Chapter Thirty-Four: The Ingenious and Unfathomable Mr. Ye

Ten minutes later, the auction officially began.

Thirty bidders took their seats, arranged on either side of the hall. In the center stood a huge projector, and at the very front hung a curtain, behind which An Lan was seated. As for Ye Wushang and the rest of the security team, they were positioned around the perimeter, patrolling back and forth, constantly alert to any movement in the venue.

“Everyone, please quiet down,” the secretary in professional attire announced. “I will now distribute the number cards to each of you. Next, you will present in the order of your assigned numbers. President An is seated behind the curtain. After listening to your presentations, she will make a comprehensive assessment and select the final agent.”

With that, a dozen staff members swiftly handed out the number cards. The sequence of the cards was determined by the financial strength of each group and the status of their family backgrounds. The stronger the overall power, the higher the ranking, which would also leave a deeper impression on An Lan.

“Number thirty?” When Lan Ruoxue saw her number, her brows immediately knitted. “There are thirty bidders in total. Doesn’t this mean we’re the last one?”

“How could this happen?” Zhao Xiu’e held her number card, grumbling in dissatisfaction.

The secretary’s gaze sharpened as she glanced over, her tone stern. “Based on your overall strength, the Lan family should have been fifteenth. But due to your disruptive behavior in the lobby earlier, which left President An with a negative impression, you have been deliberately placed at the end. If you have further objections, you are welcome to withdraw. The An family has no need for enterprises lacking in character.”

At these words, Zhao Xiu’e’s face darkened, about to protest, but Lan Ruoxue stopped her. “Mother, please, don’t make a scene. We’ve already left a bad impression on President An—any more trouble, and we’ll be thrown out for sure.”

Zhao Xiu’e hesitated, words stuck in her throat.

The secretary merely snorted coldly and signaled for the first-ranked company to begin their presentation. The person on stage spoke animatedly about their company’s advantages, while the trio from the Lan family remained disgruntled, unable to let go of their resentment over the ranking.

“It’s all that useless fool’s fault. If he hadn’t been sneaking around, we wouldn’t have been shouting like that. He’s a jinx!” Zhao Xiu’e seethed with rage, glaring at Ye Wushang, who was patrolling the second-floor corridor.

Sun Chuan-zhi nodded, lowering his voice. “I think that fool did it on purpose. He must have seen us and deliberately made us misunderstand, so that when we confronted him in the hall, we’d draw the An family’s attention. The An family doesn’t care about the details, only the outcome. We’ve left a bad impression—all thanks to that wretch.”

Lan Ruoxue sighed. Though she didn’t want to believe Ye Wushang could be so malicious, facts spoke for themselves. She’d heard the secretary’s words, and yet Ye Wushang showed no trace of guilt on his face. He wandered about as if nothing had happened, even chatting and laughing with the other security guards, seemingly very pleased with the outcome.

“So what do we do now?” This agency contract was crucial. Listing the group was only the beginning; stabilizing the market and expanding externally were key. Without the agency rights, there would be no room for further development, and they might even be suppressed by competitors.

“We’ve already left a poor impression on the An family. When it’s our turn to present, they’ll surely be biased against me. If we lose the agency rights because of this…”

“It’s fine.” Sun Chuan-zhi waved his hand, pulling out his phone to reassure her. “I’ll call my father right now. He’s on very good terms with Master An Qingguo, and the Sun family is also involved in distributing this agency contract. I’m sure they’ll give us this favor.”

With that, he excused himself to make a call in the corner.

“See? When it matters most, who’s really there for you?” Zhao Xiu’e nudged Lan Ruoxue, whispering, “The Sun family has helped us so much over the years. Sun Chuanlong and your sister are about to marry, and you’re still hesitant about Chuan-zhi. Honestly, you two are a perfect match. If he helps you get the An family agency rights this time, you should just marry him already!”

“Mother!” Lan Ruoxue frowned, clearly conflicted. It was true that Sun Chuan-zhi had done everything he could for her, but all she felt for him was gratitude, nothing more. Still, he’d been so good to her that she couldn’t bring herself to refuse outright. Torn, she simply didn’t know how to handle the situation.

