The Auction of Flesh

Li Chen stared at him unblinkingly, his eyes simmering with a repressed rage. The youth’s thin lips were pressed into a tight line, his brows knit together in a knot of frustration.

Shi Ji was looking down at the documents in his hand. Hearing Li Chen’s blunt accusation, he merely lifted his eyelids to give the boy a fleeting, indifferent glance before turning his gaze back to the papers.

He didn’t speak. Instead, he picked up a fountain pen and signed his name with measured grace. He treated Li Chen’s question as if it were nothing more than white noise, choosing to ignore it entirely.

Seeing this, Li Chen’s temper flared. He reached out abruptly, snatched the pen from Shi Ji’s hand, and tossed it aside. “I’m talking to you.”

His brow furrowed deeper, the anger in his tone nearly boiling over. Li Chen hated this version of Shi Ji the most—the one that treated him with such cold, detached apathy.

He clearly cares about me, yet he insists on wearing this mask of total indifference.

He was willing to be honest with me before, so why is he pushing me thousands of miles away now?

Li Chen couldn’t understand. He had tossed and turned in bed until he was insomniac, but he couldn’t figure out who was pulling the strings behind Shi Ji. How powerful must they be to force this “imposter” to mimic the original Shi Ji’s cruelty?

It was as if whoever controlled him wanted him to become a perfect replica of the man he replaced.

Li Chen bit his lower lip so hard his canines nearly punctured the skin. He bent down, picked up the fallen pen, and grabbed a scrap of paper, scribbling a single sentence: Who is that person?

He pushed the paper under Shi Ji’s nose. Shi Ji arched an eyebrow and looked up.

Li Chen locked eyes with him and wrote again: Tell me.

I’ll kill him for you.

To Shi Ji, those six words—dripping with hatred—seemed incredibly naive.

Though he detested the System, he was self-aware. The System was invisible and untouchable, possessing power that transcended the logic of this world. How could it be “killed” so easily?

Shi Ji lowered his lashes and let out a soft, cold laugh. He pushed the paper aside and whispered, “Have I been… too kind to you lately?”

Li Chen froze for a few seconds. His misty-blue eyes blinked as the meaning of the words sank in.

Too kind? Is he saying I’ve become overconfident? That I’m ungrateful and ignorant?

Li Chen ground his molars. His chest heaved violently, and his hands, braced on the desk, clenched into white-knuckled fists. The veins on the backs of his hands and his neck bulged with the intensity of his suppressed fury.

“I told you, I can help you,” he said, his voice trembling. “Just tell me who it is.”

“That is none of your business,” Shi Ji replied flatly. His expression remained frozen, like stubborn winter snow that intended to freeze Li Chen’s burning heart right along with it. “Li Chen, you had better remember your place.”

“Otherwise, I won’t let you off easily.”

He watched as the color drained from Li Chen’s face. Satisfied, Shi Ji looked away and returned to his documents.

However, he couldn’t process a single word on the page. Li Chen remained standing there, lost in thought, until his attention was caught by a dark red envelope on the desk. Without a word, he snatched it.

Shi Ji’s heart sank. He instinctively reached for it, but Li Chen nimbly dodged him.

Li Chen examined the envelope, his thumb rubbing against the matte texture. He brought it to his nose and sniffed. When he caught the faint scent of Scotch, his expression darkened instantly. “The Alpha you met gave this to you?”

He remembered that scent clearly. It was the same one he had smelled on Shi Ji that night.

Shi Ji said nothing.

Li Chen opened the envelope and found an invitation to an auction. According to the details, the star attraction of the night was an artificially cultivated Top-tier Omega.

Li Chen’s gaze lingered on the words “Top-tier Omega.” A strange, sharp light flickered in the depths of his eyes.

He licked his lower lip, slid the invitation back into the envelope, and placed it back on the desk. “I’m going to this auction too.”

Li Chen didn’t give a reason. Shi Ji was stunned for a second, but then he realized: Isn’t this the perfect chance to develop the relationship between the Protagonist Shou and the second Protagonist Gong?

And so, pretending to weigh the options, he eventually gave a reluctant nod of agreement.

A fine, misty rain fell from the grey sky.

In front of a luxury hotel, a black car pulled up. A waiter in white gloves opened the door. The moment Shi Ji’s foot touched the plush sheepskin rug, a black umbrella was unfurled over his head. The rhythmic drumming of raindrops against the silk canopy sounded like the first movement of a dark symphony.

“Mr. Shi! You’re finally here!”

Yan Guangsheng ran toward him, his face damp from the spray. He was dressed in an expensive suit, every hair on his head groomed to perfection. He leaned in close to Shi Ji and whispered, “The guests have all arrived. Your seat is in the front row.”

He handed Shi Ji a black bidding paddle. Shi Ji took it, his eyes lowering slightly.

The wind, smelling of rain and asphalt, swept past. Yan Guangsheng’s gaze shifted to the youth standing behind Shi Ji. He frowned, trying to remember who the boy was.

“Mr. Shi…” Yan Guangsheng pulled Shi Ji aside, lowering his voice. “Why did your ‘brother’ come along?”

Shi Ji glanced at Li Chen. Today, Li Chen was wearing a formal suit. His bangs were swept back, revealing a pair of sharp, beautiful eyes.

