Chapter 47: These Four Years, Not a Moment Have I Stopped Thinking of You

The Gu Group autumn auction.

Crystal chandeliers blazed brilliantly; the seats below were filled with luminaries.

At the center of the display stage, a string of "Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads" gleamed radiantly under the spotlights. Bai Cixian, dressed in a haute couture gown, stood on stage, speaking with sweet, cloying ease.

"This string of 'Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads' is the crowning treasure of this autumn auction. Authenticated by multiple experts at Chen Zhu Pavilion, the patina is rich and lustrous, the coloration classically elegant. Starting bid: one billion!"

Below the stage.

Gu Yenan and the secretary whispered to each other.

Gu Yenan: "Are you sure nothing will go wrong?"

Secretary Zhang: "Of the only two people who can authenticate the real from the fake, Zhou Xingfan is lying half-dead in Jiangcheng Yiyuan, and Master Wanxing is abroad."

"Rest assured, Vice President Gu. This string of beads was meticulously forged by a high-end replica specialist I found. Even the senior appraisers at the Gu auction house didn't spot any flaws. There won't be any slip-ups."

Hearing this, a smug smile lingered at the corners of Gu Yenan's mouth.

Bidding from the floor was enthusiastic.

"One billion and ten million."

"One billion and twenty million."

"Two billion."

"Three billion."

When three billion was called out, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

Bai Cixian glanced at the man already seated at the center of the front-row main seats.

For four years, at every top-tier antique restoration and top-tier auction, this man who held the reins of the Gu Clan had always attended, never once absent.

And today's event had the highest auction price in all four years.

After this auction, he would regard her differently, willing to let her warm him, wouldn't he?

"Three billion, first time!"

"Three billion, second time!"

"Any higher bids?"

The gavel tip hovered midair; the entire hall held its breath. Bai Cixian couldn't wait to hear the crisp strike of the gavel fall once more, letting this string of "Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads" that had lain dormant for years set the highest price in the history of collectible auctions, settled once and for all, beyond any reversal.

"Three billion, th—"

Before Bai Cixian could finish, a heavy, muffled sound rang out as the gilded doors were slowly pushed open by an attendant.

Backlit, a woman with a fine figure walked in unhurriedly, carrying a box.

She wore a floor-length red dress, the hem swaying gently with her movements. Her makeup was sheer and luminous, her lips red and teeth white—beautiful as a crabapple blossom unfurling in the breeze.

Overshadowing Bai Cixian, who stood on stage in a white gown.

Every gaze shifted from Bai Cixian and landed on this devastatingly beautiful woman.

"Who is she? So beautiful! Lush and cold, dripping with allure."

"Yes, she truly has the aura of the Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads."

She walked up to the stage step by step, ignoring Bai Cixian's stunned gaze, her voice cool yet resounding: "This grand Gu auction house fools people with this kind of counterfeit?"

The entire hall erupted in uproar.

Gu Yunci snapped his head up at the sound of the woman's voice. When he saw that the woman on stage was the wife he had frantically searched the world over for these four years—

Every ounce of composure and steadiness he had built from childhood onward collapsed with a roar.

He nearly leapt to his feet uncontrollably, staring at Meng Shutang on stage, his breathing choked, his eyes holding no one but her.

Only when Qin Zheng reminded him did he realize he had lost his composure, and slowly, slowly sat back down.

Bai Cixian didn't miss a single one of Gu Yunci's reactions.

She was in a panic.

Wasn't Meng Shutang dead out there? How was she back?

"Who are you? Who let you in?" she demanded of Meng Shutang.

Meng Shutang didn't even look at her. She pointed at the auction item on stage and enunciated every word: "The patina of the Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads forms naturally, but this one was soaked in chemical solution. If you don't believe it, let everyone touch it—is there an obvious sticky sensation?"

"The coloration of the Southern Chen Phoenix Crown Ancient Beads goes from the inside out, but this one is dyed with cinnabar. If you don't believe it, wipe it with alcohol, and you can tell the genuine from the fake right away."

As Meng Shutang's words fell, the hall erupted in uproar, with many demanding to have it wiped.

After all, no one wanted to spend billions on a fake.

