Chapter 465: The Contest

The moment Sonya Lili Chapelle ascended the stage, a current of interest surged through the buyers. The auctioneer had barely finished announcing the start of the bidding when Lin Hanlong gave a subtle flick of his cigar. To his astonishment, he was not alone in his desire. It wasn’t just him and Dongmen Chuiyu, nor the three or four rivals he had anticipated. No, there were a full ten men waiting to claim her.

While He Fanghui was still methodically raising the price in increments of twenty-five, Dongmen Chuiyu, impatient, thrust out his right hand, fingers splayed. Five hundred Gilt Certificates! The bid doubled in an instant. Without hesitation, Lin Hanlong matched his move, extending his own right hand, thumb and pinky outstretched in the sign for six. Six hundred!

Let’s see who blinks first. Dongmen Chuiyu shot a glance at Lin Hanlong, then formed a right angle with his thumb and forefinger. Eight hundred! But his momentary distraction cost him; the eight-hundred bid was snatched away by another—Yu E’shui of the Great Library, of all people.

So, even you, with your honest face, have a taste for foreign horses, Lin Hanlong mused, giving his cigar another flick.

“Eight hundred and fifty!”

Sonya’s price rocketed from its starting point of two hundred, soaring past the previous record of twelve hundred within minutes. A buzz filled the hall. Whispers turned to excited murmurs.

Once the price surpassed that threshold, only three Elders remained in the fierce contest: Lin Hanlong, Dongmen Chuiyu, and Yu E’shui. They were locked in a tight battle, raising the bid by fifty each time, until the price climbed to eighteen hundred.

At two thousand, Yu E’shui bowed out. The duel was now between Lin Hanlong and Dongmen Chuiyu, a furious back-and-forth that drove the price to an astonishing two thousand five hundred. Even the spectating Elders felt it was excessive. Heads began to shake, hushed discussions broke out, and beads of sweat formed on He Fanghui’s brow. He prayed this wouldn’t escalate into a “political incident.”

“Two thousand five hundred!” He Fanghui roared. “Two thousand five hundred! Are there any more bids?!”

Dongmen Chuiyu leaned forward, his features twisted, his eyes locked on the blonde girl on the stage. He was oblivious to his own appearance, but the Elders at his table subtly shifted their chairs, creating a small, protective distance. The bidding now jumped in increments of fifty. It was at two thousand eight hundred. Dongmen Chuiyu ground his teeth with an audible rasp. He thrust three fingers toward the stage: Three thousand Gilt Certificates!

A hush fell over the hall. Three thousand was a monumental sum. While the Elders’ accounts held far more, the General Office, fearing a loss of control, had stipulated a limit for the evening: each Elder could draw a maximum of three thousand from his savings for the auction. To go higher would require cash on hand or a loan from a friend. For a regular cadre, whose monthly income was less than a hundred—enough to support a family of four—three thousand was more than three years’ wages. It was for this reason that the number of cadre staff at the auction was minimal, and those present were all maids directly under the General Office, ensuring absolute secrecy.

Lin Hanlong’s heart pounded. He had little cash on him, perhaps only seven or eight hundred more to play with. His earlier confidence evaporated. But there was no time for hesitation. He immediately countered with three thousand one hundred.

“Three thousand five hundred!” Dongmen Chuiyu jumped the bid, attempting to crush him.

“Three thousand six hundred!” Lin Hanlong’s voice lacked its earlier conviction. His cash reserves meant his absolute limit was three thousand eight hundred.

“Four thousand!”

A shocked murmur swept the room. Lin Hanlong cursed inwardly. He had never imagined Dongmen Chuiyu could be so stubborn, or that he possessed so much ready cash! What did an industrial administrator, now a military geek shuffling papers at the General Staff, have in common with a young woman of science? He watched in agony as the auctioneer called “four thousand” for the first time, the second… the third was imminent. Suddenly, he felt a poke in his arm. He turned to see the Speaker himself, Qian Shuiting. Without a word, Qian slapped his own admission ticket into Lin’s hand. A jolt went through Lin Hanlong. He immediately raised his hand, signaling an objection.

On the stage, He Fanghui had his gavel raised, ready to strike after the third call. He froze, caught off guard. He never expected someone to challenge a bid that had already reached the limit.

“I understand, please wait a moment,” the auctioneer announced, signaling a cadre to investigate. The hall erupted in a low buzz of conversation. Lin Hanlong glanced at the stage. The blonde girl still seemed utterly detached, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes wandering. This girl is fascinating!

The staff member approached Lin Hanlong, examined the two admission tickets, exchanged a few words with Qian Shuiting, and then returned to the stage to whisper in the auctioneer’s ear. He Fanghui nodded.

