A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)

The auction hall became more peaceful after Lin Qian's and Wang Yu's departure.

Later on, a few more items were put up for auction. The auctioneer looked longingly at the masked man, hoping that he would bid for yet another item. But she was left disappointed.

After his successful bid on the pair of red-soled shoes, the masked man had been sitting quietly in a corner. Meanwhile, Qiu Mu-Cheng kept stealing glances at him.

Earlier on, for just a brief moment, Qiu Mu-Cheng had really thought that the masked man was Ye Fan.

Their voices and their body builds were so alike after all.

But in the end, Qiu Mu-Cheng shook her head and quashed that line of thinking.

"What's wrong with me? Why do I keeping thinking these unrealistic thoughts?" "How could he be Ye Fan?" Under the dim lights of the hall, Qiu Mu-Cheng hesitated for a while, but she failed to pluck up the courage to confirm the truth for herself.

She knew Ye Fan all too well. He had been born in the countryside and was of common stock. How could he possibly have the same presence and magnanimity as the masked man?

"His temperament is too poor~"

Qiu Mu-Cheng looked at the pair of high heels and white jade hairpin in her lap. She really liked them, but she was not a greedy woman. If she had a right to something, she would take it. But if it did not belong to her, she would refuse it.

"I will wait till the auction is over, and then return them to him."

Qiu Mu-Cheng did not turn him down earlier because she did not want to embarrass him in front of everybody. That was all. She did not have any ulterior motives nor was she hoping to reap any benefits from her action.

The time passed quickly and, just as the auction was about to come to an end, the organizers unveiled the final item on the list. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a small car.

"I am sure you have heard of this saying. Rather than a Land Rover or BMW, the discerning buyer looks for a Phaeton."

"Yes. The last item to be auctioned is a car from Volkswagen's low-key line - a Phaeton."

"This car is the epitome of low-key luxury. I believe this car is perfect for those people who wish to keep a low profile!"

During the auctioneer's speech, her gaze remained on Ye Fan.

And Ye Fan did not disappoint. He was going to bid for this item.

Since he was planning to buy a car anyway, he might as well buy one at the auction. Not only would he get a car, he would also be doing a good deed.

Perhaps Ye Fan's display of extravagance earlier had frightened everyone else. After Ye Fan had made his opening bid, very few of the attendees tried to compete with him.

The auctioneer had been hoping that the participation of the nouveau riche would raise the price of the car. But it had the opposite effect instead. In the end, Ye Fan managed to get the million-yuan car with a relatively low bid. And once again, he gifted it to Qiu Mu-Cheng.

"Damn it!"

"A million-yuan car for a beauty~"

"Awesome!"

"This is the highest level of skirt-chasing!"

All of a sudden, an uproar erupted in the hall. Many wealthy young men felt ashamed of themselves. Although they liked beautiful women too, there was no way they could be as forceful and extravagant as the masked man.

"Wah~"

"I am so envious-"

"If only that was for me!"

Many of the ladies looked at Qiu Mu-Cheng, envy and jealousy evident in their eyes.

And once again, Qiu Mu-Cheng found herself in the limelight. A number of the wealthy young men present looked at the elegant beauty and sighed inwardly.

"It's a shame. A pretty girl like her is going to become someone else's lover?"

Almost everyone thought that, after Ye Fan's formidable onslaughts, the lady in the purple dress would definitely be moved. And she would most probably offer herself up to the masked man this very night. "This auction has ended on a satisfactory note. All the proceeds will be donated to charity."

"But, before we call it a night, I would like to thank the masked gentleman for his support, on behalf of Yunhai Auction House."

"But may I know how to address you, sir?" The auctioneer asked suddenly.

And everyone turned to look at Ye Fan. Qiu Mu-Cheng's heart tightened in her chest as she waited for his answer.

"My surname is Chu."

When she heard the answer, the light vanished from Qiu Mu-Cheng's eyes.

As expected, she had been overthinking things.

"Mr. Chu, you have been spending lavishly tonight. And you have overbidded on the auction items. Does it hurt to spend so much money?" The auctioneer was obviously trying to get close to a wealthy customer like Ye Fan, by giving him the opportunity to brag at the end of the auction.

Ye Fan did not shy away from the invitation and he went up to the stage.

"Does it hurt to spend so much money?" On the stage, Ye Fan shook his head and smiled.

"Why should it hurt?"

"Money is meant to be spent. Otherwise, it's no different from a pile of waste paper. Money can only realize its value when it's being used."

"Moreover, the couple of millions that I spent tonight is only petty cash to me. But to the people living in the mountainous areas, this amount of money could very well be their life-saving straw and their oasis in the desert."

"One should never forget his roots. Now that I am doing well for myself, the ones I worry about the most are the people suffering in the mountainous areas."

"I wish to thank the organizers for giving me this opportunity to help the needy. Let us pursue happiness together. We are all dream chasers after all."

Applause, thunderous applause broke out in the hall.

"Whoa!"

"It's such a moving speech!"

"This is how a real tycoon should behave?"

"This is the magnanimity of a great person!"

"I am crying. What about you?"

"It's a great speech!"

Ye Fan's speech was majestic and greatly elevated his style. The venue erupted into a frenzy once more.

Even Li Er, the boss of the Cloud Clan, was taken aback when he heard the speech.

He could not help but think that Mr. Chu was truly a great man.

With his state of mind alone, he could surely accomplish great feats.

"To me, tonight is surely a night that will live on in my memory."

"Because, tonight, not only did I help the children living among the beautiful mountains, I also met a beautiful lady."

Ye Fan's voice continued to resound through the venue. He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, and his proud gaze swept through the crowd below him. Finally, his gaze landed on Qiu Mu- Cheng and remained there.

