“Yoohoo?” Bai Jinghong’s eyes lit up, a mocking grin spreading across his face.
“So this idiot finally showed up!”
Chen Lin had stepped out of his car with an impressive aura.
His looks weren’t bad, to be fair, and the show he’d put on for his arrival drew considerable attention.
But the moment he spotted Bai Jinghong, it was like he’d been walking along, happy as can be, and suddenly a lump of dung landed right on his face.
His expression crumbled instantly.
He wanted to hit someone.
But as his gaze swept over them, he couldn’t help but rub his eyes.
What the hell? Bai Jinghong was actually holding Shen Yaoyao in one arm, with another goddess-level woman in the other.
Chen Lin ground his teeth so hard they creaked.
He couldn’t afford to lose face in front of Bai Jinghong.
So he puffed out his chest and strode forward, step by step.
“Who do we have here? If it isn’t Young Master Bai himself!”
Chen Lin sneered, his gaze involuntarily lingering on Shen Yaoyao and Qin Chuchu.
He was cursing inwardly.
That scumbag! It was inhuman! Was this kind of ultimate blessing even worthy of him?
And he dared to openly embrace Shen Yaoyao?! What was wrong with her, being so casual? Was she even worthy of being his woman anymore?
“Ah, if it isn’t Brother Chen Lin!”
“Chuchu, Yao Yao, allow me to introduce this gentleman: the official Nike brand ambassador—Chen Lin!”
“Thanks to him, Nike sales have at least doubled!”
The two women were puzzled and both looked at Chen Lin.
Chen Lin himself was baffled. What the hell was a Nike brand ambassador?
But seeing both beautiful women looking his way, he deliberately tried to act cool, giving them a cold smile.
Then both women understood.
It was because the arc of Chen Lin’s smirking mouth shot so far up his face—it was literally the Nike swoosh.
“His… his smile is so revolting!” Qin Chuchu, normally a woman of utmost refinement, suddenly whispered this into Bai Jinghong’s ear.
Chen Lin nearly exploded on the spot.
A Profound Level Mid-stage Warrior like him could easily hear Qin Chuchu’s whisper.
That one sentence struck him a devastating blow.
His signature smile was supposed to melt the hearts of millions of dark horses.
In the West, he was even known as the dreamboat of a million big dark horses!
“Pfft… BAHAHAHAHA!”
Bai Jinghong completely lost it.
He laughed right in Chen Lin’s face, utterly unrestrained.
Shen Yaoyao was also desperately suppressing laughter, biting her lip.
She wanted to laugh badly, but she still had to act as if she were undercover. Now wasn’t the time to make fun of him.
“Hmph! You woman, you’re truly shameless!”
“This bastard beat up your own father, and yet you’re still clinging to him!”
Chen Lin suddenly threw this line at Qin Chuchu.
She herself was completely caught off guard. But then it clicked—he must be referring to the restaurant incident.
Was the crooked-mouthed fool implying her “father” was Ye Bing?
Her expression darkened, thoroughly disgusted.
But Bai Jinghong was not about to tolerate this.
What the hell kind of War God Hades was this?
The moment Chen Lin finished his taunt, his heart lurched, and he went on high alert.
Because he saw Bai Jinghong move.
Extremely fast.
Chen Lin instinctively moved to defend himself.
But his wounds hadn’t healed. How could he possibly block Bai Jinghong?
“THUD!”
A muffled impact sent Chen Lin flying.
He rolled several times on the ground.
“Useless piece of trash!” Bai Jinghong sneered coldly and walked into the venue, arms still around both beauties.
Chen Lin’s subordinates were shocked.
Hades himself, struck down?
They scrambled over to help him up.
But Chen Lin shoved them away.
He was inwardly shaken, too. Twice now. Twice he’d been hit by Bai Jinghong, and both times, he’d been completely defenseless!
But he didn’t reflect on how powerful Bai Jinghong might be. Instead, he just blamed his own injured state and carelessness.
His eyes blazed with murderous fury as he watched Bai Jinghong disappear inside. He ground his teeth. “Today’s humiliation… I will repay a hundredfold!”
“In just a moment, I’ll show you what true despair really means!”
Before the auction had even started, Chen Lin’s rage had soared to new heights.
As far as Bai Jinghong was concerned, this was perfect. The angrier Chen Lin got, the happier he was.
It meant the man was losing even more of his rationality.
When Bai Jinghong’s group entered, they were naturally guided to the front row. Staff handed them their bidding paddles.
Chen Lin and his people also entered and deliberately seated themselves about ten meters away from Bai Jinghong.
