I woke up to find I have a child - Chapter 75
It took the host a full five seconds to fully close his mouth, not to mention Han Feixu, who was one of the parties involved.
She also stared blankly at the big screen. Ye Mingxin had pressed the buttons too fast and had forgotten to obscure her anonymity in the heat of the moment. Now her name had far surpassed Yu Tingxue’s to take the well-deserved number 1 spot.
After being stunned for a moment, Han Feixu immediately turned around and clenched her fists. She stared intensely at Ye Mingxin. The onlookers who watched felt that she was seconds away from reaching out her hands and strangling Ye Mingxin to death in the next second.
Han Feixu was actually thinking of this. This was the first time in her life that she realized she had such violent tendencies.
Everyone was staring at the two of them. Whispers gradually started to break out, and the comments on the internet also exploded. Countless comments flew across the livestream’s screen like a barrage of bullets. There were so many barrages that even the original scene was drowned in words.
I’m Only Here To Take a Look: “Goddamn!”
Manmanya: “I…this…my god…I don’t even know what to say anymore. Poverty has stifled my imagination.”
A Panda Incapable of Having a Name: “What kind of book is this?! A book printed in gold?!”
The Zookeeper who did not Want a Name: “Even if it’s printed in gold, it wouldn’t cost a hundred million. I suspect it’s made of vibranium instead.
Nicki Minaj: I’m choking. 100 million. So it turns out there really is that much money in the world….
Older Sister with Hairy Legs: “No matter how I look at it, the book seems just like any other tattered old book? Did Ye Mingxin’s hand slip or something?”
This netizen hit the nail on the head.
Ye Mingxin was looking down at her phone’s WeChat interface when she noticed that Han Feixu had turned around and was suddenly staring at her with extreme anger. Ye Mingxin blinked, not understanding why she was suddenly like this.
When she raised her eyes slightly and saw her name on the big screen, along with the long string of numbers behind it, she finally understood.
Oh no.
The host’s voice was invigorated, it was as if he had injected chicken blood into his veins. He first praised Ye Mingxin’s for her generous donation before asking if anyone else wanted to bid. His voice drowned out the other whispering murmurs, and Han Feixu’s attention was brought back to the present. She turned her head slightly and noticed that the cameras were focused on her and Ye Mingxin. She quickly turned head away and typed a few words on her phone.
Han Feixu: “I’ll settle the score with you when I get home!”
This time there was only one exclamation mark, but Ye Mingxin knew that one exclamation mark was much angrier than the multiple ones from before. Han Feixu was angry to the point where she didn’t even want to use more punctuation marks. With a clack!, Han Feixu threw her phone onto the table.
The poor phone rolled twice and just barely stopped on the edge of the table. Ye Mingxin silently watched her phone roll. She had a feeling that her fate tonight was not going to be better than that phone.
The keys for 00 and 0000 were right next to each other. When Ye Mingxin was texting with Han Feixu on WeChat, she was so engrossed in her texting that she pressed the button without thinking. She originally intended to bid 1 million by pressing 00 and 0000 at the same time. Not only would she complete her goal of donating, but it would also let Han Feixu see how she could throw money around for her.
However, she pressed too quickly. After pressing 0000, instead of pressing 00, she shifted to the left slightly and pressed 0000 again without realizing that she had pressed it twice.
100 million….If Han Feixu wanted too, she could print ten thousand copies of the book with that money…
Money aside, this was a charity auction. No matter how much money was spent, at least it would be used for a good cause. What depressed her the most was that this is going to push her under the spotlight again, and this time as the “foolish rich girl”….
At this point, there was no point in bidding anymore. Besides Ye Mingxin, there was no second fool with deep pockets in the room who could help her divert the attention. She maintained a polite smile, looking straight ahead, but in her heart, she was already thinking about how to explain to Han Feixu when they got home.
