I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 104: Nian Nian, you are on the headlines again.

The plane landed at midnight local time. An hour later, the car stopped in front of the ornate gate of No. 7 Iris Avenue. The butler, dressed in a black tailcoat, greeted them and calmly directed the driver and servants to handle the luggage.

While Yu Nian was admiring the marble fountain in front of the gate under the lamplight, Xie You introduced, “Both my grandfather and father had the same habit of acquiring properties in major cities around the world. This place was bought by my grandfather from a bankrupt old nobleman, including the murals, sculptures, and furniture inside. You should like it very much.”

They stepped on the stone steps and entered the gate. The interior was spacious, lavishly decorated, with a high dome adorned with exquisite murals, large dazzling crystal chandeliers, and walls adorned with grand paintings, all exuding luxury.

Walking on the carpet, Xie You led Yu Nian upstairs. “When I was studying at the Lato Conservatory of Music, I stayed here with Xiaoran two or three times. He used to say that living here made him feel like a vampire who had lived for more than two hundred years.”

Yu Nian noticed that Xie You  rarely mentioned the Lato Conservatory of Music

He didn’t avoid or deliberately inquire, but asked naturally, “Is Lato far from here?”

“Not far, it’s quick to get here, and the scenery along the way is beautiful. However, be careful if it’s snowy; the roads can get slippery.” They stopped at the bedroom door, and Xie You said, “Take a look and see if you like it. If not, we can switch to another room.”

Yu Nian wasn’t picky about accommodations. He looked inside and found the decoration pleasing, so he nodded and joked, “It’s very beautiful, but the bed is so high. What if we fall off in our sleep?”

“Don’t worry,” Xie You  paused for two seconds, and his voice softened, “…I’ll hold you while we sleep.”

They had a good night’s sleep, and the next day, the weather was excellent. After breakfast, with two bodyguards accompanying them, Yu Nian and Xie You changed into matching couple sweatshirts, put on baseball caps, and went to an art exhibition together.

Coming out of the exhibition hall, the afternoon sun was dazzling, and the nearby fountain filled the air with the sound of splashing water. Flocks of pigeons fluttered overhead. A street performer played the mandolin and sang traditional local folk songs.

Yu Nian stood casually under a tree with a bottle of mineral water in hand, listening attentively for a while. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Xie You to wait. He then ran to an old lady selling flowers on the street, squatted down, and bought a pink and white rose.

When he came back, Yu Nian carefully pinned the rose on Xie You ‘s lapel while humming along with the street performer, “My beloved, your eyes sparkle with radiance, more beautiful than flowers. When night falls, even the sun no longer shines, you’re like a brilliant sun…”

After finishing the song, Yu Nian grinned playfully.

Xie You indulgently watched him and couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss his thin eyelids.

Yu Nian raised his hand to touch the corner of his right eye, pretending to be disappointed, “Alas, how pitiful, this side is being ignored like this.” After speaking he sighed heavily 

Xie You promptly kissed his right eye again.

With a nonchalant expression, Yu Nian was overjoyed. He pointed to the space between his eyebrows, “This place needs some of the boyfriend’s love too.”

After a kiss on the space between his eyebrows, Yu Nian finally felt satisfied. “Now it’s perfect.”

Surprisingly, Xie You  showed a hint of regret, “No more?”

Yu Nian couldn’t hold back his laughter and proactively kissed Xie You ‘s lips deeply, then pulled him to the fountain to feed the pigeons.

They spent the whole day leisurely outside, had dinner, and went for a walk by the river. As evening approached on the second day, they changed into formal attire and got into the car.

Yu Nian sensed that this time Xie You brought along many people—two cars followed behind with bodyguards inside.

Retracting his gaze, Yu Nian asked Xie You, “Is there anything unusual about this gathering?”

“The gathering is fine, but the Monti family is not stable.” Xie You pondered for a few seconds and said, “The host of the gathering is Giovanni Carlo De Monti, the second son of the Monti family. It is said that his mother was imprisoned by his father for several years and couldn’t bear it, so she committed suicide. They are all devout Catholics, but he killed his elder brother and took his brother’s wife as his mistress.”

Yu Nian was surprised, “It’s so… dramatic?”

“Yes, their family situation is not a secret in social circles. The eldest son bribed their father’s mistress, murdered their father, and inherited the family estate. However, in less than a month, he was killed by his own younger brother, and the estate ended up in his hands.”

Yu Nian was curious, “Does this Giovanni’s elder brother have any descendants?”

“Yes, a son who is almost an adult.”

Yu Nian understood, “So—”

“Yes, better be cautious.”

It was said to be a small private gathering, but nearly sixty people were present. Inside the banquet hall, the aroma of flowers and wine created a romantic atmosphere, while a band played classical dance music. Amid the fragrance and elegance, extravagance was everywhere.

Yu Nian kept his eyes forward and followed Xie You. After exchanging brief greetings with the host of the party, they settled into the sofas in the lounge area. A waiter brought drinks and a cigar tray, placing them quietly on a round table nearby.

