Chapter 60 Forced Love from My Archrival 9

Chapter 60: Forced Love from My Archenemy 9

Xue Chengan's smile visibly stiffened for a brief moment, but quickly returned to normal.

"I'm naturally delighted to work alongside you, cousin. But since the entire Lin Corporation will eventually be yours, why would you need to start as an assistant like me?"

That depends on whose assistant we're talking about. Although Uncle Wang is Lin Zhen's secretary, he has more experience in business than anyone else.

Many major projects must receive Uncle Wang's approval before they can even reach Lin Zhen.

Xue Chengan must have thought he didn't get it and was deliberately trying to stir things up.

"Huaiqing, Cheng An. You two, come in."

Uncle Wang opened the door to the chairman's office and called them both inside.

"Starting today, you two will follow me and familiarize yourselves with the company's operational processes. Organize the materials on the desk, and this afternoon you'll attend a charity auction."

Lin Huaiqing hadn't seen his father all morning—he was probably off holding another meeting with the employees.

In the afternoon, Uncle Wang had the driver take them to a charity auction venue.

"Feel free to bid on a few things, but the budget's tight—don't go over five million."

After giving his instructions, Uncle Wang hurried back to the company, leaving the two of them there.

"Cousin! I heard the items at this place are pretty mediocre. Wouldn't it be better to just keep the five million for ourselves?"

"I don't know. Let's sit down and see first."

That little punk Xue Chengan was up to no good. He was obviously trying to bait him into screwing up. How ridiculous.

The moment Lin Huaiqing sat down, he spotted someone he knew.

In the seat right next to him, dressed way too flashy, sat none other than Qin Fan—the one he had punched last time.

The swelling on his face had gone down, and the marks were barely visible now.

And next to him sat none other than the male lead, Qin Feng.

There was an empty seat between the brothers, like they couldn't stand each other.

They were probably here on behalf of the Qin Group, bidding crazy high on little trinkets as a way to "donate" under the table.

The second Lin Huaiqing saw that face he absolutely hated, he wanted to get up and move, but before he could, he saw that Xue Chengan behind him had already sat down.

So he had no choice but to stay put.

"Well, well, if it isn't Young Master Lin! What brings you to an auction today?"

Qin Fan, that sly dog, talked way more than his brother. Lin Huaiqing couldn't be bothered, so he just pretended he didn't hear.

The seating area was dark, with all the lights on the auction stage. One item after another came up, and Lin Huaiqing couldn't care less about any of them.

Just as he was about to doze off, he suddenly felt a hand grab his thigh hard.

He looked over at Qin Fan, who was staring intently at the stage, and wondered if he was seeing things.

"Did you just grab me?" Lin Huaiqing asked Xue Chengan instead.

"No? Hey cousin, look at that jade bracelet. The color's pretty good. Why don't we bid on that?"

Lin Huaiqing looked at the emerald jade bracelet sitting on the tray up on stage. It was obviously the best item of the whole bunch.

The color was a little off and not top-grade, but the starting bid of a million had already drawn in a good number of bidders.

"Ding! Side quest triggered! Successfully bid on 'The Female Lead's Grandmother's Bracelet' to earn Male Lead's Hatred +10."

The system notification came right on time.

This jade bracelet was the female lead's grandmother's keepsake, and she treasured it dearly. But her sister had swiped it and brought it to the auction to sell.

So where this bracelet ended up really mattered.

Qin Feng was definitely set on getting it.

The bidding had already hit three million when Lin Huaiqing raised his paddle.

"Four million!"

He jumped the bid a whole million in one shot. Even though everyone there was somebody important, a one-million jump was enough to make them think twice.

A lot of people started dropping out left and right.

"Alright! Mr. Qin has bid 4.2 million! Will Mr. Lin keep going?"

"4.5 million!" Lin Huaiqing raised his paddle again.

A few seats away, Qin Feng shot him a sharp look, like a warning.

"4.8 million!" Qin Feng continued to bid.

Lin Huaiqing didn't give a damn about his warning. His whole reason for living was to piss Qin Feng off.

Without a second thought: "Five million!"

Even Qin Fan, who'd been watching from the side, couldn't stay quiet anymore. He grabbed Lin Huaiqing's hand and yanked it down.

"Are you crazy? This thing isn't worth five million. Why are you going toe-to-toe with him?"

"I know it's not worth it! But this young master wants it, and I'll pay whatever it takes!"

Deep down, Qin Fan thought this defiant side of Lin Huaiqing was ridiculously cute—the kind that made you want to shove him against a wall and have your way with him.

But going up against Qin Feng never ended well.

As Qin Feng's brother, he knew exactly how vindictive he could be.

"Yeah, cousin! Our budget is five million. You better not go over." Xue Chengan's voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough for Qin Feng, who was sitting nearby, to hear.

Whether it was on purpose or by accident, once Qin Feng heard the budget, he raised the bid without missing a beat.

"5.5 million!"

Anyone who knew anything about this stuff could tell the bracelet was worth three million at most. But the price had already shot up to five and a half million.

Sure, the money was all going to a local charity, but rich folks didn't just toss their cash around either.

At this point, it was already a huge loss.

"Six million!" Lin Huaiqing raised his paddle with a heavy heart. The extra million would have to come out of his own private stash.

"Six and a half million!" Qin Feng remained calm and composed, as if six million were pocket change to him.

"Lin Huaiqing, stop bidding. My brother has a use for that bracelet. Don't fight him on this." Qin Fan advised him with good intentions, but Lin Huaiqing shoved him aside.

"Your brother has a use for it, so I don't?"

"He's bidding on it to chase a woman. What do you need it for?"

"I'm also bidding to give it to a woman. What, I can't do that?" Lin Huaiqing shot Qin Fan a look, annoyed at his meddling, and raised his paddle again. "Seven million!"

Even the auctioneer had never seen anything like it—a charity auction that had somehow hit seven million yuan.

These rich people were out of their minds.

"Who are you planning to give it to?" Qin Fan's face darkened, his cold, piercing eyes locked on Lin Huaiqing, demanding an answer.

But Lin Huaiqing ignored him entirely, itching to raise the bid again.

Furious, Qin Fan stood up abruptly, snatched the paddle from Lin Huaiqing's hand, and dragged him out of the seats.

Lin Huaiqing, caught up in the heat of the moment, refused to give up even as he was being pulled away. Just as he opened his mouth to call out a bid, a big hand clamped over his mouth.

"Mmph! Mmph mmph..."

"Hey! Cousin! What are you two doing?"

Only once they got backstage did Qin Fan release his grip on Lin Huaiqing's mouth.

"What the hell are you dragging me for?!"

Without his bid, the bracelet was ultimately won by Qin Feng for seven million two hundred thousand yuan.

The mission was a bust.

Lin Huaiqing was furious, and the consequences would be severe.

But now, Qin Fan was even angrier than Lin Huaiqing, having dragged him backstage to interrogate him.

"You just said you were going to give that bracelet to whom? Lu Yuting? Or that Lin Yanyan?"