“The Elder’s bid is valid. The new bid is four thousand five hundred Gilt Certificates!” By the auction’s rules, once the price surpassed one thousand, the increment was one hundred. To continue now would mean another protracted battle, potentially costing hundreds, if not thousands more. It was a game only for those with deep reserves. At two thousand five hundred, the competition had vanished. At four thousand five hundred, there was no one left to challenge him.

“Four thousand five hundred, going once!”

Dongmen Chuiyu’s face was a mask of fury. He grabbed the sleeve of the Elder next to him. “Brother! Does anyone have an unused ticket?!”

“Four thousand five hundred, going twice!”

The men at his table shook their heads. They had occupied the front row with the express purpose of acquiring a foreign woman. After so many rounds, they had all succeeded. The rules stipulated one auction chance per person; once a purchase was made, the ticket was surrendered. Who would still have one? And there was no time to find someone else.

“Four thousand five hundred, going three times!” The gavel fell with a sharp crack. Dongmen Chuiyu slumped into his chair, defeated. A wave of applause rippled through the hall.

Lin Hanlong handed both tickets to the staff and turned to look for Qian Shuiting, but he was already gone, lost in the shadows. Lin Hanlong raised a thumb in the direction of the crowd and nodded in gratitude. He then walked over to Dongmen Chuiyu and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Brother Dongmen, I owe you for this one. I hear another shipment is coming before the year’s end. My share will be yours then, how about it?”

Marina had watched the entire scene with breathless tension. Though she understood no Chinese, the atmosphere in the room told her everything. A fierce battle had been waged for Sonya. So be it, she thought. If they value her so highly, surely they will not mistreat her.

Marina was the last to be auctioned. She was led to the stage, and a maid positioned her at the designated spot, under the brightest lights, where every detail could be scrutinized.

“Doña Marina de Arellano. Spanish. Nineteen years of age. Of noble birth! Measurements…” someone read loudly from the display board.

He Fanghui began the bidding. “We will start at two hundred.”

“Three hundred,” Dongmen Chuiyu called out, his voice sharp.

Another bid was made, but Dongmen immediately shouted over it: “Five hundred!” He seemed to be venting his frustration, jumping the price by the hundred.

The room fell silent. Marina glanced at Leib Trini, but he showed no sign of speaking.

“Six hundred!” another bidder entered the fray.

Though Marina was not the blonde, blue-eyed type most favored by the Elders, her unique Latin beauty and noble lineage sparked a new round of enthusiastic bidding. The price quickly shot to one thousand, and the number of bidders began to dwindle. It was then that Leib Trini joined the contest.

“One thousand two hundred Gilt Certificates!”

Dongmen Chuiyu immediately countered with fifteen hundred. Then, another Elder joined the bidding. It was Xiao Bailang.

He Fanghui was surprised. Xiao Bailang, a known connoisseur of foreign women, had been silent all night. Had he been waiting for this Spanish girl all along?

“One thousand eight hundred!”

The hall grew quiet. Marina looked at the man—dark-skinned, with thick, muscular arms. His eyes glinted with a brutal contempt, a raw lust to dominate and defile. The thought of what awaited her in the hands of such a master sent a chill through her veins, freezing the very blood in her heart.

“Two thousand!” Trini’s voice broke the silence.

“Two thousand one hundred,” Dongmen Chuiyu followed instantly.

“Two thousand two hundred!” Xiao Bailang sneered. “I want her to have a good taste of what a Huaxia man is like.” His gaze fell upon Marina, as if he were already stripping the clothes from her body.

“Two thousand three hundred!” Trini’s hand trembled as he made the signal. Marina knew the price was already beyond what he could bear.

“Two thousand five hundred!” Dongmen Chuiyu bid stubbornly.

Another murmur ran through the crowd. Marina looked pleadingly at the Italian. His face was grim, sweat beading on his brow.

“Two thousand eight hundred!”

Marina flinched, her eyes darting back to Signor Trini. He was silent. This was far beyond his means. After a long, agonizing pause, the Italian raised his hand with the expression of a martyr.

“A bid of three thousand Gilt Certificates! Three thousand!” He Fanghui bellowed. “Are there any more bids?”

Xiao Bailang rose to his feet, his voice calm and clear. “Three thousand five hundred Gilt Certificates!”

“Three thousand five hundred! Does anyone else wish to bid?”

He Fanghui’s gavel hung in mid-air, his arm seemingly frozen in place. Every eye in the room was fixed upon him, waiting for the decisive fall of the hammer.

“Three thousand five hundred, going once! Three thousand five hundred, going twice…!”