But when it came to actually wiping it with alcohol, no one dared—if it turned out to be real and the alcohol damaged it, no one could afford the compensation.

The wealthy merchants collectively drew sharp breaths, casting questioning looks at Gu Yenan and Gu Yunci in the front row.

Gu Yenan glanced at Secretary Zhang.

Secretary Zhang rose to his feet: "Who put you up to this? What authority do you have to spout nonsense here?"

Meng Shutang gave a cold laugh and retrieved certificates and documents from the wooden box.

"I am Wanxing." The instant that name emerged, the hall erupted in uproar.

Wanxing was Hua Guo's top-tier ancient bead restorer and cultural artifact appraiser.

Deified in the industry, she rarely appeared in public except at events for the Hua Guo National Museum and the world's top auction houses.

Gu Yenan stood frozen in place. The industry titan he had sought but never obtained turned out to be such a young woman.

But this woman, looking closely, why did she seem somewhat familiar?

While Gu Yenan was still pondering, Meng Shutang sharply rebuked: "Using high-grade replicas to deceive consumers and profaning the dignity of cultural artifacts—the Gu auction house owes the industry an apology and owes every collector an explanation."

Gu Yenan couldn't stand such a grating voice. He shot Secretary Zhang a look, and Secretary Zhang immediately organized security to go on stage and shoo her out.

"Who are you? Who sent you here to stir up trouble?"

"Stop talking nonsense here and get out."

The man saw this, suddenly rose, walked step by step to Meng Shutang's side, stood firmly, and shielded her behind him.

"If Master Wanxing says this Southern phoenix crown ancient bead is a fake, then it is a fake."

Gu Yenan saw him defending a strange woman as if possessed, trembling with anger all over, "Eldest nephew, this woman is deliberately stirring up trouble and slapping our Gu Clan's face."

Bai Cixian chimed in, "President Gu, I think she's just here to crash the event."

Gu Yunci did not listen, "Silence."

With one sentence, the noisy hall instantly fell quiet.

"This auction item is in question; the auction is suspended. The group's legal department and authentication department will conduct a thorough investigation.

Anyone who passes off fish eyes for pearls, I, Gu Yunci, will pursue to the very end."

After speaking, he glanced at Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng immediately organized personnel to evacuate.

Including Gu Yenan and Bai Cixian, they were also ushered out.

Gu Yenan said as she walked, "Eldest nephew, this woman is so scheming—you can't just stand by and do nothing!"

The vast auction hall quieted down, leaving only the two of them.

The man watched her without blinking, the whites of his eyes blood-red.

"These four years, I've been looking for you the whole time. I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime."

Saying this, he stepped closer, intending to pull her into his embrace.

Meng Shutang took a step back, her brows and eyes distant, looking at him as though looking at a stranger, "President Gu, I came today only to expose the truth."

She had no desire to hear him prattle on about longing!

The man's breath caught.

Unwilling to give up, he raised his hand wanting to pull her, yet afraid of startling her, suspended it in midair, and finally clenched it into a fist and slowly drew it back.

"Second Uncle has been abroad managing the branch company all these years and only recently returned to the country. He doesn't understand many domestic matters."

Meng Shutang said, "President Gu means to tacitly approve the Gu Clan auction being awash in fakes?"

"Of course not. I will root out those who break the law and discipline, and give you... and the industry an explanation."

The man's voice was pressed extremely low, carrying four years of grievance and madness.

As if saying, "This time, I won't let you leave again."

"I don't need you to give me an explanation. I myself am the explanation.

I will report today's matter within the industry. As for what President Gu should do, it is to investigate clearly and clean out those inside who mix in fakes for sale and undermine industry rules."

She spoke crisply and neatly, and left without any hesitation.

From beginning to end, it was all his one-man show.

"Tangtang."

Watching her resolute departing silhouette, the calm in the man's eyes shattered inch by inch. He rushed forward recklessly, imprisoning her tightly in his arms from behind, his arms trembling uncontrollably from the strain.

"Don't go... these four years, I've thought of you every single day."

Meng Shutang's body instantly stiffened, as if frozen.

But faced with his deep affection, and whether he called her Tangtang or Tangtang, her heart remained unruffled.

She turned her head slightly, glancing at him faintly, "Is this interesting?"