Zhao Leli eyed Mrs. Huo with suspicion.
Was she really kind - hearted enough to let Ling Nuan off the hook?
Wasn't there some scheme brewing, with the intention of dragging her into it too?
Zhao Leli was about to decline, but Mrs. Huo smiled and said, "Leli, since you care so much about Ling Nuan, you wouldn't let her take risks, would you? And you young people have more to talk about. If Ling Nuan were with me, she'd be bored, right?"
Now it was Zhao Leli who was left speechless.
If she refused, what would that make her?
"Fine then." In a fit of impulsiveness, Zhao Leli readily agreed.
Once Zhao Leli had given her consent, Mrs. Huo left more briskly than anyone else.
When only Zhao Leli and Ling Nuan were left in the vicinity, Zhao Leli was still in a daze.
Hadn't she just wanted to retort to Mrs. Huo a bit? How had she ended up getting herself involved?
Ling Nuan looked at Zhao Leli with a touch of helplessness. What was this?
Some progress, but not much.
Zhao Leli didn't know what Ling Nuan was thinking, but seeing her helpless smile, she protested, "I was just trying to help you. You didn't even say a word! She dumped you on me. She might be trying to scheme against me too."
The more Zhao Leli thought about it, the angrier she got. Was she just fated to clash with the Huo family?
"Don't worry. She wouldn't dare to offend your family. She'll only come after me," Ling Nuan replied.
Hearing this, Zhao Leli gave Ling Nuan a skeptical look and then shifted her gaze away. She trusted Ling Nuan.
Since she was already in this situation, she might as well make the best of it. Zhao Leli's mindset was getting better and better.
"Alright then. You can follow me." Zhao Leli led Ling Nuan inside and asked as they walked, "Did she tell you anything about this auction?"
Ling Nuan smiled helplessly. "What do you think?"
Zhao Leli rolled her eyes in disdain. "That's just the kind of underhanded tricks she'd pull."
Ling Nuan recalled the time when Zhao Leli had locked her in the restroom and splashed water on her. In comparison, Miss Zhao's methods, though childish, were a bit more above - board than Mrs. Huo's.
"Today's auction is organized by the Lin family. But actually, the Wen family is pulling the strings behind it. The eldest daughter of the Lin family married into the Wen family, and now the Lin family is at the Wen family's beck and call," Zhao Leli explained to Ling Nuan.
Ling Nuan nodded and committed this information to memory.
"The items up for auction today are quite good. You'll see for yourself later," Zhao Leli said, her eyes lighting up with anticipation. "The highlight of today's auction is a set of antique phoenix coronets. I haven't seen the real thing yet. The photos look really beautiful, and it has good collection value. A lot of people are here because of this phoenix coronet."
Ling Nuan wasn't really interested in these things. She mostly listened, occasionally chiming in to keep Zhao Leli talking.
Throughout the auction, Ling Nuan mostly just listened to Zhao Leli.
At first, Zhao Leli introduced the auction. Once the auction started, when she saw something she liked, she would bid frantically and didn't forget to introduce it to Ling Nuan. When she wasn't interested, she would just slump lazily in her chair.
The conversation veered further afield, and finally, they started chatting about the gossip in the circle.
Ling Nuan actually had a rather pleasant time during the auction.
Mrs. Huo seemed to have stopped causing trouble, and everything was peaceful.
The phoenix coronet was the last item up for auction, and it really set the auction ablaze. Starting at a million, the price shot past ten million in the blink of an eye and kept soaring.
Zhao Leli was one of those who bid aggressively.
Unfortunately, she was ultimately outbid. The phoenix coronet was finally sold for 130 million to an anonymous bidder.
Zhao Leli looked dejected. "I was hoping to get it for my wedding."
She really liked it, but she simply didn't have enough cash on hand to buy it without a second thought.
"I wonder who finally got it. They're really generous," Zhao Leli sighed. Then she looked at Ling Nuan. "If your Huo Linsheng were here, he'd be a strong competitor. Maybe I could even benefit from it!"
Ling Nuan couldn't help but laugh.
"If Huo Linsheng were here, do you think we'd still be sitting together?" Ling Nuan retorted.
Zhao Leli clicked her tongue.
Their relationship was rather strange, but after getting along, Zhao Leli had a pretty good impression of Ling Nuan.
"Come on. I'll take you home," Zhao Leli offered, not wanting Mrs. Huo to come looking for Ling Nuan and cause more trouble.
As they were chatting and walking out, Ling Nuan was about to decline when suddenly a staff member blocked their way.
"Mrs. Huo," the staff member greeted Ling Nuan respectfully.
Ling Nuan looked at the staff member, puzzled. "Hello. What can I do for you?"
The staff member smiled. "Mrs. Huo, you haven't paid for the items you've won. How would you like to handle this?"
Ling Nuan paused.
It was the time when everyone was leaving the auction. Many people saw the staff member stopping Ling Nuan, and after hearing what the staff member said, their looks towards Ling Nuan became rather strange.
Zhao Leli was more impatient than Ling Nuan. Before Ling Nuan could say anything, Zhao Leli jumped in, "When did Ling Nuan buy anything? She was with me the whole time during the auction and never even raised a bidding paddle. Are you guys mistaken?"
Ling Nuan rubbed her temples helplessly.
Although Zhao Leli seemed to be defending Ling Nuan, what she said would make others think -
As Mrs. Huo, Ling Nuan didn't even buy a single thing?
Was it because she didn't like anything? No, it must be because she didn't have any money!
This proved that Ling Nuan wasn't favored in the Huo family.
Hearing Zhao Leli's words, the staff member looked a bit embarrassed. "Miss Zhao, we've double - checked several times."
Ling Nuan then asked, "What are the items?"
The staff member immediately presented a prepared list.
The list was quite long, and the total price added up to 50 million.
Ling Nuan already had a pretty good idea who was behind this. Originally, she thought that if it was within her means, it wouldn't be a problem to pay. But it seemed the other party wasn't giving her that chance.
"Sorry. I didn't buy any of these," Ling Nuan said as she returned the list to the staff member.
The staff member looked troubled.
"What's wrong with you? You can't even get this straight. I've already said it wasn't Ling Nuan who bid for these items," Zhao Leli repeated.
More and more people were gathering to watch the drama.
That's when Mrs. Huo showed up.
She took the list from the staff member with a smile and said, "It's a misunderstanding. I bought these. Ling Nuan, I'm really sorry. They probably thought we were the same person. Since they couldn't find me, they came to you."
With that, Mrs. Huo handed her card to the staff member.
Ling Nuan was an innocent victim, but what Mrs. Huo wanted others to believe was that Ling Nuan wasn't favored in the Huo family and didn't even have any money.
"It's okay," Ling Nuan smiled, as if she didn't care about this incident at all.
Zhao Leli now understood what was going on. She looked at Mrs. Huo with disgust and pulled Ling Nuan along. "Come on. I'll take you home. I bid for a lot of things for you just now. Let's go back and try them on. You've helped me so much. There's no way I'll let you spend any money here."
Ling Nuan hadn't expected Zhao Leli to come to her rescue. She gave Zhao Leli a grateful smile.
Mrs. Huo's face darkened.
However, when her eyes fell on the person in front, a smile returned to Mrs. Huo's face.
"Ling Nuan?" Meng Shuluo looked at Ling Nuan with surprise.
She seemed about to come over, but before she could get closer, a staff member carrying a safe blocked her way.
"Miss Meng, this is a gift from Mr. Huo for you."