Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

Chapter 174 I Have

Yu Chen was standing a few steps behind her.

The man's gaze lingered on her, from her shoulders to her waist, from the hem of her skirt to the pearls adorning her ears.

"Where is this place?"

Charity auction.

Yu Chen watched as she seemed to be processing the meaning of those three words, then asked, "What did you bring to the auction?"

Su Wuli shook her head, "I didn't bring it."

He then asked, "What do you want to buy?"

She paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes. "I don't have anything I want to buy."

She paused, then lowered her voice, "I don't have any money either."

She looked up and saw Yu Chen about to say something when her phone suddenly rang.

Su Wuli glanced down at the caller ID.

Lin Liwen.

When she answered, the voice on the other end sounded urgent but very low, as if it were being made outside the venue.

"I heard about what happened earlier. It was all done on purpose. The company decided to put a set of jewelry up for auction at the last minute. It's not as good as Xu Weiwei's, but it's better than nothing. I've already had it delivered..."

Lin Liwen was still speaking, her voice coming through the receiver, and it was exceptionally clear in the quiet lounge.

After she finished speaking, Su Wuli said, "Forget it, Sister Wen. None of the other artists in the company have them, and everyone manages their own artists. It wouldn't be right for me to use the company's artists."

Lin Liwen continued, "That's true, but no one expected Xu Weiwei to act like this today..."

Just as Su Wuli was about to say something, something suddenly appeared in front of her.

A jade pendant.

A piece of white jade, carved with patterns, is tied with a dark-colored braided rope.

It was held in the man's hand and raised in front of her.

Su Wuli was stunned.

She subconsciously glanced at Yu Chen's waist; she remembered that it was the white jade hanging from his waist.

Lin Liwen was still talking on the phone, calling Su Wuli several times but there was no response.

"Hang up," Yu Chen said.

Su Wuli glanced at him, took the phone away from her ear, and turned it off.

The lounge quieted down.

He handed the jade pendant forward and said bluntly, "Take this to the auction."

Su Wuli looked at the jade pendant, then at him, and subconsciously shook her head, "No, this is your personal jade pendant."

Yu Chen watched as the corners of her lips moved. "I have many more; this is nothing."

She still didn't answer.

The man didn't pull his hand back; he just held it up and waited for her.

The white jade swayed slightly before her eyes, and the lamplight shone on it with a warm glow.

"Take it," he said again. "It's really just an ordinary piece of jade; it's not important to me."

Upon hearing this, Su Wuli reached out her hand, and when her fingertips touched the jade, it was still warm, carrying her body temperature.

She took it and held it in her hand, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside the door, followed by knocking.

"Pear? Are you in there?" Wen Yan's voice came through the door. "I'm going to the scene."

Su Wuli raised her head and looked at the person in front of her.

"A pear?" Wen Yan tapped it twice more.

Su Wuli glanced at him, then looked at the door.

The next moment, Yu Chen gestured with his chin toward the door, indicating that she should go.

She then walked to the door, and as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she turned back to look at him.

"Go," Yu Chen said in a low voice.

"Um."

Su Wuli opened the door a crack, just enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

He slipped out and immediately closed the door behind him.

Wen Yan stood at the door looking at her, her face full of doubt. "What are you doing? You're like a thief."

Su Wuli's heart was pounding. "It's nothing."

As she spoke, she clutched the jade pendant in her hand and hid it in the folds of her skirt.

Wen Yan glanced at her but didn't ask any more questions. She took her arm and walked forward.

"Hurry up, hurry up, the second half is about to start."

The phone rang as soon as he finished speaking.

Su Wuli looked down.

Lin Liwen.

She answered the call and slowed her pace a little.

Wen Yan also slowed down and turned her head to look at her.

"Wuli, why did you suddenly hang up?" Lin Liwen's voice was a little urgent. "The delivery person is stuck in traffic and probably won't make it—"

"I have it," Su Wuli said.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "What?"

Lin Liwen's voice suddenly changed tone.

"I have it," Su Wuli repeated.

Lin Liwen was silent for two seconds. "Where are you? I'm coming to find you."

Su Wuli glanced at Wen Yan, "Yan Yan, you go ahead first, I'll be right there."

Wen Yan's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then she nodded, let go of her arm, and walked away first.

Su Wuli stood there and waited for a while.

Lin Liwen walked quickly from the other end of the corridor, her high heels making almost no sound on the carpet.

She walked up to Su Wuli. "What is it?"

Su Wuli opened her hands.

The piece of white jade lay in my palm, without a single impurity, and the carving was superb; the lines of the cloud patterns were so smooth they seemed alive.

Lin Liwen stared at Yu with her eyes widening, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

She's been in the industry for twenty years and has seen a lot of good things.

She couldn't tell what quality the jade was, only that she had never seen anything better.

"This..." She looked up at Su Wuli, "Where did this come from?"

Su Wuli looked at her and said, "He gave it to me."

She didn't say her name, but Lin Liwen's expression changed.

Although I have many questions to ask, the situation is urgent right now.

She carefully took the jade piece, examining it from all angles. "Do you know what the starting price is?"

Su Wuli shook her head.

Lin Liwen looked at the jade for two more seconds, then looked up and said, "I'm going to find an appraiser. You go in first."

Su Wuli nodded, "Okay."

Lin Liwen turned and left.

Back at the auction site, the auction has begun.

Time passed second by second, and Su Wuli received a message from Lin Liwen on her phone saying that it was all done.

He specifically told her to contact him after the auction, as he had something to say.

After putting away his phone, another item on the stage was sold.

Before the next item was brought up for auction, an extra person appeared on the stage.

But he wasn't the host.

There was an elderly gentleman with gray hair and wearing glasses.

A hostess stood beside him, holding a red velvet tray.

The lights inside the venue dimmed, leaving only a spotlight shining on the tray.

The light was so bright that one couldn't see what was in the plate; all one could see was a warm, white blob.

The hostess placed the tray on the display stand.

The old man adjusted his glasses and looked down for a long time.

The room fell silent; no one urged him on.

He looked up and said into the microphone, "I've been appraising treasures for thirty years... and I've never seen anything like this before."

As soon as he finished speaking, whispers arose in the room.

The old man ignored him and continued reading with his head down.

The items that were eligible for the auction had all been authenticated, but he still picked up a magnifying glass, examined the jade closely for a long time, and then put it down.

Looking at them over and over, I noticed that their hands were trembling slightly under the light.

He straightened up and spoke into the microphone, his voice a little hoarse.

"I have only seen the carving technique of this jade in ancient books. The way the cloud pattern moves and the strength of the lines have been lost for at least six hundred years."

After these words were spoken, someone in the audience gasped.

The old man said again.

"The jade material is also top-notch. I have only seen this quality twice in my life. Once was thirty years ago when I saw it through the glass in the Forbidden City's storeroom. This is the second time."

As he spoke, he lowered his head again, his fingers slowly tracing the edge of the jade pendant.

Can't put it down.

"What's strange is..." he paused, "this jade shows no signs of age."

There was some discussion in the audience, but the voices were not loud.

The old man looked up and pushed up his glasses, his expression a mixture of confusion and a strange, indescribable excitement.

"Logically speaking, even if something is preserved for hundreds of years, it will still show signs of age. But this jade statue... is newly made. However, no one can replicate the carving, jade material, and patterns nowadays. I don't know what it is, so I can only say—"

He took a deep breath. "Priceless."