Chapter 2637 — The Auction Begins
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Yet the more he behaved that way, the more Wang Xinyan thought Wei Zhao was a decent sort. A boy his age, sharing a bed with a girl every night—it was hard not to let something happen.
So sometimes Wang Xinyan even felt that Wei Zhao seemed to belong to a different world from the rest of them. He really was a first-year student, yes, but the composure he showed now and then went well beyond his years.
Suddenly recalling how Wei Zhao had dressed when they first met on the train, Wang Xinyan could not help but laugh aloud. "Right—no wonder they were so put off by you! When you first arrived, you were dressed so countrified. With a villa as spotless as theirs, you were lucky they even let you through the door!"
"Heh..." Wei Zhao shrugged and said with a touch of helplessness, "My hometown is a small village. Back there, dressing plainly is the normal thing. If I walked around in what I've got on now, I'd probably be gawked at every day. And that time I'd just come straight from home—I never had a chance to change."
"That's right. I thought you were an honest country bumpkin back then too—when I saw those swindlers cheating you, I was frantic with worry. Who'd have guessed that guileless look of yours was all an act?" Recalling their first meeting, Wang Xinyan grew a little wistful.
"Honestly, if they hadn't tried to cheat me, I wouldn't have bothered cheating them," Wei Zhao said.
"Fair enough." Thinking of Wei Zhao's temperament, Wang Xinyan quite agreed, and was about to say more when a wave of drowsiness swept over her. She yawned and said to Wei Zhao, "Let's save it for later. Off to bed—I'm a bit sleepy..."
"Mm, you go ahead. I'll mix up some medicine for Xiaoshu." Wei Zhao had not forgotten the strange concoction Shen Yushu had asked him for earlier. He did not even need to ask—he could guess well enough that eight times out of ten it was meant for Zhong Yongliang.
That Zhong Yongliang really did have the worst luck every time, yet he only grew bolder with each setback—he had even been taken in as a disciple by an ancient sect? Wei Zhao found it remarkable just thinking about it, and rather regretted not finishing Zhong Yongliang off back then.
Then again, back in Songshan City the currents had been dark and turbulent, Wei Zhao's own strength had not been all that great, and his enemies were many. It had been hard for him to bring himself to strike ruthlessly, lest he provoke a collective backlash against him.
Wei Zhao went out once, headed to the pharmacy, prepared the medicine Shen Yushu needed, and returned to the villa.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the Love Charity Gala arrived. That afternoon, school let out early, and the auditorium was decked out in lights and bunting. The students taking part in the bidding and the social elites all sat in the front rows, each holding a reflective paddle for bidding, which made it easy for them to call out their prices.
The audience behind them were mostly there for the spectacle. Most students had no money to bid on anything and had come simply for fun; their way of showing charity was simple—once the auction ended, they would just donate directly.
After all, the starting prices for these lots were none too low. Since it was a charity event, the intrinsic value of the items was really just a formality; the final selling price was simply a measure of how much love everyone was donating.
Wei Zhao sat with Wang Xinyan, Han Jingyi, He Meiyue, and Bai Weituo. Though Bai Weituo would not be bidding, as a student-cadre of the medical program he naturally had the right to sit up front.
At six o'clock that evening, the auction began right on time.
First a senior school administrator gave a speech, then the student-cadres explained the significance of this Love Charity Gala and where the donations would go, and after that came the formal opening of the auction.