The largest banquet hall on the third floor of the Binhai Grand Hotel had been temporarily transformed into an exhibition hall. Calligraphy, ink paintings, oil paintings, wood carvings, and various art pieces were hung on the walls.

The hall also displayed numerous exhibits filled with a dazzling array of auction items.

At 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Lin Jie and An Kexin arrived there, finding hundreds of people lingering and admiring the exhibits, frequently taking photos with their phones.

Lin Jie and An Kexin approached a nearby exhibit stand.

Displayed there was a pair of blue and white porcelain bowls, with a brief introduction on the nameplate.

Item: A pair of Yongzheng brother glaze blue and white lotus tea bowls

Donor: Mr. Gao Yajun from Dingsheng Group

Estimated value: 50,000 RMB

Lin Jie noticed a QR code in the bidding column.

"Ah Jie, the exhibition hall's items are all up for silent auction!"

An Kexin pointed to the QR code and explained: "You scan this code with your phone, and the bidding page for this item will appear on your phone, where you can enter your bid."

"The bid must at least match the estimated value."

"After placing the bid, if your bid is the highest when the silent auction ends, then you are the winner, and the system will automatically deduct the payment."

"Once the payment is successfully processed, the item is yours."

Lin Jie nodded and said, "It's really keeping up with the times, auctions have gone high-tech."

"Is this considered high-tech?"

An Kexin took out her phone from her handbag, waved it, and said with a smile: "Ah Jie, why not give it a try, take a chance?"

"The items displayed here are donated by prominent figures, dealing with matters of reputation, so there's rarely any fakes."

Lin Jie shook his head and said, "Spending over 50,000 for a pair of not-so-useful tea bowls? I'd have to be crazy to do such a foolish thing."

He looked around at the hundreds of display stands in the hall and said in disappointment, "I had hoped to snag a bargain."

"But since the items have 'estimated values' and bids can't be lower than those values, it seems unlikely to get any bargains."

An Kexin chuckled softly, held Lin Jie's hand, and scolded: "This is a charity auction, we're meant to be donating money, not looking for bargains."

"Come on, let's look around first, find some appealing items."

"We ought to successfully bid on one or two items, so we aren't accused of being stingy later."

After skimming through a dozen or so display stands, Lin Jie discovered that the exhibits here were mostly antiques and artworks, along with some seemingly meaningful souvenirs.

For instance, he saw a pair of crystal high-heeled shoes.

These were the shoes of the pop star Xiaoxiao. According to the label, Xiaoxiao wore them at the Binhai concert while performing the hit song "How Could I Forget You."

Seeing the estimated value of 30,000, Lin Jie couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "Xiaoxiao might as well open a shoe store selling her worn shoes, it'd earn her more than singing."

An Kexin lightly patted Lin Jie and laughed: "This is the celebrity effect, they sell fame."

"Now that you're a celebrity too, let's find that physical check-up voucher you personally provided and see what price the organizers set."

She playfully asked: "Ah Jie, why don't you guess the price and see how much it differs from the actual one?"

"I won't guess!" Lin Jie firmly replied.

Guessing too low would make him uncomfortable, and guessing too high might seem arrogant; the best approach was not to guess at all.

Seeing Lin Jie's firm tone, An Kexin pouted and led him to the next display stand.

"Oh, Master Zang's custom clothing voucher! This must be auctioned, Ah Jie, you need a custom suit."

Lin Jie saw the estimated value reached 45,000 and hurriedly stopped An Kexin from bidding.

"Stop it, stop it!"

He took a closer look at the nameplate explanation and got a little upset.

"Just making a suite requires 45,000? And it doesn't even include the material costs and such, why doesn't he just rob people?"

"Damn it, I don't even earn that much for a major surgery at the hospital."

An Kexin bit her lips, looked helpless, and said: "Master Zang is a renowned handcraft tailor in Binhai, he hasn't been taking work for years now, and only accepts orders from old clients."

"Ah Jie, his craftsmanship is worth this price."

Lin Jie felt a bit unfair in his heart and said unhappily: "Even clothes costing a few hundred or thousands look pretty upscale when worn."

"Wearing this master's handmade clothes, will it turn an ugly duckling into a swan, or heal diseases, cure cancer miraculously?"

He waved his hand and snorted: "Let's go, we're not wasting money here."

An Kexin had no choice, reluctantly being pulled away from the stand by Lin Jie.

They looked through several stands and then came to a spot with a large gathering of spectators.

It was a large root sculpture piece.

Standing over three meters high and more than two meters wide, with spirited horses of different expressions, quite impressive.

Lin Jie and An Kexin arrived at the nameplate explanation, discovering that this root carving called "Hundred Horses Galloping" was carved from a whole piece of camphor wood, with a hundred horses in various postures intricately carved on it.

