Non-Humans Want to Fall in Love Too [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

On the day of the auction, Shi Yan left the Ji residence ahead of schedule. He returned to the riverview villa that 61 had supervised and renovated, changed into fresh clothes, and styled his hair simply. In the underground garage, he picked a car at random and floored the accelerator toward the auction venue.

“Host, doing this makes us look like we have no status,” 61 remarked, watching him reject the suggestion of hiring a driver to drive himself.

Shi Yan wore a pair of sunglasses. Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on his face. “What? Does my identity require external objects for decoration?”

61 fell silent, thinking about the human identity his host had arranged for himself. The system had not expected his host to go so big, turning himself into the young master of a top-tier financial conglomerate. Crucially, the local minor demons were very cooperative; perhaps having never seen such a Great Demon in their lives, they handled the paperwork for his identity smoothly and sycophantically.

Shi Yan merely curled the corner of his mouth at 61’s grumbling.

He had not looked closely when leaving, but once on the road, Shi Yan realized how eye-catching the car was. The bright silver body, sleek lines, and the roar of the engine when starting up were all calculated to trigger the nerves of every pedestrian.

Shi Yan: “…”

It had to be said that aside from being too loud, it fit the personality of his current identity perfectly. He was the young master of a top financial family, acting willfully by returning to the country on a whim, with news of his arrival spread everywhere without concealment. To the outside world, he appeared to be a spoiled, arrogant playboy with little guile.

61 gave a sharp critique. Shi Yan remained silent; this was indeed the effect he wanted.

The phone resting beside him vibrated, and a message appeared on the screen. Before leaving, Shi Yan had sent a message to Ji Shijin: “I have set off. I will wait for you at the auction site.”

It took a long time for Ji Shijin to reply. He did not address Shi Yan’s words but instead said: “There is a traffic jam. I might arrive a bit late.”

Putting down his phone, Ji Shijin gazed blankly at the stalled traffic outside the car window until the driver raised his voice to wake him.

“President Ji, should we take a different route? It could be about twenty minutes faster.”

Ji Shijin was silent for a moment, looking down in thought before saying, “No need. Let us continue on this path.”

Calculating the time, by the time he arrived at the auction, Shi Yan would likely be chatting happily with others. Many people would be surrounding him, and he would be the most eye-catching light in the venue.

His fingers curled slightly. Ji Shijin lowered his gaze, hiding the complex emotions in his eyes.

The auction venue was a private manor on the outskirts of the city, belonging to the person in charge of organizing the event. It was clear that the auction was being taken very seriously; there were staff members at the gate to receive guests. Further in was a luxuriously decorated garden acting as an open-air banquet hall, and beyond that was the main auction stage.

Shi Yan arrived neither early nor late. There were already some people in the garden, walking around and talking with wine glasses in hand.

“Sir, please show your invitation here.” A waiter at the manor gate stopped Shi Yan, a new face, speaking with a respectful tone.

This auction was of a high standard and was not open to just anyone, so verifying invitations was a necessary step. The people in the garden heard the commotion and looked over. Seeing a face they had never encountered before, they exchanged glances and began discussing in low voices.

Shi Yan kept one hand in his pocket while handing over the invitation with the other. The waiter opened it and looked surprised. When he faced Shi Yan again, his attitude was even more respectful: “Please come in. President Chang will be here shortly; he is looking forward to meeting you.”

President Chang was the owner of the manor and the person in charge of the auction. Shi Yan nodded with a calm attitude. “Understood.”

He stepped into the garden, picked a cocktail with a nice color but low alcohol content from the long table, and unhurriedly scanned the crowd.

“61, check if the Ji family has arrived.”

61 quickly gave an answer: “Reporting to Host, not yet. The mission target’s car is on the way and is expected to arrive in ten minutes.”

Shi Yan swirled the wine glass in his hand, watching the ripples in the light blue liquid. “Mm.”

Over the past few days, Ji Shijin’s mood had been strange, especially when facing him. It was not exactly distance; he seemed to find ways to have more contact with Shi Yan, but when it came to intimacy, he seemed to be hiding something.

Furthermore, Ji Shijin had refused to let Shi Yan use demonic energy to check his body. Every time Shi Yan asked, he would be vague, as if something was on his mind. Before leaving this morning, Shi Yan sensed that Ji Shijin’s mood had become tense and slightly irritable, but there was not enough time to bring it up then.

He would check on Ji Shijin once he arrived to ensure there were no internal issues with his body.

Shi Yan was lost in thought, completely unaware that his expression appeared to those around him as arrogant and dismissive of them. Several middle-aged men looked at each other and approached him with their glasses raised.

They had noticed Shi Yan when he appeared at the gate. Invitations were registered by name, and after the waiter saw the invitation, he had been exceptionally respectful to this new face and even mentioned President Chang.

These veteran businessmen were mentally active. After asking the waiter, they confirmed that this was indeed the young master of the financial family rumored to be returning to the country for development.

“Sir, may I ask how to address you?” A bald middle-aged man spoke first, his face full of smiles, looking at Shi Yan as if he were a prized asset.

Shi Yan maintained his poise but did not intend to completely distance himself from these people. He raised his glass to clink back and replied with a lukewarm attitude, “Shi Yan.”

Seeing that he was not unwilling to talk, others crowded around and began chatting at once.

“Mr. Shi! Oh, I knew as soon as I saw this young man that he was extraordinary. I did not expect it to be Mr. Shi!”

