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At that moment, the host in the center of the hall announced the official start of the charity auction. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the stage, their eyes focused on the priceless auction items.
A hereditary diamond necklace from the Swedish royal family was carefully brought onto the stage by the staff. Jiang Rou's eyes lit up, as if she had grasped a lifeline. Ignoring Lin Yue's quiet warnings beside her, Jiang Rou raised her bidding paddle without hesitation. "Five hundred thousand." Her voice rang out clearly in the hall.
A jeweler across the room quickly responded, "Six hundred thousand."
Jiang Rou raised an eyebrow, her expression dismissive. "One million."
The jeweler refused to back down. "One million two hundred thousand."
"Two million." Jiang Rou declared decisively, her tone as calm as if she were merely purchasing a silk scarf.
No one dared to bid again. The auctioneer struck the gavel three times. "Sold!"
A victorious smile spread across Jiang Rou's face as her gaze drifted toward Su Yao in the distance, her lips curving slightly upward. She insisted on completing the transaction on the spot and walked over to Lin Yue with the sparkling necklace in hand.
With delicate fingers, she gently lifted the necklace and placed it around Lin Yue's neck. "Here, let me help you put it on," she said sweetly.
Lin Yue froze in place, wanting to refuse but unable to find her voice. The necklace shimmered against her fair skin, drawing gasps of admiration from those around them, yet to Lin Yue, it felt more like a dazzling shackle.
Suddenly, Jiang Rou stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Lin Yue's cheek, leaving a bright red lip print behind. "Lin Yue, do you like the gift I gave you?" Jiang Rou smiled sweetly but discreetly cast a glance at Su Yao. "I heard this necklace represents eternal love."
Her gaze was filled with provocation—look, she is mine.
Lin Yue felt both embarrassed and angry, her face burning as if it were on fire. The public display of affection made her feel uncomfortable, and she instinctively wanted to take a step back.
She glanced sideways at Su Yao and met those bright eyes. Su Yao's expression held curiosity and confusion, along with a hint of something else—disappointment?
"Lu Chen, don't you think this necklace looks especially good on Lin Yue?" Jiang Rou turned to ask, her tone brimming with pride.
Lu Chen smiled awkwardly. "Um, it looks nice."
This display of "marking territory" instantly ignited the gossiping instincts of everyone present. Whispers quickly swept through the venue like an invisible wave, drawing countless inquisitive glances between Lin Yue and Jiang Rou.
"That's the heir of the Jiang family and Lu Family; they look even more beautiful in person than in photos!"
"So… if I'm not mistaken, the other one should be Lin Yue from the Lin family?"
"So that's Lin Yue…"
"I heard they are as close as one person; their families have deep roots in business circles with extensive connections and have invested together in several major projects globally across finance, real estate, manufacturing, and more."
"I also heard that the Lin family originally had an arranged marriage with Lu Family, but then Jiang family intervened because Jiang Rou has liked Lin Yue since childhood. This has long been no secret among the three families, which led to the cancellation of the engagement between Lin family and Lu Family."
"No wonder that kiss earlier was so passionate!"
"But they're both women…"
"What does that matter? They clearly don't care!"
"True! These relationships among wealthy families are even more dramatic than those in showbiz!"
"But Lin Yue is quite mysterious; I heard she has suffered from depression since childhood and even made headlines a few times for attempting suicide before those stories were quickly suppressed."
"Yeah, it's strange; you can always find reports about Jiang Rou and Lu Chen in financial and entertainment news, yet there's no news or even a clear photo of Lin Yue as the eldest daughter of the Lin family…"
"Shh! Keep your voice down; don't you know how powerful their families are? Do you want to ruin your future?"
These discussions felt like sharp knives stabbing into Lin Yue's eardrums. Her breathing became rapid, and her face turned pale as paper. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead, soaking her hairline.
The scene before her began to blur, and waves of dizziness washed over her. She felt her knees weaken, nearly collapsing on the spot.
Jiang Rou immediately noticed Lin Yue's distress, quickly setting down her glass and gently covering her ears. "Don't listen to them. Breathe with me, that's right, inhale... exhale..." Her voice was as gentle as water, yet her eyes burned with anger. Those gossiping had no idea how sensitive and fragile Lin Yue truly was!
Lu Chen also stepped forward to help, blocking the prying eyes of others while casting a murderous glare at the group of gossipers. His presence was so commanding that the chatter instantly faded away; people averted their gazes, pretending nothing had happened.
Su Yao stood a few steps away, clearly hearing the murmurs. Her gaze flickered between Lin Yue and Jiang Rou, noticing the unusual closeness between them. A fleeting hint of disappointment crossed her eyes, but she quickly adjusted her expression, maintaining a professional smile.
Just as the atmosphere became almost suffocating, the host spoke up at the perfect moment: "Next, please welcome our special guest for tonight, Miss Su Yao, to the stage!"
The crowd's attention swiftly shifted, applause erupting in response. Su Yao gracefully acknowledged them and turned towards the stage, her silver-gray silk gown swaying lightly with each step. Under the spotlight, she radiated a soft glow, breathtakingly beautiful.