Seeing 100 million fly away so easily, Han Feixu couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She lowered her head in distress, but suddenly, the sound of someone placing a bid echoed throughout the venue. When she looked up again, Ye Mingxin had been pushed into second place. An anonymous bidder had offered 100 million and two thousand yuan to buy the book contributed by Han Feixu.
At the most critical moments, people’s expressions are always the most honest. Like right now, Han Feixu’s expression could only be described as ecstatic = =
The netizens were shocked once again.
The Zookeeper who did not Want a Name: “I take it back, you even a vibranium book would not cost that much. Is this some kind of secret ancient martial arts manual instead? If you tear open the pages you can find some long-lost, world-shaking martial art.”
A Panda Incapable of Having a Name: “Hey, money no longer matters now! I want that book! Two bigshots fighting over your stuff, isn’t that the dream every girl has?”
My Family Eats Rice Whenever: “Money doesn’t matter, and neither does the book! What’s important now is the people. Look at Han Feixu’s changing expressions. She was super angry when Ye Mingxin was bidding just now, and now she’s super happy. Isn’t this book hers? Could it be… that the anonymous bigshot has an indescribable relationship with her?!”
The Mooncakes on the 15th are the Roundest: “It’s a charity auction, no matter how much money is donated, it won’t go back to Han Feixu. But her expressions are indeed suspicious…”
Youthful Dream Chaser 250: “Why are you still looking at Han Feixu?! Look at the screen, Ye Mingxin is bidding again!”
Last time it was due to the slip of a hand, but not this time. The moment someone placed a bid, Ye Mingxin looked around to find out who placed it. She didn’t have to look far, as Chloe’s bidding device was in her hand. When Ye Mingxin looked over, Chloe’s finger had just lifted from the confirmation button.
Her device was in her lap, so Han Feixu, who was sitting across from her, couldn’t see what she was doing. Ye Mingxin, however, was sitting right next to her and could easily see her every move.
And Chloe had no intention of hiding her movements. The bidding device was in her hands all night. She had only made a token bid for some random accessory earlier and then didn’t place another bid afterwards. Until now that is.
Chloe raised her eyes slightly and met Ye Mingxin’s gaze. She curled her lips and then moved her eyes to the side, no longer looking at her.
Ye Mingxin felt that this was a blatant provocation. = =
She had pressed the wrong button, which is why she bid 100 million, but no one could “accidentally” bid 100 million and two thousand. The book did have some value, but it was just a manuscript that could be read and not sold. The copyright still belonged to Han Feixu so buying this book would mean putting it on your bookshelf and leaving it there forever, only to be occasionally admired every day or so.
If you can’t sell it, who would overspend to the point of shilling out 100 million to buy a manuscript?
Chole looks like a smart woman, someone who wouldn’t overspend. So there was only one possibility left. And that she was in love with Little Xu and then, after figuring out their relationship, was provoking her in front of everyone.
Could she tolerate that? Definitely not!
Because the bidder was their Chief Editor, the backstage staff did not dare to move their camera towards Ye Mingxin’s table. When Han Feixu noticed that the camera wasn’t pointing in their direction, she stepped on Ye Mingxin’s foot, causing her to sit up straight in pain. But it didn’t end there. She then pinched Ye Mingxin’s thigh, threatening to twist it, all while maintaining her composure. She said, gritting her teeth, “Do you not want to live anymore? Do you dare to increase the bid again?”
With her hand on Ye Mingxin’s leg, Ye Mingxin didn’t dare to move, let alone continue to increase her bid. She could only watch as Chloe raised her eyebrows at her and added another two thousand.
In the end, the book was sold for the sky-high price of 100 million and six thousand.
At this point, Han Feixu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
You’re a fool if you spend 100 million to buy such a book! Fortunately, there were more fools attending the auction than just Ye Mingxin. Let other people’s fools buy the book, and when she got home, she would settle the score with her own fool.
