Chapter 107: Compensation for selfishness. Arresting you according to the law…
Most likely, it wouldn’t have.
When Le Can was led into the room by the staff, he was met with two pairs of bright, grape-like eyes. Their owners stood beside a noblewoman with her hair swept up, looking at him curiously.
When Le Can’s gaze swept over them, the two toddlers, who were barely taller than the table, scurried away—one buried her head in the waist of the adult beside her, and the other flashed behind a chair in a “whoosh.”
The Lady Ming mentioned by the auctioneer, Ming Huarong, affectionately patted the heads of the two juniors. “Didn’t you want to hand over the stars personally to the handsome big brother? Why are you all hiding?”
Guessing that the children were the youngest consignors tonight, Le Can stood a few steps away, quietly waiting for the two little ones’ reaction.
So “the thing” referred to: The lot that hadn’t appeared?
But the moment the thought rose, Le Can dismissed it.
“Got it recently” and “take this opportunity to hand it over”—it probably meant that because there was the lot of folded paper stars, the other item followed as a consequence.
So, he was probably… benefiting from the two “little marshmallows”?
The next second, under the elder’s gentle words, the children, sensing comfort, gathered their courage, clenching their fists to cheer themselves up.
Then, two human cubs, like kittens, gradually surrounded Le Can, pausing occasionally to peek at him.
Both babies were girls with tender faces and watery eyes. Wearing light-colored dresses, they were like two fragrant and soft little cakes.
The little cakes floated over from afar; one hung onto Le Can’s leg, and the other quietly took his hand.
The former tilted her head to gaze at the handsome big brother while secretly twitching her nose, trying to get to know him through scent. The latter, after a moment’s hesitation, gave Le Can’s hand a tug, wanting to lead him in a certain direction.
Le Can gave a light laugh, half-bending to pick up the dazed cub with one arm, then holding the other cub’s hand with his free hand, following her toward the side opposite Lady Ming.
As he bypassed a low table with all four corners padded, Le Can saw a jar of paper stars and a yellow document folder placed on the table.
To be honest, the thin document folder didn’t attract much of Le Can’s attention. Instead, the plus-sized candy jar beside it made Le Can look several times.
The simple plastic jar with a red lid—at first, Le Can thought it was only about the size of a basketball, but in reality, it wasn’t a basketball; it was like a stone bollard from the roadside!
To fill such a large jar—and it was two toddlers under ten… Le Can looked at the soft cub in his arms in surprise.
“So many stars. Did the baby and sister fold them for a long time?”
The little baby, whose face was pressed against Le Can’s shoulder and creating a “baby-fat” cheek, spent half a minute thinking before nodding solemnly with a serious face.
The person known as Lady Ming, Ming Huarong, let out a “puchi” laugh, eventually unable to bear the child tricking the other child.
She said with a smile: “Actually, what the auctioneer said wasn’t quite accurate. The stars were folded by the whole family; the children were only responsible for pinching the five corners into shape.”
Time had left traces on the corners of Ming Huarong’s eyes, but it had also gifted her with rich experience.
It was an aura that couldn’t be simply described with words—a calm and composure that soaked through her entire being from the inside out, making her words carry a natural sense of credibility.
Only then did Le Can truly face Ming Huarong. He smiled unassumingly and shook his head. “Even if it was just pinching the edges, so many stars still required great perseverance to finish.”
Hearing this, as Ming Huarong watched her granddaughter and grandniece relax their expressions around the young man, the smile in her eyes became deeper and more genuine.
“No wonder they like you more.”
Le Can keenly perceived the subtext in Ming Huarong’s words. He looked down at the two cubs who, after leaving his embrace, sat obediently side-by-side.
“Because they liked me more, they chose to give the stars to me instead of Jian Yu, even though… he could have offered more money than me?”
After buying the watch for Xi Yun, the highest bid Le Can could personally offer was eighty million. In other words, he could only have held out for at most one more round against Jian Yu.
If it hadn’t been for Ming Huarong’s special instruction, the final home for this jar of paper stars most likely wouldn’t have been Le Can.
As for why he said it was Ming Huarong? Well, given the age of the little consignors, they probably wouldn’t even have a concept of a thousand yuan, so how could they accurately say fifty million was enough?
It could only be that the cubs chose Le Can first, and then Ming Huarong “loved the house and its crow,” granting him certain conveniences.
The fifty million was one. The stack of documents on the table was another.
Ming Huarong asked with a smile: “Do you think we lack money?”
“Of course, the purpose of this auction is charity; the more convenience we can provide for children, the better. Therefore, in addition to your fifty million, the Ming family will supplement another fifty million.”
While satisfying their own children’s wishes, they wouldn’t disappoint the hearts of even more children. The Ming family’s way of handling matters was impeccable and steady.
Facing the kindly smiling Lady Ming, Le Can stood up and bowed deeply. “Thank you.”
This method of handling things also allowed the youth, who felt a faint sense of guilt, to truly breathe a sigh of relief.
If more funds could be raised for charity, perhaps Le Can would have chosen to give up even with regret when Jian Yu offered a higher price.
Before a higher bid, the consignors chose fifty million. For Le Can, his first feeling wasn’t one of joy over saving money or outdoing Jian Yu.
Because by doing this, the one truly losing out wasn’t Jian Yu, but those children who were waiting for opportunities and lacked luck.