Lin Yue watched Su Yao walk towards the stage, instinctively holding her breath. She gently pushed Jiang Rou's hand away: "Xiao Rou, I'm fine now."
She quietly took a step back, creating distance from Jiang Rou while keeping her eyes fixed on the stage, afraid to miss any detail.
Su Yao took the microphone, her long fingers delicately gripping it as her red lips parted slightly. The entire banquet hall seemed to be muted; all eyes were focused on this woman.
As the music began to play, Su Yao swayed gently at her waist, her fingertips gliding over her collarbone in time with the melody, strands of hair sticking to her slightly parted lips. Her voice was like silk forged in fire—gentle yet powerful—as the lyrics flowed through the air like poetry.
"Even if I fall, I will shine like a star..." she sang, a deep determination shining in her eyes.
Lin Yue felt an electric current surge from the nape of her neck to the top of her head. In that moment, all her earlier unease and anxiety vanished. The only thing left in her world was Su Yao's heavenly voice and lyrics that pierced through her soul.
When Su Yao sang "My heart seeks your light in the darkness," their gazes met inadvertently for an instant. In that moment, it felt as if an invisible bond tightened between them.
Su Yao's final note lingered softly on her lips, its resonance hanging in the air long after she finished singing. The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause and cheers; Lin Yue found herself tapping her fingers rhythmically against her glass.
The host announced an exclusive auction for this original song titled "Brilliant Starlight," and wealthy patrons eagerly raised their paddles one after another. Lin Yue yearned to bid on this song but dared not become the center of attention in front of so many people.
Her fingers tapped faster along the rim of her glass; desire was evident in her eyes. Lu Chen noticed Lin Yue's subtle movements and quickly understood. Seizing the heated moment of bidding, he decisively raised his paddle.
"Five million!" His bid caused an uproar; no one dared to respond.
As the gavel fell signaling the sale, Lin Yue and Jiang Rou turned simultaneously to look at Lu Chen in confusion. He winked at Lin Yue with a knowing smile.
Understanding his intention, Lin Yue lowered her head to hide a smile while feeling grateful towards this thoughtful childhood friend. However, Jiang Rou's expression darkened as she glanced between Lin Yue and Su Yao who was stepping offstage.
"Oh Lu Chen," she teased lightly but with an edge in her tone, "no wonder you suggested we venture into the entertainment industry; it seems you want to pursue a little star?"
Around them, whispers began anew: "Isn't that the lead actress from Director Li's new drama 'Dark River'?"
"Weren't those three just talking with Director Li about something...?"
"It seems that Director Li's new drama is set to succeed."
Su Yao stepped off the stage and walked directly towards the three of them, politely thanking Lu Chen. "Thank you, Manager Lu, for your recognition of my work," she said with a smile, though her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Lin Yue.
Her eyes lingered briefly on those deep, inky black eyes, and her heart raced uncontrollably for a moment.
Lu Chen responded with a gentlemanly smile, "No need to thank me; this song is a gift I prepared for Lin Yue."
Just as Su Yao was about to speak, Lin Yue interjected with praise, "You sang beautifully, especially that line 'even if I fall'... I really liked it."
Her voice trembled slightly with barely concealed nervousness, and a blush crept across her face, spreading from her neck to her ears.
This reaction left Jiang Rou and Lu Chen both astonished—Lin Yue never initiated conversations, let alone complimented someone in public!
"Thank you for the compliment, President Lin." Su Yao's eyes sparkled with excitement, her tone slightly shy.
In that moment, it felt as if there were a thousand words between them, yet they remained unspoken.
Jiang Rou watched in fury, her anger boiling over. She abruptly hooked her arm through Lin Yue's and coldly interrupted, "Lu Chen, if you want to shoot something, just say so; don’t use Lin Yue as an excuse!" Rolling her eyes, she firmly pulled Lin Yue along. "Come on, Lin Yue, it's getting late; we should head back."
Lin Yue was reluctantly dragged out by Jiang Rou, her steps hesitant as she occasionally glanced back at Su Yao’s retreating figure.
Lu Chen helplessly apologized to Su Yao, "I'm sorry for the awkwardness."
"It's alright." Su Yao offered a polite smile but continued to watch Lin Yue until that splash of red disappeared from sight.
Unconsciously, she touched the three small moles on her neck as if lingering traces of someone's gaze still warmed that spot.
"Sister Yao, it seems President Lin is quite interested in you," Su Yao's assistant Xiao Lin said with a grin from the side.
A blush crept onto Su Yao's face, but she didn’t respond; she merely looked again in the direction where Lin Yue had left.
That night after returning home, Su Yao tossed and turned in bed, her mind filled with those deep black eyes and the words "You sang beautifully."
In the Maybach S-Class car belonging to the Jiang family, Jiang Rou tightly grasped Lin Yue's hand and rested her head gently on Lin Yue's shoulder, her voice laced with jealousy. "Lin Yue, what happened tonight? I've never seen you so proactive in talking to strangers."
After hearing Jiang Rou's words, Lu Chen quietly turned his head to glance at Lin Yue from the front passenger seat.
Lin Yue wearily closed her eyes without answering.
But she knew that a part of her heart had been stolen by that girl on stage.
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