Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Thousand Pieces of Gold for a Single Smile

Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Fortune Spent for a Lady’s Smile

When the bid of one hundred million echoed through the auction hall, every gaze immediately turned toward the back, settling on a young man who had stood up in the last row.

This young man was about the same height as Dick Hoffman, but his attire was plain and unremarkable, his features merely delicate rather than handsome, with a lingering trace of youthful innocence.

Yet no one dared to underestimate someone capable of bidding such a sum.

Dick’s face darkened at once. He hadn’t expected anyone to deliberately disrupt his plans. Who exactly was this unassuming youth before him?

Nalanda Sheng, seated nearby, was almost moved to tears of joy. She longed to rush to Xia Zheng the moment she saw him, but with so many eyes watching, she could only restrain herself. Still, she understood then that she would never marry Hoffman.

Dick’s father, Mandel, regarded Xia Zheng with a now-dangerous glint in his almond-shaped eyes, seeking confirmation from Nalanda Yun as to the young man’s identity.

“Just a promising commoner?” Mandel said, somewhat incredulously. Excellent results in the professional examinations, ranking among the top fifty in the Federation, and rising from E-rank to B-rank in half a year—impressive, to be sure. But so what? Did he really believe that was enough to challenge an old noble house?

It was then that Nalanda Yun rose, sneering coldly at Xia Zheng. “Xia Zheng, don’t overestimate yourself. This isn’t a place for someone of your standing. Random bidding carries legal consequences.”

His words stirred another wave through the crowd, and many looked at Xia Zheng with thinly veiled disdain. To those from great families, commoners were natural adversaries. At this moment, Gu Cunyi, listening to the auction staff explain something, occasionally gestured toward Xia Zheng, nodding slowly.

Xia Zheng was about to respond when Gu Cunyi spoke up, “Ladies and gentlemen, our auction hall can confirm that Mr. Xia possesses sufficient credit, so his bid is valid.”

Gu Cunyi’s words were a resounding slap to Nalanda Yun’s face, leaving him deeply embarrassed, while laughter rippled around them.

At this point, the usually silent Nalanda Zhi finally spoke. “Since that’s settled, let them compete. Sit down.”

Nalanda Yun exhaled in relief but found his impression of Xia Zheng sinking further.

Sensing the hostility from both her father and grandfather toward Xia Zheng, Nalanda Sheng’s heart was a battlefield, bracing herself for a decision.

Mandel, seeing his son Dick still standing there dumbfounded, snorted and called out to Xia Zheng, “One hundred and ten million!” He had no choice; to back down now would be to disgrace the Deransol Consortium.

“One hundred and fifty million!” Xia Zheng felt fully confident now. Since the foundation had given him a credit line of a billion, he meant to put it to good use. The Shentu family had shown him favor; he would repay it in kind.

Dick felt a pang of discomfort. He dared not raise the bid. Though the family still had some liquid reserves, to spend over a hundred million on a piece of jewelry prized only for its renown would have dire consequences. Yet, with the reputation of the Deransol Consortium at stake, he was forced to play Xia Zheng’s game.

“One hundred and sixty million!” Mandel felt as though his heart were bleeding. Something worth at most fifty million had been driven to three times its value by this youth. In the past, Deransol would have played such games to the bitter end, even to the ruin of their rivals—but now he only regretted it, and feared Xia Zheng might stop bidding.

But his fears were unfounded. Catching the tender, affectionate gaze from Nalanda Sheng, Xia Zheng called out, “Two hundred million!”

“Two hundred million, first call!”

“Two hundred million, second call!”

“Any further bids?” Gu Cunyi was visibly excited. He hadn’t expected a mysterious young tycoon to appear out of nowhere, besting both the Deransol Consortium and the Nalanda family in one fell swoop.

Mandel closed his eyes. He would not continue. Two hundred million far exceeded his expectations; even at the cost of losing face, he would not bid again.

“Two hundred million, third call—sold!” With a resounding bang, Gu Cunyi brought down the gavel, confirming that Xia Zheng had won the Moonlit Earrings.

Xia Zheng moved through the crowd, walking toward Gu Cunyi under the complex gazes of the assembled nobles and magnates, where the Moonlit Earrings awaited him.

Payment would be settled directly between the foundation and the auction house; Xia Zheng need not worry.

Taking the Moonlit Earrings from Gu Cunyi, Xia Zheng gazed at the exquisite pair. He was no connoisseur of jewelry, but he knew one thing: for Nalanda Sheng, he would spend any sum.

“Mr. Xia, as I once said, in some eyes the Moonlit Earrings are worthless, but in the eyes of lovers, they are priceless. I imagine the lady who receives this treasure must be your dearest beloved,” Gu Cunyi remarked with a smile.

Xia Zheng nodded. “You are quite right, Master Gu. Love is beyond price.” With that, he took the box containing the Moonlit Earrings and approached Nalanda Sheng.

Paying no heed to Nalanda Yun’s objections and Dick’s livid expression, Nalanda Sheng came to Xia Zheng’s side.

“Shengsheng, no matter how many hardships or dangers lie ahead, I will never give up on you. Let these Moonlit Earrings be our token of love.” Xia Zheng extended the box to her.

“I understand your heart, brother. As I’ve always said: until death, I will not forsake you; until death, I will stand by you.” She reached out to take the box.

At that moment, Nalanda Zhi stood up and addressed them both. “Sheng’er, think carefully. This man is not of one heart with our family, and we will never accept him. If you choose him, you are choosing to break with the Nalanda family. Is he truly worth it?”

