The host of the auction, Director of Mingzhu Group and President of the Huaxia Ancient Cultural Relics Association, Chen Baoshan, entered. Accompanying him was a young girl in a puffy dress, about fifteen or sixteen years old, delicate and adorable—a true beauty. She was the girl Ye Luo had encountered in the mall when he had treated the old Chen and was likely his granddaughter.

Chen Baoshan walked straight towards the stage at the front, while his granddaughter looked around curiously with her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes landed on Ye Luo and brightened with surprise.

After reaching the stage, Chen Baoshan stood behind the auction table and addressed the audience, "Welcome everyone to the auction hosted by Mingzhou Group."

A round of warm applause naturally followed.

"Some of the jewelry being auctioned today are treasures from our own Mingzhu Group, while others have been entrusted to us by sellers. Moreover, half of the proceeds from the jewelry auctioned by our Mingzhu Group will be donated in full to Zhonghai’s charity fund, as a contribution to the charitable works of Zhonghai."

Chen Baoshan spoke calmly, and then the room burst into another round of enthusiastic applause.

"Now, please welcome a guest for today, Miss Shi Yanran. She’s the spokesperson for our newly launched jewelry product from Mingzhu."

As Chen Baoshan finished speaking, many young men and women in the room looked excited, their gazes turning towards the back.

The door to the auction hall slowly opened. Shi Yanran, dressed in a long white gown, walked in gracefully as the spotlight shone on her.

She was like a celestial nymph descending from the heavens, stunningly beautiful and pure. Her perfect, delicate face felt almost unearthly, attracting the attention of many men and women in the room. Many men looked at Shi Yanran with a hint of amazement in their eyes, accompanied by a flicker of desire.

She was a woman any man would find captivating. Even though Ye Luo had met her before, he couldn’t help but sigh with admiration when he saw her again.

Shi Yanran’s lips curved into a gentle, confident smile. She walked forward with her hands clasped in front of her, accompanied by Sister Mei, followed by eight figures clad in black.

"Eh?"

Looking at the two figures among the eight, Ye Luo’s eyes flashed with surprise. Two of them were acquaintances, members of the Xuan division of the Special Security Bureau, Mingyue and Chen Chen. He hadn’t expected to see them here, acting as Shi Yanran’s bodyguards.

Shi Yanran slowly walked towards the stage and stood beside Chen Baoshan, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Shi Yanran needs no introduction. She is now officially the spokesperson for our Mingzhu Group’s newly released ’Lover’s Heart’ jewelry line. Mingzhu Group will hold a banquet tonight at the Jin Hao Hotel, where Miss Shi will perform a song. We hope everyone will join us there."

Chen Baoshan said with a smile on his face.

Shi Yanran continued to smile at the audience but suddenly looked surprised when her eyes fell on Ye Luo.

"It’s that guy!"

Mingyue, standing behind Shi Yanran, noted Ye Luo sitting below with keen eyes and a trace of astonishment flashed through her gaze.

"Do you know Shi Yanran?"

Below the stage, Ling Qingya suddenly addressed Ye Luo.

Wow, does this woman have such sharp eyesight, to notice that?

"Oh, no, she’s a big star. How would I know her?"

Ye Luo replied earnestly.

The auction officially began shortly after, with an elderly man whose hair was white and who was dressed in a Sun Yat-sen suit walking directly onto the auction stage. He was the auctioneer for this event and also a master in appraising treasures.

Soon, one after another, precious jewels were brought up, provoking a fierce competition among the wealthy. These tycoons were naturally vying to gift their women, and the socialites were clearly competing to adorn themselves, ready to show off later.

As the jewelry auction commenced, in a restaurant across from the business building, a man dressed in black sat drinking, his gaze fixed on the office building opposite. If Ye Luo were here, he would recognize the man as the emissary he had encountered last time in the underground mausoleum.

"Emissary, everything is ready,"

a man in a suit walked up to the emissary, speaking in a low, respectful voice.

"Proceed."

With an indifferent command, the man in black left, and the emissary slowly stood up, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what we are auctioning now is the first ’Lovers’ Heart’ crafted by Mingzhu Group. This particular ’Lovers’ Heart’ is made from premium jadeite. It is even more perfect than other ’Lovers’ Hearts’ Mingzhu Group is about to launch and holds more meaning,"

the master auctioneer said, holding up a pair of jadeite heart-shaped necklaces that shimmered with a green glow.

This was the first ’Lovers’ Heart’ ready for launch by Mingzhu Group.

"The opening bid is two million, with increments of one million thereafter."

"Three million!"

A wealthy businessman called out a bid without delay.

"Four million!"

Another scion of a rich family declared brusquely, with a sexy woman wrapped around him, who planted a kiss on his cheek, her ample bosom pressing against his chest excitingly.

"Six million!"

A young voice followed, raising the bid by two million—it was none other than Lu Qing, the young master of the Lu Corporation who had been persistently pursuing Nie Wenling.

"Once I get this ’Lovers’ Heart’ and give it to Wen Ling, she will definitely be very happy,"

Lu Qing thought to himself, glancing at Nie Wenling, clearly not giving up on his pursuit.

Gradually, as several rounds of bidding continued, the price of the ’Lovers’ Heart’ soared past fifteen million, and there were nearly no more bidders.

Even though the ’Lovers’ Heart’ alone was worth six to seven million based on the value of the premium jadeite, the extravagant price deterred many. After all, Mingzhu Group would soon launch the ’Lovers’ Heart’ product line, and at that time, people could buy it for just a few million—why spend tens of millions now?

At this point, the one still persisting in bidding was Lu Qing, who was clearly determined in his pursuit of Nie Wenling.

"Twenty million!"

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out in the auction hall, and right after, the doors were flung open as a group of people marched in, led by a young man dressed in an upscale, custom-made Italian suit.