Chapter 467: Chapter 467: The Magical Painting

"What a mess, so scary!"

Cheng Shujin glanced at it and frowned, "Giving this to a benefactor seems too ominous!"

The painting depicted ruins, or rather, a post-war wasteland, with faintly visible cross-tombstones in the pitch darkness. Only a full moon hung high in the sky, and a flock of flying creatures, either crows or bats, hovered in mid-air.

The silent night, with a creek quietly flowing, reflected the moonlight.

"Damn! Is this haunted?"

Chi Youyou stared at the painting, thinking it was too amazing. Just as she was about to retort to Cheng Shujin, his exclamation scared her!

"This... there’s ghost fire!"

He pointed at the painting with a face full of terror, "It wasn’t there a moment ago, how did ghost fire suddenly appear! Quick! Throw this painting away!"

Chi Youyou looked where he was pointing and, just as he said, besides the moonlight and water reflections, nothing else was glowing. Suddenly, small lights appeared faintly in the ruins.

"This is amazing!"

Chi Youyou wasn’t as flustered as he was; she just found it incredible.

"Amazing my foot, this painting is unlucky, and that woman has issues too! Quickly throw it away!"

"If she had issues, we wouldn’t be safe until now."

She kept the painting, deciding to hang it up properly when she returned.

Though she was kind-hearted, she wasn’t indiscriminately kind to everyone.

Instinctively, when she saw the woman’s eyes, she knew she wasn’t a bad person. It was an animal-like instinct.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have helped a stranger casually on a roadside abroad.

Cheng Shujin couldn’t argue with Chi Youyou, "Better be safe than sorry. Later, have Yun help you check if there’s anything wrong with the painting."

"Alright."

Her older cousin used to ignore her, but since coming to M Country, he couldn’t stop clinging to her.

Oh well...

Being too clingy isn’t great either.

This little episode was quickly forgotten as they arrived at the auction site.

The rain continued to fall, drizzling down.

Chi Youyou and Cheng Shujin, led by staff, walked in from the entrance.

The auction site wasn’t what she had imagined; security was very strict.

All carried items needed to be checked, and they had to pass through facial recognition. Everyone attending the auction had a real-name card, and only when the card matched the person could they enter.

Each cardholder could bring one guest, who also had to be pre-registered in the system.

It was the first time Chi Youyou attended an auction, and the first time she saw such a setup; it was stricter than any medical conference she had attended.

"Don’t worry, I’ve arranged everything."

Ever since it was confirmed they were attending the auction, Cheng Shujin had made all the necessary preparations.

Chi Youyou wasn’t worried, just curious.

"Some people from the countryside have never seen such a spectacle and shouldn’t embarrass themselves here."

The two received a Bluebell Flower Bracelet from the staff, walked through the corridor to the auction lounge. The auction hadn’t officially started yet; they’d enter the auction hall together once it was time.

While waiting, they bumped into someone they somewhat knew, Cheng Xueyi.

They had met at the Cheng Family’s welcoming banquet yesterday.

Upon hearing her, Chi Youyou tagged her in her mind as more annoying than Cheng Ziyuan.

"Cheng Xueyi! Nothing good comes out of a crow’s mouth! Youyou is way better than you!"

"Cheng Shujin, why are you so anxious? I didn’t name anyone. Why are you quick to claim ownership?"

Cheng Xueyi snorted.

Their family branch had always been suppressed; although her grandfather got along well with the main branch, they never helped them. Every bid and whatnot refused to go through the back door, and she’d heard of such things multiple times!

Now, even someone unrelated to the main family was above her, and she wasn’t happy!

Her grandfather might endure silently, but she couldn’t!

At the welcoming banquet, with the elders present, of course, she had to suppress her resentment. It’s different now; at the auction, with no family elders around, no one could restrain her~

"Don’t shame our Cheng Family in public."

Cheng Shujin glared at her, warning.

"Embarrassing? I’m an S-VIP at the auction, seated in a front C-position. So who’s embarrassing, really: the person you brought or me?"

She wasn’t boasting. She studied antique appraisal and had the family’s resources to back her, boosting her reputation. She even had appraisal qualifications at the KM auction.

Moreover, she liked such things and often attended auctions, so claiming she’s an S-VIP wasn’t off the mark.

But Cheng Shujin, despite having wealth and capabilities, seldom attended auctions and was at best an ordinary member. His companion today, Chi Youyou, was nothing at all, so as for seating arrangements later...

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but laugh again.

"Cheng Shujin, don’t say I didn’t warn you; the membership system at the auction is very strict. Having resources and capability means this!"

As she spoke, she gave a thumbs-up, "If you have nothing, then it’s this."

She turned her thumb into a pinky, "So, you tell me, am I the one embarrassing the Cheng Family, or... her?"

"Xiao Yi, is she the daughter of the cousin-aunt you mentioned, from that rural place in Huaxia?"

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl beside Cheng Xueyi questioned in fluent English.

"Miss Lili, yes."

Cheng Xueyi nodded, "Cheng Shujin, for grandfather’s sake, let me introduce you. This is Miss Lili, daughter of the Speaker of the Congress in M Country."

She knew Lili liked Cheng Shujin, and naturally extended a favor, "Lili, this is my cousin, Cheng Shujin. You might have seen his films."

"Of course, I love his films. Hello, please call me Lili; I’m your fan."

Lili now acted like a fan-girl, completely different from when she looked at Chi Youyou earlier.

Inwardly, Chi Youyou gave her a thumbs-up, very impressive and badass!

Switching attitudes faster than flipping pages~

Though Cheng Shujin still had a stern face, he was a bit better than before. After all, she was an outsider, so he nodded at her.

"I wanted to ask if you have any new films coming up?"

"Sorry, Miss Lili, that’s a work-related secret and I cannot disclose it. But, seeing as it’s you, I can share something."

"Really? I’m so honored!"

Cheng Shujin looked at the foreign woman filled with joy, secretly sneering, "I’m afraid I lack the qualifications to work in M Country. So, I’m planning to shift my work to Huaxia in the future, or as you called it, the countryside. Apologies, but I’m just another Huaxia country bumpkin~"

He said with a helpless shrug.