The Overnight Chosen Wife: Darling, Kiss Me Deeper

Hence, Feng Ci sauntered over to Li Lanni. "So you are Li Lanni, huh. Everyone overrated you."  Li Lanni had seen Ji Xiehan enter the hall and was trying to smile at him when she was interrupted by Feng Ci's mocking voice. She turned to look at the woman who was deliberately trying to cause trouble. "I could say the same about you." She calmly replied.  Feng Ci was annoyed. What did she mean by that?  Even so, she could not let herself be angered by a little girl. In her skyscr.a.p.er high heels, she appeared taller than Li Lanni whose heels weren't that tall. She stood in front of Li Lanni, trying to intimidate her with her height. "If you think you are worthy of Xiehan, you should go take a look at yourself in the mirror. Which part of you do you think deserves a man like him?"  Li Lanni crossed her arms over her chest with a snicker. "I don't need the mirror to know that I am worthy of him. His love is enough proof.  While you, Miss Feng, might need the mirror more than anyone." She sized the other woman up like she was an ant. "Even after plastering yourself to him all your childhood, and almost throwing yourself onto him, he didn't spare you a glance. Is it because you are too ugly?" Li Lanni left without waiting for an answer to that.  As a survival tactic, she liked to know about her friends, her enemies and her friends' friends and foes. Naturally, she knew a little more than the surface information about the Feng family in general and Feng Ci in particular. She knew that although Feng Ci was undeniably beautiful, she was so obsessed with her own beauty that she couldn't stand anyone ridiculing her. She had done it on purpose because, seriously, what era was this? Were there still women who fought over men who didn't even love them? How pathetic. Madam Ji saw that the two did not start a visible fight and was relived. She had known Feng Ci for years and she knew how possessive she could be at times. Earlier before Feng Ci interrupted, she had wanted to tell Li Lanni about the deal she had with Feng Ci's mother in the past, and that she had changed her mind. However, there was no longer any need to tell her that. The girls had already clashed. Luckily, the banquet officially begun before any blood could be shed.  After the guests ate and drank a little, it was finally time for the main agenda: the auction. Everyone took a bidding paddle and went to their seats.  The auctioneer went up to the stage and took the microphone. "On behalf of Li Yuming, I would like to thank all the guests for attending this banquet despite such short notice.  This charity auction is in association with the National Chronic Illness Association. All the funds obtained tonight will be donated to help pay hospital bills for as many patients with chronic illnesses as possible; as well as provide for their daily necessities while in hospital."  Everyone cheered for Li Yuming. How noble of her.  Although no one usually talked about it, Li Yuming had contributed to many charity organisations, hospitals, orphanages and elderly nursing homes over the years.  Rumor had it that it was because her own life had been tragic and that her parents had passed away because of lack of hospital fees.  No matter her reason, she was doing a good deed. This time, she had actually decided to auction every single one of her paintings that had yet to be sold, including the new ones that she had recently painted and the old ones that she had decided to keep for herself!  "Although this is Li Yuming's charity banquet, a few other painters decided to auction off their paintings as well." The auctioneer continued.  "That being said, I will introduce the first item." The first painting was brought to the stage.  "The first item is Cedric Han's 'Prison'. The starting price is 500,000."  In the audience, Cheng Yu was startled. Cedric submitted his painting for auctioning? Then why did he steal her invitation letter? He didn't even need it! That harbinger of trouble! "550 thousand." The bidding started.  ... "720 thousand."  "720 going once, twice, closed!"  Because most of the people had their eyes on Li Yuming's paintings, the others were completed very fast.  When Li Yuming's paintings started being auctioned, they went by very fast too. Li Lanni even bought two of them because she loved them too much to let them be sold to other people.  Several paintings later, it was finally the climax of the auction. The last item was usually the most valuable and this time was no different.  "The climax of tonight is Li Yuming's earliest painting, caged." The auctioneer went ahead to briefly gush about how this particular painting had garnered so  much value because Li Yuming wouldn't sell it no matter what price anyone offered. That, and the fact that it was her earliest painting that she had created about two decades ago, made it more valuable than all the others. "Because of the reasons stated, I will not give any rule. Bid at your free will."  As soon as he was done, a man in black raised his paddle. "One dollar."  A voice in the crowd giggled for a second. Li Lanni instinctively turned to see who the bidder was, as did everyone else. From his dress code, he must be a bodyguard.  Li Lanni's eyes narrowed. She raised her own paddle. "Thirty million." That was a huge price range, but it was still way below the highest price ever offered for the painting so no one minded it.  They all started bidding seriously.  "Fifty million." "Seventy million."  A short silence followed. "Seventy million going once,"  At this moment, Cedric raised his paddle. "One hundred and fifty!"  Li Lanni's eyes went wide. That's not how bidding is done! Jiang Xingyu glared at Cedric and raised his paddle. "Three hundred."  Ji Xiehan gave him a dirty look. "Four hundred."  Cedric did not give up. "Four hundred and fifty."  Ji Xiehan shot him a look. He wanted this painting and he was going to get it. "Five hundred and fifty."  What was more surprising was that many people were still bidding. One even offered six hundred and eighty million. "Seven hundred!" Jiang Xingyu said calmly.  Li Lanni kept looking at them back and forth in shock. Did they really know that was money they were shouting out and not just random figures? By this time, most people had stopped bidding. It was a valuable painting alright, but not many people were willing to offer such astronomical amounts of money. Even Cedric had given up. Now it was just Ji Xiehan versus Jiang Xingyu, yelling out figures like money meant nothing to them. When the bid reached nine hundred million, Ji Xiehan started wondering why his friend so badly wanted the painting.  It was not like Jiang Xingyu was a fan of Li Yuming's. He had initially thought that the idiot was only shouting figures to oppose him but now Jiang Xingyu's determination was apparent. A thought crossed his mind. There was something about this painting that had made him want to bid for it with the intention of gifting it to Li Lanni. Perhaps Jiang Xingyu wanted to gift it to his Xia? It was highly likely. Since that was the case then… Ji Xiehan forfeited the bid, earning a look of sincere gratefulness from Jiang Xingyu.  He smiled back to express that he didn't mind. After all, Li Lanni had always been close to her mother. She might not even value the painting as much as Xia Luna would.  Hence in the end, Jiang Xingyu bought the painting at the insane price of nine hundred million! That was the craziest price one had ever heard being so readily offered for a painting. It made one wonder what was so special about it.  … Since the charity bid was the climax of the banquet, most banquet started dispersing once it was over.  Li Lanni took the chance to send a text to Ji Xiehan then happily went to wait for him behind the hotel.