Chapter 69: A Magical Piece of Wood

The onlookers were utterly astonished.

Of course, they all recognized Su Changzhou—Tianlu Club was one of his many properties, and his family background could easily fill several pages with its distinction.

But now, how was it that he was being so courteous to a woman? And this woman… bundled up tightly, appeared to be of no particular note.

Yun Fu witnessed his display and merely nodded at him before heading toward the seat indicated by the invitation from Mo Day.

But Su Changzhou called after her.
“Yun Fu, would you like me to prepare a private room for you?”

A collective gasp rose from those nearby.

The private rooms at Tianlu were reserved only for those recognized as successful by the club, or whose assets eclipsed even that of Tianlu itself—such individuals were rare indeed.

Yet Su Changzhou was now offering one to this woman. Who on earth was she?

Yun Fu seemed entirely unaffected by the stares around her. She shook her head calmly. “No, thank you.”

She took her seat, and just then, her phone vibrated with a new text.

It was from Su Changzhou.

[The SC commercial will be released next week. I’ll reach out to your agent to help with the promotion.]

After two months of anticipation, the much-teased advertisement was finally about to be unveiled.

Yet Yun Fu felt no ripple of excitement—she simply replied with a single word.

[Alright.]

Meanwhile, Su Changzhou, having just sent the message to Yun Fu, immediately texted Lian Hanqi on WeChat.

[Brother Qi, I just saw Yun Fu at the Tianlu Club. She has an invitation.]

The reply came swiftly.

[What does she want to buy?]

[Not sure.]

[Reserve it for her. I’m coming over now.]

[Understood.]

Su Changzhou was inwardly shaken. It seemed Yun Fu occupied an even more special place in Lian Hanqi’s heart than he had imagined.

Lian Hanqi was actually making the trip from the capital to S City just for her—this was unprecedented.

“Zhou, why are you always in S City these days?” one of Su Changzhou’s friends teased.

In the past, Su Changzhou was either abroad or in the capital, spending most of his time around Lian Hanqi. He rarely visited Tianlu, but lately, he’d been in S City constantly.

“A new shipment just arrived,” he replied.

“For you to handle it personally, it must be something special,” the friend pressed further. “And where’s Mr. Qi?”

Su Changzhou glanced at the young woman seated below, her posture exuding quiet command, and answered in a low voice, “You’ll see him soon enough.”

“You and Mr. Qi really are inseparable,” the friend joked.

Su Changzhou gave a cold laugh and shook his head, saying nothing further. He didn’t tell his friend that Lian Hanqi’s visit was not on his account.

A faint sense of bitterness crept into his heart.

Yun Fu flipped through the auction booklet in her hands, reading the items and their starting bids, each accompanied by detailed descriptions.

The item she sought was on the final page.

A block of wood, starting bid: ten million.

Anyone else would find it absurd, but Yun Fu recognized it at a glance.

It was a rare medicinal herb that grew only in that one place—appearing like ordinary wood, but with just a sliver shaved off and combined with other herbs, it could knit flesh and heal bones.

Her eyes fell on the description beside it.

[Miraculous Nanmu: Promotes rapid wound healing and instant hemostasis.]

A trace of mockery flickered in Yun Fu’s gaze.

These people truly had no idea. Yet even so, this was enough to make many flock to it like moths to a flame.

As the auction stretched on, Yun Fu played games on her phone, unbothered.

Su Changzhou kept a close watch, noticing her indifference—even the rare blue sapphires failed to elicit a glance.

He was puzzled. Had this little ancestor come just to play games?

At last, the final auction item was brought out, and Su Changzhou finally saw Yun Fu put away her phone unhurriedly, adjust her mask, and lift her head.

The final item—Miraculous Nanmu.

Su Changzhou frowned slightly. This piece would not be easy to secure.

Meanwhile, in a private room on the second floor, two men in black suits stood respectfully behind a young woman.

She was dressed in haute couture, though unadorned by jewels, her every movement radiated an unmistakable air of distinction.

Her makeup was flawlessly applied, elevating her modest looks into something striking.

“Miss, the Nanmu is up,” one of the men whispered, bending low.

She extended a well-manicured hand, cradling her teacup’s base, and sipped with elegant composure before finally looking up.

Yet her grip on the cup tightened.

“This is it. I must win it. My brother’s leg—his fate depends on this,” she thought to herself.

The opening bid was ten million. The initial bids came from the buyers below, with each raise no less than a million.

When the price reached fifty million, the voices from the floor began to dwindle.

Yu Zhu smiled and signaled to the person beside her.

“Box 103 on the second floor, fifty-five million.”

A jump of five million silenced the buyers below.

Now, the bidding was confined to a few private suites upstairs.

The final price stalled at eighty-nine million.

“Eighty-nine million, going once, eighty-nine million, going twice…”

Yu Zhu wore a look of utter determination.

Just then, a cold, clear voice rang out from below—lazy yet forceful.

“Ninety million.”

Yu Zhu slammed her teacup down and glared at the floor, catching a glimpse only of a dark silhouette.

That person sat with one hand draped over the chair, the other holding up a paddle, looking as relaxed as if she were at home.

Everyone was thunderstruck.

Yu Zhu gritted her teeth. “Ninety-five million!”

An uproar swept the crowd—another five million, and the price was nearing one hundred million.

Yet the figure in black remained unflustered, slowly raising her paddle. “Ninety-six million.”

As if it were just ninety-six dollars.

Damn it! Yu Zhu shot a fierce glare at the shadow below—raising the bid by a million each time, she was clearly being squeezed.

She could at most afford a hundred million—any more was out of the question.

Yet she couldn’t allow this item to slip through her fingers.

No, she couldn’t let it end like this.

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Yu Zhu’s eyes. She beckoned to her bodyguard. “Go, request a pause. I’ll confront this person myself.”

“Yes, miss!”

As the door to the suite opened and Yu Zhu stepped out, a gasp rippled through the crowd.

A member of the Yu family from the capital—what a rare sight.

“So it’s someone from the Yu family. But who’s that girl downstairs, bold enough to outbid someone in a private suite?”

“She’s young, probably doesn’t know the rules. Now that Miss Yu is coming out, the item will surely be hers.”

“Exactly. I wonder if she really has that kind of money. If she were so capable, she’d be upstairs herself by now.”