The host glanced oddly at Leo, seeing no response from Mr. Church, and began to count: “One hundred and one million once, one hundred and one million twice…”
Following Leo’s lead, Mr. Church raised his paddle on the second count and declared, “One hundred and eleven million!”
The whole room buzzed with excitement after Mr. Church’s bid.
“Mr. Church is still the boss, adding a cool ten million!”
“Mr. Church is a true tycoon; money is just a number to him, he’s throwing it around.”
“Who is that masked guy anyway? He seems so petty; is he here just to create drama for Mr. Church?”
“Regardless of whether he’s that famous piano man from TikTok, today’s auction isn’t about playing the piano. If he doesn’t put down the money, there’s no way he can outbid Mr. Church.”
“I feel like these two are not even playing on the same level. One is a big spender, and the other is a small fry.”
Though they were separated by a distance, Mr. Church could still hear the crowd’s discussions. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. He knew Leo’s identity and thought to himself: “Even if you’re pretending to be an unusual man, you’re just a freeloading waste. Dream on about outbidding me; it’s just a pipe dream.”
Before the auction, Mr. Church had some reservations about Leo, but now it seemed he had overestimated him. Leo was nothing more than a worthless man, like a pond turtle that could barely make a ripple.
In Mr. Church’s mind, the ninth villa on Cloud Dream Mountain was already within his grasp.
The host, instead of counting this time, directly asked Leo, “Sir, Mr. Church has bid one hundred and eleven million. Do you wish to continue bidding?”
The host’s implication was clear: if you don’t have the means, it’s better not to waste everyone’s time here.
Leo stared at him coldly, not saying a word.
The host forced an awkward smile and, following the auction rules, began to count again: “One hundred and eleven million once, one hundred and eleven million twice…”
“One hundred and twelve million!” Leo raised his paddle to make a bid.
“Wow, he’s really just adding one million. Is he deliberately mocking Mr. Church?”
“I understand now; he knows he can’t compete with Mr. Church, so he’s using this method to taunt him and seek some psychological vent.”
“It’s pointless, really pointless. If you can’t afford it, you should’ve left long ago, you pauper!”
In the visitor area:
“Evans, look at this. Is this the amazing Leo you were talking about? Are you sure he’s not here just to show off?” Mr. Richards pointed in Leo’s direction.
Mr. Hudson was equally puzzled. “Why does the guy sitting next to Mr. Church look nothing like the Leo we saw in President Leacock’s office that day? Could it be a stand-in he hired? Such petty bidding, this is supposed to be a serious auction; he’s treating it like a joke.”
Mr. Evans frowned; he found it all very confusing. “What is Leo up to? Could it be that he doesn’t actually want to win the villa, despite the confident display he put on in President Leacock’s office that day?”
There’s another possibility: Leo is doing it on purpose!
If that’s the case, Mr. Church would not only fail to secure the villa but might also be infuriated.
Mr. Hudson exclaimed with frustration, “Damn it, if I had known Leo was such a coward, I wouldn’t have taken that bet in Leacock’s office. Now I might have had a chance to compete with Mr. Church.”
In a corner office within the auction venue, Manager Arnold inquired respectfully, “Mr. Leacock, do you think Leo is intentionally bidding this way to torment Mr. Church, or does he truly not want to win the ninth villa?”
President Leacock smiled casually. “Don’t worry too much. Regardless of who ultimately wins the villa, as long as they drive up the price, it’s the most cost-effective outcome for us.”
As the General Manager of the Cloud Dream Mountain villa center, Devin would receive a commission based on the final auction price, so he only cared about the final amount.
“One hundred and twelve million once, one hundred and twelve million twice…”
As the auction continued, it became clear to Mr. Church that Leo was deliberately playing with him. He gave Leo an angry glare and raised his paddle, shouting, “One hundred and twenty million!”
“So dominant! One hundred and twenty million!”
“That masked guy probably won’t dare to raise the bid now.”
“Enough with this piano man nonsense; influencers are just influencers. They can’t compare to true tycoons.”
The host also became excited, holding the microphone high. “Mr. Church has now raised the bid to one hundred and twenty million. Sir, if you have no intention of purchasing the villa, I suggest you withdraw now for everyone’s sake.”
The host’s implication was that if Leo were to bid over one hundred and twenty million and then couldn’t transfer that much money when the deal was finalized, it would be a farce.
Gilbert scanned the visitor area, hoping to see Leo return, but there was still no sign of him. Athena, like Gilbert, had no interest in the auction itself; she was solely focused on finding Leo.
“Gilbert, how did that useless guy disappear completely? Could it be that the security guards at the auction venue beat him to death?” Athena expressed her resentment.
Gilbert was equally furious. “That idiot probably ran away. Don’t worry; as long as he doesn’t leave Langstel, I’ll get rid of him sooner or later and avenge you.”
“One hundred and twenty million once, one hundred and twenty million twice…”
Just as the host was about to call out “one hundred and twenty million for the third time,” Leo raised his sign nonchalantly and said, “Two hundred million.”
The entire room fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone thought they must have misheard something. Going from increments of one million to an offer of two hundred million now was a mind-boggling leap, and it was hard for anyone to follow this train of thought.
After a long pause, people finally regained their senses, realizing that the figure “two hundred million” had indeed come from the mouth of the man in the mask.
“He’s gone mad! Absolutely mad! He just added eight hundred million and pushed the price to two hundred million! Only a lunatic would do something like this!”
“This is heartless. Going from bronze to king in an instant, there’s no way to enjoy the game!”
“Who on earth is this guy? Bidding two hundred million like it’s a piece of cake. Could he be from the capital?”
“The world of the wealthy is beyond comprehension!”
In the visitor area, Mr. Hudson expressed disbelief and disdain, saying, “Going from one hundred twenty million to two hundred million out of nowhere? It’s probably just empty talk. I don’t believe for a second that a freeloader like him can come up with 200 million.”
Mr. Richards concurred, saying, “This useless son-in-law of the Henley family is probably legally illiterate. He likely doesn’t realize that bids made at an auction carry legal obligations. If he can’t take out two hundred million, he’s in for a rude awakening.”