Ready to visit, let the games begin

Seeing Huang Feirong's hesitation, Lin Yu immediately changed his tone, saying:

"If it's inconvenient to talk about, it's fine. If you need my help, you can tell me anytime."

"Given our relationship, and my relationship with Sister Hong..."

"If you're in trouble, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

[Ding!]

[Masterful move! The Saint's concern for &%$#@ (Huang Feirong) makes her particularly grateful!]

[Reward: 20 Spirit Stones.]

Hearing the system's announcement, Lin Yu felt a wave of speechlessness inside.

After knowing each other for so long, Huang Feirong's sect title was still a garbled mess!

It seemed that without achieving a breakthrough in intimacy, it would be hard to unlock Huang Feirong's true sect title.

Lin Yu wasn't just saying empty words to comfort her.

If Aunt Qimeng knew Huang Feirong was in trouble, she would definitely ask Lin Yu to help.

During this time, Huang Feirong had been a great help to Aunt Qimeng at the flower shop.

Whenever Aunt Qimeng chatted with Lin Yu and mentioned Huang Feirong, she was full of praise.

Thanks to Huang Feirong's presence, Aunt Qimeng, who had lost her "best friend" He Jing, was able to emerge from her inner gloom so quickly.

Hearing Lin Yu's words, Huang Feirong was actually moved to the point of reddening eyes.

She quickly wiped the corner of her eye and said:

"Getting old, really getting old. The slightest little thing gets me emotional now."

"You just now, Dayu, you really sounded like a man, hehe."

While joking,

Huang Feirong gave Lin Yu a light tap on the chest.

As if a weight had been lifted from her heart, she continued:

"Actually, it's nothing unspeakable. To be honest, it's not really my problem, it's my family's."

"You've been to my mom's auction house. Recently, they auctioned an antique piece."

"The process and steps were no different from usual: acquisition, appraisal, auction, handover..."

"But during the handover, they discovered the item was 'damp'!"

"The buyer, of course, wasn't happy. Compensating the money wasn't enough; they even threatened to ruin our reputation."

"The other party seems to have some connections. Now the situation..."

"Well, how to put it... it's a bit out of control."

Huang Feirong described it lightly, but Lin Yu understood why she was so anxious.

No wonder Shen Buyao had that kind of reaction when she mentioned this matter.

Lin Yu wasn't deeply versed in the rules of the antique business,

but he could fully imagine how much impact such an incident would have on an auction house.

At best, it was an auction mishap requiring them to placate the buyer's anger.

At worst, one incident could trigger a chain reaction, causing a massive crisis of trust.

Thinking more carefully about the intricacies...

The Huang family had been running the auction house for so many years. How could they possibly auction an antique if they had misjudged it?

If the Huang family's appraisers hadn't spotted it, the other party shouldn't have been able to either.

There must have been a problem at some key point in the process!

Lin Yu then asked:

"How did it get to this point? Was the counterfeit's craftsmanship too convincing? Did the auction house's experts fail to spot it?"

Huang Feirong shook her head, explaining:

"It's not that. My mom personally checked that vase at the time. She said it was absolutely fine."

"It was only later, at the handover, that the item inside was clearly a problematic fake."

"What else is there to say? It was swapped!"

"Maybe because the auction house's reputation has been rising lately, thanks to the hype around your antiques,"

"some competitor wanted to set us up. Someone inside the house was bribed to be their inside man."

"If it was just this one incident, handling it properly wouldn't be so troublesome."

Lin Yu hurriedly pressed:

"There's more after that?"

Huang Feirong continued:

"Two other clients who bought treasures from our house recently seized the opportunity and jumped out."

"They came to the house making a scene with fakes, insisting they bought them from us."

"Even someone like me, not from the circle, can tell they're in cahoots, trying to bring our family down."

After listening, Lin Yu pondered internally.

Back when he entrusted the treasure to Sister Hong, she had said she wanted to use this momentum to overshadow their competitors.

Who would have thought

that fortune and misfortune are intertwined, leading to such a major incident.

Based on his interactions with Huang Feirong and Sister Hong, Lin Yu trusted the Huang family's character.

Someone must be deliberately causing trouble behind the scenes, wanting to dampen the auction house's rising fame.

Truth be told, this matter was somewhat related to Lin Yu.

If he hadn't brought out the treasure and asked Sister Hong to auction it, there wouldn't have been so many subsequent issues.

But even if Lin Yu wanted to help resolve it, he didn't know anyone in this circle.

He had no idea where to even start.

"Rongrong, after the birthday celebrations today, I'll visit Sister Hong at the house tomorrow night when the Ghost Market opens."

"Who knows, maybe even a humble cobbler like me can be of some help."

Huang Feirong hesitated for a moment, wanting to decline Lin Yu's kind offer.

But on second thought,

how many years had it been since she'd seen her mom so worried?

Lin Yu might not have many connections, but he could produce priceless antiques.

Perhaps

he had another side that Huang Feirong didn't know about, one that could bring a new turn to the situation.

And so,

Huang Feirong smiled and agreed:

"Then I'll tell my mom to prepare some midnight snacks tomorrow, ready to welcome President Dayu for his inspection and guidance!"

"Alright, really, don't worry about me. I'm truly fine."

"Today is your special day. Don't let me ruin your wonderful time with everyone, hahaha!"

Every time he heard Huang Feirong's teasing laugh,

Lin Yu always found it relaxing, yet also a bit grating.

But this time,

Lin Yu inexplicably felt a pang of heartache.

For optimistic, cheerful girls like the "Queen of Risqué Jokes," people often easily overlook their true inner feelings.

When everyone thinks you're always happy, no one pays attention to the sadness you might be hiding.

Right now,

Lin Yu knew very well this wasn't the moment to delve deeper into the matter.

Huang Feirong had finally adjusted her mood; how could he ruin that?

He could only hope that during the game session, the Queen of Risqué Jokes could fully engage and release some of her pent-up negative emotions.

After the game rules were announced, the few newcomers who hadn't participated in the badge draw also drew their uniquely significant roles.

Maomao would continue her duty as the host, so she wouldn't be participating in the game itself.

Everyone took their seats.

Lin Yu glanced around the circle.

The familiar setup, the familiar vibe, the familiar feeling...

Only,

today's Lin Yu no longer felt the nervousness from the gathering game that night.

As the birthday boy, he held a full deck of skill cards.

Want to scheme against him?

Absolutely impossible!

...