Chapter 163

Afterwards, Chen Xinyi turned her head, fiercely slapped Chen Moyu across the face, then kicked him: "Do you know you were wrong?"

It's clear that this second young lady of the Qing Qu family is not only sharp-minded, but also a trained fighter.

She hit Chen Moyu without mercy; one slap sent blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Chen Moyu took the beating without a word of complaint or even a dissatisfied glance; he wiped the blood from his mouth, bowed deeply to Xiao Ming and Xiao Jingrou, and said: "Mr. Xiao, Miss Xiao, I was wrong. Please, gentlemen, overlook a petty person's fault and forgive me."

Xiao Ming studied Chen Xinyi for a moment, then slowly said: "This matter is settled for now; if there's a second time, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Mr. Xiao; rest assured, I guarantee there won't be a next time." Chen Xinyi bowed again to Xiao Ming, then left.

To Xiao Ming, this was nothing; having attained his position in the business world, anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't oppose him.

But the several children were so shocked they couldn't speak, staring at Xiao Ming with wide eyes.

Xiao Ming calmly told the children: "That's how this circle works—whoever has money and power is the big shot; anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't provoke me. It's obvious that this second young lady of the Qing Qu family knows offending me won't end well, and that young master isn't as pushover as the internet claims."

"If the Wen family had even half their sense of the times, they wouldn't have ended up like that."

The children all agreed with that.

How miserable the Wen family used to be is plain to see in the business world; one careless mistake can wash away a lifetime's effort—what a pity.

By comparison, it's merely a matter of lowering one's head to admit fault—what's the big deal?

"Strong!"

"Dad, you're too amazing."

Several kids truly admire this Qingqu family's second young lady; she clearly doesn't match what's said online—she's hardly an internet celebrity, but a bona fide strong woman whose shrewdness could easily leave those so-called big shots in the business world several blocks behind in a split second.

Today, if her father were present, he might not do any better than she does.

Parents always protect their own; if today this second young lady chooses to shield her brother, or if Chen Moyu refuses to repent, then when Xiao Ming later acts against Qingqu, it won't be just an apology—he'll get a smack or two.

Now they've brought people to apologize; Xiao Ming isn't the type to insist on being right—he leaves room for maneuver, and they'll meet again later.

Xiao Ming's stance is clear, and the other side has given him assurances.

For a great family like the Qingqus to lower themselves so before him, Xiao Ming couldn't help but think more highly of this second young lady.

"Father, sorry, I didn't mean to." Xiao Jingrou apologized, feeling wronged, lowering her head.

"Jingrou, what are you saying?" Xiao Ming affectionately rubbed his daughter's head, soothing: "You're not at fault; it's that bastard's fault. Don't say it's not your fault—even if it were, I wouldn't blame you, I can't help it—who made me so protective of my own?"

The kids laughed at Xiao Ming's words.

After that commotion, Xiao Ming and the kids lost interest in playing; he sighed, stood up, and said, "Let's stop playing—it's getting late; let's go rest."

Xiao Yuchun and Xiao Yunzhe took the chips Xiao Ming had won to the counter to exchange for money, and they ended up winning a full eight hundred thousand.

"Father, you're too amazing—you actually won that much money." Xiao Yuchun was so shocked her jaw almost dropped.

"Father, come clean—tell me what else you can't do." In Xiao Yuchun's eyes, her father seemed omnipotent, as if there were nothing he couldn't do or couldn't accomplish.

"Father, you're not a deity descended to earth, able to foresee everything with heightened precognition, are you?"

Xiao Ming laughed heartily at his daughter's few words, then divided the winnings among the girls: "Take it and buy whatever you want; if it's not enough, just tell Father and I'll have the Assistant get you more."

The kids were extremely happy.

Only Xiao Yunzhe looked aggrieved; he was once again treated differently—Xiao Ming treats his daughter-in-law Geng Jing Shu better than him.

"Father, come clean—am I really your biological son? Why do the three of them have it, but I don't?" Xiao Yunzhe asked, feeling wronged.

Xiao Ming replied: "You're not my biological child—don't you know your own worth? How dare you ask me that?"

Xiao Yunzhe sighed helplessly: "Ah, the clown turns out to be me myself."

Afterward, Xiao Ming took the kids back to the villa.

……

The next day was the big day of the Sakura Nation's Shufudi auction.

Shufudi and Jiale Xing are both highly renowned auction houses in the industry, famous internationally; the items sold through these two auction houses are all top-notch treasures.

This auction has attracted worldwide intense attention.

Even before this, the items sold by Shufudi auctions included over a hundred cultural relics from various countries, calligraphy and paintings by famous figures, and so on.

Among them, over thirty pieces come from Wuxingguo; Wuxingguo's cultural heritage is very rich, and these years it has always been favored by foreigners.

Famous calligraphy and paintings, various cultural relics—many have been collected by bigwigs from other countries.

Many people have become wealthy and reached the pinnacle of life by owning these treasures.

Because Wuxingguo's ancient cultural heritage is so profound, in recent years any cultural relics or treasures related to Wuxingguo have been driven up to extremely high prices.

Yet even so, it cannot stop people's enthusiasm.

Especially the several treasures to be auctioned this time have generated an unprecedented level of hype.

Among them, the dragon-and-phoenix crown was an ornament worn by a highly favored queen in ancient times, very eye-catching.

Extremely precious.

This crown is set with a full six hundred sixty-six pearls, and at the center of the phoenix crown is set a large luminous pearl, making it highly valuable for collectors.

Next is the Celestial-Blue Goat Cauldron.

In ancient times, people liked to use ding to ward off evil spirits; noble families would use them to guard their homes.

Warding off evil can boost one's fortunes, especially for officials and merchants, who therefore favor all kinds of ding; this Celestial-Blue Goat Cauldron was already famous in ancient times, and many people expended great effort to obtain it.

Furthermore, there is the Blood-Jade Buddha statue.

The statue's body is mostly suffused with blood-jade color, exquisitely crafted; in ancient culture, people believed the Buddha could bless and keep any demons at bay—a belief that has become deeply ingrained in people's hearts to this day.

It is said that this statue is offered daily incense, making it remarkably efficacious.

As soon as word got out that these treasures would be auctioned, the whole world exploded in excitement.