Non-Humans Want to Fall in Love Too [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 21.1

The person raising the price was Chang Jingchen. Seeing Ji Shijin look over, he did not hide his perfunctory smile, which carried a hint of coldness. “President Ji, I also want this item. I hope you can part with it.”

Ji Shijin frowned. “Since you wanted it, there was no need to put it up for auction in the first place. What exactly are you trying to do now?”

Chang Jingchen seemed stunned by his words. His expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly returned to his usual self. He did not intend to explain the reason, merely insisting, “I hope President Ji can part with it.”

Seeing his determined expression, Ji Shijin felt repulsed but did not want to continue the entanglement. He prepared to give up and let the other have it.

Shi Yan turned his head to look at him. “Not fighting for it anymore?”

Ji Shijin shook his head. “I do not want to have further involvement with him. I will let him have this one.”

“That will not do.”

Shi Yan’s voice was very low. The venue was somewhat noisy, and Ji Shijin did not hear what he said clearly.

“Four and a half million.”

As his voice fell, a series of gasps rang out across the venue. The indifferent voice had suddenly sounded, drawing everyone’s attention. When they saw it was the young master of the financial conglomerate who had just returned to the country, everyone collectively took a sharp breath.

Previously, this man had been quiet, leading them to believe he had a peaceful temperament. Now they saw that it was not peace; it was simply that he had not intended to bother. Once he truly decided to care, he did not even give face to the Chang family.

One must know that the Chang family was already at a level second only to the Ji family. Shi Yan gave no face at all, raising the price by five hundred thousand in a single bid. When the crowd looked back at Chang Jingchen, his face had indeed turned as dark as could be.

He gritted his teeth and raised his sign again. “Four point seven million!”

The corners of Shi Yan’s mouth lifted slightly as he said calmly, “Five million.”

61 watched with boiling blood in the system space, cheering, “Host! Keep going! Comparing financial power with us? Do they not know our Host holds an entire financial conglomerate in his hands!”

Chang Jingchen truly did not know.

He seemed to have a special preference for this auction item, willing to take it even at a loss. He raised the price again on top of Shi Yan’s bid: “Five point two million.”

All eyes fell on the other party. Shi Yan unhurriedly raised his sign. “Six million. Is President Chang still following?”

Six million was more than a little over the actual value for this item. In the eyes of many, it was completely unnecessary. But who could help it if Shi Yan was wealthy?

Ji Shijin pulled on Shi Yan’s sleeve from the side, frowning and whispering, “Six million is indeed too high. Even if you have money, this is not how you should spend it.”

He looked quite worried, as if fearing that a demon did not understand the value of human currency. Shi Yan leaned down and whispered a sentence in his ear, which earned him a look of surprised scrutiny from Ji Shijin.

“You did not tell me the entire financial conglomerate was”

Realizing this was not the place to talk, Ji Shijin swallowed the rest of the sentence. On the other side, Chang Jingchen had not only failed to get the item but was also forced to watch the two of them acting intimately. His face darkened with anger. However, for some reason, he did not continue to compete with Shi Yan. After giving them a deep look, he lowered his sign.

The item was ultimately won by Shi Yan for six million. It was nearly three times more expensive than the starting price, but Shi Yan did not look pained at all; he even had the leisure to chat and laugh with Ji Shijin.

Afterward, Ji Shijin and Shi Yan successively bid on several ornaments and jewelry. This time, no one was blind enough to deliberately compete with them, and they secured everything smoothly.

The rare collections of the auction were always saved for the end. The further it went, the higher the value. Soon, a complete set of emerald jewelry was presented on the large screen, causing several ladies to compete for it, but it was eventually won by the silent Ji Shijin’s father.

Soon, the final centerpiece of the auction arrived. An uncut, pure ruby; it was a once-in-a-century find. Thirty carats, with a starting price of thirteen million.

As soon as the gemstone appeared, exclamations came from all over the venue, with many remarking that the Chang family had truly gone all out this time. Only Shi Yan and the system knew that the ruby’s value was far higher than this. Before it was unearthed, it had formed in a special location within the mountain, absorbing spiritual energy for a thousand years. If a high-level demon were to look at it, they would see the massive energy contained within at a single glance. It was a treasure that both humans and demons would fight for.