With this little scene, no matter what other items were auctioned or what interesting things happened later, it couldn’t capture anyone’s attention anymore. Most people had their heads down, busy with their phones.
Search engine administrators could tell you that they were busy looking up information about Zhong Ya on Wikipedia. = =
Netizens were perplexed. Who on earth was Zhong Ya? She could actually sell a book for more money than the works of Master Zhao Mengfu*, who had been dead for seven hundred years. (*T/N: famous chinese calligrapher and painter)
While it was unclear just how much impact a 100 million charity donation will have on the receivers of said money, one can say for a fact that the actions of Ye Mingxin and Chloe tonight had brought the name Zhong Ya back into the public eye.
Zhong Ya’s family history could be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. Her ancestors included magistrates, scholars, and various literary figures of all sizes, as well as a banker who famously advocated for industrial development that would save the country. She came from a truly prestigious background and in the personal life section, there were many names related to her. One was her grandfather, another her great-grandfather, and even her husband, and so on. All these names were in blue, and clicking on them revealed impressive individual profiles.
The auction continued, but not many people were paying attention. Netizens were busy looking up those related to Zhong Ya, and finally, they reached the section about her children.
When they saw the name “Han Feixu,” netizens fell silent.
Someone commented, “With such an amazing mother.. Why is she still in the entertainment industry?!”
The auction continued, but Han Feixu always felt that more and more people were turning to look at her. During a moment when there were no cameras on her, she looked to the side but didn’t see anything strange.
She turned her head back around again. She must be really tired tonight to be having hallucinations.
There were cameras in the front, so many celebrities had to sit still and perfect, but the assistants and managers in the back were not under such tight scrutiny. The people back there sat casually anywhere they wanted and were engaging in lively discussions.
A certain assistant:, “Oh my god, so Han Feixu auctioned her mother’s work. Her parents are so famous, how come she never mentioned them before?”
A certain editor: “Maybe she wanted to keep a low profile. Right now, I just want to know who spent more than a 100 million to buy the book. Ye Mingxin, too, why didn’t she continue bidding? If it had gone up to 200 million, I could have made three days’ worth of traffic with this topic alone!”
A certain agent also joined in on gossip, “Three days? Don’t be ridiculous. No matter how you look at it, this is just a story of a rich person spending money to gain fame. There’s no laws being broken, no ethical dilemmas, and no scoop involved. It’ll be considered not bad if it can stay trending for a day.”
A certain reporter: “Why wouldn’t there be a scoop involved? That’s because you guys lack the experience to discern it. I can see it; there’s a massive scoop here.”
Everyone else: “What scoop?”
The journalist said to the reporter, “Han Feixu and Ye Mingxin must have had a fallout! They’re no longer best friends!”
Lan Zhu & Zhong Yuanyuan: “….”
While others were discussing passionately, the two of them sat quietly on the sidelines. Occasionally, they exchanged glances and saw the deep sighs in each other’s eyes.
This is what they call “I’m the only one sober while everyone else is drunk.” They really wanted to see what kind of expressions these people will make when they realize the truth later.
After the auction ended, Han Feixu wanted to leave. She had also bid on two items tonight, but the total amount was only five hundred and fifty thousand. The staff would hand over the items to her assistant, so she didn’t need to go herself.
In that case, she planned to go straight home. Her mood had fluctuated too much tonight, and she needed a good rest = =
As they were leaving, they were stopped by a young woman. She asked Han Feixu to go backstage, as Marie Claire had prepared a small gift for her since she was their model for their special issue.
It was hard to refuse such a generous offer, so Han Feixu was about to go, but Ye Mingxin frowned.
Guided by the young woman, Han Feixu arrived at a room. The room was messy, filled with all sorts of clothing, and the remaining space was occupied by a chair and a similarly messy desk.
Chole was standing next to the desk and picked up the book that had just been handed to her. She then handed it over to Han Feixu.
