After The Shared Beta Was Abandoned By The Scumbag Alpha - Chapter 11

Three days later, at the Imperial Capital Auction.

Yu Baiyi wore an elegant white military dress uniform and climbed into the back seat of a Rolls-Royce.

Her mother, Bai Weiran, was already waiting inside. When she saw her daughter get in, she gave a cold snort.

“You made everyone wait for you in the car again.”

“Tsk.” Yu Baiyi adjusted her cuff impatiently. “Enough. You should be glad I came at all.”

Bai Weiran looked at her and sighed deeply before lowering her voice.

“You didn’t bring her, did you?”

Although she did not say a name, they both knew exactly whom she meant.

Yu Baiyi glanced out the window. “No. If I really brought her, wouldn’t you kill me?”

“It’s good that you know.” Bai Weiran’s expression eased slightly, and her voice returned to its usual composure. “Nothing is allowed to go wrong at today’s auction. You must win the ring. I released the news in advance, so no one should be foolish enough to compete with us openly. Afterward, simply display it appropriately in front of the media. You don’t need to say much. As long as you confirm your engagement to Lin Ziyue and let everyone see it, that will be enough.”

“Mhm, mhm. I know,” Yu Baiyi replied impatiently.

The car arrived at the auction venue.

The classically styled hall had a vast, towering domed ceiling. An enormous crystal chandelier scattered brilliant light across the dark-red carpet, making the venue appear extravagantly luxurious.

The guests were all members of the Imperial Capital’s most prominent families and leading figures in politics and business. An invisible aura of power and wealth flowed through their quiet exchanges of pleasantries.

The moment Yu Baiyi stepped out of the car, reporters who had been waiting for a long time immediately surrounded her.

“General Yu! Is it true that you intend to buy the ‘Tear of the Deep Sea’ as an engagement ring? Are you really going to marry Miss Lin Ziyue?”

A reporter eagerly thrust a microphone toward her.

Surrounded by bodyguards, Yu Baiyi stopped and gave the cameras an impeccable, appropriate smile.

“It’s true,” she said clearly.

The crowd instantly erupted into muted gasps and even more excited commotion.

Compared with serious military news, the reporters were clearly far more interested in chasing such high-profile romantic gossip.

More questions poured in from every direction. Yu Baiyi raised a hand to quiet them, her smile proper but distant.

“My apologies, but it would be inconvenient to reveal any further details. Thank you, everyone.”

She turned and formally entered the venue under an attendant’s guidance, shutting the noise outside behind her.

There were six private boxes on the second floor of the auction hall.

Those qualified to sit inside were all highly influential figures in the military and political spheres.

They generally did not need to raise their own bidding paddles. They merely informed the representatives beside them of their intentions, and the representatives placed bids on their behalf.

Yu Baiyi entered Private Box Two.

Before long, Lin Ziyue arrived at a leisurely pace.

She entered the box and naturally sat in the empty seat beside Yu Baiyi.

Yu Baiyi frowned almost imperceptibly and leaned slightly to the other side, increasing the distance between them.

Lin Ziyue keenly noticed the subtle movement. After a moment, she scoffed.

“We’re already going to be married, yet you still care about something like this?”

“You’re imagining things.” Yu Baiyi looked at the display platform gradually lighting up below and replied coldly, “I’m simply not accustomed to sitting too close to other people.”

Lin Ziyue snorted and said nothing more.

The auction officially began.

The first item displayed was the enamel vase Lin Xiaogu had once said she liked.

Yu Baiyi barely hesitated before signaling for the representative beside her to bid.

Bai Weiran’s expression darkened slightly, but in the end, she did not stop her and silently permitted her daughter’s willful behavior.

“Congratulations to Private Box Two! This exquisite enamel vase has sold for a final price of two million. Congratulations!”

Lin Ziyue merely sat quietly nearby with an indifferent expression, as though none of it had anything to do with her. No particular emotion could be discerned from her face.

One item after another was auctioned, and the atmosphere gradually reached its peak.

“Now, please welcome tonight’s final item and the focus of everyone’s attention—”

The auctioneer’s voice rose slightly in excitement.

“The legendary gemstone, the ‘Tear of the Deep Sea’! The opening bid is thirteen million!”

Bidding began steadily.

“A telephone bidder offers fifteen million… Guest Number Ninety-Eight offers sixteen million… Will anyone raise it to seventeen million?”

At Yu Baiyi’s signal, her representative raised the paddle.

“Private Box Two bids twenty million! Is there a higher offer?”

Everyone knew that the ring was intended as an engagement gift from the Yu family to the Lin family’s heiress. The earlier bids had mostly been made for appearances, so everyone tactfully stopped bidding.

No one in the Empire wanted to offend the increasingly powerful Yu family without good reason.

“Very well! The current highest bid is twenty million from Private Box Two! Does anyone wish to bid higher?”

“Twenty million, going once.”

“Twenty million, going twice—”

Just as the auctioneer’s gavel was about to fall, his hand suddenly froze. He looked in surprise toward another section of the second floor.

