Beauty Snake - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Xie Yin’s Eyes Are Beyond Comparison, Even To The Rarest And Most Radiant Of Jewels.

When the two of them arrived, the auction had already begun. As they found the rest of their group and took their seats in the pitch-black hall, the auctioneer on stage was already introducing the first exhibit.

“Hey, where did you run off to? You should have seen President Xie when she couldn’t reach you…” Li Cheng, a fellow designer sitting next to Ji Yunfei, poked her. Seeing a flicker of interest on Yunfei’s face, she lowered her voice: “Her face was so dark… it was like she grew thorns all over her body. Truly prickly.”

“……” Ji Yunfei didn’t know how to respond for a moment and silently lowered her head.

Seeing her silence, Li Cheng didn’t take offense and continued: “Tell you what, I’m actually starting to ship you two. The cold-faced boss and the salted-fish subordinate… hehehe…”

“That’s enough. Eat more and shut your mouth.” Ji Yunfei picked up a small cake from the table and stuffed it into Li Cheng’s hand.

“What… shy, are we?” Seeing this, Li Cheng muttered under her breath, took a spoonful of cake, and her eyes immediately lit up. “This is good, so good…!” She completely forgot what she had been talking about.

Finally having a moment of peace, Ji Yunfei looked up at the auction in progress. While she wasn’t particularly interested in the bidding process herself, she figured she might as well watch since she was there.

But with just one look, she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the current item on display.

The diamond on the pedestal was as pure as the clearest mountain stream, devoid of any impurities. Its color resembled the pristine first snow of a winter morning—cold and flawless—yet it held a hidden, brilliant fire within. As the auctioneer rotated it slightly, the internal fire erupted, with red, blue, and green dancing together like a magnificent fireworks display.

Ji Yunfei thought she might have just found the perfect diamond to set into a pair of couple’s rings…

“Starting bid is 1 million…”

“2 million…” A raspy, elderly male voice came from behind them.

“Alright, 2 million from bidder 425. Any higher?”

“2.5 million…”

“……” The bidding entered a fever pitch. Perhaps due to someone pushing from behind, the diamond—estimated at 5 million—had already reached 7 million.

“Bidder 368 at 7 million, is that correct? Any higher?” the auctioneer repeated. Seeing the room fall into silence, her hammer fell for the first time: “7 million once…” For the second time: “7 million twice…”

Just as the third strike was about to seal the deal, Xie Yin, sitting next to Ji Yunfei, moved. She raised her paddle and spoke coldly: “8 million.”

“Are you crazy?” In the darkness where others couldn’t see, Ji Yunfei tugged at Xie Yin’s sleeve, her voice shocked. “This diamond isn’t worth 800 million by any measure…”

Hearing this, Xie Yin smiled and leaned in close to her ear, whispering each word: “It might not be worth it now, but the moment it is set into ‘Polaris,’ it will be a priceless treasure.”

The simple words sounded like the most intimate sweet nothings to Ji Yunfei’s ears. Her face instantly flushed red. She turned her head away to dodge the hot breath Xie Yin left on her ear. “Suit yourself…”

Meanwhile, the progress on stage reached the final strike: “8 million for the third time! Congratulations to bidder 777 for winning this item at 8 million—!”

“Hello, would you like a drink?” A slightly raspy, youthful male voice sounded beside her. Hearing this, Ji Yunfei couldn’t help but look at the speaker.

Aside from the relatively bright lights on the auction stage, the rest of the venue was shrouded in darkness. Consequently, she couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, only a rough silhouette and their clothing.

It was a waiter carrying a drink tray. He looked… familiar?

“I am truly sorry about what happened earlier. I apologize to you once again.” The waiter spoke apologetically once more and handed Xie Yin a glass.

“Are you the waiter from before? It’s fine, it’s in the past.” Xie Yin took the drink and, in a good mood, finished most of it.

Feeling Ji Yunfei’s gaze shift toward her, she pursed her lips and teased: “What, want to fight me for a drink?” She then asked the waiter for a glass of fruit wine and placed it in front of Ji Yunfei. “With a child’s alcohol tolerance, you should stick to fruit wine.”

“Who has a child’s tolerance…” Ji Yunfei mumbled indignantly, but remembering her truly pathetic tolerance and the fiascos that followed her drinking, she eventually shut up and sipped the peach fruit wine.

The dim environment masked everyone’s features, and it also hid the abnormal expression that flashed across the waiter’s face after Xie Yin drank the wine.

“Plan successful. Awaiting the final entrapment.”

The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion. The subsequent items failed to pique Ji Yunfei’s interest at all, and she gradually began to feel drowsy. She lowered her head, trying to hide her half-closed eyes and her “done-with-life” expression.

Her hand resting on the armrest, having lost control from her brain, acted like a magnet and was automatically drawn to the hand of the person next to her.

“So hot?” The moment she touched Xie Yin’s palm, she was startled by the scorching, burning sensation. Her hand instinctively recoiled.

Her first reaction was to wonder if her own hand was just too cold, so she pressed her hand against her own cheek—it was clearly warm.