In just a few minutes, the price of the ruby climbed to thirty million, but Shi Yan had not yet made a move. Ji Shijin glanced at him, gripping the bidding sign tightly in his hand.

“No need to rush.” Shi Yan reached out and pressed down on his wrist. A cool sensation spread across Ji Shijin’s palm. “It still has room to rise.”

Ji Shijin shook his head. “No, I just feel that since this thing is to be used on me, the money should naturally come from me.”

When Shi Yan had informed him that his treatment would require many natural treasures, Cheng Ci had already found almost everything. Ji Shijin had not been able to help at all. He was determined to win this ruby this time, not wanting Shi Yan to keep giving unilaterally for his sake.

Hearing this, Shi Yan withdrew his hand. Just as Ji Shijin was surprised that he had actually agreed, he saw Shi Yan raise the sign.

“Forty million.”

While others added tens or hundreds of thousands, Shi Yan added several million at once, leaving no one daring to raise a sign for a moment. Ji Shijin heard whispers behind him, all discussing this fledgling young master who did not know the heights of heaven and earth, completely ignorant of auction rules, intercepting others’ chances as soon as he acted.

Shi Yan withdrew his hand, listening to the auctioneer’s excited voice calling “Forty million once!” He turned his head and asked Ji Shijin, “Are you still following?”

Ji Shijin was almost laughed with anger. “You did this just to keep me from bidding?”

Shi Yan shook his head. “There is just no need to drag it out slowly. Is it not better to end it quickly?”

As he called out the high price, many guests with lower budgets withdrew their thoughts, no longer attempting to compete. Only a few people remained. For a time, the hall became much quieter, with only the voice of the auctioneer calling out the price.

When the ruby reached fifty million, Shi Yan made another move. This time, it was sixty million.

The crowd gasped. A ten-million-level increase in a single bid; they all saw that Shi Yan was determined to have this item! Those who wished to make friends or were unwilling to offend Shi Yan lowered their signs. Finally, only an old man in the first row remained, looking over with a smile.

“Young man, I wanted to give this to my wife as a gift for our golden wedding anniversary. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?”

Shi Yan’s brow seemed to twitch slightly, but he ultimately shook his head. “I am sorry.”

The negotiation had failed. The old man seemed to have foreseen his loss, letting out a long sigh, yet he was still curious about why Shi Yan insisted on this item. While rubies were precious, this was not the only one. He wanted it because he had promised his wife he would find a ruby identical to the one in their original wedding ring; why was Shi Yan focused on this specific one?

When his question was asked, Shi Yan, out of respect for an elder, had to answer. So he casually pulled an excuse, saying, “A gift.”

The old man suddenly understood. He looked at him, then shifted his gaze to Ji Shijin. Whatever he thought of, a mysterious smile appeared on his face as he said sincerely to Shi Yan, “So that is how it is. I was the one being insensitive.”

Shi Yan did not realize what he meant. Following his gaze, he looked at the person beside him. This action seemed to be misunderstood by the old man again; he smiled and waved at the two of them, placing his sign on the table. He did not intend to continue the competition.

In the end, the ruby was secured by Shi Yan for sixty million.

The charity auction came to a close. Shi Yan, with a transaction price far exceeding the others, ranked first and became the largest donor to this charity event.

Ignoring the varying looks from others, Shi Yan walked out with Ji Shijin. Ji Shijin’s parents were waiting nearby without intending to disturb them, so Shi Yan did not go over to greet them but instead walked with Ji Shijin to his car.

Ji Shijin looked at the bright silver supercar, a flash of surprise in his eyes that returned to calm before Shi Yan looked over. “A very beautiful car, but is it too high-profile?” he asked Shi Yan with a smile.

Shi Yan nodded. “I only realized that after driving it out. I was too lazy to go back and change it.”

Besides, changing it would not make much difference. All the cars in his garage had been arranged by others. That minor demon seemed to love supercars very much, purchasing a garage full of them in every possible color. “If you like them, I will give you two,” Shi Yan said casually.

Ji Shijin was stunned, then declined. “No need, I cannot use them.” With his legs like this, he would never be able to drive himself in this lifetime, let alone a supercar that required high physical performance.