A tremendous weight of pressure and responsibility bore down on Nalanda Sheng, but her hands were soon enveloped by Xia Zheng’s, a wave of spiritual force surrounding her, warm and strong. Only those with the gift of the mind could truly be so closely connected in spirit and soul.

Still, Nalanda Sheng accepted the Moonlit Earrings without hesitation. Nalanda Zhi’s face paled, then returned to normal, and he shook his head and left.

Nalanda Yun glared at his daughter and Xia Zheng in fury. “The Nalanda family will never bless your union.”

Nalanda Sheng, now fearless, opened the box and put on the Moonlit Earrings herself. Beauty adorned with treasure, stunning beyond compare; in that moment, all present were captivated by her dazzling presence. With the Moonlit Earrings, she seemed a phoenix descending from the heavens. Xia Zheng took her hand and drew her into his embrace. In that instant, he cared for nothing else. If a passionate man cannot summon the courage to challenge the world for the sake of his beloved, what meaning is there in life?

Dick trembled, hatred burning in his eyes as he muttered to Mandel, “Father, are we just to let this go?”

“Let it go? Don’t be ridiculous. No one crosses the Deransol Consortium and lives.” Mandel hadn’t expected his efforts to arrange a family alliance to end in failure and humiliation. To return now would be to face the family’s wrath and the head’s fury.

Dick nodded and began making preparations. He wanted Xia Zheng dead; unless he died, this insult could not be borne. It had always been his own hand that snatched away love from others, never the reverse.

Elsewhere, after leaving the auction hall and getting into the car, Nalanda Zhi signaled the driver to depart, then turned to Nalanda Yun. “Have you found out?”

Nalanda Yun nodded, shock in his eyes as he handed a report to Nalanda Zhi.

“Vice Chairman of the Evernight City Recovery Foundation… Shentu family!” At that moment, Nalanda Zhi seemed to age a decade. Why… why would the Shentu family favor this utterly ordinary young man? At its peak, the Nalanda family might not have feared the Shentu family, but now, it was like an insect before a dragon.

“Father, about Shengsheng…” Nalanda Yun ventured uncertainly.

Nalanda Zhi shook his head. “A grown daughter can’t be kept at home. Let her spend time with Xia Zheng. Perhaps, after a while, they’ll develop issues of their own.”

“But what if…” Nalanda Yun grumbled, clearly dissatisfied.

Nalanda Zhi glanced at his son. “Your vision is too narrow. I have said before: among Sheng’er’s children, one must be adopted into the Nalanda family. That is our bottom line and cannot be compromised. Otherwise, we’ll all go down together.”

“And when they marry…” Nalanda Yun hesitated again.

“No, the Nalanda family will never take the initiative to reconcile. Besides, Xia Zheng’s future remains uncertain. I had his fortune read; it’s a tangle of good and ill, right and wrong. His fate is anything but smooth. We’ll wait and see.”

At that moment, a message arrived on Nalanda Yun’s phone. He read it and said, “Father, the Hoffmans are preparing to make a move against Xia Zheng.”

“As expected. You personally lead ten of the family’s shadow guards to protect Sheng’er.” Nalanda Zhi ordered. Nalanda Yun noted that his father mentioned protecting Nalanda Sheng, not Xia Zheng, and understood his intent.

Once the car stopped, Nalanda Yun stepped out and began making calls, summoning the ten shadow guards brought from the main house. These guards were family retainers, a few quite advanced in years, survivors from the era of genetic modification, the rest all A-rank espers.

Nalanda Sheng followed Xia Zheng back to his hotel. Overcome by emotion, they embraced and kissed, nearly crossing the final boundary. Luckily, Nalanda Sheng remained reserved at the last moment, and Xia Zheng did not press on.

After their passionate interlude, they lay wrapped in a blanket, skin to skin, whispering their longing for each other. Xia Zheng set an alarm, and they soon drifted off to sleep. Meng Hu was still busy preparing for her debut, so Xia Zheng had no further worries there.

In the middle of the night, the phone rang. Xia Zheng got up, put on a robe, and stepped out onto the balcony to answer. Nalanda Sheng mumbled a few words, pulling the blanket over her head and sleeping on.

“Xia Zheng, I heard about what happened at the auction.” It was Mr. Shentu’s voice, and Xia Zheng immediately woke fully.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Shentu. I used so much of the foundation’s money for personal reasons without permission,” Xia Zheng apologized at once.

Shentu Yue chuckled. “No need to worry, Ah Zheng. The foundation was established for you, because I believe in your future and admire your ambition. I just wanted to ask—was it worth it?”

“It was worth it!” Xia Zheng replied firmly.

“Good. In ancient times, men would go to war for a single smile; now you spend a fortune for a lady’s happiness. A man should do great things in his life. Until now, you’ve always seemed too mature, not much like a youth. Only after this do I see you as one. Hahaha… Lastly, Ah Zheng, a word of caution. Beware the Deransol Consortium—the viper of the western realm—and the ambitious Nalanda family. Don’t let your guard down. Rest assured, with the Shentu family behind you, they won’t dare confront you openly. That’s all.” With that, Shentu Yue hung up, and Xia Zheng’s mind snapped to full alert. For Shentu Yue to call personally meant the matter was far from simple.

Xia Zheng gazed out from the balcony. Night was falling, and a chill wind swept in, carrying the scent of an impending cold front.