“He is my assistant today,” Shi Ji replied.

“As—Assistant?!” Yan Guangsheng’s eyes widened in shock.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Shi Ji’s face remained void of emotion. His suit emphasized his lean, elegant frame, and his aristocratic aura made it difficult for anyone to approach. “He’s just a kid who hasn’t seen the world. I wanted to let him gain some experience.”

“So, I’ll have to ask Mr. Yan to be accommodating.”

He pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile that reached nowhere near his eyes.

Yan Guangsheng’s doubts vanished, replaced by a look of feigned difficulty. “But… the organizers stated only those with invitations can attend. You’re putting me in a tough spot.”

“A tough spot?” Shi Ji scoffed. “If you can’t handle such a small matter, what use do I have for you?”

His tone was light, but the words were lethal. Yan Guangsheng broke into a cold sweat. “I—I can handle it! It’s done!”

Just then, another car pulled up. The waiters surrounding the entrance seemed to receive a simultaneous command, swarming toward the new arrival like bees. One of them accidentally bumped into Shi Ji’s shoulder.

Yan Guangsheng, sensing Shi Ji’s displeasure, barked at the waiter, “Are you blind?!”

The waiter bowed repeatedly in apology. Shi Ji waved him away with an impatient flick of his wrist.

Then, the waiters lined up in two rows, each holding an umbrella aloft to create a dry tunnel for the newcomer.

“Tch, I wonder which spoiled brat needs this much theater,” Yan Guangsheng muttered sourly.

Shi Ji watched in silence.

The man who stepped out was Ji Shichu.

He was in a hurry, his face set in a cold, stern mask. Cameras flashed incessantly as the media tried to catch a glimpse of him. He didn’t blink once, moving forward with an air of effortless elegance.

Suddenly, Ji Shichu turned his head and looked directly at Shi Ji. He curled his lips into an enigmatic smile. It vanished so quickly that the cameras likely missed it, but Shi Ji saw it clearly.

“Dammit, of course it’s him,” Yan Guangsheng rolled his eyes, still bitter about their last encounter.

Shi Ji watched Ji Shichu’s back before turning to Li Chen. “Once we go in, stay by my side.”

Then, remembering his persona, he added: “If you get lost, don’t expect me to look for you.”

Li Chen pressed his lips together and said nothing.

They were led into the grand hall. The venue was magnificent, with a giant crystal chandelier illuminating the European-style architecture. Most of the guests had already arrived. Dozens of soft chairs were arranged at the front, each with a small mahogany table topped with steaming jasmine tea.

As Shi Ji followed the waiter to his seat, he saw Ji Shichu sitting directly to his left.

His footsteps faltered for a moment. He swallowed hard and took his seat.

The moment he sat down, Ji Shichu leaned over. His dark red eyes narrowed as he whispered, “Mr. Shi, we meet again.”

His gaze shifted to the youth beside Shi Ji. He studied Li Chen for a few moments before picking up his teacup. “You brought someone else this time. And… an Omega?”

Whether intentional or not, Ji Shichu’s hand jerked, splashing a few drops of hot tea onto his own fingers. It left red marks on his skin.

Waitresses in cheongsams rushed over instantly to clean the table.

“My assistant,” Shi Ji said, his voice level. “He’s young, but he’s more efficient and cleaner than most.”

Ji Shichu didn’t react much. He gave Shi Ji a meaningful look and handed him a program. “You misunderstand. I just thought he bore a slight resemblance to you.”

“But then again, it’s not strange for your people to look like you.”

“However, this auction attracts a complicated crowd of dangerous people. You shouldn’t bring an Omega next time.”

He glanced at Li Chen once more.

“This is the catalog for tonight. See if anything catches your eye.” Ji Shichu tapped the booklet.

Shi Ji nodded in thanks. Only when Ji Shichu looked away did his heart stop pounding so hard.

But the man’s presence was so overwhelming that Shi Ji had to focus on the catalog to distract himself. As he flipped through the pages, his blood ran cold.

The “items” for sale… were all people.

Alphas, Betas, Omegas—every rank was represented. It wasn’t hard to guess the fate of those who were sold. At best, they would become slaves.

What era is this? How is there a live auction for humans?!

Shi Ji stared in disbelief, flipping through the thick stack of pages until he reached the final entry.

This was the main event: the artificially cultivated Top-tier Omega.

Beside the brief description was a pitch-black image. To maintain mystery, the organizers had not revealed the Omega’s appearance in the catalog.

“The competition will be fierce tonight,” Ji Shichu’s voice rang out suddenly. “Almost everyone here is interested in that one.”

Shi Ji glanced at him and smiled thinly. “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Ji.”

Ji Shichu chuckled and signaled for a chair to be brought for Li Chen. While Shi Ji was marveling at how the two protagonists seemed destined to meet, Ji Shichu spoke again:

“I just wonder… if you bring that Top-tier Omega home, won’t your other Omega be jealous?”

Shi Ji blinked, genuinely confused.

Just then, a host draped in white fox fur stepped onto the stage. Her crimson lips approached the microphone, and her sweet voice filled the hall.

“—Welcome, distinguished guests. Our auction officially begins now.”