Chapter 517

Chapter 517: Chapter 482

The Flame was now a large cruise ship capable of accommodating over two thousand people.

This auction at sea had captured the attention of the world’s rich and powerful.

Yun Jiao led her brothers and Fu Mingyu through a special access corridor to her exclusive suite.

The view from here was the best on the ship.

They had just stepped inside when someone arrived.

It was, of course, Li Lin, the current manager of the Flame.

The moment she arrived, she pulled Yun Jiao into a fierce hug.

“Darling, you’re finally back! We all missed you so much.”

Yun Jiao patted her on the back, a smile on her face.

“I told you I’d come back to visit when I had time.”

Li Lin looked at Yun Jiao and couldn’t resist pinching her cheek.

“Goodness, Jiaojiao, you’ve gotten even more beautiful.”

Yun Jiao was speechless for a moment before introducing her brothers.

“This is my Fourth Brother, and this is my Fifth Brother…”

“Brothers, this is Li Lin. I’ve told you about her.”

After the introductions, only Yun Xiaoqi took an interest in her, primarily for business purposes.

With Yun Jiao there, Li Lin and Yun Xiaoqi quickly connected and began discussing future collaborations.

However, Li Lin was quite busy, so she left again soon after.

The auction began. People from many different countries had gathered on the cruise ship, and the auctioneer was speaking English.

The first item up for auction was an enormous black pearl.

This was the largest Black Pearl discovered to date, and it was a genuine Sea Pearl.

The auction employed the best cameras and large screens, projecting an image of the Black Pearl so that more people could see it clearly.

At the same time, the Black Pearl’s dimensions and origin were described in detail.

“To date, this is the only Black Pearl of this size in the entire world. Most importantly, when the lights go down, it emits a soft, gentle glow.”

The auctioneer clapped three times. The lights dimmed, and sure enough, the pearl began to emit a very soft, mesmerizing light.

The color of this Black Pearl was more luxurious and understated than a Luminous Pearl. The light it emitted wasn’t as bright, but its softness was utterly captivating.

The lights came on again, and the auctioneer continued his presentation.

“According to professional appraisal, this is the pearl’s natural luster. I’m sure you’ve all heard descriptions of a pearl’s radiance, but have you ever seen it as a tangible glow? Well, now you can witness it with your own eyes. Furthermore, tests have shown that this luster can nourish the body. Long-term wear can improve one’s vitality and spirit…”

The auctioneer also projected the appraisal report onto the big screen. It included the name of the appraising institution, a famous agency with a reputation for being absolutely incorruptible.

At this, the entire crowd erupted.

The moment the bidding began, the price skyrocketed.

“One million.”

“One and a half million.”

“Two million.”

*

Yun Xiaoqi clicked his tongue. “Auctions are a real money-maker.”

Yun Jiao popped a grape into her mouth.

“This pearl is mine. After the auction, seventy percent of the proceeds will go into my account.”

The Flame’s auctions always took a thirty percent commission.

Li Lin and her team had wanted to give her the full amount, but Yun Jiao refused.

She had supplied about a third of the items for auction. If she took all the money, how would they support an operation as large as the Flame, with so many people on its payroll?

So, she insisted on following the standard procedure.

‘It’s not like she was short on money, anyway.’

After the first item, the next was a painting by a famous, deceased artist.

Next was the crown of an ancient queen from a certain nation.

The auction lasted for three days, with a total of ten items.

Each item was exceedingly rare, and the competition for them was intense.

The guests spent all three days enjoying the ship’s amenities, and everyone was very satisfied with the hospitality aboard the Flame.

The items on the final day were the main attractions of the auction.

The seventh item was a gemstone.

It was a flawless, blood-red diamond—not only was the quality impeccable and the color beautiful, but it was also massive.

The fist-sized red diamond had already been cut and polished. It glittered under the lights, radiating a captivating brilliance.

Diamonds are one of the most beloved jewels among foreigners, and a flawless, blood-red diamond of this size was currently one of a kind.

Once the bidding began, the competition was just as fierce.

The eighth item was Jue Sha.

“This is Jue Sha. As many of you know, legends speak of the Merfolk, who could weave the sea itself into cloth—a material impervious to fire and water. It is lightweight, resists deformation, and its vibrant color never fades. What you may not know is that this particular piece of Jue Sha was salvaged from an ancient shipwreck that dates back several hundred years. And yet, as you can see, its color is as vivid as if it were new.”