This wasn’t what Le Can wanted.
Seeing this, Ming Huarong accepted the bow and waved her hand casually. “In the end, I did this for my own selfish reasons as well.”
“If you feel bad about it, then just treat this lot well.”
While making the children happy, they didn’t have to carry certain burdens. Essentially, it was they who had brought these troubles to Le Can.
Therefore, the extra documents were the compensation Ming Huarong made to Le Can…
When Le Can returned to his seat, his expression was a bit strange.
It couldn’t be described as sad or happy; rather, it was as if he didn’t know what expression to make, leaving him in a dazed and at-a-loss state of mind.
“Tsk—I thought it would be something good? Turns out it’s just this.”
Seeing clearly the “vintage and nostalgic” plastic jar in the youth’s arms and the worthless paper stars inside, Bai Xiaotong curled her lips dismissively.
Her expression of disgust mixed with hidden smugness didn’t show even a hint of the panic she felt when she first learned Le Can was favored by Ming Huarong.
Xi Yun gave the disdainful Bai Xiaotong a cold look and rose to meet Le Can, who was walking much slower than usual for some reason, intending to take the stars from his hand.
Le Can gave Bai Xiaotong a look of pity, then shook his head at Xi Yun. “It’s fine, just a few steps.”
Bai Xiaotong was instantly like an ignited oil drum, exploding: “What kind of look is that?!”
As Bai Xiaotong stood up to question him, Le Can suddenly slammed the jar in his hand onto the table.
Don’t misunderstand; it wasn’t because he was dissatisfied, but rather…
With a “thud,” the bottom of the seemingly light plastic jar made a surprisingly loud sound upon contact with the table.
Le Can didn’t even bother to explain. Instead, as if a weight had been lifted, he rapidly shook his aching hand.
[Good heavens, this thing is truly heavy!]
Everyone else at the same table was startled by the unexpected sound. A flash of light passed through Xi Yun’s silver-grey double pupils; under his X-ray vision, he instantly saw what was inside.
The corners of his sharp eyes tilted up slightly.
He reached out to pull the youth into his seat, his large hand gently and accurately pressing on the swollen and painful spots on Le Can’s wrist, helping the youth—who was so shocked he forgot he could ask for help—with a massage.
How could a jar of these things not be heavy?
While others were still hesitant, Xie Jun, who was by their side, asked directly: “Is this paper stars or stones? How could it make such a sound?”
Le Can opened his mouth, hesitating to speak. “Forget it, why don’t you open one and see?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say or was keeping them in suspense, but the matter was so outrageous that Le Can feared no one would believe him if he said it. It was better to just let them see for themselves and settle it once and for all.
Xie Jun truly brushed away the hair in her way and reached out toward the transparent plastic jar. “Could it be that something is buried under these stars?”
Hearing this, Le Can shook his head with a profound expression.
Le Can, who had initially tried to lift the jar with one hand and was taught a harsh lesson by reality, had thought so too. But if things were really that simple, it would have been fine…
After opening the lid and picking out a red star at random, Xie Jun froze for a second the moment she picked it up.
Looking at the item in her palm, she showed suspicion, then carefully unfolded the paper making up the star.
When she reached the last layer, a perfectly cut ruby suddenly rolled out from the paper wrapper!
Everyone who saw this scene felt a moment of dizziness.
Immediately following, gazes from all directions converged on the plastic candy jar filled with paper stars.
“…”
“Grass” (Cao)!*
Even Le Can, who was prepared, couldn’t help but touch his forehead. Fifty million for a jar—he truly got a massive bargain…
Almost everyone else who thought of the same thing couldn’t help their breathing becoming ragged, their faces flushed with regret!
Among them, the strongest reaction came from Bai Xiaotong.
She was as if choked by an invisible hand, gasping from deep in her throat. Her body shook violently before she ultimately failed to hold herself up and fell back into her chair.
She wanted to roar with unwillingness. These things should have belonged to Jian Yu, and they should have been hers! Jian Yu clearly offered a higher price; why, why…
But thinking of the person behind this charity auction, Bai Xiaotong couldn’t speak any of her indignation.
Le Can had also asked this question when Ming Huarong was leaving.
He asked why they chose him instead of Jian Yu.
At that time, the elder in an elegant qipao with her hair pinned by a wooden hairpin left a sentence and a departing figure with a smile.
“Because you will truly cherish them.”
While some people, even with a glamorous exterior, could still be perceived as “different” by innocent and sensitive children, who would then firmly stay away…
Later documents also proved that such a person not only didn’t deserve to own these stars, but also didn’t deserve to own everything he currently possessed.
Just when everyone was shocked into silence, another news, no less explosive than a bomb, finally drifted in from outside the venue.
“Excuse me, are Jian Yu and Bai Xiaotong here?”
The person in uniform raised his badge. “You are suspected of multiple counts of intentional homicide. We are now arresting you according to the law. Please cooperate!”
[Flowers scattered] (Sa hua)
T/N: “Marshmallows” (小棉花糖) is a cute term for children. “Grass” (草) is internet slang used as a mild curse (similar to “Damn” or “Shit”). “Love the house and its crow” (愛屋及烏) is an idiom meaning to love everything associated with someone you love.
Translator’s Note:
I hope you enjoyed reading this novel. We’re so close to the end~
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