The air suddenly went silent; clearly, Shi Yan had also realized this. Ji Shijin’s hands clenched his pant legs, creating wrinkled marks. He thought to himself that he was truly bad at speaking and ruining the atmosphere, and he looked up intending to apologize and explain.

“I”

“Do you want to take a ride?”

They both spoke at the same time. Ji Shijin’s eyes widened in surprise, while Shi Yan’s expression remained calm, as if he had just said it casually.

“No need, my driver is waiting for me. I will” Ji Shijin tried to escape in a panic, but Shi Yan leaned over and held the wheelchair down.

The man’s face was suddenly close, almost touching his eyelashes. Shi Yan looked at him with a frown, the emotions in his eyes indecipherable to Ji Shijin, who hurriedly tried to look away.

“You want to. You know you cannot lie to me.”

“Let us go.”

Before Ji Shijin could react, Shi Yan picked him up from the wheelchair and placed him in the passenger seat. Ji Shijin’s driver tactfully ran over to take the wheelchair. Shi Yan gave a brief instruction: “Take the wheelchair back to the Ji residence.”

The driver looked at his boss in the car; though the expression was strange, there was no anger or annoyance. Keeping his eyes focused, he nodded. “Alright, Mr. Shi.”

The driver returned to Ji Shijin’s car with the wheelchair. Meanwhile, the silver supercar had already attracted many looks; with Shi Yan’s action, countless people were secretly speculating about their relationship.

Ji Shijin saw his parents not far away through the car window. They had been paying attention to him, and seeing him picked up by the man and placed in the car, their faces were filled with unmaskable surprise. Ji Shijin’s father pulled at his mother, intending to come forward, but was stopped by her. She smiled and waved at Ji Shijin, then pulled her oblivious husband away to find their own car.

The father frowned deeply. “Why are you stopping me? Your son is being kidnapped!”

His legs were inconvenient; how could he move without a wheelchair? That kid named Shi was truly out of line.

The mother glanced at him and whispered, “What do you know? Do not disturb them. Maybe your son is about to bring a daughter-in-law home.” After speaking, she did not wait for his reaction, pushing him into their car and thoughtfully blocking his view of Ji Shijin.

The father was stunned, his steps stopping. “Wait, no, wife, speak clearly. Who? Whose son is bringing whom home?”

Forgive the elderly man who had spent his whole life on work; his brain was almost smoking from trying to process this.

“Oh, it is not certain yet,” the mother rolled her eyes. After getting into the car and closing the door, she told the driver not to move yet. “When has your son ever been this close to anyone else? He even let someone carry him. He did not even let me carry him after he was three years old. That young man also said they were friends who knew each other before. What kind of friends hug and carry each other in public? They are likely just shy, or perhaps in an ambiguous phase.”

The father was confused. “But they are both men!”

The mother said with disdain, “What era is it? Are you still doing that discrimination thing?”

“No,” the father felt very wronged, having been kept in the dark by his son and now receiving cold looks from his wife. “If they really are in that kind of relationship, do you think our son? Forget it, do you think Shi Yan will be your daughter-in-law?”

Their eyes met. The mother’s eyes widened in surprise, but she calmed down in an instant, though her expression was still a bit dazed. “Then, then as a son-in-law, that is also not impossible.”

The father shook his head vigorously, looking through the one-way car window with concern.

Thanks to the excellent privacy glass, Ji Shijin only saw the interaction before his parents got into the car, not knowing what they had said. However, connecting it to his mother’s mysterious smile from earlier, he vaguely guessed some of the truth.

Meanwhile, while he was staring down in a daze, Shi Yan walked back to the driver’s seat, opened the door, sat in, and started the car. Seeing Ji Shijin with his head down in silence, he asked, “What is wrong?”

“It is nothing.” Ji Shijin subconsciously hid the issue about his parents possibly guessing their relationship wrong. His fingertips dug into his palm, and he gave Shi Yan a faint smile.

“Alright. Is there anywhere you want to go?” Shi Yan looked at Ji Shijin’s smile, feeling a blockage in his heart, as if something was not quite right. However, his intuition did not warn him, and he was unwilling to force Ji Shijin to speak, so he could only let the tension persist for now.

61 quietly popped out. “Are you really not going to ask? What if something is wrong?”