Han Feixu was surprised. “Chief Editor, were you the one who bid for this book?”
Chloe nodded, “I actually can’t read Chinese books very well. I can speak some everyday phrases, but anything more advanced is beyond me. Since I can’t understand it, I’ll return it to you.”
Han Feixu had many questions. “If you couldn’t understand it, why did you buy it, and especially for so much money? 100 million yuan, isn’t it all wasted?”
“How can you call it a waste? Chole smiled, “When will it all be donated to charity?”
Han Feixu blinked, genuinely impressed. “You’re a really compassionate person. Good deeds will bring good karma. That’s probably why you’re so wealthy.”
Chloe lowered her gaze and spoke almost inaudibly, “I won’t have money left after buying this book.”
“What did you say?”
Han Feixu didn’t catch her words clearly and Chloe smiled again as she looked up, “I mean, this money wasn’t originally mine; it was an inheritance. I’m happy to have the opportunity to donate it.”
While Han Feixu wasn’t as noble-hearted, she was still happy because she wasn’t the one who ended up as the fool in the end. Looking at it from another perspective, Chloe had used her inheritance to buy back Ye Mingxin’s savings and her warm bed tonight.
If Ye Mingxin really had spent that 100 million, Han Feixu swore she would throw all of Ye Mingxin’s blankets and pillows back into her original room the moment they returned = =
Chloe insisted that Han Feixu take the book back, and Han Feixu couldn’t refuse. In the end, she left with the book that she had originally contributed. When she returned to the venue, Zhong Yuanyuan was waiting at the door. The two of them left together, got into the car, and Han Feixu asked, “Has Ye Mingxin gone home?”
Wei Xun shook his head, “No. When I drove over earlier, I saw Eldest Young Miss’ car was still in the parking lot.”
Hearing this, Han Feixu took out her phone and tried calling Ye Mingxin. The phone rang many times, but Ye Mingxin didn’t answer.
One can’t blame Ye Mingxin for not answering. The noise backstage was chaotic and deafening, drowning out the phone’s ringtone.
The young woman who had come to find Han Feixu was one of Chloe’s secretaries. Ye Mingxin approached the girl and said she wanted to see the Chief Editor. The young woman didn’t ask why and readily led her to the office.
After seeing Han Feixu off, Chloe never left. She looked at the guest sign-in list that her secretary had just sent her and was matching the faces with the various guests from tonight.
Chinese people might think that all foreigners looked the same, but in the eyes of foreigners, Chinese people’s faces weren’t that distinct either. Chloe had a headache trying to match the names, especially with the celebrities. Models were easier, each with their own unique temperament and so were much easier to recognize. Celebrities, however, were too difficult for her. They all looked so similar, and it was impossible to distinguish one from the other when she only met them once.
For example, there was a group of four female celebrities who were always together tonight. When she looked at them, she swore they must’ve all gotten the same surgery at the same hospital. Otherwise, how could they all look so similar?!
The four people she was talking about were a four-member C-pop group that just debuted this year. Not to mention her as a foreigner, even local Chinese people couldn’t tell them apart. There was a joke on the Internet saying that their company’s budget was insufficient. They might’ve originally wanted to create four distinct faces, but in the end the company only had enough money to design one face for the plastic surgery , so all four girls could only share one face.
While Chole was trying her best to remember all the people she met tonight, a knock sounded on her door. Before she could even say “come in”, the door opened. Chloe frowned and raised her head: “You all can handle seeing guests off. I’ve already said I don’t want to—”
Her words stopped when she looked at her secretary’s embarrassed face, “Chief Editor, I’m sorry. Miss Ye had opened the door before I could stop her…”
Chloe waved her hand, motioning for her to leave. As the secretary left, she closed the door behind her, leaving Chloe alone in the room with Ye Mingxin. Chloe sat on the only chair in the room, crossed her arms and looked at Ye Mingxin: “Is there something you need?”
