Super Rich by Doing as You Please

Chapter 327 - 168: Who Was It Last Night Yelling, "I’m Dying, I’m Dying"?

Before he spoke, Xu Yun sat in a corner. Surrounded by business magnates, he looked like a mere underling, utterly inconspicuous.

The moment he made his bid, his 18 million made him the center of attention for the entire auction hall.

From this day forward, Xu Yun was destined to become the talk of the town.

But a man has to know when to keep a low profile.

After winning the bid for the tea he wanted, Xu Yun quickly slipped from public view.

He hadn’t left, though. Instead, he went to the VIP lounge backstage.

After the auction, all winning bidders would go backstage to pay for and collect their items.

When the other buyers saw Xu Yun backstage, they all offered him smiling nods of acknowledgment.

Now, to say they were so stunned by Xu Yun’s commanding presence that they immediately bowed and offered their business cards would be pure nonsense.

Everyone at this auction was worth hundreds of millions; they all had a certain level of dignity to maintain.

Eighteen million wasn’t enough to be truly earth-shattering.

At most, they thought this young man, Xu Yun, was quite the big spender and grew curious about his identity.

To put it bluntly, what they were interested in was the financial power behind Xu Yun.

After all, a complete unknown had suddenly appeared on their turf. He was an unfamiliar face to all of them, so naturally, they were cautious and curious.

Perhaps he was the son of some Overseas Dragon.

When it was Xu Yun’s turn to complete the transaction, he and Xino were surprised to see that the seller was none other than President Zhang, the organizer of the charity gala himself.

Xino said, "Uncle Zhang, this tea is actually yours?"

"President Zhang sure knows how to drive up a price."

Xu Yun added, a hint of exasperation in his voice, "You squeezed a few extra million out of me."

’Age and experience really do count for something!’

"Now, you can’t say that."

President Zhang laughed. "I wasn’t intentionally driving up the price on you. I genuinely wanted to buy my own tea back."

"If I hadn’t seen how determined you were—that you absolutely had to have it—I would have kept bidding against you today."

"Then I was the one judging a gentleman by my own petty standards."

Xu Yun smiled. "Thank you for going easy on me today, President Zhang."

"I wouldn’t say I went easy on you. Eighteen million is already far more than the tea is worth. There was no point in continuing to bid."

President Zhang said, "I organized this gala to raise money for charity, not to get into a bidding war out of pride."

"Besides, considering our age difference and your relationship with Xino, I’m practically an elder to you. I can’t be seen taking advantage of a junior, right?"

"You have a point, President Zhang," Xu Yun nodded.

"Just a casual question."

President Zhang stared at him and asked, "If I had really kept bidding against you without backing down, what was the most you would have offered?"

"95 million."

Xu Yun answered honestly, "Any more than that and I would have been out of money. I’d have had to give up."

"..." President Zhang was speechless.

’Holy hell, 95 million!’

’Is he insane?!’

President Zhang’s opinion of Xu Yun skyrocketed. He now felt an even greater desire to get in touch with the young man’s family.

He asked casually, "Oh, by the way, we met earlier, but I forgot to ask, young man. What business is your family in?"

"If there’s an opportunity in the future, I hope I can collaborate with your elders for our mutual benefit."

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible."

Xu Yun replied with a smile, "My elders don’t run any businesses. They’re just regular salaried employees."

"At a big corporation?"

"No, they’re on the public payroll. Serving the people."

"A pity." Hearing this, even the composed President Zhang couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.

’So his family isn’t in business!’

That revelation was far more shocking than if he had been the son of some business tycoon.

For someone not from a merchant family to spend money so freely... the implications were self-evident.

And on top of that, he had been brought here by Xino.

He knew Xino’s family background, which meant his guess about Xu Yun was likely correct.

At this thought, President Zhang immediately smiled. "Alright then, I won’t keep you two young lovebirds from your date."

Once the tea was handed over, he went to mingle with the other guests.

After paying with his card, Xu Yun took Xino and made a swift exit from the gala.

The other magnates, who had been watching the exchange, saw the young man leave and swarmed President Zhang to ask about Xu Yun’s background.

President Zhang just smiled and said he didn’t know the man well and was unaware of his background.

He said it was his first time meeting him as well; he had been brought by the daughter of an old friend.

When he mentioned who this "daughter of an old friend" was—the princess of a certain Jiangcheng energy tycoon...

...everyone was rather surprised.

’Damn, no wonder that young man is so impressive.’

A man who could make an energy tycoon’s daughter willingly play second fiddle? Could he possibly be some simple character?

Xu Yun and Xino emerged from the gala, carrying a small, exquisite box. Inside was the prize of the evening: one hundred grams of premium Da Hong Pao tea leaves.

The hotel’s executive car was still waiting for them.

Once in the car, Xino took out the Jade Pendant she had won at the auction and handed it to Xu Yun.

"Here, this is for you," she said. "Wear it. It’ll ward off evil spirits!"

Xu Yun chuckled at the sight. "You used your dad’s money to buy me a gift. How are you going to explain that to him when you get home?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is my dad gives me a beating."

Xino said pitifully, "Will your heart ache for me then?"

"Nope."

"You’re awful! You have no sense of romance."

Xino pouted for a moment, then asked curiously, "You spent so much money on tea today. Is it for your dad?"

"My dad?"

"Yeah, your father."

"No."

Xu Yun answered calmly, "My dad passed away when I was in middle school."

"..."

Xino realized she had said the wrong thing and replied guiltily, "Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know your father had already..."