It was valued at two million yuan.

The nameplate also had a note stating that this root carving was only for display and not open for bidding and would be auctioned at the evening banquet.

Lin Jie also noticed that the donor was Wantong Group and couldn't help but remark, "Wantong is always so lavish, such a grand gesture!"

An Kexin, a bit defiant, said, "Let's see how many people at the banquet are really willing to give Wantong Group face. If it falls flat, the people from Wantong will have to buy it themselves."

Just then, a slightly surprised voice reached Lin Jie's ears, "Aunt, there's a 30-year-old bottle of Moutai here, a special supply for the military, Grandpa loves Moutai the most."

"Should we bid on it?"

An Kexin also heard the voice and looked in its direction with Lin Jie.

They saw, five or six paces ahead, a spirited young man and a slightly plump lady standing in front of a display platform.

On the platform was a bottle of Moutai.

The lady stepped closer, glanced at the nameplate explanation, and nodded, "It's donated by the Anlin Charity Fund again. What they donate are always some substantial items."

"Thirty-year-old Moutai, something scarce on the market, can be used as a holiday gift for dad."

The lady pondered for a moment and said, "Hmm... Bo Chao, just to be safe, bid sixty-six thousand."

This price made Lin Jie a bit astonished.

An Kexin tugged at his sleeve and whispered an explanation, "Thirty-year-old Moutai goes for over a hundred thousand on the market, but for liquor collectors, it's priceless and unavailable."

"Moreover, this is a charity auction, so to show a charitable heart, some people might deliberately bid high. So, their bid isn't all that outrageous."

Lin Jie nodded in understanding.

He suddenly realized something and chuckled, "Kexin, are you taking this opportunity to teach me not to be so penny-pinching? After all, this is a charity auction; what's important is not what you buy, but the act of giving?"

An Kexin firmly stated, "Not at all, Ajie, you're overthinking."

The two continued to browse several showcases until they finally found something Lin Jie was interested in.

A soprano saxophone, and it's made by the famous brand Selmer.

Seeing it, Lin Jie felt a musical soul inside him ignite.

He couldn't help but ask in his mind, "Sister Lanruo, do you play the saxophone?"

"Not only do I play, but I'm also very good at it!"

Shen Lanruo joyfully said in Lin Jie's mind, "When I was a child, under my parents' pressure, I studied piano for over ten years. After studying medicine, life became too monotonous and dull, but the dormitory was too small to fit a piano, so to adjust my life and relieve stress, I learned to play the saxophone."

"Ajie, your interest in this saxophone may mean you've accepted this part of my memories, just like driving a car, you do it instinctively without learning."

Thinking of this possibility, Lin Jie enthusiastically took out his phone, ready to scan the code and bid.

An Kexin looked puzzled and asked, "Ajie, are you buying the saxophone to give to someone?"

"No, it's for myself!"

Lin Jie further explained, "Sometimes when I'm thinking about surgical plans or researching medical issues, my brain gets too tired and muddled, so I've always thought about learning an instrument to refresh my mind."

"Seeing this soprano saxophone, I felt a connection and decided to learn it from now on."

An Kexin nodded in support, "That's a great idea, learning an instrument to cultivate your taste, very good. You know, I can play the piano too."

"Once you master the saxophone, we can play together."

The saxophone was valued at thirty-six thousand, so Lin Jie looked at the bidding page on his phone and asked, "Kexin, how much do you think I should bid to be confident in winning?"

An Kexin pondered for a moment and shook her head, "It's hard to say, musical instruments are quite niche. Those who like them might bid very high, while those uninterested won't bid at all."

Lin Jie thought for a moment, directly entered a number, thirty-six thousand, and laughed, "Let's try our luck; if we don't win, we can just buy a new one at a music store, it's just for practice, doesn't have to be a big brand, as long as it plays."

"Expert Lin, Expert Lin!"

Hearing this voice, Lin Jie turned around and saw a tall, thick-browed, and handsome middle-aged man excitedly striding towards him.

Lin Jie looked at An Kexin, who shook her head gently, indicating she didn't know him either.

The middle-aged man approached and enthusiastically extended his hand.

"Expert Lin, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Jin Lechen, the director of Yuerong Plastic Surgery Hospital."

Jin Lechen? Yuerong Plastic Surgery Hospital?

Lin Jie, with his arm half-extended, paused.

He remembered Chen Qiuhua's warning.

Jin Lechen's hand extended further, gripping Lin Jie's hand, and he shook it firmly, saying, "I know I must have annoyed you with my frequent calls, Expert Lin."

"I sincerely apologize, I'm sorry."

"Expert Lin, your cosmetic surgery skills are just so superb, I couldn't keep my composure, you must accept my admiration."

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