“Xie Yin, your hand is burning…” Ji Yunfei leaned into Xie Yin’s ear and whispered.

As she spoke, she felt the person beside her tremble imperceptibly. Her hand was covered by another, and it felt like being held over an open flame. The heat was so fierce it made her want to pull away.

“Your hand… is cold…” Xie Yin spoke, her voice hoarse. She pressed Ji Yunfei’s hand against her own cheek, nuzzling it gently.

Yunfei felt the soft texture of Xie Yin’s cheek in her palm, but she had no heart for teasing right now because the heat coming off the woman was abnormal.

“Dizzy, A-Fei… my face is so hot…” Xie Yin spoke weakly, sounding dazed. She couldn’t form coherent sentences and could only manage a few words at a time.

Ji Yunfei frowned and looked at the empty glass Xie Yin had used. The liquid had been drained to the last drop. She brought the glass to her nose, and a strong, pungent smell of alcohol hit her, rushing through her nasal cavity.

“Cough, cough—” Ji Yunfei put the glass back on the table as if avoiding a plague, fanning the air in front of her nose while coughing uncontrollably.

This wine, though high in alcohol and pungent, was something Xie Yin should have been able to handle. So why…?

She looked at the people around them; they had also been drinking, but none of them showed any signs of abnormality except for Xie Yin.

There must be something wrong with this drink.

Reaching this conclusion, Ji Yunfei scanned the surroundings, trying to find the waiter. But luck was not on her side. Too much time had passed since he served the drinks, and with the lack of light, she had no way of finding him.

Xie Yin’s increasingly hot body continued to press against Ji Yunfei. She could feel curious glances being cast their way from the surrounding seats.

“Hey, what’s wrong with President Xie? Is she feeling unwell?” Li Cheng poked Ji Yunfei’s shoulder, looking at Xie Yin with confusion. She hesitated. “Should we call someone to check?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. She just got a bit dazed from the wine. She’ll be okay after a little rest.” Ji Yunfei brushed her off in a low voice, her eyes never leaving Xie Yin.

Hearing this, Li Cheng stopped paying attention and turned her gaze back to the stage.

Seeing that people were starting to notice, Ji Yunfei had no choice but to push Xie Yin away, though she didn’t dare use too much force. Seeing the aggrieved expression on Xie Yin’s face due to her rejection, Yunfei felt her heart ache. She whispered comfortingly: “Be good. People are watching. If you’re uncomfortable, shall we leave first?”

Even with a clouded consciousness, Xie Yin remembered the purpose of their visit. Hearing Yunfei’s words, she swatted her hand away and frowned in protest: “No… A-Fei… must see… ‘Heart of Leaf’…”

At that exact moment, the auction happened to conclude. Qin Xiang took the stage, replacing the auctioneer. “I know all you designers have been waiting a long time, so I won’t keep you in suspense.” She elongated her words, heightening the anticipation of the audience.

“Next to be presented is the posthumous work of Master Mocales—The Heart of Leaf!!”

Thunderous applause erupted. The gazes that had been lingering on Ji Yunfei and Xie Yin were instantly drawn to Qin Xiang. For a moment, Ji Yunfei felt the shackles of public scrutiny vanish.

Seeing everyone stand up to surround the stage, she let out a sigh of relief. She stood up and gently pulled Xie Yin’s arm, trying to lead her away. “While no one is paying attention to us, let’s get you back.”

“Nn—No!” The person leaning against the seat was being stubborn, refusing to budge. Ji Yunfei even thought about just picking her up and running, but discarded the idea a second later.

Maybe… I really should go to the gym…?

“A-Fei, go look… Heart of Leaf…” Her sleeve was tugged. Suddenly, all the house lights turned on. Caught off guard, Ji Yunfei was momentarily blinded. When she lowered her head, she met Xie Yin’s watery, shimmering eyes.

Her breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat.

Selfishly, she stepped in front of Xie Yin, blocking her completely from view. She didn’t want anyone else but her to see Xie Yin in her current state.

On one side was the masterpiece countless designers were obsessed with; on the other was her unwell lover. Ji Yunfei had already made her choice.

To hell with the Heart of Leaf, Heart of Fire, or Heart of Water—compared to the person in front of her, none of them mattered.

There was a thought Ji Yunfei might have never spoken aloud, but always believed: Xie Yin’s eyes are beyond comparison, even to the rarest and most radiant of jewels.

The woman was still looking at her with stubborn, moist eyes, refusing to stand up.

Seeing this, Ji Yunfei warily checked the surroundings. Confirming that no one was paying attention to them, she leaned down slightly, gently kissed Xie Yin’s bright red earlobe, and coaxed her in a low voice: “Be good, I’ll take you home.”

“Only a well-behaved Yinyin gets to eat ‘Feifei-Zong’.” Perhaps tainted by the faint alcohol aroma emanating from the woman, Ji Yunfei felt as if she had drunk fake wine herself. Her voice became low and raspy, like a demon tempting someone to sin: “Are you being good?”

“Yes…”

“Then be good and follow me.”

“Okay…”

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