Chapter 85: Why Did You Betray Me?

Because of his unique identity as the internet celebrity bear, Yang Fan stood proudly at the front of the stage. Zhong Ziyan made her entrance, her entire body sparkling with silver light—the glow from her necklace, dazzling under the sun. Her dress was studded with jade, and in her hands she held a painting.

The entire crowd erupted in astonishment.

Yang Fan was equally stunned, for standing below the stage granted him a rather different perspective from everyone else—he could see beneath her dress.

"The auction begins."

There was no unnecessary preamble, nor was any needed. The invitations had made it perfectly clear: whoever won the Zhong family heirloom in the auction would marry the eldest daughter of the Zhong family, Zhong Ziyan.

"I bid one dollar!"

"Two dollars!"

The room was on the verge of collapse—was this some kind of joke?

Of course, this was all orchestrated by Yang Fan—this was the strategy of a true rogue.

Jiang Bo’s face twitched, Han Fei and his entourage burst into raucous laughter, even Jiang Huai sneered coldly, and the other heirs simply watched the spectacle unfold. The engagement between the Jiang and Zhong families was of little consequence to them—whether it happened or not was hardly their concern. Even if the marriage did take place, would the two great families above them, who were always at odds, truly allow it?

For now, they were content to let matters be, but once the wedding day actually arrived, those great families would surely make their voices heard. In fact, everyone was quite eager to see that day come. Besides, even if the marriage went through, it meant little loss for them—it was a matter solely between the Jiang and Zhong families, and not one for outsiders to meddle in.

"I bid one hundred million!" Jiang Bo shouted.

"One hundred million and one dollar!"

"One hundred million and two dollars!"

Jiang Bo glared fiercely, but the Han family wasn’t intimidated—they continued to laugh and call out their bids.

"Han Fei, keep your people in line."

"My people are my own concern. But with a lady as beautiful as Miss Zhong, who wouldn’t want to marry her?"

"I bid one hundred million and eight dollars," Han Fei announced, offering a price that left the whole room reeling.

"I bid one hundred million and one hundred dollars!" called out the Song family from the right, echoing the farce.

"Master Han, surely you’re not trying to compete with me!"

"I'm not competing with you. But if I withdraw, everyone else will want their chance. Come on, let’s drive up the price!"

"I bid five hundred million!"

"Five hundred million and one dollar!"

Now the other young masters joined in the shameless bidding, and Yang Fan, grinning broadly, had finally succeeded in stirring up the entire room.

When it came to such underhanded auctions, Yang Fan had truly learned from the best—no need for novelty, just results.

Jiang Bo was falling apart. He and his boss had analyzed the situation: with so many people on the sidelines, their alliance should have been almost certain, which is why they agreed to use the Zhong family’s ancestral rules for the engagement. That way, everything would be above board and beyond reproach.

But why had all these young masters suddenly turned on him?

Old Master Zhong was already under house arrest, so it couldn’t have been his doing. Zhong Ziyan was being closely watched as well, so she couldn’t have orchestrated it either.

Who was behind this?

Jiang Bo gritted his teeth and shouted, "One billion!"

"One billion and—"

Jiang Bo fell apart. He knew what this chaos meant for him. If he couldn’t marry Zhong Ziyan, he couldn’t consummate the marriage and, without that, he would never be able to claim the Heart—the pendant on Ye Ziyan’s chest.

This Heart was the supreme symbol of the Zhong family’s wealth and power, recognized by all their businesses and affiliated families. To obtain it, Zhong Ziyan had to fall in love and willingly give herself to a man, or become his wife in every sense. That was why Old Master Zhong had been locked away—killing Ye Ziyan would do no good, for if Zhong Ziyan were killed, the Heart would vanish and all the Zhong family’s assets would be donated to charity.

Threatening Zhong Ziyan with her grandfather’s safety was useless. She wanted to surrender the Heart, but she could not, because she didn’t love him.

Marriage was the only way, and the auction was the only path—the Heart had a will of its own, capable of detecting any deceit. Even forcing himself upon Zhong Ziyan would not grant him the Heart.

Jiang Bo and his boss had tried every possible scheme; this was all that remained.

"Two billion!"

"Two billion and—"

The entire hall was in an uproar again, and Jiang Bo was on the verge of collapse.

"Han Fei, don’t go too far!"

"What did I say? I haven’t even placed a bid. It’s everyone else who’s calling out!"

With that, Han Fei stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Is Zhong Ziyan beautiful?"

"Beautiful!" the crowd responded in unison.

"Who wants to marry her?"

"I do!"

Anyone hearing this might think it was a pop concert.

On stage, Zhong Ziyan’s face was expressionless.

"Remember, the Zhong family is wealthy. Whatever we bid today, Zhong Ziyan will reclaim from her family after marriage. Bid as much as you want—even five hundred billion—because it’s still the Zhong family's money that will be spent."

Jiang Bo was in utter despair, but the crowd was only more fired up—after all, it wasn’t their own money on the line.

Jiang Huai was deeply impressed by Yang Fan’s audacity—what a shameless, yet effective plan.

"I bid ten billion!"

"Twenty billion and one!"

Han Fei started off again, and soon more voices joined the bidding frenzy.

Jiang Bo was nearly driven mad. He kept signaling desperately to the stage, even making a throat-slitting gesture.

Yang Fan saw this through the SkyNet Eye—thankfully, it was still functioning. His gaze turned icy cold.

Zhong Ziyan saw it too. She understood the message: she was being told to stop the auction. But as she was still considering how to cancel it, Yang Fan suddenly snatched a bouquet from one of the attendants, rushed onto the stage, and swept her away in his arms.

As the internet celebrity bear, he was no stranger to carrying off beautiful women!

"Who is that?" Jiang Bo stood up, but he was lost in the crowd and could only watch helplessly as Zhong Ziyan was carried away.

"I—"

"Come on, keep bidding! Stand up and shout!" Han Fei, under Yang Fan’s cover, encouraged the crowd even more. Instantly, the entire hall rose to their feet, their enthusiasm soaring, leaving Jiang Bo trapped among them, close to tears.

"Someone, hurry! The Zhong family heiress has been taken!"

Jiang Bo shouted, but his voice, even joined by his entourage, was no match for the roar of over two hundred people.

"It’s nothing, everyone. Continue bidding—the internet celebrity bear is just here to liven things up!"

Jiang Huai sneered. Behind him, Huo Xinqi and the others also remained motionless.

"There goes another one!" Huo Xinqi said with a bitter smile. She realized she would have to redouble her efforts, or she wouldn’t even hold a place in the top ten—she should have ranked ahead of Wang Yun.

In the restroom, Yang Fan locked the door behind them.

"Yang Fan!" Zhong Ziyan called out.

"How did you know it was me?" Yang Fan removed the internet bear’s headpiece.

"Intuition. My mother was a Heart Painter—I inherited her gifts."

Yang Fan stared at her, then pinned her against the wall.

For some reason, it was always Zhong Ziyan’s eyes that haunted his mind, impossible to forget.

"Why did you betray me?"