She blushed and bowed her head, not daring to look at Ye Fan.

"Lady, Mr. Chu has emptied his coffer just to draw a smile from you. Would you like to come onto the stage and tell us how you feel?" The auctioneer was a sharp lady, and she seized the opportunity to extend an invitation to Qiu Mu-Cheng.

Meanwhile, the other attendees decided to join in the fun as well.

"Together-"

"Together-"

"Together-"

The onlookers were eager to see things happen, and their clamoring filled the hall.

Finally, with her face blushing red, Qiu Mu-Cheng walked onto the stage.

Just when the audience thought that the lady was about to throw herself at the masked gentleman and a beautiful romance was about to bloom in front of them, Qiu Mu-Cheng nodded her head slightly and said, "Mr. Chu, thank you for your good will tonight."

"But, I am sorry. I can't accept it. Because you are not Ye Fan."

And then Qiu Mu-Cheng ran out of the hall, leaving behind an oppressive silence.

The attendees looked at each other. The twist in the plot had caught all of them by surprise.

Ye Fan smiled bitterly as he looked at her retreating back.

Actually, he had been prepared to remove his mask. He had wanted to tell her, in front of everybody, that he was Ye Fan and he could give her the best things in the world.

But unexpectedly, Qiu Mu-Cheng had not even given him the chance to reveal his identity.

But her refusal only made Ye Fan treasure his beautiful wife even more.

Since Qiu Mu-Cheng had already left, Ye Fan had no reason to stay.

But, suddenly, just as Ye Fan was stepping off the stage, a woman rushed forward and pulled off the mask he had been wearing.

And his face was exposed to the crowd in the hall.

"Shit!"

"It's really you?"

"Just now, the lights were too dim, so I couldn't be sure. But when you went on the stage, I thought you looked familiar. Now that your ugly mask has been removed, let's see how you are going to keep up the act?"

Ye Fan was speechless as he looked at the woman in front of him.

This stupid bitch. She is sticking around like a piece of gum. She hasn't left yet?

Yes, the noisy shrew standing in front of Ye Fan was Lin Qian, who had fled the hall in shame earlier.

Lin Qian had been doing some thinking after her departure. Her performance tonight had been pathetic. She had wanted to show off in front of Qiu Mu-Cheng and take her down a few pegs. But instead, Lin Qian had ended up embarrassing herself in front of everybody.

Because she did not want to take the insult lying down, Lin Qian sneaked back into the venue. She had already guessed that the masked man liked Qiu Mu-Cheng. And so she had waited for the moment wher Qiu Mu-Cheng would give in to the masked man's overtures and throw herself in his arms. Lin Qian's plan was to start taking photos when Qiu Mu-Cheng was kissing and hugging her masked suitor. Afterward Lin Qian would distribute the damning photos to Qiu Mu-Cheng's friends and relatives. She would completely ruin Qiu Mu-Cheng's reputation by sharing evidence of the latter's adulterous affair.

But contrary to Lin Qian's expectations, Qiu Mu-Cheng had turned down the masked suitor. Still, her effort had not been for naught.

Lin Qian started smiling sinisterly.

"You damn piece of trash. Have you enjoyed your one-man show?"

"Just wait, I am going to ruin your reputation tonight!"

As she smiled coldly, Lin Qian stepped onto the stage and snatched the microphone from the auctioneer. Then she pointed at Ye Fan and declared loudly: "Everybody, don't be fooled by him." "What nouveau riche? What dragon among men? That's all a load of crap!"

"He's just a poor commoner."

"He has no money. Not one single cent."

"From top to bottom, he's just a piece of trash."

Lin Qian's words had the impact of giant rocks hitting the sea, and created huge waves among the attendees.

"What?"

"Is what you are saying true?"

"You can't just go around saying anything you like!"

The auctioneer found herself in a state of panic. If Lian Qian's accusation was truthful, then the auction would turn into a farce. It would be a huge blow to the reputation of their auction house.

"Of course it's true!"

"I ran into him this morning, when I went to the bank with my husband."

"He was pretending to be a rich man at the bank, even though he was really poor. He took out a bank card and claimed that it was the Hongqi Bank's black card. And he even said he wanted to withdraw all the money in the bank."

"In the end, it turned out that he did not have a single cent in his card."

"If you don't believe me, just check his card. See if he has any money in there."

"Also, if he really has money, why would he be wearing cheap clothes?"

"He's just a poor man. You all have been fooled by him."

Lin Qian's words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

"Shit-"

"Could it be true?"

"So he was just pretending to be a rich man earlier?"

"Is he really a poor man?"

"No wonder he's dressed so shabbily. Anyone who marries him is truly unfortunate." The crowd's attitude toward Ye Fan took a hundred-and-eighty degree change.

The fawning smile had also vanished from the auctioneer's face. She looked expressionlessly at Ye Fan and said coldly, "Mr. Chu, according to our rules, you have to show us your bank card and allow our staf

to verify if it has sufficient fund."

"Haha~"

"You poor bastard. That's what you get for messing around with me." When Lin Qian saw that Ye Fan's reputation was in tatters, she lifted her chin and smiled smugly.

"Erm, let me say a few words." Ye Fan ignored Lin Qian and asked the auctioneer for her microphone.

The audience below the stage looked on sneeringly.

Lin Qian looked disdainfully at Ye Fan and said, "Making a final struggle, eh?"

At that moment, Ye Fan's voice rang out.

"I have decided. To support the building of infrastructure in the mountainous areas and to help the people living in poverty there, I will donate another million."

Ye Fan paused for a moment before continuing. "Mm, I will be paying in cash."