Two big fools.

The two delicate, fair hands clasped briefly before parting almost immediately.

Su Qingli couldn't understand why she had emphasized her status as Lu Han's fiancée. She should have been indifferent to his interactions with other women, but hearing that Shen Luoyan was his childhood friend made her feel compelled to state her relationship.

Was this… jealousy?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Su Qingli dismissed it.

How could it be? Lu Han was nothing more than a playboy, useful only for his family's wealth.

She ultimately attributed her unusual behavior to wanting to help Lu Han. He clearly didn't want to be entangled with Shen Luoyan, and after he stood up for her against Lin Wei, it seemed fair to shield him once.

"You two… really do make a good match," Shen Luoyan said with a forced smile. She had already guessed their relationship when she saw them together downstairs, with Lu Han defending Su Qingli.

But she hadn't expected Su Qingli to be his fiancée. Had they already reached the stage of discussing marriage?

Shen Luoyan felt bitter, but then she reminded herself that several years had passed. It was natural for Lu Han to have fallen in love with someone else. Time heals wounds, but while Lu Han had moved on, she hadn't.

Her gaze shifted past Su Qingli, locking onto Lu Han with unwavering determination. She had finally reunited with him and wasn't about to give up so easily.

They weren't married yet, were they? And even if they were, divorce was always an option.

As the two equally beautiful women harbored their own thoughts, the auctioneer took the stage.

After welcoming the guests and explaining the auction rules, he announced the start of the event.

"The first item up for auction is a sapphire necklace handcrafted by the renowned Italian jeweler Logan…"

The auctioneer pointed to the large screen for a brief introduction. "The starting bid for this necklace is one million yuan. Let's begin!"

Bids started pouring in immediately. Lu Han also raised his paddle once, mainly out of curiosity since it was his first time at such an event.

The necklace was obviously meant to warm up the crowd, and from Su Qingli's lack of interest, Lu Han knew it wasn't anything special. But "not special" was relative; ordinary people might still find it impressive despite its modest value.

Before long, the necklace's price soared to three million yuan, three times the starting bid.

A wealthy woman was the last to bid, and it seemed likely she would win.

"Three and a half million."

But then Shen Luoyan casually raised her paddle, surprising nearly everyone in the room. Most attendees were connoisseurs who knew the necklace's true worth was around two million yuan. Bidding beyond three million indicated genuine affection, but adding another half-million seemed excessive.

The wealthy woman was furious but reluctantly gave up.

Thus, the sapphire necklace went to Shen Luoyan.

Su Qingli was surprised but didn't dwell on it. Qinghan Entertainment was currently one of the hottest entertainment companies in China, with several top-tier celebrities under its wing. Spending 3.5 million yuan on a necklace was trivial for Shen Luoyan, akin to buying a trinket for an ordinary person.

Maybe she genuinely liked it, Su Qingli thought.

However, as the auction continued, she noticed something odd. Whenever Lu Han bid on an item, Shen Luoyan never followed with a higher bid. But if others outbid Lu Han and he backed down, Shen Luoyan would persist until she won.

Unless Lu Han hadn't bid on an item, Shen Luoyan wouldn't even glance at it.

Su Qingli quickly figured out why.

She nudged Lu Han and whispered, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed. Your childhood friend thinks you like these things and assumes you don't have enough money, so she's bidding for you."

"That works out perfectly," Lu Han replied indifferently. "If she wins everything for me, I'll just give them to you, saving me some money."

Su Qingli rolled her eyes. "I don't want them."

"Suit yourself," Lu Han shrugged. "But after watching for so long, haven't you found anything you like?"

"No," Su Qingli shook her head.

Lu Han fell silent for a moment. "Then I'll just buy whatever catches my fancy. Don't complain if you don't like it later."

Soon, a set of jade jewelry appeared on the screen, genuine imperial green jade, instantly catching Su Qingli's eye. She adored jade and even had a special safe at home for her collection.

Despite her fondness, Su Qingli reluctantly turned away, only to find Lu Han looking at her with a knowing smile.

"Why are you staring at me?" Su Qingli felt both guilty and heartbroken. If not for the crisis facing the Su Group, she would have bought that jade set without hesitation. Now, she had to pretend it didn't matter, which was embarrassing, especially with Lu Han noticing.

"I'm just admiring how beautiful you look," Lu Han said, turning back to the auction. The bidding had already reached ten million yuan.

"Twelve million," he added, raising his paddle by two million.

Immediately, someone else followed suit.

"Fifteen million!" This bidder increased the price by three million.

Lu Han looked over and saw a portly middle-aged man sitting next to a seductive woman.

The man glanced back, challenging Lu Han with a smirk.

"Daddy, you're the best. I love you so much," the woman cooed loudly, clearly unashamed of being kept.

"Don't worry, baby. With Daddy here, no one will take what you want," the man boasted, squeezing her chest for emphasis.

Ignoring the provocation, Lu Han prepared to raise his paddle again, but Su Qingli grabbed his arm.

"Forget it. That jade set isn't worth that much," she said, shaking her head. She knew he was wealthy, but there were better ways to spend money.

Lu Han gently patted her hand and calmly said, "Twenty million."

Such a bid was undoubtedly foolish, but Shen Luoyan smiled, reassured that Lu Han was doing well financially.

But was her concern truly unnecessary?

...