Private Auction (2)
Private Auction (2)
"This isn't a conventional auction," Luo Wanting whispered right next to her, his lips pressing against her ear. Though he was close, and his voice was low and breathy, it made her conscious that people might be listening, watching.
"What do you mean?" she whispered back.
"These items are very exclusive, and not marketed in regular society, nor do many people know of its valuable existence."
Shi Ailin nearly gaped. "Exclusive to whom?"
"Most Underworld societies. Not all of the guests are from there, though, but they have some type of connection."
Shi Ailin looked at the guests, not latching her gaze onto anyone. There were guests as young as eighteen; some were older than her grandparents, and she realized that they all had some contribution to their societies' existence from older generations to new.
Her attention then looked at the presenter who unveiled a deep-opal ring, crowned with diamonds and bordered with gold.
"This belonged to the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. A gift from his son before he passed, and it was reported to be lost. A servant from back then retrieved the jewel, preserving it down to generations. It's not in its original form, but it's the same one he wore during his reign. Pictures have been drawn in textbooks, confirmed by some of our contributing historians of its authenticity."
Shi Ailin wondered why those historians didn't retrieve it, but perhaps they were apart of this auction, too.
It started at twenty-nine million Yuan and ended at sixty-eight.
She was baffled.
Luo Wanting then purchased a watch, an old, but a well intact mint-blue music box and a ruby necklace as the night went on. The presenter then introduced a new item, which made Shi Ailin dazed to the core.
"Here we have a dagger, made of steel and iron traced back to the mid-Qing dynasty. It's sheathed in the original, brown leather scabbard, with a Lion emblem. There are many tales of its significance. Such as a leader leading a band of outcasts and peasants to establish their domain against tyrants. However, unknowingly over time, they became tyrants themselves. Others say it was used to kill an Emperor from an old and secret society."
Shi Ailin didn't give a damn about what stories were told, but she knew that dagger. It belonged to her family, to her father.
She was going to place a bid when Luo Wanting grabbed her hand and held it down. She snapped her head toward him, and he shook his head at her, his eyes filled with warning.
Shi Ailin frowned. When she turned back around, she noticed an older woman staring at her, eyes narrowed. Shi Ailin didn't hold her gaze, but she felt her hard and sharp stare. She pretended to feel indifferent about it.
When the bidding began, it was down to two people: the woman that was staring at her earlier, and a handsome, middle-aged gentleman.
It started with ten million Yuan, and the prices jumped and jumped as the two battled each other over the dagger. Shi Ailin clenched her hand. Why was she letting them bid on it? It belonged to her!
"Last call…" the presenter said.
Shi Ailin gritted her teeth and raised her hand. She shouted, "Ninety Million."[1]
Luo Wanting widened his eyes in horror. The presenter smiled, and she won.
Shi Ailin and Luo Wanting then were escorted to the back of the stage. She wrote and signed several checks in exchange for the dagger. Luo Wanting also received his things in a red-velvet bag.
"Miss Shi Ailin," the presenter said as he read the name on the check. "If I recall. The name of the dagger itself is called 'Shī zǐ zhī—of the lions.' Your surname is quite familiar."
Shi Ailin faked a smile. "Common isn't it?" she played off.
"A coincidence," the man said. "A Shi dagger going into the hands of a Shi. It seems fitting."
To her side, Luo Wanting seemed to be cold, guarded and stony. Shi Ailin maintained her smile and said nothing.
She was given the dagger with the sheath. The weight of it felt good in her hand, to have it rightfully restored. It called to her. She couldn't resist it.
Once it was in her hand, and they were stepping away from the sellers, Luo Wanting grasped one of her wrists. "We have to go. Now."
Shi Ailin gasped in confusion. They made their way down a long corridor, heading for the exit. Luo Wanting opened an exit door slightly towards where they parked, and people—all wearing black—were surrounding their car. He closed the door immediately. "Shit," he muttered. He turned to her. "We have to through a different exit."
Dazed, Shi Ailin nodded. She then ran toward a connecting back hall, when she bumped into someone. "Oomph," she sounded.
"Foolish girl!" the older woman from the earlier bidding grabbed her shoulders and said. "You dishonour your family!"
Shi Ailin widened her eyes. "Huh?"
Luo Wanting pulled her toward him. "Let's go!"
Shi Ailin kept looking back as the woman harrumphed away. He led her towards a back exit. "Why are we running?" She asked as they dashed down a dark alley.
"We're going to be followed if we're not fast enough."
"Over a dagger?" she questioned.
"Yes," he said. "I told you that there are no rules with the Dark Forces. They'll take what is ours, and we're not equipped to hold them off."
Her heart sped up. "But, this is mine!"
"I know," he countered. "But they are going to act as if you stole it from them."
"So, we're walking targets?"
"Yes. And what's worst is that if they catch you, they might know who you are," Luo Wanting said.
Shi Ailin gritted her teeth.
They dashed from alleyway to backstreets to lanes, and when they made a sharp corner, they saw a swarm of men, including the middle-aged man who lost to her in the bidding blocking their way. And his expression was far from warm and kind.
[1] Remember that Yuan does not equate to USD. If you convert it to USD, it is a lot less than you'd actually think.