An hour quickly passed. Dusk was falling, and more than twenty of the thirty bidders had finished. The twenty-ninth was the bespectacled man. Ye Wushang, patrolling upstairs, immediately paused. Hearing the secretary’s introduction, he learned the man’s name: Xun Wuyang, representing the Xun family, a second-tier household with no direct connection to his own, but highly valued within his clan.

Back when Ye Wushang was at the Lan family, he’d paid particular attention to related families and enterprises. The Xun family, he’d heard, ranked lower among second-tier clans and was not on par with the Sun family. However, the two families had long maintained close cooperation—a little brother supporting his elder, so to speak.

“President An, I stand before you as the Xun family’s representative to present our group’s proposal,” Xun Wuyang said, bowing respectfully before activating his remote and displaying a massive slide deck. Young as he was, Xun Wuyang was sharp and eloquent, delivering his introduction with clarity and professionalism. He came across as a talented young man.

Ye Wushang watched him closely, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Even as the presentation ended, nothing seemed amiss.

“Could I have been mistaken? Is Xun Wuyang not the spy?” Ye Wushang’s frown deepened.

Only one bidder remained: Lan Ruoxue.

“Baldy, how’s the surveillance on your end?” Ye Wushang took a deep breath, pressing his earpiece and speaking softly. Wang Jiaolong had been in mortal danger earlier—he wouldn’t have lied to save himself. The infiltrator was here among them. He had to root them out. Otherwise, An Lan would always be in danger, and his own temp job would never end.

“Mr. Ye, I’ve watched every bidder closely, especially Xun Wuyang as you instructed,” came Baldy’s voice through the earpiece. “I monitored his every move but saw nothing suspicious. If anything stood out, it’s that he was ranked higher than expected. After his presentation, he tried to get Miss An to review his materials personally, but the secretary stopped him. He then touched the curtain…”

“Wait.” Ye Wushang’s brow tightened. He watched the curtain sway slightly, asking, “How did he touch it, where, and for how long?”

“One moment, let me check the footage,” Baldy replied.

After some manipulation, Baldy answered, “He used his right hand to touch the left side of the curtain—three taps at the top, three at the bottom. It only lasted three seconds.”

Ye Wushang fell silent in thought. Using his right hand to touch the left side was already odd. The pattern of three taps—was he trying to apply poison? But if An Lan didn’t touch the curtain, the poison wouldn’t be triggered. How would he succeed, then?

“Mr. Ye, are you still there?” Baldy asked.

“Yes, I’m listening,” Ye Wushang replied, gathering his thoughts. “I’ll keep an eye on Xun Wuyang. Your next task is to watch Sun Chuan-zhi closely.”

“But, sir,” Baldy protested, “You had me focus on the bidders—Sun Chuan-zhi is just an observer. He doesn’t qualify to present. Even if he wanted to do something, he couldn’t…”

“Just do as I say,” Ye Wushang instructed firmly. “That’s all for now.” He closed the line and descended the stairs. He had a strong sense that the enemy would act soon, though he couldn’t yet guess how. He needed to be present, guarding An Lan to feel at ease.

Meanwhile, in the security room, Baldy was still bewildered by Ye Wushang’s orders.

“Boss, Mr. Ye is impressive, but isn’t this a stretch?” one of the security staff muttered. “Focusing on Xun Wuyang is one thing, but why Sun Chuan-zhi? He’s not a bidder—he has no business presenting. It just seems like a waste of time…”

“Enough,” Baldy interrupted. He had his own doubts. While he didn’t question Ye Wushang’s abilities, perhaps, this time, he’d been mistaken. No one is infallible. Baldy relaxed, sitting down. “Rewind the footage—I’ll check the other bidders. As for Sun Chuan-zhi, if Mr. Ye asks, I’ll just brush it off…”

Suddenly, Sun Chuan-zhi’s voice came through the surveillance feed: “President An, I’m a friend of Lan Ruoxue, president of the Lan Group. I’m familiar with their situation, and she’s asked me to present on her behalf—is that all right?”

Baldy and the other guard, who had just dismissed the matter, froze. They exchanged astonished glances.

“Mr. Ye is truly a master of foresight. How did he know Sun Chuan-zhi would substitute for Lan Ruoxue in presenting to Miss An? Incredible!”