He wanted to be close enough to enjoy the full show, to see the look of frustrated fury on Bai Jinghong’s face.
After the hosts gave an introductory speech, they announced that this auction featured a total of three land parcels.
From beginning to end, Bai Jinghong’s attention was fixed on only one—the trap parcel.
As for the other two, they weren’t necessary. There was no profit to be made there.
The auction began. Representatives from various major corporations started placing their bids.
But neither Bai Jinghong nor Chen Lin made any move.
They were both waiting, waiting for the same target.
The fake plan Bai Jinghong had leaked set the maximum bidding amount at 10 billion.
To completely crush Bai Jinghong, Chen Lin had readied the vast majority of his capital.
During the bidding for the first two parcels, Chen Lin deliberately glanced over at Bai Jinghong’s side.
Since he knew Bai Jinghong’s “target” from the plan, he felt like a hunter patiently waiting for his prey to step into the trap.
He watched with chest-puffing confidence as the prey marched toward hysteria, ready to be suppressed. This feeling was utterly sublime!
And what was Bai Jinghong doing?
He was having a grand old time chatting with his two beauties.
But seeing that idiot Chen Lin constantly staring at him was starting to grate on his nerves.
Then he had a brilliant idea.
Last time, the System had given him a Voice Control Skill. It let him control someone’s ability to speak for a full minute!
He focused his target squarely on Chen Lin.
During the next round of bidding, when another corporation called out a 25 billion bid, Bai Jinghong activated Voice Control.
Chen Lin immediately blurted out without thinking: “Underworld Win Group bids 50 billion!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire venue was stunned!
Business leaders all turned toward the source of the voice.
Even Impermanence, from the Underworld Win Group, looked at Chen Lin in bewildered confusion.
“Damn… is this lunatic here to bid or to cause trouble?”
“That land’s worth 40 billion at the absolute most. What kind of a maniac calls out 50 billion?!”
The auctioneer, however, was absolutely delighted. He immediately prompted: “Underworld Win Group, bidding 50 billion! Do I hear any higher offers?”
Chen Lin was thunderstruck. How could that have just slipped out?
He stood up, trying to stop it.
“I…”
Before he could finish, he involuntarily shouted again: “What’s the holdup? Bang the gavel already! Do you think I’m short on cash?!”
It was like he’d swallowed a brick. He nearly had a breakdown. What the hell was happening?!
From his side, Bai Jinghong erupted into booming laughter, utterly unbridled: “Oh my, President Chen! Such boldness! Fifty billion! Truly impressive!”
He gave a thumbs up!
Other entrepreneurs, seeing Bai Jinghong lead the mockery, chimed in too: “What courage! I’m in awe!”
“We just can’t compete!”
Chen Lin looked like he’d eaten a mouthful of dung. What the hell?!
But he had absolutely no idea why it happened!
“50 billion, going once! 50 billion, going twice! 50 billion, going three times… SOLD!”
The auctioneer couldn’t slam the gavel down fast enough.
Chen Lin felt like his heart was dead. This was now legally binding.
If he backed out now, he’d be thrown out of the venue! Then how could he compete with Bai Jinghong for the “hugely profitable” land parcel? How could he get his face back?
Thankfully, he’d come well-prepared. He’d scraped together his entire fortune: 250 billion.
Losing 50 billion, he could still hold on. He had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill in silence.
Impermanence looked like he was the one who’d eaten dung: “My lord, this…”
“Shut up! Are you telling me what to do?”
How could Chen Lin ever admit a mistake of his own making?! All he could do was grit his teeth and choke on his own blood.
Truth be told, Bai Jinghong had actually gone easy on him. He genuinely didn’t know the exact extent of Chen Lin’s wealth.
If he hadn’t feared Chen Lin would lack the funds to bid on the final plot, he’d have definitely driven the bid up toward 10 billion.
But the Voice Control Skill had a cooldown. There was no playing around anymore, unless Bai Jinghong controlled someone else to refresh the timer right now.
But there was no need.
After that interlude, the second land parcel was also sold for 3 billion.
Finally, they reached the last parcel.
Chen Lin perked up, shaking off his despair. This was his chance to smack the other man down. He had to win this one decisively and with satisfaction.
After a briefing video on the parcel played on the big screen, the auctioneer spoke:
“This is the most important auction of the day. This land parcel is an extension of the new district. Its location is excellent, and the development potential is immense. We hope to see enthusiastic bidding from everyone.”
“The starting bid is 3 billion. Bidding begins now!”
Bids came quickly, and the price steadily climbed. Many companies truly had their eyes on this parcel.
