After the Bankrupt Heiress Married into a Rich Family - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Bid

If Mingzhu likes it, then it is real.

Nanyu City.

Qin Wei stepped off the plane and checked her phone for a car. Her parked vehicle, located via GPS, drove over; she got in and urgently sped out of the airport and onto the elevated highway.

Though it was late at night, the city streetscape was still as bustling as day. She drove into the quiet Jiulu Yuan residential area, arrived at Xinxian Mansion, and headed down to the second-level underground garage.

As she stepped out of the car with her handbag, the housekeeper, Auntie Song, greeted her with a shawl over her shoulders and a glass of warm water, asking softly, “The eldest young lady is back. Is there anything you need?”

“I don’t need anything, thank you, Auntie Song,” Qin Wei waved her off, striding toward the elevator. “Are my parents home? I need to see them.”

Auntie Song replied gently, “The Madam took a 9:00 PM flight to see the second young lady. The Master is home; he went to sleep around 10:00 PM.”

Qin Wei stopped in her tracks, her voice rising involuntarily. “Why did she suddenly go to see Qin Mu?”

Auntie Song explained, “Around 6:00 PM, the Madam received a video call from the second young lady. She said she had a nightmare and was scared. The Madam felt bad for her and left for the airport immediately.”

Qin Wei felt a sudden headache.

Qin Mu was studying in the U.S. Just because of a nightmare, her mother had doted on her enough to fly over immediately. Besides, it wasn’t necessarily a nightmare—knowing Qin Mu, she probably just ran out of money. Her mother likely knew that the spendthrift was just being impulsive, yet she still flew over to deliver funds.

If Mingzhu is really Mom’s daughter…

Qin Wei didn’t dare think further. She took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator. “Auntie Song, go back to sleep. I’m going to find my dad.”

The elevator doors opened on the third floor. Qin Wei walked to the master bedroom with a grim face and knocked without hesitation.

“Dad, wake up. I have something to tell you.”

On the flight back, she had already made up her mind.

“Dad,” Qin Wei knocked harder. “Qin Xian, wake up! It’s an emergency!”

The door flew open. Qin Xian was half-dressed in his pajamas, his left sleeve hanging loose as his right hand frantically clutched his lapel. His eyes were bleary, and his feet were bare, his face deathly pale. “What happened? Did something happen to your mother?”

Ten minutes later, in the study.

Qin Xian, wearing black pajamas, sat silently in his executive chair. Though over fifty, he was still exceptionally handsome—thick black hair, rimless silver spectacles, and an air of refined scholarly elegance.

He stared at the video of Bai Mingzhu in Qin Wei’s phone gallery, saying nothing.

The video was thirteen seconds long. He didn’t press pause, letting it loop continuously.

In a lush green park filled with the sounds of insects and distant chatter, a red-haired girl suddenly turned around—likely to speak to someone behind her—and caught the lens. She beamed brilliantly, the sunlight reflecting in her eyes, making them look even more radiant and dazzling.

She held a pink ice cream, half-eaten, and smiled at the camera with a pure, innocent, and bright expression. The curve of her tear troughs and the arc of her smile were identical to Tao Xin’s.

“Rongrong, I want to go on a boat. You go pay,” the girl in the video laughed.

The mirth in her eyes, her tone of voice, even her choice of words were exactly like the young Tao Xin.

“Xianxian, I want to go on a boat. You go pay,” the young Tao Xin had once called out to him.

As time blurred, Qin Xian’s eyes grew red.

Qin Wei was hungry; she hadn’t eaten on the plane, but she had no appetite now. She sat across the tea table eating crackers—crunch, crunch.

“You’re very noisy,” Qin Xian said with a headache. “Can’t you go eat elsewhere?”

“It’s not me who’s noisy,” Qin Wei replied. “It’s your heart.”

Qin Xian suddenly stood up to rummage through the humidor for a cigar. Qin Wei didn’t stop him.

After finishing the cigar, Qin Xian handed the phone back to Qin Wei. “What does this prove? It’s just a coincidence.”

Qin Wei had expected this; her father’s greatest flaw was his habitual avoidance. She spoke bluntly: “Bai Mingzhu might be Mom’s daughter.”

Qin Xian slammed the table. “Qin Wei! Try talking nonsense like that again!”

Qin Wei showed no fear. Throughout her life, her father hadn’t touched a hair on her head—he was henpecked, and her mother was the type of “compassionate mother” who spoiled her children to a fault.

“I’m not saying Mom had an affair with Second Uncle,” Qin Wei clarified. “I’m saying Mingzhu might be the daughter of you and Mom. Second Uncle and Aunt’s DNA test might have been faked, or the samples switched, or the results altered.”

Qin Xian rebuked her coldly, “Impossible! Your second uncle is my own brother. Why would he fake it? Qin Wei, have I spoiled you too much?”

Qin Wei felt parched from the crackers and held out her hand. “Pour me a cup of tea.”

“It’s late, why drink tea!” Qin Xian grumbled with a cold face, walking to the water dispenser to get his daughter water. He tested it first to make sure it was lukewarm before handing it over. “Drink!”