The auctioneer took out a small swatch of the fabric and held it to a flame in front of everyone.

But the fabric showed no change whatsoever. It didn’t even blacken, nor did its color alter in the slightest.

“As you can see, it is unharmed by fire.”

Next came the water test.

He completely submerged the fabric in a transparent glass tank. The moment it entered the water, it billowed gracefully, as light as a whisper.

But when he lifted it out and gave it a gentle shake, everyone could see the water droplets slide cleanly off the material.

“Impervious to water.”

The Jue Sha instantly captivated the hearts of all the women present.

Fewer of the men were interested.

The fabric was a rouge color. It was undeniably beautiful, but it wasn’t something a man could wear.

Still, some men did like it, wanting to bid on it as a collector’s item.

The cloth was so beautiful that just to look upon it was like gazing at a stunning woman.

In the end, the Jue Sha sold for thirty million.

US dollars.

The final, show-stopping item was a ginseng root over a thousand years old.

A true millennium-old root.

Such a thing was incredibly difficult to find. Millennium-old ginseng wasn’t unheard of, but it was extremely rare and hard to locate.

Yun Jiao herself had traveled far and wide to find it, venturing deep into mountains where humans dared not set foot.

The auction was a great success.

Yun Jiao didn’t leave after it was over. Instead, she and her brothers stayed on the Flame for a few more days to relax.

During those few days, her brothers got a clear sense of just how adored she was there.

Meanwhile, news of the auction was being broadcast on television and printed in newspapers.

The Flame had become a sensation.

From this day forward, an invitation to the Flame would be something everyone scrambled to obtain.

After bidding farewell to her friends on the Flame, Yun Jiao quietly returned to the Capital, resuming her low-profile identity as a student.

Her brothers and Fu Mingyu, of course, returned with her.

The results of the investigation into the Su family also landed in her hands.

The Su family. No… it used to be the An family.

The An family was in the medicinal herb business and was an old, established clan.

But the An Family Master of the previous generation had only one daughter, and that daughter fell in love with a man of unknown origin.

The matter was kept secret from Mr. An, and no one was able to find out who the man was.

All that was known was that the man later vanished without a trace, and An Zhiya was pregnant when she returned home.

Although Mr. An was furious, he had no choice but to make arrangements for his daughter’s future.

Besides, the vast An family needed someone to manage it.

The problem was that An Zhiya loved to paint and was highly gifted in the arts, but she knew nothing about medicinal herbs or business.

In the end, their only option was to recruit a son-in-law to marry into the family.

Of course, An Zhiya’s situation was explained to the prospective son-in-law beforehand.

That son-in-law was none other than the present-day Su Kangcheng.

Su Kangcheng was also one of Mr. An’s apprentices. He had proactively sought out Mr. An to curry favor, swearing to the heavens that he was willing to take care of An Zhiya and her child. He promised he would respect An Zhiya’s wishes and that once her child was grown, he would return everything to them.

Mr. An, being cautious, had him sign a contract.

From then on, Mr. An kept Su Kangcheng by his side, giving him access to the company’s core operations and network.

Afterward, An Zhiya gave birth. That child was Su Nian.

Her name was originally An Nian; it was changed to Su Nian only after An Zhiya’s death.

But reading this, what was there for Yun Jiao not to understand?

‘She was the real child.’

Furthermore, less than a year later, An Zhiya passed away. The given reason was that her body had been weakened by childbirth, compounded by depression.

After An Zhiya’s death, Mr. An was overcome with grief and passed away himself less than six months later.

And so, under Su Kangcheng’s machinations, the An family gradually became the Su family.

Today, people only remember the Su family; the An family has been all but forgotten.

“So that’s the Su family for you!”

Looking at the report, none of them were fools. Coupled with the fact that Yun Jiao had been abandoned, they all guessed what had happened.

A cold light flashed in Yun Xiaojiu’s eyes. “So it was a classic ‘swapped at birth’ plot.”

“That Su Kangcheng… he looks decent on the outside, but he’s full of dirty tricks.”

“Jiaojiao, what should we do? We absolutely cannot let him get away with this!”

Yun Jiao smiled. “Of course I won’t let him get away with it.”