Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 622 - 645: Would Donating This Work?

Chapter 622: Chapter 645: Would Donating This Work?

Meng Xiaofei didn’t have so many schemes and, even though she greatly disliked Cui Jiali, she had never thought about setting a trap for her. At this moment, with great reluctance, she said, "Jiali, I don’t want to compete with you. I don’t have money, so I’ll just donate this pretty little thing. If anyone likes it and wants to do a charitable deed, then that’s their business. If no one likes it, then whoever gets the chance will get it, and that’s that."

Upon hearing Meng Xiaofei say this, Cui Jiali became even more presumptuous and laughed, "Well, that won’t do. My husband and I are people of status; how can we go back on our word?"

Meng Xiaofei pursed her lips and said, "Then do as you please."

It was now Meng Xiaofei’s turn. She handed the diamond over to the registration staff and asked, "Is it alright if I donate this?"

The staff member picked up the diamond and examined it from all angles. Cui Jiali peeked over from behind and said, "What’s there to look at? It’s just something made of glass; it’s not that special."

The staff member had overheard some of the conversation between Meng Xiaofei and Cui Jiali and found Cui Jiali’s attitude utterly repulsive. However, as an employee there, he maintained a high level of professionalism and did not let his feelings show. He continued to inspect the diamond carefully because, to him, it seemed like a genuine, high-quality stone—and no one else aboard the cruise ship had brought out such a piece for donation.

It’s not that the people on the cruise ship couldn’t afford it; many were worth hundreds of millions. But it was just a charity event; there was no need to donate so much all at once. A token contribution would suffice. In the event of major disasters, the social elites would donate tens of thousands, which would still leave them with a mention, but for a small event like this, donating that much was meaningless and unnecessary.

The staff member handed the diamond to another person for inspection. After a careful look, both staff members nodded to each other. The first staff member then earnestly asked Meng Xiaofei, "Are you sure you want to donate it?"

Meng Xiaofei replied uneasily, "Is it not okay?"

Cui Jiali immediately intervened from behind, "A piece of broken glass, what’s okay or not okay about it? Can you employees be a bit more efficient? It’s just a fake diamond made of glass, and you’re fussing over it for so long."

The two staff members ignored Cui Jiali. One of them drew up a form and handed it to Meng Xiaofei, saying, "Miss, we will safeguard the item you’re donating with the utmost care. There will absolutely be no issues during the auction. If you find this acceptable, please sign here. If you would rather not, you can keep it yourself and bring it out at the auction to be sold."

Meng Xiaofei hurriedly answered, "No need, no need. I’ll leave it with you." Saying this, she quickly signed her name as if she were afraid the staff would refuse to accept it.

Li Yifei and Su Mengxin couldn’t help but remain speechless. In this world, apart from Meng Xiaofei, there seemed to be no one else who would hand over such a large diamond to someone else so casually.

Cui Jiali snorted and said, "You’re only donating a fake diamond. I don’t even know how to compare with you now. Alright then, I’ll donate this pair of earrings." Saying that, she removed a pair of earrings and said to the staff, "These are real diamonds, worth over two hundred thousand. I don’t trust leaving them with you. If you lose them or switch them for something else, that won’t do. I’ll just bring them out at the auction."

The staff member nodded, filled out a form seriously, and had Cui Jiali sign it.

"Ah, there’s no helping it; no one is as generous as me," Cui Jiali said with a head shake, adopting a pitiful look as she spoke, "To be charitable, you must be willing to give."

In truth, she was reluctant too, but Shen Mingguang was a man who was very superstitious, placing great importance on the cycle of karma and retribution. He believed that doing good deeds would bring greater returns. So even though he was as ruthless in business, as lecherous with women, and as cruel to others as anyone else, he always made it a point to attend charity donations, contributing generously. Cui Jiali, being with Shen Mingguang, couldn’t really control his financial power. Though called a wife, she was more like a mistress; everything was decided by Shen Mingguang.

After the registrations were complete, the two staff members shared a secret smile. Ordinarily, with a gemstone like Meng Xiaofei’s, they would have given her a detailed explanation, but Meng Xiaofei had said nothing. They thought perhaps she was deliberately playing dumb to trick Cui Jiali, who was repugnant. They wanted to play along and avoid spoilers, looking forward to letting Cui Jiali embarrass herself in front of the entire assembly during the real auction. That would be far more satisfying.