“Yes, yes, Mr. Shi’s temperament is wonderful. As expected of someone from a great family; we look like nothing compared to you.”

The person who said this was a well-maintained man with handsome features, but compared to Shi Yan, he instantly paled in comparison. As he spoke, the people around him laughed and joked in agreement, and Shi Yan also curled his lips.

“There is no need to be so polite. Since I have decided to develop in Chengning after returning to the country, I will inevitably have to deal with all of you. I hope you will give me much guidance when the time comes.”

He raised his glass, clinked it, and drained the wine. Seeing that Shi Yan spoke flawlessly and gave these “old guys” plenty of face, the smiles on their faces became more genuine, and the praise followed even more.

“Hey, I have not seen that face before. Husband, do you know him?”

Dressed brilliantly, Ji Shijin’s mother entered the venue arm-in-arm with her husband. Her eyes lit up when she saw the handsome young man surrounded by the crowd. “Whose child is that? He is so good-looking, not at all inferior to our Xiao Jin.”

Her eyes sparkled with a faint smile. Receiving no answer for a while, she patted the man beside her who was standing like a block of wood. Ji Shijin’s father helplessly moved his arm where he had been patted and replied to his wife, “I am not sure, but he is reportedly the one rumored to have returned to the country recently with such high profile.”

The mother looked surprised. “The young master from that financial family who took his mother’s surname, Shi? He does not look like someone from Country Y at all.”

The father nodded. “True. Looking at his stature and temperament, he is not simple. Let us go over and chat later. Not seeking cooperation, but at least let us not have him clash with our Ji family as soon as he arrives in Chengning.”

Thinking of her son who worked so hard he barely had time to come home, the mother agreed with the decision. “Good, you go socialize. I will wait for Xiao Jin at the door. That child does not know we are coming today.”

The father helped straighten the folds of her shawl and smiled. “Go on. Just remember to come back when the auction starts. Do not let someone else snatch that emerald you have wanted for so long.”

She shot him a sidelong glance and grumbled, “Do not be a jinx.” Then, she turned and left without hesitation, finding other wives she got along with near the entrance to start chatting.

The father’s shoulder was patted from behind, causing him to withdraw his gaze from his wife. He raised his glass to clink with the other person. “Oh, Old Cheng, long time no see.”

The man called Old Cheng laughed boisterously. “President Ji, you are so worried about your wife that you are still staring even after she has left.”

The father shook his head helplessly. “She only has eyes for her son now; she barely has any concern left for me.”

Old Cheng put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him around, pointing not far away. “Come, you have not seen that group of guys in a while. Let us go chat. Sigh, ever since your Ji Shijin took over, you have been less and less fond of going out.”

“That is because I have a good son. It is enough for me to enjoy my retirement at home.”

“Hahaha, Old Ji, you really know how to stab people in the heart.” The speaker was another president known to the father. They were of similar age, but their children were each harder to discipline than the last. “My boy finally graduated but will not come home. He is running wild outside and only contacts me for one thing: money!”

Others echoed the sentiment: “Is that not the truth? Among us, Old Ji’s child is the most successful.”

The father smiled. Anyone would be happy to hear their son praised like that. Even if some did it because of the Ji family’s status or to seek cooperation, no one dislikes hearing good things.

As they chatted, someone lamented, “If Ji Shijin’s legs were still fine, his achievements would be far beyond what they are now!”

The air suddenly went still. Everyone cautiously observed the father’s expression while nudging the speaker, warning in a low voice, “What are you saying!”

The man shivered, realizing he had misshaped his words, and quickly apologized, “Old Ji, Old Ji, I am getting old and muddled. You know I did not mean it that way.”

“It is alright, I know.” The father raised a hand to signal he was not angry. “No one could have predicted the accident. As long as Xiao Jin is safe and sound now, it is enough. We as parents do not ask for anything else; things are good as they are.”

“Yes, yes, Old Ji is the one who sees things clearly.”

“Look at that; if you all had this realization, why worry about your children not improving?”

The crowd began to flatter again, but the father lost the mood to continue the conversation. Old Cheng, being close to him, joked with the others to pull him away from the crowd.

In a quiet corner, Old Cheng patted the father’s back and comforted him, “Just a thoughtless comment. Do not take it to heart.”

The father did not hide his feelings before him and let out a bitter smile. “If only Xiao Jin could truly be safe and sound. Old Cheng, you do not know, he has often mentioned phantom pain in his legs these past two years, but no results can be found through checks. My heart is worried.”

“Tsk, do not overthink it.” Old Cheng frowned but still consoled him. “Is Ji Shijin’s health not fine right now? Nothing will happen.”

The father wiped his face. “That is what we think too. Since no problems can be found, we can only pay more attention to physical exams. Ultimately, the Ji family can provide him with the best resources and treatment.”

Old Cheng smiled, his eyes curving into slits. “That is the spirit. Come, let us go meet that kid who returned to the country? What was his name, Shi something?”

The father reminded him, “Shi Yan. The ‘Yan’ as in inkstone.”

“Oh, yes, yes,” Old Cheng patted his forehead. “That is the name.”

They looked at the young man with superior looks standing in the center of the crowd. The youth dealt with batch after batch of people, yet his face showed no sign of fatigue or impatience. Facing the elders who were all older than him, he was politely respectful to everyone. His posture was generous, yet there was a sense of distance about him, as if no one could truly integrate into his circle.