Near five in the afternoon, Lin Jie and An Kexin arrived at the guest room area of Binhai Grand Hotel and took a short rest in a room they had already booked.

In the hotel's auction exhibit room, the two bid on two items.

One item was a complete set of baby jewelry, including a longevity lock, peace buckle, bracelet, and anklet all carved from ivory.

An Kexin said it was a full moon gift prepared in advance for Chen Fanzhi's child.

The other item was a purple sandalwood cane, which Lin Jie intended to present to An Weize as a gesture of respect.

An Kexin kicked off her shoes, sat on the bed, and laughed, "Ah Jie, we wandered around the exhibit hall and didn't find your health check voucher; that means it's been selected for tonight's live auction."

"It makes sense if you think about it. The theme of this charity auction dinner is to raise funds for the Bamboo Sea disaster area. Ah Jie, you're a hero in earthquake relief praised by the leader himself and even featured on the national news."

"Having something related to you as an item in tonight's live auction is very fitting."

An Kexin stood up again, stretched lazily, and said, "Ah Jie, I'm going to take a shower first."

Seeing Lin Jie also about to get up, she hastily stopped him, exclaiming, "Don't get any funny ideas, I still need to do my makeup and change into my formal gown. There might not even be enough time."

Lin Jie stood up anyway, lightly lifted An Kexin's chin with his hand, and said jokingly, "Don't overthink it, I just want to use the bathroom. After wandering around for almost two hours, I'm quite tired."

An Kexin wrinkled her little nose, pouted, and grumbled in discontent, "Hurry up then, don't waste my time."

"The exhibit auction we just browsed is merely a warm-up. This evening's auction dinner is where all the major players will take their stage."

"Ah Jie, I need to take some time to make myself presentable; I can't embarrass you…"

Between the main and auxiliary buildings of Binhai Grand Hotel is a domed plaza spanning nearly a thousand square meters. It has been newly arranged and brightly lit, becoming the venue for the charity dinner.

In the north-central part of the domed plaza, a small stage has been set up, with a large screen as the background wall playing edited news footage of the Sichuan West Bamboo Sea earthquake.

Facing the stage, dozens of round tables, adding up to fifty or sixty, are set in a fan shape.

Directly facing the stage is a large plus-sized table capable of seating twenty to thirty people, clearly the main table for the banquet.

By six fifteen, Lin Jie, freshly dressed, and An Kexin, dazzlingly beautiful as a flower, arrived there.

The two walked across a red carpet about ten meters long and, under the guidance of the staff, arrived at the table labeled with their names.

This position is separated by six or seven tables from the central main table, considered relatively distanced, but favorably located for spotting guests walking through the Binhai Grand Hotel's main hall to step onto the red carpet.

They arrived relatively early; only a few dozen people were sparsely seated around the entire banquet area, while the inner twenty or so tables remained empty.

This sight made Lin Jie sigh, "After all these years of development, the notions of status and hierarchy are still deeply ingrained. The more important the person, the later they arrive. While we're here early, waiting for them."

"Alright, alright, stop complaining, even abroad, the most important people arrive last."

An Kexin consoled him, "Think of it this way: many people are not even qualified to set foot here."

"Actually, for people like us, it's not too bad. Whether we arrive a little early or later doesn't make much of a difference."

"The ones who have it the worst…"

She gestured at the rows of tables between them and the main table, smiled, and said, "The group that sits in the middle got here too early and feels like it lowers their status. But if they come too late, they're afraid of being seen as disrespectful."

"I bet those guests are all waiting in their hotel rooms, having their subordinates watch the guest entry timing to figure out the best time to make their entrance."

Lin Jie sighed, "Aren't they tired from all this?"

"Social customs are what they are; they can't help but to overthink, especially on occasions as significant as today, where the city's actual power leaders and industry giants will all be present."

As he said this, he saw a familiar face, Ye Hongqing, stepping onto the red carpet.

With his big protruding belly, he signed his name in the guestbook and, under a hostess's guidance, walked in the opposite direction of Lin Jie.

An Kexin said softly to Lin Jie, "For someone like Ye, being invited to this charity event very clearly means they're expected to contribute financially. I guess the amount he will spend tonight won't be less than five million but won't exceed ten million either."

"Too little would be seen as inconsiderate, too much as overly ostentatious and arrogant."

"Donating just the right amount, neither too prominent nor too far behind, is the best choice for someone like Ye."

Lin Jie was slightly surprised and asked, "Kexin, is there an unwritten rule about how much each person should donate?"

An Kexin nodded and said, "There is, more or less."

"Today's charity auction dinner has a strong official background, where the auction money is just a gimmick and a small part, while the main contribution comes from the on-site donations by major companies and individuals."

