Since I can't refuse, I'll just keep track for now and find a chance to repay her later.

"Alright, thank you."

Seeing him say this, a satisfied smile appeared on Wang Fei's face. She hooked his arm and said, "Smart choice, let's go find a place to eat, I'm famished after all that walking."

...

After they had a meal, it was already evening when they returned to the hotel.

Qi Yun lay in a chair, glanced at the watch on his wrist, then took out his phone to check the price.

Omega Seamaster series 50001, priced at seventy-two thousand yuan! This wealthy lady is indeed generous...

After taking a shower, Qi Yun lay on the bed, called Zhao Qing to report his safety, and then started preparing to sleep.

Who would've thought that just a few minutes after closing his eyes, there would be a knock on the door.

Qi Yun wrapped himself in a bath towel, opened the door, and saw Wang Fei standing at the doorway with a bottle of red wine, smiling.

"Can't sleep, thought I'd have a drink with you, mind?" Wang Fei waved the bottle of red wine in her hand, her eyes shimmering.

Qi Yun gave her a meaningful look, rubbed his chin, and teasingly asked, "You wouldn't be trying to keep me as a toy boy, would you?"

"Pfft! You think an old lady like me would waste money on a middle-aged uncle like you?" Wang Fei pushed him aside and walked into the room on her own accord.

Qi Yun didn't find it odd, he closed the door and smiled helplessly.

Wang Fei sat on the sofa, kicked off her high heels, and revealed her white jade-like feet.

She then opened the bottle of red wine, filled both glasses, and looked Qi Yun up and down.

"Didn't expect, Uncle, you maintained quite a good figure." She had a faint smile at the corner of her mouth and looked very charming.

Qi Yun looked down at his body wrapped only in a bath towel, cleared his throat lightly, and sat on a chair nearby.

He took a sip of red wine and said, "Judging by your words, though I'm a middle-aged uncle, I'm not that bad, right?"

"But, why come to my room late at night just to drink and tease me?"

Wang Fei chuckled, raised her glass, and swirled it lightly: "What? Not happy to see me? I just wanted to chat, if you're not willing, I can leave now."

"No, not at all." Qi Yun waved his hand with a smile. After all, he had just accepted her expensive gift, it wouldn't be polite to turn her away like this.

"Alright then, tell me your troubles."

Wang Fei glared at him, the emotions she'd just built up dissipating completely.

After another sip of wine, she leaned back on the sofa, her eyes showing a hint of fatigue.

"Actually, I've always lived in a seemingly glamorous world. Everyone around me envies me, thinking I have everything, but only I know it's like a beautiful dream that could shatter at any time."

She sighed and took another sip from her glass.

"My family looks harmonious and wealthy on the surface, but in reality, the relationship between my parents has long been dead in name only. They're just preserving the family's face and interests by not separating."

"And I have been treated as their pawn since childhood, arranged for various studies and social activities without any freedom. When I grew up, they forced me to interact with people I didn't like, pushing me to marry someone I didn't love..."

Qi Yun listened quietly without interrupting her, nodding from time to time to signal her to continue.

"I've been resisting, escaping." Wang Fei's voice choked, her fingers tightly gripping the wine glass, "I feel like a puppet controlled by strings, without any choice."

"This life makes me miserable..."

Qi Yun could feel her emotions at the moment but didn't know how to comfort her, so he kept refilling her glass.

Life is like a besieged city; those inside envy the freedom of those outside, and those outside envy the carefree life of those inside.

Wang Fei continued talking before breaking into sobs, then buried her head and cried hard.

Later, perhaps from exhaustion or drink, she fell asleep deeply on the sofa.

Qi Yun sighed, beginning to understand why this woman was so changeable.

He stood up, gently carried her to the bed, and covered her with a quilt.

He then turned off the light and lay down on the sofa himself.

[Information 1 of the day (Red): Mendeleyev has arrived in Bird City, broker Huang Zhibin got the news and plans to visit today]

[Information 2 of the day (Red): The auction house has pre-arranged two placeholders to participate in today's 'Cultural Art Auction']

Upon reading the details, Qi Yun frowned; both pieces of news were disadvantageous to him.

He had been hoping that not many people were paying attention to that Republican-era nose snuff bottle. But now it seemed that even if no one else bid, the auction house might not let him win it at too low a price.

As for the intel about Mendeleyev, he was puzzled as to how that person Huang Zhibin got the news. Could it be that this guy knew Mendeleyev before?

Visiting at this time was clearly aimed at getting that order.

"Gotta give Brother Peng a heads-up."

Thinking of that, he picked up his phone and sent Brother Peng a message.

...

The next morning, Qi Yun was still asleep when he felt a tickling sensation on his face, and a faint fragrance wafted to his nose.

He opened his eyes and found Wang Fei already awake, quietly looking down at him.

Strands of hair fell on his face, and the distance between their noses was less than twenty centimeters.

Qi Yun jumped in surprise, instinctively moved back, nearly falling off the sofa.

Wang Fei saw this and chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What are you doing, scaring people first thing in the morning?" Qi Yun rubbed his eyes, a bit helpless.

"You looked so sound asleep, I couldn't resist teasing you." Wang Fei sat up straight, tidying her slightly messy hair, "Didn't think you'd be so easily scared."

Qi Yun rolled his eyes at her, sat up, and stretched: "Come on, anyone would be startled waking up to someone staring at them so closely."

"Scaredy-cat!"

Wang Fei chuckled softly, gave him a deep look, then bent down to pick up her high heels and walked out.

Qi Yun grabbed a bottle of water from the table, opened it, and gulped down some, then feeling refreshed, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

An hour later, he was almost through with his second breakfast when Wang Fei finally strolled into the dining area.

Wang Fei was wearing a white dress today, paired with nude-colored high heels, looking fresh and elegant, completely different from the charming self she was last night.

Qi Yun couldn't help but glance a few more times.

Wang Fei sat opposite him, teasingly observing him: "Am I good looking?"

"Yes, you are." Qi Yun nodded honestly.

Wang Fei's mouth curled slightly into a satisfied smile, then she called the waiter to order breakfast.

Qi Yun knew she ate slowly, so he didn't rush her. He waited quietly for her to finish before they left the dining area, got into a car, and headed to the auction venue.

Today's auction was also held in a high-end office building, and the process was similar to the last auction Qi Yun attended. The only difference was that today's venue was larger and more people attended.

After getting verified and receiving their number plates, the two found a corner to sit down.

"What's your estimated psychological price for the vase you want?" Qi Yun turned and asked.

Wang Fei thought for a moment and lightly fiddled with the number plate in her hand: "Within eight hundred thousand, anything higher doesn't seem necessary."

Qi Yun nodded and didn't say more.

Soon, the lights dimmed in the room, and the auction officially began.

There were quite a few items up for auction, over eighty in total, and the ones they had their eyes on were among the last listed.

The first item was a Qing Dynasty landscape painting, with a starting bid of eighty thousand.

At first, a few people raised their paddles, but once the price hit one hundred and fifty thousand, only two people continued to compete.

The final outcome was rather surprising; an item with a starting bid of eighty thousand hammered down at over four hundred thousand.

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