"Xiaoyang."
Seeing Li Yang come out, Qin Shanchuan hurried over.
"Uncle Qin, Auntie Qin…" Li Yang greeted the couple with a smile.
His gaze then fell on Qin Yue. Though his expression remained calm, a flash of astonishment flickered in the depths of his eyes.
'What a beautiful girl.'
In terms of looks, Qin Yue was indeed gorgeous. Among all the girls he had ever seen, only his class president, Zhou Yao, could compare.
"This is my daughter, Qin Yue. Xiaoyang, you can just call her Xiaoyue. You two used to play together when you were little," Qin Shanchuan said with a smile.
Li Yang nodded and said to Qin Yue, "Hello."
Qin Yue nodded back. "Hello."
The two exchanged brief greetings.
"Xiaoyang, you're staying at my house tonight!"
Qin Shanchuan smiled at Li Yang. "I'll take some pictures of that Entemnotrochus rumphii and send them over. It'll be featured in the auction three days from now. You can just stay at my place for these three days."
He was very insistent.
Hearing this, Qin Yue's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Her parents both worked during the day. Since she was on summer break, she was the only one at home. 'What's the meaning of Li Yang moving in? It would definitely be inconvenient,' she thought.
Hearing Qin Shanchuan's offer, Li Yang quickly waved his hands. "Uncle Qin, there's no need. I've already booked a hotel."
Li Yang didn't want to stay at their house. The main reason was that it would be awkward to carry on his cultivation.
Another reason was that Qin Shanchuan and his wife wouldn't be home to keep him company, leaving him alone with Qin Yue.
Qin Shanchuan tried to get Li Yang to cancel his hotel reservation, but Li Yang insisted. After a bit of back and forth, Qin Shanchuan finally relented.
...
Qin Shanchuan's family was quite wealthy. He worked at an auction house, his wife worked at a bank, and the previous generation had also been in business. Their total assets were estimated to be over a hundred million.
They lived in a large, detached villa of over two hundred square meters.
Inside the villa, Li Yang took out the Entemnotrochus rumphii. Qin Shanchuan carefully measured it. Its diameter was twenty-three centimeters, one centimeter larger than the one in the Qingdao Shell Museum.
Qin Yue was watching as well.
'So this is an Entemnotrochus rumphii?'
She was quite surprised that such an ordinary, even ugly-looking, shell could be worth several million.
Of course, she wasn't envious. Her grandfather ran a company, and for her eighteenth birthday a month ago, he had transferred ten percent of the company's shares to her as a business gift.
Those shares were equivalent to nearly ten million in assets.
While Qin Yue watched, Qin Shanchuan took photos and sent them to the auction house.
Since Qin Shanchuan himself worked for the auction house, his own photos and measurements were as good as an official appraisal.
Finally, Qin Shanchuan let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Li Yang and smiled. "Xiaoyang, the information about this Entemnotrochus rumphii has been recorded by the auction house. Someone will be here shortly to handle the paperwork. The auction is scheduled for Friday at three p.m. This shell is more than qualified to be the grand finale item."
It was no joke. The largest Entemnotrochus rumphii in Hua Country had a diameter of twenty-two centimeters, and Li Yang's was bigger!
In other words, the shell in Li Yang's possession was now the largest in all of Hua Country. Whichever museum won the bid could display it as the crown jewel of their collection.
An item like this was naturally destined to be the finale!
"I've troubled you, Uncle Qin," Li Yang said gratefully.
"What trouble? If anything, your Entemnotrochus rumphii will boost our auction house's reputation," Qin Shanchuan said with a laugh.
That afternoon, someone came over and had Li Yang sign various auction contracts and agreements.
Then, news of the Entemnotrochus rumphii was quickly disseminated by the auction house.
"An Entemnotrochus rumphii with a twenty-three-centimeter diameter!"
"The largest Entemnotrochus rumphii in Hua Country is about to be auctioned!"
The news spread like wildfire. Major shell museums were clearly tempted, as were various wealthy collectors.
Interested parties began flocking to Xuan City. It looked like the Entemnotrochus rumphii was going to fetch a high price.
...
"Xiaoyang, you just need to wait for the next couple of days."
Qin Shanchuan said with a smile. Then he turned to his daughter. "Xiaoyue, Xiaoyang hasn't been to Xuan City many times. Why don't you show him around?"
Hearing this, Qin Yue, though a bit reluctant, nodded and said, "Okay, Dad."
"Alright, I've got to get back to work. You young people have more in common to talk about, so I won't get in the way." Qin Shanchuan gave a meaningful smile, then left with his wife, Huang Ying.
The moment they left, Huang Ying looked at her husband and couldn't help but ask, "Shanchuan, are you really trying to set Xiaoyue up with Li Yang?"
She had a decent impression of Li Yang, but not to that extent.
Qin Shanchuan smiled. "Xiaoyang might be young, but he's humble, smart, and generous. He's also calm and collected in the face of things. Take this Entemnotrochus rumphii, for example. An ordinary person would be nervous and ecstatic, but look at Xiaoyang. He doesn't even seem to care about it. That kind of mental fortitude is beyond most people."
Huang Ying nodded. In their brief time together, Li Yang had indeed appeared completely composed from start to finish.
This was a treasure worth at least six million! Even she couldn't remain so unfazed.
Qin Shanchuan sighed. "With that kind of disposition, and based on what I know of him, Xiaoyang is bound for great things. I really hope Xiaoyue can be with him. I'd rest a lot easier if she were."
His words made no secret of his high opinion of Li Yang.
Working at an auction house, he met countless people every day and prided himself on his ability to judge character.
Huang Ying nodded and said, "You know Xiaoyue's personality. The more you try to arrange things, the more she'll resist."
Qin Shanchuan sighed helplessly. "I know. Let's just leave it to fate. I won't force it. It would be best if Xiaoyue and Xiaoyang get together, but if they don't, I won't say a thing."
...
While Qin Shanchuan and his wife were talking, Qin Yue was leading Li Yang out of the residential community.
At that moment, Qin Yue felt very annoyed. She didn't have any ill feelings toward Li Yang, nor did she dislike him. Being friends would have been fine.
But with her father trying to play matchmaker, she felt resistant.
'Ugh, Dad is unbelievable.'
'What era are we living in?' Qin Yue couldn't help but think. 'With my family's status, what kind of guy couldn't I find?'
'Is he trying to arrange a marriage like in ancient times? Are we regressing?'
'How am I going to get through the next two days?'
The thought of having to spend the next two days with Li Yang, showing him around, made her sigh internally.
Qin Yue was lost in thought and had no intention of speaking, and Li Yang didn't try to start a conversation either.
He was also secretly pondering his own affairs.
'Now I just have to wait two days!'
'The Entemnotrochus rumphii from Qingdao was estimated at six million. Mine is bigger, so the price should be higher, right?'
Lost in his thoughts, they soon arrived at the entrance to the community.
By this time, Qin Yue had already planned out an itinerary. She began, "Li Yang, since you just got to Xuan City, I'll take you to…"
Although she was annoyed and resistant, her good upbringing prevented her from saying anything harsh.
But she had barely started speaking when Li Yang cut her off. "Sorry, Qin Yue, but I have some things I need to take care of…"
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