“Very well… Private Box Seven bids twenty-six million!”

He raised his voice.

“Does Private Box Two wish to continue bidding?”

The previously relaxed atmosphere instantly became tense.

Every gaze turned toward the formerly silent Private Box Seven.

Several exceptionally burly security personnel stood before its heavy velvet curtains, completely blocking the interior from view.

From the ground floor, only the representative’s arm raising the paddle and the bodyguards’ broad backs could be seen.

Bai Weiran sat up straight, her brows tightly furrowed.

“Where did Private Box Seven come from? Why haven’t I heard about it before?”

The representative beside her also looked confused and replied quietly, “Madam, I’m not entirely certain either. I heard it was a private box added temporarily for this auction. As for who is inside… the organizers have kept it strictly confidential.”

Yu Baiyi’s brows drew together.

If they merely intended to raise the price symbolically, they would not have increased it by so much at once.

Such an aggressive jump in price usually meant that the bidder was determined to obtain the item.

Yet she had already released the news. Everyone in the Imperial Capital knew that she, Yu Baiyi, intended to buy this ring as an engagement gift.

There seemed to be only one explanation for the current situation.

The other party was targeting her.

Yu Baiyi sneered.

She wanted to see who in the Imperial Capital dared to openly cause trouble for her.

She raised her hand and signaled for her representative to increase the price directly to thirty million.

“Private Box Two bids thirty million! Private Box Seven bids thirty-six million!”

Yu Baiyi raised her hand, her voice icy.

“Raise it to forty million.”

“Private Box Two bids forty million! Does Private Box Seven wish to continue? Very well! Private Box Seven bids fifty million! The ‘Tear of the Deep Sea’ is currently held by Private Box Seven!”

Lin Ziyue, who had been watching quietly, also realized something was wrong.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the displeased Yu Baiyi, her tone carrying a trace of amusement.

“Have you offended someone recently?”

Yu Baiyi ignored her. Two cold laughs escaped her throat as she signaled for the representative to raise the paddle again.

Sixty million.

However, only ten seconds later, the representative from Private Box Seven raised the paddle once more—

Eighty million!

Unrestrained gasps and whispered conversations filled the hall.

That price had already far exceeded the gemstone’s market valuation.

But Yu Baiyi could no longer withdraw.

If someone else ultimately won the ring, the Yu family would become the laughingstock of the entire Imperial Capital the following day.

As a military general, the authority she had maintained before the public would also be severely undermined.

She coldly glanced at Lin Ziyue, who looked as though none of it concerned her, and spoke each word in an extremely low voice.

“Lin Ziyue, you owe me for this.”

The representative raised the paddle again.

The auctioneer’s voice trembled slightly because of the astonishing amount.

“Very well… Private Box Two has now raised the price directly to one hundred million! Does Private Box Seven… wish to continue bidding?”

The conversations on the ground floor grew louder.

Rather than Yu Baiyi spending a hundred million on a ring, everyone was now more curious about the mysterious figure seated inside Private Box Seven.

Who could possibly dare to show the Yu family so little respect on an occasion like this?

“One hundred million, going once!”

“One hundred million, going twice…”

The auctioneer scanned the hall before finally looking toward Private Box Seven.

The curtain remained silent and motionless.

“Does Private Box Seven wish to increase the bid?”

After a brief pause, the gavel finally fell.

“One hundred million, sold! Congratulations to Private Box Two!”

Yu Baiyi’s suspended heart finally dropped heavily back into place.

The auctioneer beamed as she offered auspicious congratulations.

“Congratulations to Private Box Two for purchasing the rare treasure, the ‘Tear of the Deep Sea,’ for a record-breaking one hundred million! May it bear witness to everlasting love, and may your future life be happy and as boundless as the sea!”

After the auction ended, the organizers held the customary social banquet.

Amid the beautifully dressed guests, people continuously approached Yu Baiyi and Bai Weiran to congratulate them on successfully acquiring the treasure.

Bai Weiran wore an impeccable smile and handled the social exchanges with calm ease.

Lin Ziyue took two glasses of champagne from a passing attendant’s tray and handed one to Yu Baiyi, whose brows still carried obvious irritation.

After taking a small sip from her own glass, she asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, “So, who was inside Private Box Seven? Why were they targeting you?”

Yu Baiyi was already agitated and answered irritably, “How would I know? Since you’re so curious, go and ask them yourself.”

She drained her champagne in one gulp. The chilled liquid did nothing to extinguish the fire in her chest.

Pretending to do so casually, Yu Baiyi looked once again toward the now-empty Private Box Seven on the second floor.

Suddenly, her gaze froze.

A tall, familiar figure was slowly descending the spiral staircase at the side of the hall.

The figure passed through the alternating light and shadow of the room, walking calmly and directly toward her.

Yu Baiyi narrowed her eyes, her pupils contracting slightly.

“You were in Private Box Seven?”

