Xu Tingyu entered the restroom. She crumpled the note that had become sweaty in her palm into a ball, tossed it into the toilet, and then pressed the flush button.
When she came out, Qi Ye was already waiting at the door.
"Let's go. The auction is about to start. I know you're impatient, but at least show your face, and then we can leave," Qi Ye said with a gentle smile as he saw her come out.
It was as if they hadn't just had an argument.
Xu Tingyu was used to his pretense. She nodded and wordlessly followed him.
The two didn't mention Chen Chunyao again and returned to the crowd.
The auction hall was brightly lit, with people bustling around. All kinds of celebrities and refined scholars were dressed in magnificent clothes, chatting and laughing merrily.
Xu Tingyu followed behind Qi Ye, moving through the crowd.
Occasionally, acquaintances came up to greet them, and Qi Ye always handled the situation with ease.
Xu Tingyu still showed little interest and said little, only maintaining basic courtesy.
When the auction started, the auctioneer on the stage was passionately introducing the items to be auctioned.
But Xu Tingyu's mind was elsewhere.
To avoid arousing Qi Ye's suspicion, she had left her phone behind when she came out, and she had no idea how Qi Shifeng was doing.
Qi Ye noticed her distraction and whispered, "What's wrong? You seem absent - minded."
Xu Tingyu withdrew her gaze and shook her head. "It's nothing. How much longer until it's over?"
Qi Ye didn't ask further. He just glanced at his watch and said, "At most twenty minutes."
Just then, the auctioneer on the stage mentioned Qi Ye's name.
"The following auction item was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Qi Ye."
A painting was carried onto the display stand, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
It was a beautiful oil painting. The dancing woman in the painting had a peerless face and was so lifelike that it seemed as if she was about to step out of the painting.
Xu Tingyu's eyes fell on the painting, and she was slightly dazed.
She hadn't expected Qi Ye to put this painting up for auction.
She had seen this painting in the basement of Qi Ye's villa.
The auctioneer stood in front of the painting and passionately introduced the background of the painting.
"This painting depicts the scene when Mr. Qi Ye first met his fiancée, Miss Xu Tingyu, ten years ago."
"It is also a masterpiece by Mr. Chang Chun, a representative figure of contemporary oil painting, who spent a year on it."
"The proceeds from the auction will all be donated to relevant institutions to support the studies of poor dance students."
"As we all know, Miss Xu is a famous dancer. Mr. Qi is really doing good deeds and showing off his love for us."
"We also wish the two of you a happy wedding in advance. Now, we will start the bidding for this painting. The starting price is 6 million."
Hearing the auctioneer's flattering words, Xu Tingyu felt a complex mix of emotions.
It wasn't that she was touched by Qi Ye, but that she thought this man was really crazy.
Was he showing off their long - standing acquaintance so publicly to confirm those rumors?
Or did he want people to see his deep love and indulgence?
Just then, someone started to bid.
"6.5 million."
"7 million."
"..."
The price soared all the way and soon exceeded ten million.
When the bid reached 18 million, Xu Tingyu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She couldn't help but turn her head and look at Qi Ye.
Qi Ye noticed her gaze and also turned to look at her with a smile.
His eyes were so gentle that it seemed as if the painting really recorded their beautiful first encounter.
But if Xu Tingyu could really be touched by a painting, she wouldn't be herself.
She smiled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Qi Ye, do you remember that back then, my family's house was taken back, and it only cost 18 million to save it?"
"I took four paintings to make a deal, and the asking price was also 6 million. But they told me that as long as I drank a glass of wine, they would raise the price of each painting by 200,000."
"That night, I drank a total of 15 glasses of wine. It felt like there was a fire burning in my stomach."
Even to this day, she still remembered that burning sensation.
But she was happy at that time. The noble young lady who had never bowed down for money was bowing and scraping for the first time because of money. It seemed so easy.
Fifteen glasses of wine for 12 million.
Even when she heard those people talking about how she had lost her face for money in the restroom while vomiting, it didn't matter.
Qi Ye also remembered those paintings, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
"But when I woke up from the alcohol, I was told that the paintings had been stolen. Then I asked you to investigate. Do you still remember the result?"
"They were torn up and thrown away. Haha, I was really angry at that time. I hated that I was so unlucky that such a small thing could go wrong."
"I also hated my carelessness. Otherwise, there were so many cars there. Why did the thieves target mine?"
"I even hated those thieves for being so excessive. If they had just resold the paintings, I could have recovered some of my losses. But they just tore them up and threw them away."
"But later I found out that it was all your doing, Qi Ye. Were you happy to see me sink into the abyss of pain for 18 million back then?"
She asked him, were you happy?
But Qi Ye's face darkened.
He hadn't expected Xu Tingyu to bring up this old matter at this time.
He pursed his lips, wanting to refute, but found that he was speechless.
After all, he was the one who had orchestrated this.
Back then, in order to force her to divorce as soon as possible and force her into a helpless situation, he had indeed done many things.
When he found out that she had been taken by Chen Chunyao to drink 15 glasses of wine, he was also very angry.
It was the first time he had a conflict with Chen Chunyao.
He accused Chen Chunyao of not letting those people force her to drink. Not only was it easy to cause trouble if she drank too much, but those people's motives were also despicable.
Chen Chunyao was also very emotional. "How could I know those people would do this? I just wanted her to stay a little longer until someone took the paintings."
"But those people were tempted by her beauty and wanted to see the joke of Mrs. Qi. They were willing to spend 12 million. I couldn't stop them, could I?"
"Besides, she's so arrogant. If she bowed and scraped to drink for 12 million, wouldn't she hate Qi Shifeng even more?"
Although Qi Ye was still angry, he was finally convinced.
Chen Chunyao was right. Only when one fell harder could they see things more clearly.
However, the bomb that had been planted back then finally exploded at this moment.
Seeing Qi Ye's silence, Xu Tingyu felt a sense of pleasure.
She knew that once she said these things, Qi Ye would definitely be uncomfortable.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Have you done so many such things to me that you can't remember?"
She pressed on step by step, not giving Qi Ye any chance to catch his breath.
Qi Ye took a deep breath and tried to calm his emotions.
He looked at Xu Tingyu with a complex look in his eyes.
The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds, both with emotions that the other couldn't understand.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"50 million."
Xu Tingyu suddenly turned her head and looked in the direction from which the voice came.