Qin Wei took a sip, looked up, and reminded him: “Because Second Uncle has always hated you. He doesn’t want you to have a good life. President Qin, think for yourself—does Qin Mu look like Mom? Does Bai Mingzhu look like Second Aunt? Dad, avoidance is useless. It only hurts people—it hurts your daughter’s heart.”

Qin Wei didn’t hit the bed until 2:00 AM. The more exhausted she was, the harder it was to sleep. Closing her eyes, images flashed by.

Earlier that evening at the hotel where her uncle and aunt were staying, Shao Simian—Yining’s biological mother—had arrived before her. Shao Simian couldn’t suppress her rage, scolding the couple for how poorly they had treated Yining and forbidding them from seeking out Mingzhu again.

Not only was Shao Simian there, but Rong Zhao’s mother, Ji Yue, was also present—seemingly mediating, but actually acting to protect Mingzhu.

In her two days in Jiangyue, Qin Wei had figured out how her uncle and aunt found Rong Zhao. It was Rong Zhao’s third aunt making trouble, all because her son, Rong Li, had been schemed against by Rong Zhao and sent to Ligania in Africa.

Rong Zhao and Rong Li were currently locked in a secret war for the inheritance. Even from Africa, Rong Li was directing people domestically to harass Mingzhu. However, Rong Zhao had intercepted all of it in the shadows.

And Mingzhu seemed completely oblivious to all of this.

Rong Zhao was undoubtedly protecting and doting on Mingzhu with genuine sincerity. Would Rong Zhao ever let Mingzhu go home? Would Mingzhu even want to?

Guge Zhai Auction.

Inside the auction hall, about eighty percent of the bidders had arrived. Mingzhu and Rong Zhao sat low-key in the third row. Mingzhu flipped through the catalog; most items were ceramics.

She had originally set her eyes on a Northern Song Ru ware celadon vase—it was beautiful and a good investment. But after arriving and looking closer, she found a piece that interested her more: a bowl described as possibly used by the famous poet Su Shi.

Though the bowl lacked Su Shi’s signature, “Zizhan,” making it impossible to confirm, there were supporting documents.

“Want to use this bowl to eat a meal of Dongpo pork?” Rong Zhao glanced at the catalog in Mingzhu’s hand.

Mingzhu immediately blocked her mouth with the book. “How did you know?”

Rong Zhao uttered two words: “Little glutton.”

Mingzhu laughed, hooking her arm into Rong Zhao’s. “You know me best, Rongrong.”

Rong Zhao smiled.

Mingzhu whispered, “Do you think the bowl is real?”

Rong Zhao flipped through her own catalog casually. “The bowl is certainly a real bowl.”

It just wasn’t necessarily Su Shi’s bowl. Su Shi had written of ceramics, but whether he used a Ru ware lotus bowl was uncertain. Moreover, there were many imitations from the Ming and Qing dynasties. If the auction house thought it was real or wanted to hype the price, they’d have experts to back it up.

But if Mingzhu liked it, then it was real.

“If you like it, bid for it,” Rong Zhao said. If Mingzhu used it, it would have value.

Mingzhu felt a bit uncertain. Her breath tickled Rong Zhao’s ear as she whispered, “I remember Ru ware and Ding ware pieces going for hundreds of millions. This one starts at only 800,000. If it really was related to Su Shi, shouldn’t it start in the millions?”

Resisting the tingle of the warm breath, Rong Zhao looked up. “There’s no proof, so it’s cheap. Perhaps it’s just waiting for your ‘keen eye.'”

Rong Zhao tilted her head, meeting Mingzhu’s eyes and raising an eyebrow. Mingzhu’s ears turned hot for no reason. She quickly looked down at the catalog, eventually blurting out, “What’s your ‘ideal type’ these days?”

Rong Zhao thought she had misheard. She took a few seconds to process. “Why ask that all of a sudden?”

Mingzhu didn’t really know. She just kept thinking about it after seeing Qin Wei. Lu Zi was gentle as water, and Qin Wei was bold and vibrant. Which did Rong Zhao prefer?

And then Rong Zhao had to go and praise her “keen eye.”

Mingzhu felt awkward and defensive. “Just chatting. I’m asking you.”

Rong Zhao lifted her gaze, landing on Mingzhu’s cute ears. Mingzhu was wearing four-leaf clover diamond studs today—exquisite and small.

Slowly, Rong Zhao spoke: “The cute type.”

Mingzhu looked up in surprise. “Cute?”

Lu Zi and Qin Wei didn’t really fit that description. Rong Zhao actually liked cute girls? Small, round-faced, doll-like girls?

Mingzhu: “…Because cute girls make you feel better?”

Rong Zhao suddenly let out a soft laugh. “Yes. They can make me laugh.”

Mingzhu: “…”

Unexpected. Mingzhu fell into a daze, searching her memory for any cute, doll-faced female friends. She couldn’t find any. Is Rong Zhao under too much work pressure, so she prefers someone cute and lighthearted?

