.