Chapter 178: The Auction

"Young Master." Rocco, who had been following him the whole time, finally couldn’t hold back anymore. An indescribable expression crossed his face as he asked, "Young Master, are you all right?"

’What is that smell? Did he fall into a pit?’

’That’s right, he was gone for quite a while.’

Understanding the implication, Felix Ford’s face fell. ’How could my brilliant idea sound so... pungent... when he talks about it?’

Shooting him an angry glare, Felix Ford pattered back to his room and slammed the door with a loud BANG. Luckily, Rocco reacted quickly and wasn’t hit. Staring at the closed door, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’So, is he throwing a tantrum out of embarrassment?’

Inside, Felix Ford immediately stripped off his clothes and soaked them in the sink. Then he climbed into the bathtub for a good long soak himself.

’Snail noodles are great and all, but the smell is a bit strong. It’d be hard to explain if Dad smelled it.’

After he was done with all that, he sent a message to Jean Vance, telling him he was all set. Jean Vance replied instantly; he had made it back to his room too.

’Now that we’ve switched back, I just hope everything goes smoothly on Mom’s end.’

「At the auction.」

Amanda Vance had been waiting for a long time, and finally, the Jade Pendant was up.

It was also the first time she’d heard the detailed history of this Jade Pendant. According to the auctioneer, it was hand-carved by Mr. Sullivan himself. She didn’t know who this Mr. Sullivan was, but judging by the crowd’s reaction, he seemed to be a very impressive figure. The first person to raise their paddle added a million directly to the starting bid.

The price already far exceeded the pendant’s intrinsic value, yet this was only the beginning. Bidders were everywhere, which surprised Amanda Vance.

She didn’t rush to bid, instead touching her chin thoughtfully.

Her mother’s surname was also Su, but she had never known who her maternal grandfather and his family were. She had tried to investigate later, but it was as if all traces had been deliberately erased; she couldn’t find any information at all.

She had known for a while that her mother must have a profound connection to the owner of this Jade Pendant. Now, hearing that the master carver was also named Su, she became even more certain of this idea.

’No matter what their relationship is, I have to win this Jade Pendant first.’

Soon, the bidding for the Jade Pendant reached fifty million, and the number of people raising their paddles gradually dwindled.

A master’s work was valuable, certainly, but there was still a limit.

When the price hit fifty-seven million, only one or two people were still bidding. It was then that Amanda Vance finally raised her paddle. The auctioneer seemed surprised by this sudden new competitor. He pointed at her and announced, "This lady bids eighty million."

Hearing the commotion, the two men who had just been bidding turned to look. One was rather heavyset, with a thick gold chain around his neck; everything about him screamed "filthy rich." The other was a man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with refined features, who looked easy to talk to. It was clear, however, that the smile didn’t reach his eyes; it was more like a mask he wore on his face.

His brow furrowed when he saw Amanda Vance. He quickly looked away and raised his paddle again. This time, the auctioneer’s voice couldn’t help but climb much higher. "Ninety million! This gentleman bids ninety million! Do I hear any higher?"

Amanda Vance raised her hand again, and the auctioneer gasped, "One hundred million!"

The entire hall was in an uproar. This was already the highest price of the day; not even the final, featured item was expected to fetch such a high price.

However, it wasn’t over yet.

The man with the thick gold chain gave up, but the other man was still bidding.

"One hundred and five million!"

Amanda Vance raised her paddle.

"One hundred and ten million!"

This time, the man looked back at her again. He couldn’t even maintain his smile anymore. Gritting his teeth, he added another million.

Amanda Vance’s expression remained unchanged as she directly added nine million to round it up. The bid was now at one hundred and twenty million. The man was unwilling to give up, but facing Amanda, he could only concede. He glanced back at her, his eyes full of scrutiny and clear displeasure.

Samuel Ford was also a little surprised, but then he remembered she was also Divine Doctor Sullivan, and he calmed down. ’Plenty of people have sought treatment from Divine Doctor Sullivan over the years, and those wealthy tycoons spend money like water. She can definitely afford a hundred million. Even if she can’t, isn’t he here too?’

Payment was to be settled after the auction. When Amanda Vance went to pay, the man who had been bidding against her followed, seemingly hoping she wouldn’t be able to produce the money.

Amanda Vance glanced at him and took a card out of her purse. When the man saw the card, his eyes widened slightly, and his face turned ashen and dejected.

’How could someone with a Black Gold Card possibly be short on cash?’

At that thought, the man’s expression grew even uglier. Hayden Grant subconsciously stepped in front of Amanda Vance, as if afraid the man might get violent.

The man did indeed approach, but he didn’t make a move. Instead, he asked Amanda Vance, "Miss, this Jade Pendant is very important to me. I was wondering if you would be willing to part with it?"

Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, this Jade Pendant is very important to me, too."

’That’s true. If it weren’t important, who would spend so much money on it?’

The man opened his mouth, but approaching her and saying those words had already been his limit. He couldn’t bring himself to pester her shamelessly like a shrew. He could only cast a reluctant glance at the Jade Pendant and turn to leave.

"Please wait a moment." But Amanda Vance suddenly called out to him. The man turned his head, looking at her in confusion.

Amanda Vance asked, "Sir, you just said this Jade Pendant has extraordinary significance to you. Would you mind telling me why?"

He seemed surprised that she would ask such a question. It was rather personal, and asking so directly was a bit blunt. The man frowned. "Then why did you buy it?"

"Because I wanted to," she answered with perfect justification. The man was taken aback, never expecting such a response.

The man was naturally unwilling to open up to a stranger, so he simply said, "It was personally carved by Mr. Sullivan. I have an elder who is a great admirer of his work, which is why I wanted to buy it."

He had good manners and looked her directly in the eye as he spoke, which is how he noticed that her expression didn’t flicker at all when he mentioned Mr. Sullivan. A thought suddenly popped into his head, and he asked in disbelief, "Don’t tell me you don’t even know who Mr. Sullivan is?"

Now his expression was truly ugly—even worse than when he’d lost the Jade Pendant in the auction hall. It was as if he had been personally insulted, and he was seething.

After a moment of thought, Amanda Vance admitted, "This is indeed my first encounter with his work."

The man gasped for air, completely incensed by her. He was so angry he was speechless. Finally, with a flick of his arm, he stormed off, his very back radiating fury, as if he never wanted to lay eyes on her again.

Amanda Vance was a bit surprised. ’He’s leaving just like that?’

Seeing her expression, Samuel Ford couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He explained, "Mr. Sullivan was once a titan in the art world. But over twenty years ago, he put away his carving knife for good, moved his entire family abroad, and never sculpted again. Since then, the value of his works has skyrocketed. To this day, his skill in jade carving remains unsurpassed, and he has many admirers."

’So that man was a fan of Mr. Sullivan’s? No wonder he looked so insulted.’

Amanda Vance thought to herself as she looked down at the Jade Pendant in her hand.