Mingzhu couldn’t help but think of how she acted with Rong Zhao. She was chatty and noisy, things Rong Zhao usually seemed to find annoying.

“That’s nice. Being together would be very relaxing,” Mingzhu said, pursing her lips with a smile.

Rong Zhao’s gaze dimmed slightly. “Mhm.”

Mingzhu flipped through the pages rapidly.

Rong Zhao reminded her calmly: “The auction is here. Don’t think about dodging the hospital check-up again.”

“I know, I know,” Mingzhu said gloomily.

The auction had begun while they were chatting. The auctioneer controlled the room with ease. Eventually, they reached the Ru ware lotus bowl.

Mingzhu held Paddle No. 7. She raised it three times with a calm aura, bringing the price to 1.4 million. People began to drop out until only Paddle No. 13 remained, always bidding just after the second strike of the gavel.

When it reached 2 million, Mingzhu silently put her paddle down. It was Rong Zhao’s money, after all; she didn’t dare be too reckless.

Rong Zhao, however, took the paddle from her hand and continued to bid casually. She didn’t even look up or turn around to see who they were bidding against. Whispers broke out around them, asking who was bidding. Someone mentioned Rong Zhao and Bai Mingzhu.

Mingzhu didn’t care about the gossip, but the rising price made her heart race. She couldn’t help but look back and saw a familiar face holding the other paddle.

It was Qin Wei.

Qin Wei gave a tired yawn, smiled at Mingzhu, and raised her paddle again.

Mingzhu: “…” She tugged at Rong Zhao’s sleeve. “It’s Qin Wei. Rongrong, stop bidding.”

Rong Zhao remained poised. “I know.”

“You know?”

“Mhm.”

Either Qin Wei also wanted to eat Dongpo pork out of this bowl, or she was testing the limit of how much Rong Zhao would spoil Mingzhu. Her limit for spoiling Mingzhu? There was no limit.

The price reached 2.7 million.

Mingzhu got angry. She turned around and glared at Qin Wei. Qin Wei, receiving Mingzhu’s fierce, cold stare, felt her hand tremble. She winced and didn’t dare raise her paddle again.

Mingzhu turned back and rested her head on Rong Zhao’s shoulder, asking crossly, “Are Qin Wei’s parents very rich?” She hadn’t been interested in the Qin family before, so she hadn’t asked much.

Rong Zhao: “The older generation of the Qins started in real estate. About twenty years ago, Qin Wei’s father began acquiring numerous domestic and international steel companies.”

Mingzhu: “…”

No wonder she acted like a great lady. 2.7 million was nothing to her; even adding another zero wouldn’t hurt her pocket.

After the auction ended, Rong Zhao sent Secretary Qian to handle the paperwork. Mingzhu clung to Rong Zhao as they strolled through the gallery, excited about eating Dongpo pork out of Su Shi’s bowl but also feeling guilty for “destroying” a cultural relic. She wondered how to use it without damaging it—maybe use a heat mat or plastic wrap inside?

Rong Zhao seemed to know what the alternatingly smiling and frowning Mingzhu was thinking. “If it breaks, it breaks. Just think of it as a loss in the stock market, or as if Baby Rong Yi dropped it. Do you feel better now?”

“Much better,” Mingzhu laughed, resting her chin on Rong Zhao’s shoulder. “Bullying our Baby Rong Yi, are we?”

Mingzhu asked, “Can you cook Dongpo pork?”

Rong Zhao: “You want me to cook for you?”

Mingzhu: “…Just asking.”

Rong Zhao: “And spicy crab.”

Mingzhu immediately changed her tune: “I want it!” She lightly flicked her hair. “Doesn’t Mrs. Rong look beautiful today? Didn’t I do you proud?”

Mingzhu was exceptionally beautiful today. She had naturally good skin but had specially called a makeup artist to her home to give her a “no-makeup” look for an hour. Her skin looked clear and exquisite. Between her bright features and sitting next to the cool beauty of Rong Zhao, the two had received countless looks throughout the auction.

Rong Zhao praised: “Indeed, quite nice.”

Mingzhu was proud. She had no grand ambitions; she was only interested in food and fun.

At that moment, Qin Wei walked over, yawning. “Congratulations, you two.” There were physiological tears in her eyes from the yawn.

Mingzhu had intended to be cold since Qin Wei had cost Rong Zhao so much extra money, but the words that came out were: “Why do you look so haggard?”

Because of the flight fatigue and the heavy thoughts keeping her from sleep. Qin Wei lied casually: “Period.”

Mingzhu: “You have period cramps too?”

Qin Wei: “Too? You have them too?”

Mingzhu was about to nod when she saw Secretary Qian. She immediately got angry, gave Qin Wei a fierce glare, said she was going to the restroom, and walked off with a cold face.

Qin Wei: “…”

Rong Zhao looked at Qin Wei leisurely.

Qin Wei rubbed her eyes, regained her spirit, and smirked. “You even bid on a fake bowl?”

Rong Zhao toyed with her wedding ring on her ring finger and asked back slowly, “Miss Qin, Mingzhu’s happiness is the most important thing, isn’t it?”