The young man had his back to her, his posture a little clumsy.

Jiang Qingli didn’t really want to trouble him. "It’s fine, I won’t fall. Worst case, I’ll just take off my shoes."

Seeing her insist, Yuan Shiyao nodded.

The next second, he reached out and took the girl’s wrist.

"Let’s go," the young man said in a low voice. "Let’s find Gu Nian."

He paused, then explained, "This way... if there’s danger, I can get you out of here."

His reasoning was sound, and he was being very responsible.

Jiang Qingli nodded and went downstairs with him.

The bottom floor was vast, laid out like a large suite. A luxurious crystal chandelier sparkled brightly overhead. The floor was covered with a soft, expensive, genuine wool carpet, and the walls of the corridor were adorned with original masterpieces from various famous painters.

Gu Nian’s suite was number 001.

The rooms were not in sequential order, and the numbers were written in a flashy, cursive script. Jiang Qingli held a small point of light to illuminate the way, leaning in to examine the numbers carefully, lest she push open a door to some... indescribable scene.

Yuan Shiyao followed behind her.

He was about to help her look, but his terminal started vibrating nonstop.

Yuan Shiyao managed a quick glance at the screen. The caller ID, labeled "Bro," was flashing insistently.

The young man’s brow furrowed. For the first time, he didn’t want to answer his brother’s call.

The terminal had been set to silent mode. After ringing, it fell quiet.

Yuan Shiyao lowered his gaze and slowly typed: [Sorry, Bro. I’m busy right now, it’s not a good time.]

The message had just been sent when he heard a short scream.

Yuan Shiyao looked up to see Jiang Qingli frantically reaching out to him, her voice trembling. "A-a hand just tried to grab me! H-help..."

"Don’t be afraid."

Yuan Shiyao took her hand and stepped in front of her.

The light gathered around them, illuminating Su Jue’s playboy face.

He seemed to be drugged, his face flushed an unnatural red. He was lying on his side, propping his chin up with one hand while the other groped along the floor, as if still savoring the sensation he’d just felt.

As the light washed over him, he squinted and looked up.

When he saw the figure hiding behind the young man, Su Jue snorted. "Regretting coming to find me now? You shouldn’t have sold me to those five females earlier."

He shook his head and sighed. "Look at you. If you knew it would come to this, why did you even start?"

Jiang Qingli was speechless.

’What is he even babbling about?’

’Who’s regretting anything? Who’s looking for him? Could he be any more narcissistic?’

"I’m not looking for you. If you’re sick in the head, you should get treated," Jiang Qingli said. "Oh, I forgot. Your schedule is probably all booked up. No time for treatment."

Su Jue lazily stared at the lower half of her face for a moment, then licked his lips. "Plenty of women try to get my attention. I’ll admit, you’re more special than they are."

As he spoke, he shot Jiang Qingli a flirtatious wink, his voice a deliberately deep, sexy drawl. "If you buy me back, I can play any game you like. That novice by your side could never satisfy you."

Jiang Qingli was speechless.

’Ugh, my ears are being defiled by his vocal fry!’

"You psycho! I’m going to tell them to come get you right now!"

Jiang Qingli turned to leave.

But then she saw Yuan Shiyao squat down, knock Su Jue unconscious with a single karate chop, and calmly say, "I’ve already notified the auction house."

Jiang Qingli let out a sigh of relief. "Let’s go, then."

"Wait."

Yuan Shiyao knelt by her legs and took a handkerchief from his pocket.

It seemed he intended to wipe the skin on her ankle where Su Jue had touched her.

’This feels so strange...’

Jiang Qingli tried to pull her ankle back, but his grip was firm. He reminded her, "If you move around, you’ll fall."

"Besides," the young man said, lifting his face. His verdant green eyes, reflecting tiny specks of light, met hers. "Aren’t we friends?"

His calm expression made Jiang Qingli feel like she was overreacting.

Suppressing the strange feeling, Jiang Qingli nodded. "Okay. Thank you, I’ll have to trouble you then."

"It’s no trouble, Sister-in-law." Yuan Shiyao lowered his head, his movements gentle.

The young man was very restrained, making sure not to touch her skin directly, but through the handkerchief, she could clearly feel his body heat, which was warmer than her own.

She thought it would be over quickly, but Yuan Shiyao was meticulous. He was so careful and focused, it was as if he were polishing the most precious piece of porcelain in a museum.

By the time Jiang Qingli’s leg was about to go numb, he finally finished.

"There."

Yuan Shiyao stood up, neatly folded the handkerchief, and put it back in his pocket.

Their eyes met, and it seemed as though he smiled.

At that moment, the lights overhead began to turn on one by one, illuminating the entire corridor as bright as day.

Footsteps echoed from behind them. The auctioneer from before was rushing over with several dozen attendants in a great procession.

Yuan Shiyao had them carry Su Jue away and, while he was at it, asked for the location of Gu Nian’s room.

The auctioneer didn’t point the way. Instead, he bowed repeatedly to Jiang Qingli. "Our esteemed VIP Guest 011, we are deeply sorry for tonight’s incident. We have prepared compensation for you. If you would please follow me to the jewelry room..."

"Is it free?" Jiang Qingli asked.

"Of course, of course," the auctioneer said hurriedly. "This was our mistake, so it’s only natural that we compensate you. This way, please."

Jiang Qingli stood her ground. "I want to pick up the pet I bought first, then I’ll go choose."

"We’ve already asked his opinion, and he doesn’t mind waiting for you," the auctioneer said, lowering his voice. "You were our highest-spending guest tonight, which is why I came to find you first. If you go later, the best pieces will be gone..."

Yuan Shiyao’s gaze fell on the auctioneer and he narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.

Half-coaxing and half-nudging, the auctioneer finally persuaded Jiang Qingli into their jewelry vault.

Watching the beautiful female weave among heaps of jewels worth hundreds of millions, the auctioneer’s heart twitched and wept.

But it couldn’t be helped. Someone had just broken into the suite, and the Boss was dealing with it.

At the Boss’s speed, killing someone was a thirty-second affair.

But the Boss had done a lot of assassinations. His main focus was efficiency, which often left the place covered in blood, and the cleanup work took time.

Naturally, this couldn’t be discovered by Guest 011, the one the Boss longed for day and night.

The auctioneer looked at her figure and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

It was really strange, now that he thought about it. He’d known Gu Nian for several years. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Gu Nian’s attitude toward his subordinates was abysmal. You could send him a hundred messages, and all hundred would be left on read. When he did speak, it was usually to call them idiots. If they weren’t so outmatched, they would have rebelled long ago.

And he’d never seen him get close to a woman.

He took all his jobs through online channels. His chats with female clients were generally about money; once the money was paid, he’d block them.

The crucial thing was, the man was also incredibly stingy.

He had a huge collection of rare jewels but never shared them with anyone. The number of zeros in his bank account was too high to count, yet he was a total cheapskate with his daily spending. Many suspected he was actually a crow Beastman.

But now...

Not only had he allowed Guest 011 into his personal collection to pick out whatever jewelry she wanted...

...he was also tidying up his bedroom with glee, like some kind of doting newlywed.

’Who on earth is this Guest 011? To have the Boss so utterly captivated.’

The auctioneer stared at the female’s back, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, his terminal vibrated. A message from Gu Nian: [Keep staring at her and you can say goodbye to your eyes.]

The auctioneer: "..."

He couldn’t even look.

He’s so in love.

The auctioneer averted his gaze and asked: [Boss, did you take care of it?]

[Once Big Sis is done choosing, have her come over.]

[I’ve prepared a surprise.]