Volume One, Chapter 25: Added to the Blacklist

Her original plan had been to reveal the true appearance of the Celestial Maiden painting so that no one would dare bid on it, leaving Su Mingzhe to suffer the consequences of his own actions. However, there was an element of unpredictability in this approach—if Su Mingzhe had borrowed too much power from the evil god and acted ruthlessly, innocent people might be harmed. Moreover, as long as the painting remained in his possession, it would always be a source of trouble.

Now that Xiao Shiyu was here, she had a better idea.

“If possible, I hope you can bid on the Celestial Maiden painting,” Su Tong said politely. After all, the painting was extremely valuable, with a starting price of eighty million. She didn’t think she and Xiao Shiyu were close enough for him to spend such a fortune on her behalf.

Xiao Shiyu glanced at the auction catalog and noticed the Celestial Maiden painting was not listed, quickly deducing it had been added at the last minute. Without hesitation, he replied, “Sure, I’ll buy it and give it to you.”

Su Tong thought to herself: Truly, the extravagance of the wealthy—offering something worth over eighty million as a gift without a second thought.

Nonetheless, she didn’t intend to accept. Smiling, she said, “There’s no use in me keeping that painting. You should keep it for yourself. However, after you buy it, I’ll need to perform a ritual to drive away the evil god attached to it.”

Xiao Shiwei, standing nearby, was less than pleased. She tugged at Su Tong and said, “Tongtong, you’re being silly. If my brother gives you something, you should just take it. Besides, I heard that you helped him secure that parcel of land in the east of the city, and the profits from that land will be dozens—or even hundreds—of times greater than the value of this painting.”

Xiao Shiyu nodded with a smile. “That’s right. According to some inside sources, the government is planning major development in that area, and the land’s value is still rising. Giving you a painting is really nothing at all.”

Still, Su Tong shook her head. “No need. The transaction for that land is already complete. However, if you do buy this painting and I dispel the evil god, we’ll still have to settle things according to the usual rules.”

Seeing her refusal, Xiao Shiyu didn’t press further. He knew that Su Tong seemed to be in dire need of merit and offered, “All right, I can pay you in merit.” Remembering that she had undercharged him last time, he added, “You can ask for more this time.”

Su Tong thought: Even if you didn’t say so, I would have charged more this time.

At that moment, a business associate came over to greet Xiao Shiyu, and he left with him for the time being.

Xiao Shiwei watched her brother leave and pouted. “Tongtong, you must never find a boyfriend like my brother,” she warned.

Su Tong was taken aback and instinctively asked, “Why not?”

With a hint of disdain, Xiao Shiwei replied, “My brother is a total workaholic. Except during meals, you can hardly ever see him. He often works overtime on weekends. You’d be lucky to have a handful of private moments together each month—what’s the point of having a boyfriend like that?”

Then she changed her tone, “But as a big brother, he’s great. He buys me whatever I want, and if I run out of money, all I have to do is tell him and he wires it over instantly.”

Suddenly, a new idea struck her. Pulling Su Tong closer in excitement, she suggested, “Why don’t you become my parents’ adopted daughter? Then my brother would be your brother, and I’d be your sister. Don’t worry, the two of us would dote on you endlessly.”

The more she spoke, the more appealing the idea seemed. Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and her eyes were fixed on Su Tong with a burning gaze.

Su Tong pondered for a moment before dashing cold water on her enthusiasm, “From your features, I can tell you’ll never have a biological or adopted younger sister, though you do have both a paternal and a maternal cousin.”

Xiao Shiwei’s expression froze. “Really?” she asked uncertainly.

Su Tong nodded. “Really.”

Her smile faded, the light in her eyes dimming with disappointment. But she truly liked Su Tong. If she couldn’t have her as a younger sister, then perhaps a sister-in-law would do! If her own brother was out of the question, then what about Brother Ye Mo?

Handsome, well-built, kind-hearted—though perhaps a little too steady, almost scholarly. Still, recalling the way Su Tong looked at Ye Mo yesterday, Xiao Shiwei felt sure Su Tong was at least a little interested in him. If she played matchmaker, maybe something would come of it.

Su Tong noticed the growing brightness in Xiao Shiwei’s gaze and felt a chill down her spine. She warned, “Whatever you’re thinking, drop it.”

Xiao Shiwei blinked, feigning innocence with a nervous laugh. “What? I’m not thinking anything. What could I possibly be thinking?”

Just then, Luo Xia walked over to them and said, “The auction is about to start. Why haven’t you gone in yet?”

Xiao Shiwei immediately dashed toward the entrance. “We’re going in now!”

Su Tong watched her fleeing, guilty figure and rubbed her forehead helplessly, following at a slower pace.

The auction was of the highest caliber, with every item up for bidding carrying a hefty price tag. The necklace Xiao Shiwei had her eye on was finally won by Xiao Shiyu for ten million.

Soon, it was time for the Celestial Maiden painting.

The auctioneer, following his prepared script, lavished praise on the painting. “This Celestial Maiden has a history of over a thousand years. Through unknown methods, it remains vivid to this day. The expression of the maiden—ascending to the heavens with compassion for mankind—is particularly lifelike…”

He hadn’t finished when exclamations of shock erupted from the crowd.

“What Celestial Maiden? It’s clearly a portrait of a vengeful ghost!”

“That’s terrifying! I feel like the woman in the painting wants to devour me.”

“The people kneeling look tormented, as if they’re slaves to that ghostly woman!”

“Take it away! How can they dare auction off such a horrifying painting? How did Xingbo Auctions let this through?”

Hearing these comments, the auctioneer hurriedly looked at the painting and nearly dropped his script. Standing so close, the impact was even stronger for him. At a glance at the ghastly, twisted face of the ghostly woman, he felt as if he’d fallen into an icy abyss, his soul on the verge of fleeing his body.

Good heavens! This is terrifying!

He couldn’t help but scream, “Ah! Take it away! Close it up, quickly!”

Everyone in the auction hall who saw the painting felt a chill run through their bodies and an overwhelming terror rise in their hearts.

Even Xiao Shiwei and Xiao Shiyu sensed a cold, sinister aura rushing toward them. Yet, as soon as it touched them, it was dispelled by the warm energy emanating from the protective talismans Su Tong had given them. Their eyes met, both quietly relieved.

Standing beside them, Luo Xia had turned pale with fright and was trembling all over. Seeing this, Su Tong quickly pressed a talisman into her hand, and her color gradually returned.

Sitting in the audience, Su Mingzhe’s expression darkened at the scene unfolding before him. What was going on? Master Jiang had clearly cast a spell—how could the Celestial Maiden’s true form be revealed?

Could it be Wang Chenyang’s doing, sabotaging the sale?

His gaze, sharp as a blade, landed on Wang Chenyang in the front row.

At the same time, Wang Chenyang was filled with both regret and anger—regret for not heeding Ye Mo’s repeated warnings about the painting, and anger at Su Mingzhe for deceiving him in order to sell it. The last time he’d looked at it, the painting had shown a maiden scattering blossoms of fortune upon the world. How had it suddenly become so horrifying today?

This was ruining Xingbo Auction’s reputation!

Regardless of whether the painting sold today, the incident would tarnish Xingbo’s name. He was furious with Su Mingzhe and resolved to blacklist him from future dealings.