Ye Mingxin looked at her, “Miss Dumont, I’d like to buy the book you won at its original price. Is that acceptable? If not, we can discuss it further.”
Chloe was stunned, and then she laughed. The laughter was seven parts playful and three parts mocking, “I’ve heard about you even when I was in Paris. We pay attention to the top male and female actresses in all our branches. Among the active female stars in China, you rank in the top three.”
Ye Mingxin stood across from her, listening to her speak. Chloe shifted, looking at her curiously, “Your family should come from old money*, so why do you act like, what’s the word…ah, I remember now, like such a nouveau riche?” (*T/N: this was in english in the original text)
Ye Mingxin answered without showing any emotion, “Because I don’t want my wife’s possessions to fall into another woman’s hands.” Especially not a woman who had been coveting her wife.
Chloe’s eyes widened slightly. “Wife?”
“Yes, Little Xu is my wife,” Ye Mingxin finally said, feeling proud and a sense of triumph. “Now, will you sell me that book?”
Ye Mingxin’s eyes were devoid of warmth, and Chloe could see her undisguised hostility. She spoke gently, “There’s no need to act this way with me. I have no ill intentions. In fact, we should get to know each other better.”
Ye Mingxin couldn’t see anything worth getting to know in her. She smiled faintly. “No need. Let’s talk about the price.”
Ye Mingxin was standing while Chloe was sitting. From this standpoint, Chloe felt she was being suppressed. They locked eyes for three seconds, and Chloe finally confirmed that this person saw her as her romantic rival. No matter what she said, it was futile.
Chloe decided to stand up, using her height advantage to loom over Ye Mingxin. In just a few seconds, their positions were reversed, and Ye Mingxin’s face briefly stiffened. She raised her head, unwilling to admit defeat, and wanted to regain her momentum. Chole couldn’t help but laugh. She walked over to Ye Mignxin, tilting her head slightly as she said nonchalantly, “I suddenly realize that you’re a little cute.”
“But I am very busy, so I can’t entertain you. Goodbye.”
After saying that, Chloe picked up a folder on the table, opened the door and walked out.
The strength she used to open the door was a little too strong so when she opened it, it started to close again. If someone passes by at this moment, they’ll be able to see through the narrow gap of the door the deeply surprised expression that could not be hidden on Ye Mingxin’s face.
What did this woman mean?
Could it be that she not only liked Little Xu but also liked her?! Even when she knew they were in a romantic relationship?!
Ye Mingxin was obviously jumping to shocking conclusions as she remembered Chloe’s home country.
It was widely known among the world’s least restrained countries, France always ranked first. Their citizens were not only known for being romantic but also quite adventurous.
Ye Mingxin is also someone who has seen all sorts of waves, but never participated in such things. However, that didn’t mean she was unaware. Considering one possibility, Ye Mingxin’s face immediately turned green.
En, from now on, she won’t let Little Xu come near Marie Claire again.
Tonight was not an ordinary night. While Han Feixu was now banned from going to various activities hosted by Marie Claire, and Ye Mingxin was now banned from going to anyone’s auction. On the other side of Beijing, Jiang Lingyan finally finished working overtime and returned home.
She returned to the dark bedroom and was just about to lie down, when she felt something was wrong. With the dim moonlight, she looked for a long time before she could see clearly that besides Section Chief Shen, there was a kid on the bed.
Moreover, this little kid had a very bad sleeping posture. She was so small, yet she took up all the remaining space on the bed, while the other half was occupied by Shen Sangluo.
Shen Sangluo half-opened her eyes as the noise woke her and saw it was Jiang Lingyan. She turned over and closed her eyes again, “The sofa is a pull-out bed. The sheets and blankets are already placed there for you. You can make the bed yourself.”
Jiang Lingyan: “…”
She was also going to put down her own ban. She’s going to ban this little kid named Yiyi from spending the night here in the future!