A gentleman enjoys the virtue of helping others achieve their goals, and at that moment, both staff members considered themselves gentlemen and couldn’t ruin Meng Xiaofei’s plan.

But little did they know, Meng Xiaofei had no idea that the diamond was real. If she had known it was authentic, she probably wouldn’t have had the heart to donate it. After all, which girl doesn’t like diamonds, especially one as large as this?

The so-called charity auction was just a gimmick; everyone just casually bid on items and spent some money. Those who came here were either looking forward to the real auction later or seeking business partners. With many business moguls and elites present, it was a rare opportunity.

Li Yifei and his group entered the auction hall, then found a row of seats at the back and sat down. Chu Xiaoyao, without hesitation, took the seat next to Yifei. With Xu Yingying and Su Yiyi both absent, it seemed like she was Yifei’s closest person.

On the other side, Su Mengxin took a seat. Aside from Meng Xiaofei, everyone wanted to sit next to Li Yifei, but no one would object to Su Mengxin sitting there. Her status was such that she needed Yifei’s protection. Even if Su Mengxin were not to sit next to Yifei, nobody would dare let her be far from him.

Just as they had settled in, Cui Jiali and Shen Mingguang took seats nearby. Cui Jiali, with a tone dripping with sarcasm, said to Meng Xiaofei, "Look, Xiaofei, you only donated such a trifle, so why even come here? If nobody bids on your item, won’t you be even more embarrassed?"

Meng Xiaofei said with a smile, "I’m just here for fun, so embarrassment doesn’t really bother me. Not like you wealthy folks who care so much about face. We’re not rich, so we don’t mind these things."

As the friend of the wealthy Su Mengxin, Meng Xiaofei certainly didn’t envy others for their money now. No matter how wealthy they were, could they be richer than Su Mengxin? If they weren’t as rich as Su Mengxin, what was the point of showing off to her? In her eyes, Cui Jiali looked more like a clown, and she felt even less inclined to stoop to her level.

Considering this, Meng Xiaofei felt quite pleased with herself. Her own state of mind had clearly improved, hadn’t it?

If Cui Jiali knew what Meng Xiaofei was thinking, she would have been furious. She had aimed to tease and ridicule Meng Xiaofei, only to be regarded as a clown in return.

The auction began with some very ordinary items on offer, including some branded bags and watches that no one really fancied. So, the bidding wasn’t enthusiastic, usually ending at the starting price, just for show. Whether the winners actually wanted the items was another matter; it was just about spending some money on charity.

"Tell me, Mengfei, why hasn’t your glass stone come up yet? Don’t tell me they’re too embarrassed to put it on display?" After a while, with no sign of Meng Xiaofei’s stone, Cui Jiali couldn’t resist taunting her once more.

"Perhaps," Meng Xiaofei replied.

Meng Xiaofei’s response held a certain grace, an effortless victory, a step back as strategy. If she’d tried to explain, Cui Jiali had a load of remarks waiting for her. But by directly admitting to it, Meng Xiaofei left Cui Jiali momentarily unable to find more words to mock her.

Time passed and it looked as though most items had nearly been auctioned off. Cui Jiali said with an air of arrogance to Meng Xiaofei, "It seems your item won’t be auctioned after all. Just wait and see what a real highlight is. My earrings will surely stir up a bidding frenzy."

"Yes, your earrings are so beautiful, they will definitely be popular," Meng Xiaofei countered with another line.

Cui Jiali rolled her eyes, feeling annoyed. Normally, Meng Xiaofei should have shown some disdain or made a retort. By agreeing with everything she said, when her earrings finally went up for auction and everyone fought over them, it would have been so satisfying. But Meng Xiaofei refused to follow the script Cui Jiali had imagined, leaving her no room to play her game. It was utterly frustrating.

Li Yifei and Su Mengxin also just occasionally joined in the fun, casually raising their hands, but ultimately didn’t win any bids. It was only a game to them—they didn’t take it seriously at all.

At the beginning, the auctioned items were things that had been sent to the organizers, and now, most of them had been auctioned off. The auctioneer then declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am now going to present the most valuable item of the evening so far, which I believe will not disappoint."

The moment Cui Jiali heard this, she beamed and said to Meng Xiaofei, "It’s my turn now. Just wait and see what being in the spotlight is like, something you’ll never experience in your lifetime." She straightened up a bit, ready to stand up and bask in everyone’s attention as soon as the auctioneer called her name.