The Return of the God level Son in Law

Chapter Five: The Auction of the Arrogant

We arrived in three separate cars.

The Zhang family wanted to make a statement.

After all, the auction that evening wasn’t just a business event,it was the place to be seen by Jincheng’s elite. A charity auction hosted at the city’s most expensive hotel, the Golden Pavilion Grand, attracting the kind of guests whose net worth was measured in cities, not currencies.

Normally, I wouldn’t have come.

But tonight was different.

Tonight, I was going to remind them all who ruled this jungle.

Zhang Deshun insisted I sit in the rear of the second car, like baggage. I didn’t argue. Let him think I was still the obedient mutt who carried his bags three years running. Zhang Meiling barely acknowledged me. But Zhang Xue’er?

She looked at me differently now.

With suspicion and wariness.

And something else.

almosr like… anticipation.

****

The ballroom sparkled.

Gold chandeliers, imported crystal goblets, violins humming in the background. Men in tuxedos and women in gowns that could feed a village for a year. Every local tycoon and second-generation brat showed up tonight. Faces I hadn’t seen in years,faces that used to bow when I walked by.

They just didn’t know it yet.

Our table was far from the stage. One of the side ones. Not the worst spot… but not VIP either.

That’s how far the Zhang family had fallen.

“This is humiliating,” Meiling hissed, clutching her clutch bag like a weapon. “We used to sit near the host’s table.”

“Just smile,” Deshun said under his breath. “Let’s not draw attention. Qin Hao promised to introduce us to a new investor.”

“Qin Hao?” I asked, raising a brow.

“He’ll be announcing a collaboration with the Liang Consortium tonight,” Meiling replied smugly. “They’re taking over the Port Authority soon. Anyone tied to that deal will be printing money for the next decade.”

I said nothing.

Because I already knew something she didn’t.

The Liang Consortium had signed over the entire bid to Dragon Holdings East Asia,my company.

They just hadn’t told Qin Hao yet.

****

The lights dimmed.

A tall man in a navy velvet tuxedo stepped onto the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 38th Golden Pavilion Charity Auction. Tonight’s proceeds will support education in rural provinces. As always, we begin with a collection of luxury assets and end with our platinum piece,this year, a rare jade sculpture valued at over 80 million yuan.”

Polite applause followed.

The first few items were forgettable. A gold watch. A signed painting. A rare bottle of French wine. The Zhangs didn’t bid on anything.

Neither did I.

Not yet.

Qin Hao walked in halfway through the event, flanked by security and dripping arrogance. He wore a blood-red tailored suit and carried himself like a man who thought he was invincible.

He walked right past our table and smirked at Xue’er.

“Enjoying your last night as a Zhang?” he asked softly, just loud enough for all of us to hear. “Maybe next year you’ll be working valet.”

Deshun’s face darkened. Meiling hissed in anger.

I just took a sip of water.

He still hadn’t learned.

****

Then the lights changed.

A single spotlight hit the stage.

The host’s voice rose with excitement. “Ladies and gentlemen… it’s time for our final item of the evening. A Qing Dynasty jade sculpture from the Forbidden City—‘The Dragon in Repose.’ This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bidding will start at 50 million yuan.”

Gasps rippled across the hall.

Even I was impressed.

The piece gleamed like ancient emerald, carved in exquisite detail: a dragon curled around a mountain, eyes closed, claws sheathed. Sleeping. Resting.

But unmistakably powerful. It was Almost poetic.

“Let the bidding begin!” the host announced.

A man near the center raised his paddle. “Fifty-five million!”

“Sixty million,” someone else called.

“Sixty-five!”

“Seventy million!”

The room was on fire now. The Zhangs watched with wide eyes.

“This is perfect,” Meiling whispered. “If we can make a deal with Qin Hao tonight, we’ll have the capital to—”

“Seventy-five million!” Qin Hao shouted confidently, standing tall, arms spread like a victorious emperor.

Silence followed.

That was a bold move.

One that dared everyone else to back off.

The host glanced around. “Seventy-five million going once…”

I set down my glass.

“…going twice—”

“Eighty-five million,” I said calmly.

The room turned.

Heads whipped toward me.

Even the Zhangs stared like I’d grown horns.

Qin Hao narrowed his eyes.

The host blinked. “Sir, can you confirm?”

I raised my auction paddle. It had been given to me like everyone else, even if no one expected me to use it.

“Eighty-five million confirmed!” the host exclaimed. “Do we have a counter?”

Qin Hao laughed. Loudly.

“You must be joking. Did you steal that paddle, dog?”

More laughter.

I didn’t respond.

“Eighty-six million!” he shouted.

I yawned. “Ninety million.”

Gasps.

Even the host was stunned. “Ninety million yuan, ladies and gentlemen! That’s a new record for this auction!”

“Are you insane?” Zhang Deshun hissed. “You don’t have that kind of money!”

“Let him humiliate himself,” Meiling muttered. “Let him be dragged out when the card declines.”

Xue’er said nothing.

She just stared at me.

Eyes locked and focused on me.

Qin Hao slammed his hand on the table.

“One hundred million!”

Dead silence.

Even the waiters froze.

I stood up.

Fixed my cuffs.

Then looked Qin Hao directly in the eyes.

“One hundred and fifty million.”

The room exploded.

The host nearly dropped the mic. “One hundred and fifty million yuan! Final call—!”

“Sold,” I said, cutting him off.

A woman in a black suit appeared beside me seconds later. She handed the host a single platinum business card with a blood-red dragon engraved across the back.

He scanned it.

His eyes widened.

“Transaction… verified,” he said in disbelief. “The jade belongs to… Mr. Li Tian.”

The ballroom erupted.

Not with cheers.

But whispers.

Confusion and panic rose among the crowd.

Who the hell is Li Tian?

How could a man dressed like a valet just drop 150 million on a sculpture?

I turned to Qin Hao.

His face was crimson.

Eyes bulging. Lip trembling.

“You son of a!”

Before he could finish, the host interrupted.

“And now… a surprise announcement from our auction sponsors.”

A new logo flashed across the screen behind him.

Dragon Holdings East Asia.

The room went silent again.

I didn’t even have to say a word.

Because the whispers began on their own.

“Dragon Holdings? Isn’t that the group that just acquired the Liang Consortium?”

“Wait, didn’t they also take over Port Authority shares last week?”

“That’s Li Tian? But… he’s married to Zhang Xue’er!”

All eyes turned to me again.

And to Xue’er.

And to the Zhangs who now looked like they’d swallowed poison.

I leaned over to Qin Hao, close enough for only him to hear.

“I told you once,” I murmured, “that you shouldn’t step on what you can’t crush.”

Then I left.

With the jade sculpture.

And the entire ballroom watching in stunned silence.

****

The Zhangs didn’t speak in the car.

Zhang Deshun looked like he’d seen a ghost. Meiling clutched her purse like it could save her. And Xue’er?

She stared straight ahead.

But her hands were shaking.

When we pulled into the villa, she stopped me before I could head inside.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked softly.

“Would you have believed me?” I countered.

She didn’t answer.

I leaned closer.

“You wanted to know who I was,” I said. “Now you’re starting to see.”

She watched me go inside without saying another word.

But I knew one thing.

Tonight, the city had seen a glimpse.

The whispers had begun.

And the Dragon King’s shadow was spreading.