"Generally, first the major powerful groups of Binhai make their donations, and then other companies and individuals follow, adjusting their donations according to their strength compared to those groups."

"Being too bold, or having the donation amount not match one's strength and reputation, would attract some trouble."

After hearing An Kexin's explanation, Lin Jie felt a little intimidated. Rules really are everywhere.

A thought crossed his mind, and he urgently asked, "Kexin, do we need to donate too? I haven't prepared anything."

An Kexin shook her head, smiling, "We're invited here as representatives of the Anlin Charity Fund, so we don't need to donate."

"But…"

She patted her small handbag and said, "I also brought a few checks and will donate one of them in the name of the company, depending on the situation..."

As time went on, more and more people walked down the red carpet and arrived at the banquet scene.

Under the dome, it became increasingly lively, with sounds of greetings and exchanges echoing from all directions.

Lin Jie also saw many familiar faces.

Du Feixue came with her father.

Liu Guangxi also arrived at the scene with his father.

Zhou Hongzhi of the Zhou Family, renowned for traditional Chinese medicine, came alone.

The superstar Xiaoxiao walked intimately arm in arm with Han Wenbin down the red carpet.

Luo Wantong, accompanied by Luo Pengyi, greeted people everywhere.

Additionally, Lin Jie saw a dozen or so sports, film, and art stars, as well as variety show celebrities.

Through An Kexin's introductions, he also got to know quite a few of the well-known leaders of major corporations.

As the time neared seven o'clock, guests gradually took their seats, waiting for the main table's guests to arrive.

At Lin Jie's table, a total of ten people were seated.

The other eight people, both men and women, were CEOs from different companies.

They were all quite enthusiastic towards Lin Jie.

At this time, the hotel's waiters entered in a line and began serving dishes and pouring wine.

Lin Jie noticed that the dishes were clearly special, consisting mostly of bite-sized snacks, various cold cuts, and dishes with very little sauce.

As for the wine, it was exclusively red wine.

The first to arrive at the main table were the leaders from the City Red Cross Society, along with heads from several sizable charity foundations, followed by representatives of heavyweight groups or consortia from Binhai City.

The person from the Fu Family, Lin Jie learned through An Kexin's introduction, was the chairman of Four Seas Group, Fu Xiuyuan's uncle.

The last few to arrive were city leaders headed by the Executive Vice Mayor.

At seven o'clock, the charity dinner officially began, hosted by two presenters from the city's television station.

First, all the attendees stood collectively for a minute of silence in memory of those who perished in the Bamboo Sea earthquake disaster area.

Following that were speeches from the Executive Vice Mayor and the Red Cross Society leaders.

After the speeches, under the attention of everyone present, the Executive Vice Mayor pressed the enter key on a laptop.

This computer immediately tabulated the bidding data for the items and displayed the corresponding bidding results and deduction data in real time on the small stage's big screen.

Strings of numbers quickly scrolled across the big screen.

At the same time, the ringtone of mobile text messages repeatedly sounded at the scene.

Lin Jie took out his phone and found that he had received a total of four text messages, two deduction messages from the bank, and two successful bid messages.

"Kexin, I won the auction for the saxophone and the cane, how about you?"

An Kexin replied, a bit frustrated, "I only got the ivory decorations, I didn't manage to get the Zisha Clay Teapot that I really liked."

"But the good news is, all four items we consigned for auction were sold."

She read from the text message: "Moutai liquor for six hundred and sixty thousand, wild ginseng for three hundred and twenty-one thousand, a watch for two hundred and twelve thousand, and rosewood exercise balls for twenty-six thousand."

"A total of two hundred and seventeen items were successfully auctioned, with a total of..."

The host's slightly excited voice resonated above the banquet plaza, "Two hundred sixty-five million seven hundred and sixty-four thousand yuan in donations, we thank the kind-hearted individuals for their contributions and their bids."

"Successful bidders, please collect your corresponding items at the Peony Hall on the second floor of the Binhai Grand Hotel after the dinner or tomorrow with your successful bid text message."

As the male host's voice faded, the female host's clear and pleasant voice immediately rose, "Now, I'll announce the list and amounts of the first on-site donations received tonight at the charity dinner."

"Binhai Changfeng Co., Ltd., donates one million!"

"Jinhe Trading Co., Ltd., donates one million!"

"Xiaomichong's Personal Studio, donates six hundred thousand!"

An Kexin leaned in closer to Lin Jie and said, "These initial figures pointed out the minimum donation benchmark to all donors."

"Later, when the second or third wave announces the onsite donation numbers, a couple of strong groups will certainly set the benchmark for us..."

Just as she finished speaking, they heard the female host's excited shout, "Binhai Wantong Group, donates one hundred million..."

As this figure echoed in the air, the scene buzzed with the hum of discussions.

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