Xi Bingye gracefully accepted a glass of champagne from a passing attendant.

She lowered the rim slightly and gently tapped it against Yu Baiyi’s nearly empty glass, producing a clear, delicate chime.

Lifting her eyes, she smiled mildly at Yu Baiyi. Her voice was completely calm.

“The ring is beautiful. Congratulations, General Yu.”

To Yu Baiyi’s ears, the remark sounded like a provocation.

She threw her empty glass onto a nearby table and stepped forward, abruptly narrowing the distance between them.

Staring directly into Xi Bingye’s calm, unreadable eyes, she gritted her teeth and forced the words through them.

“Xi Bingye, what exactly are you trying to do?”

An appropriately innocent expression appeared on Xi Bingye’s face.

“What did I do?”

“What did you do?” Yu Baiyi laughed furiously.

She leaned toward Xi Bingye’s ear and lowered her voice as though afraid those nearby might overhear.

“You knew perfectly well that I had to win that ring today! Why did you keep deliberately driving up the price?”

Xi Bingye slowly stepped backward twice, restoring a polite and distant social space between them.

The gentle smile remained on her lips as she softly reminded her, “General Yu, please pay attention to the occasion. The distance between us just now was rather intimate.”

“You fucking—”

“Xiaoye?”

Bai Weiran’s voice suddenly sounded. She looked at Xi Bingye with pleasant surprise.

Xi Bingye immediately turned toward her. The smile on her face deepened, appearing sincere and gentle.

“Aunt Bai,” she greeted warmly.

“Oh, Xiaoye! It’s truly been such a long time!” Bai Weiran walked forward enthusiastically. “Is everyone in your family doing well?”

Xi Bingye smiled and nodded. “Thanks to your good wishes, Aunt Bai, everyone is well.”

Standing nearby, Yu Baiyi watched the scene and released an undisguised sneer through her nose.

What a convincing act.

Bai Weiran glared at her daughter in dissatisfaction and urged her, “Don’t stand here talking only among yourselves. Go and accompany Ziyue. How can you leave the poor girl standing alone over there?”

Yu Baiyi shot Xi Bingye a vicious glare before finally turning away. She casually picked up a glass of champagne and walked toward Lin Ziyue, who stood a short distance away.

Only Bai Weiran and Xi Bingye remained.

Wearing the warm smile of an elder, Bai Weiran made casual conversation.

“Xiaoye, your mother and I truly haven’t seen each other in a long time. I thought she would attend that charity banquet last month, but she said there was an urgent matter at the procuratorate and she couldn’t get away.”

Xi Bingye answered obediently, “Yes, Aunt Bai. The procuratorate has indeed been dealing with several difficult cases recently. Once this busy period passes, I’ll certainly accompany Mother to visit you.”

“There’s no need to be so formal. We understand that all of you are busy with work.”

Bai Weiran waved her hand. Her gaze casually fell on Xi Bingye’s arm, and she asked with concern, “Oh, that’s right. I heard you were injured during your last business trip to Country S. How are you? Was it serious?”

“I’ve already fully recovered. Thank you for your concern, Aunt Bai.”

“That’s good. That’s very good. If you encounter any trouble at work or need help from the family, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Bai Weiran offered a few casual words of courtesy.

Hearing this, Xi Bingye’s lips curved into an extremely faint, thoughtful smile.

“Speaking of work, Aunt Bai, there is actually something I may need to trouble you with—or rather, something I would like to ask you about.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Xi Bingye paused, her tone remaining calm.

“About half a month ago, Baiyi introduced someone to work under me. She was supposedly a relative of your family. Her name is Lin Xiaogu.”

At the sound of that name, Bai Weiran’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her wineglass, though the smile on her face remained unchanged.

“Her professional abilities were actually outstanding, particularly when it came to writing and processing documents. She has considerable talent,” Xi Bingye continued, her voice carrying an appropriate degree of regret. “But for some unknown reason, she suddenly resigned several days ago, claiming there was an urgent family matter she needed to handle.”

“I found it rather unfortunate, so I wanted to ask you about it. After all, you’re an elder and might know some of the circumstances. If Xiaogu’s family has truly encountered some difficulty, then as her superior, I would also like to provide whatever assistance I can.”

Although Bai Weiran revealed nothing outwardly, she was repeatedly sneering in her heart.

Lin Xiaogu?

A relative?

Nevertheless, she composed herself and maintained a warm, appropriate smile.

“Xiaoye, you just said that Lin Xiaogu… has already resigned, correct?”

“Yes.” Xi Bingye nodded, watching Bai Weiran with a gentle gaze.

“I’m not very familiar with the exact circumstances,” Bai Weiran replied with a slightly apologetic expression, handling the situation calmly. “How about this? Once I return home tonight, I’ll ask Baiyi to explain everything clearly. If there isn’t anything especially urgent, I’ll have Baiyi send her back to you tomorrow. Would that be acceptable?”

Xi Bingye nodded slightly, her smile flawless.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Aunt Bai.”