Chapter 86: Charity Auction!

“I’ll bid one million!” Lin Fan announced, his words drawing gasps of astonishment from the crowd.

Everyone began to whisper among themselves.

“Isn’t that guy from the Su family? Why is he competing with Su Qianlong? How can something worthless be driven up to over a million? Are they both idiots?”

“Why are you worrying about this? Everyone here is rich—one million is nothing to them. Besides, all the money will go to charity in the end.”

“I wonder if Su Qianlong will dare to bid again? If this guy jumps the price up like that, and Su Qianlong raises it only for the other to back down, wouldn’t Su Qianlong be played for a fool?”

Su Qianlong, naturally, heard these remarks. Though he had intended to continue bidding, suspicion nagged at him that Lin Fan might be setting a trap. He decisively chose not to raise the bid any further.

If Lin Fan didn’t bid again, he’d be stuck donating a million, and he certainly had no intention of giving that much to charity.

A long silence descended on the room. When Su Qianlong made no move to bid again, the auctioneer asked several more times before finally declaring the painting sold to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan stepped up to receive the beautifully framed painting, transferring one million directly to the official fund. Then, he carried the painting over to Li Li.

“Sister Li Li, you have quite the discerning eye. This painting perfectly suits your temperament. Do you have an interest in oil painting by any chance?”

Lin Fan slipped seamlessly into his sycophantic mode, showering Li Li with compliments.

“I’m semi-retired these days, so I dabble in painting in my spare time. Anyway, thank you so much for going to such expense.”

Li Li found his manner of speaking very much to her liking. There was none of the arrogance or self-importance so common among second-generation heirs; refined and scholarly was much more her type.

“Don’t mention it. Even if this painting were worth tens of millions, I would have bought it for you. The more money spent, the more help for those in need, isn’t that right?”

“As I understand it, there are tens of millions of hearing- and speech-impaired people in our country. Some of them could regain their health with a surgery costing only two or three hundred thousand, or with supportive devices costing a hundred or two hundred thousand, they could live like everyone else. Yet our authorities and charities tend to focus mostly on children or those with terminal illnesses, ignoring these vulnerable groups who also desperately need help…”

Lin Fan spoke at length, eloquent and impassioned.

Li Li once again gave him a thumbs-up in admiration, and even invited him to sit at her table.

There were almost no men at Li Li’s table—only women. Thanks to Lin Fan’s recent performance, the women were full of admiration for him. Though he was unremarkable in appearance, his conversation was exceptional and unaffected, which only endeared him further to the group.

At the neighboring table, Su Qianlong watched Lin Fan chatting and laughing among the beautiful women, jealousy smoldering in his chest.

“That guy is such an actor—so fake, so nauseating. I have no idea how those women can stand to have him at their table,” Su Qianlong muttered irritably.

“Your words are as foul as your mouth! He can donate a million—can you? All you do is play petty games and make a fool of yourself. Do you really think you matter that much?” Su Junmo retorted sharply.

“Hmph! Didn’t expect you to speak up for him. Looks like you two have already gotten a bit too close, haven’t you?” Su Qianlong shot him a glare.

At that, Su Junmo slapped the table in anger. The sound startled those nearby, causing them to turn and look. Su Junmo, about to speak, swallowed her words, settling instead for a venomous glare at Su Qianlong.

Seeing this, Su Qianlong pursed his lips and fell silent.

Later, among the next auction items, Li Li’s eyes were drawn to an embroidered landscape screen valued at half a million.

According to the auctioneer, the screen was a collaborative work by several congenitally deaf women. Due to its size, it had originally been purchased by an artist, who transformed it into a screen and now donated it for the auction.

“Landscape embroidery screen, starting bid five hundred thousand. Do we have any takers?” the auctioneer called.

Li Li immediately raised her hand. “Six hundred thousand!”

Lin Fan spoke up, “Let me bid for it as a gift to you…”

“I really couldn’t accept. You already spent a million on that oil painting; I can’t let you go to such expense again,” Li Li protested politely.

But Lin Fan brought out his incomparable charm.

“Sister Li Li, we’ll be having dinner together soon. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this chance. It’s rare for us to meet at a charity auction, and I think any price is worth it for such an opportunity. Buffett’s lunch cost fifty million, and now I get to dine with you and donate a few million—it’s more than worth it!”

Hearing Lin Fan compare her to a world-famous billionaire, Li Li was positively delighted, even reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder in approval.

The women at the table couldn’t help teasing.

“Lin Fan, you’re such a flatterer! You’ve managed to charm Sister Li Li to the point of blooming!”

“This is the pinnacle of being a fan. If I had such a devoted fan, I’d be smiling in my sleep!”

Li Li’s table included several other celebrities like herself, as well as a few wealthy sponsors—female fans who were there specifically to sit with Li Li.

Then Lin Fan raised his hand and bid seven hundred thousand.

But just then, an unpleasant voice rang out in the hall.

“I’ll bid seven hundred and ten thousand!”

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a young man in a white suit gazing directly at Lin Fan, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

Lin Fan’s expression shifted—he hadn’t expected Bai Jiahao to appear here as well.

Bai Jiahao cast him a chilling smirk, then exchanged a glance with Su Qianlong. A dark glimmer flickered in both their eyes.

Everyone present was shrewd enough to sense the tension between Lin Fan and these two scions.

Li Li, too, sensed the acrid scent of enmity in the air. As a professional actress, she was adept at reading expressions and subtle cues. While others might have missed the fleeting look on the faces of the two heirs, she caught it instantly.

“Who’s that man in the white suit? He’s so obnoxious!” Li Li remarked, clearly unimpressed by his menacing and spoiled demeanor—a textbook example of a wayward rich kid.

“I know him—that’s Bai Jiahao, the Bai family’s second son. He’s a notorious playboy—‘scoundrel’ would be putting it kindly…” one of the women familiar with Bai Jiahao filled the group in on his background.

Through their conversation, Lin Fan learned even more inside information. Previously, he’d only found out online that Bai Jiahao was a rather stingy second-generation heir; even Miao Tiantian hadn’t told him much. But tonight, from the mouths of a few wealthy socialites, he gained a clearer understanding of Bai Jiahao’s true nature.

It turned out Bai Jiahao wasn’t nearly as rich as he seemed. The Bai family had made its fortune in the internet industry, and while their companies appeared highly valued, in reality their profits lagged far behind those of more traditional enterprises.

This, of course, was a common problem with internet companies—they might have impressive names, but like pyramid schemes, the actual earnings didn’t live up to the hype.

Compared to the Su family, the Bai family was worlds apart.

Still, Bai Jiahao had managed to make a name for himself among the rich kids of Jiangnan.