Groups of people chatted in hushed voices, while others danced in the center of the ballroom to the music. At precisely eight o’clock in the evening, Giovanni, holding a glass of red wine, sat down on the frontmost sofa.

Unlike an auction, there were no elaborate introductions of the items, and the process was casual. Even the auctioneer wasn’t a professional, but one of the guests.

Most of the items were priceless collectible jewelry, works of famous painters, large quantities of firearms and military equipment, purebred foals, and even a mining vein.

Xie You sat next to Yu Nian and whispered, “Most of the people here are interested in diamonds and jewelry. The bidding for the bronze artifacts might not be too intense.”

Yu Nian nodded. He didn’t feel any disappointment, as the value of cultural relics often had a national significance. In other words, fewer bidders might work to his advantage.

After a rare pink diamond was sold for a high price, the Chang Fang Zun came up for auction. As Xie You had speculated, only a collector from an island nation and a high-society lady holding a feather fan participated in the bidding.

When the price reached $18 million, one party withdrew. As it rose to $20 million, the collector from the island nation showed reluctance and stopped raising his plate.

Seeing the other party looking their way, Yu Nian smiled and nodded.

At that moment, even the scent of flowers at the tip of his nose seemed to intensify.

He whispered to Xie You, “I’ve prepared myself. If the bidding goes too high, I’m ready to borrow money from you.”

Xie You thought of a similar scene he had read in a CP article and couldn’t help but look forward to it.

Yu Nian said, “I didn’t expect that this time I would have some money left after winning the bid.”

Recalling Yu Nian’s words during their first meeting in the elevator at Xingyao Entertainment, Xie You  asked, “Couldn’t even afford takeout?”

Yu Nian nodded honestly, looking back on that time, he didn’t feel it was difficult. He smiled and said, “Yes, back then I could barely afford takeout. I remember the pastries you gave me; I used them as breakfast for several days.”

The auction was only halfway through, and it was still ongoing. Knowing that Yu Nian was eager to get what he had won, Xie You  didn’t plan to stay for long. After leaving a message with the host, they left the banquet hall. The Chang Fang Zun, along with its container, was already being carried by the accompanying bodyguards.

As the car started and just left the Monti family mansion’s grounds, a loud “boom” resounded, and thick smoke and flames rose in the sky above the mansion. At the moment the explosion occurred, Xie You  acted swiftly to cover Yu Nian’s ears.

The driver turned the car’s front at a forty-degree angle, allowing the rear passengers to see the situation through the window. After observing for a few seconds, Xie You  determined, “The explosion didn’t happen in the banquet hall, but it’s not far from there. It should be near the courtyard.”

Yu Nian still felt a lingering fear, “Is it a family internal strife?” He remembered Xie You  mentioning before that the deceased elder brother’s only son was about to come of age, and the uncle who killed Yu Nian’s father held the family’s wealth and power. Both sides were bound to take action.

“Most likely,” Xie You turned his gaze away and held Yu Nian’s hand, instructing the driver to continue driving.

The next day, the official news reported that the astonishing explosion at the Monti family mansion the previous evening was caused by a gas leak.

However, there were reliable sources revealing that Giovanni Monti died in the banquet hall that night, and the Monti family had a new master. Due to the ensuing shootout, although no guests at the gathering were injured, various auction items suffered varying degrees of damage.

Yu Nian glanced at the secure Chang Fang Zun and breathed a sigh of relief.

Without staying in the country for too long, the group returned to their homeland that afternoon. As the plane landed, Yu Nian yawned sleepily and received a call from Mengyuan.

“Nian Nian, you made the headlines again!”

Yu Nian blinked his sleepy eyes, puzzled, “But I haven’t had any announcements these past few days, right?”

“This time, it’s passive news!” MengYuan quickly explained, “The owner of a private museum in the island nation named Fujita just returned from Italy after attending a closed auction. Before leaving, he set a flag for himself, saying that he would definitely buy an extremely valuable bronze artifact to display as the centerpiece in his museum. Unfortunately, he failed to win the bid, and in an interview, he mentioned that the bronze artifact was eventually taken away from him by you.”

Yu Nian’s eyes narrowed slightly, “He wanted to buy it as the centerpiece for his museum? Well, I also wanted to buy it as the centerpiece for my residence.”

“Hahaha, I can sense some domineering vibes in your words,” Meng Yuan laughed, then added, “But there’s also a Professor Zhao who criticized you for buying calligraphy and paintings, claiming that you’re just doing it for money and seeking fame. He said you’re a pretentious figure, and your scholarly pursuits can’t cover up the stench of money, which is frowned upon by literary people.”

Yu Nian grasped the key point, “Professor Zhao?”

Mengyuan replied, “I knew you would notice. Yes, I specifically checked. This professor is Zhao Shuya’s father. Isn’t this considered a confrontation between the young and the old?”