“I will not ask,” Shi Yan said righteously, even lecturing the system. “One must respect personal privacy.”

61 was choked up and ran away without looking back. Even as a system, he could see something was off, but the Host had not reacted. Never mind, let the Host figure it out himself. Hmph.

Ji Shijin was stunned by Shi Yan’s words, realizing this was meant to let him experience the joy of a supercar. A smile flashed in his eyes. “Anywhere is fine with me.”

“Mm.” Shi Yan started the car, and the silver supercar sped away in a roar of engine noise, leaving the other auction participants behind in the blink of an eye.

Ever since his legs were injured in his teens, Ji Shijin had always traveled in modified vehicles where he did not have to leave his wheelchair. At this moment, the unfamiliar leather seat texture beneath him and the absence of wheelchair armrests and barriers around him made him a bit nervous, his palms sweating.

The car drove onto the city expressway. It was not rush hour, and vehicles were sparse; Shi Yan soon increased the speed. Ji Shijin uncontrollably tensed his body, even holding his breath. His heartbeat accelerated step by step, thumping in his ears.

While driving, Shi Yan still had the mind to turn his head and look at him. Noticing his tension, a red light spread from his fingertips, encircling Ji Shijin completely. Instantly, Ji Shijin felt a sense of relief. He tentatively reached out his hand; his fingertips hit something in the air and could go no further, yet there was nothing in front of him.

He widened his eyes and turned to look at Shi Yan. Shi Yan held the steering wheel with one hand while reaching out the other toward him. Despite not looking, he accurately touched Ji Shijin’s hand. A warm current flowed from where their palms met into Ji Shijin’s body, calming his heart.

“A little protection. Do not be afraid; I will not let you get hurt.” Shi Yan’s voice was still calm, but Ji Shijin heard a hint of gentle comfort in it. It must be his imagination. Ji Shijin lowered his gaze, controlling himself not to speculate wildly. Shi Yan did not have those kinds of feelings for him; he should not overthink it.

Looking at the scenery outside that was slowly becoming unfamiliar, Ji Shijin asked, “Where are we going?”

Shi Yan did not answer but instead told him to look ahead. Ji Shijin looked up; it was the end of the river, an endless expanse of water and sky.

The car speed slowed down, finally stopping at a deserted spot by the river. Ji Shijin gazed at the turbulent river in a daze, and Shi Yan did not disturb him. The two of them shared a rare moment of quiet coexistence; no work, no business, just sitting together to look at the scenery.

From this angle, the end of the river merged with the horizon, giving one a light, airy feeling of being in the middle of the ocean with no place to land. The clear blue water reflected the clouds in the sky, as if the world were upside down, and humans were just a tiny, insignificant point within it.

Ji Shijin had not relaxed for many years, and he had no idea that the city he had lived in for over twenty years had such a place with such wonderful scenery. He was almost entranced, forgetting where he was and who was beside him.

Shi Yan casually withdrew his gaze. His fingers on his thigh twitched, as if wanting to grasp something, but there was only air in front of him, making his effort futile.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly pushed the door and got out. Ji Shijin was startled by the sound of the door opening. Looking up, he saw that Shi Yan had walked around and opened the passenger door.

Against the light, Shi Yan’s expression was a bit blurred. His voice drifted with the wind, sounding somewhat surreal. “Do you want to come out and have a look?”

Although he used a question, he did not wait for Ji Shijin’s answer, directly leaning over to lift the man out of the seat. The body of the supercar was very low, as was the hood. Shi Yan placed him on it, allowing Ji Shijin’s toes to touch the ground.

He stared fixedly at Shi Yan, watching the man place a circle of air walls around him after setting him down, watching the man walk to the trunk to take out a blanket, and watching the man stand before him, leaning over with a gentle expression to wrap it around him.

The wind was a bit cool. Neither of them wore heavy coats; the suits they wore for aesthetics did not provide warmth. This blanket came just in time, wrapping Ji Shijin completely in warmth a second before the cold wind could pierce through him.

His eyes flickered. A second before Shi Yan released his hand and stood up, he suddenly hugged him.

The world seemed to stand still in this moment. Ji Shijin heard his own rapid heartbeat. This was the first bold attempt, perhaps the only one. Shi Yan’s neck was pressed down by him, and there was no surprise or struggle.