Yu Fu

At 4:00 PM, the seats in the auction hall were almost entirely filled, and the event commenced right on schedule.

First to take the stage was the host, dressed in an impeccable formal suit.

“Distinguished guests, dear friends, and honored visitors, welcome to this charity auction and gala dinner, hosted by the Yuansheng Group and supported wholeheartedly by Mr. Yu Fu and his wife. I am your host and auctioneer for today, Shen Junying. Today’s auction…”

The host spoke fluently on stage, his voice neither humble nor arrogant. Though it was a standard opening speech, it was delivered with a commanding presence that remained comfortable to the ear.

However, Su Mian, sitting in the audience, was not focused on the man. Instead, he was discreetly scanning the surroundings.

He couldn’t tell if it was just an illusion, but he felt as though something had suddenly gone “off” in the atmosphere—an inexplicable, eerie sensation.

Yet, he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was strange.

What’s going on?

Unable to figure it out, Su Mian retracted his thoughts and refocused his attention on the stage.

Shen Junying spoke for several minutes, introducing the background of the event, the reasons behind the auction, and the unique characteristics of some of the upcoming items.

But he was clearly not the protagonist of the day. In fact, neither were the auction items themselves.

Today, there was only one true protagonist…

“Without further ado, before the official bidding begins, please welcome Mr. Yu Fu. Mr. Yu will personally address our friends and guests who have traveled from afar to express his gratitude.”

Clap, clap, clap. Amidst a wave of enthusiastic applause, an old man slowly stood up from the front row.

Like everyone else, Su Mian’s gaze instantly locked onto him.

Boss Yu was a living legend, but because of that, most people here had only ever seen him on the internet or in magazines. Even many of the wealthy guests present rarely had the opportunity to interact with him in person.

Su Mian was no exception. This first close encounter in reality was entirely different from the impression given by digital media. His first impression of the man was simply… aged?

According to the records, Yu Fu should only be in his sixties, but if someone claimed the man on stage was in his eighties, no one would doubt it.

His hair was entirely white, and his face was weathered with age.

However, there was a distinct difference between him and an ordinary elderly man.

Though his face looked old, his eyes were not cloudy in the slightest. On the contrary, they were clearer and brighter than those of many young people. His frame was thin, yet his back was as straight as a resilient pine tree.

Just by standing there, he naturally exuded an aura of quiet authority.

The audience gradually fell silent as Yu Fu took the microphone. He smiled and spoke: “I won’t dwell on long-winded welcomes. Junying has already said everything I wanted to say. In short, thank you all for giving me, Yu Fu, and the Yuansheng Group this honor by taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here.”

“I believe many guests were confused when they received the invitation. You might have thought: ‘Eh? Boss Yu? If you want to donate money, you can just do it directly. Why bother with the hassle of an auction?'”

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd; clearly, many were indeed curious about this.

Yu Fu allowed the low chatter to continue for a moment before resuming unhurriedly: “Before I answer that, many of you might not know that I have actually been involved in charity every year, donating money and goods to those in need for exactly twenty years.”

“I don’t say this to boast. In fact, it is precisely because I do this year after year that I have come to realize that the hardships of society cannot be solved by just one or two people.”

“We need more people to participate. We must make more people willing to join this cause!”

Yu Fu’s voice grew slightly more fervent.

“That is the purpose of this charity auction. I hope to use this method to attract more attention, especially from the wealthy community. Although in some ways I am still the one ‘footing the bill’ for these donations, the funds used are your charitable contributions! And I believe that even if only one person is moved by my actions and chooses to join this cause, then this auction will have been completely worth it!”

“…”

After the old man finished, the hall was silent for a beat, followed by thunderous applause.

Yu Fu’s speech had clearly moved many people on site.

Of course, being moved is one thing; how many people would actually commit to the cause after leaving the hall was another matter entirely.

Though many present were genuine billionaires who wouldn’t miss a few hundred thousand or even a few million dollars, being rich didn’t mean they were willing to part with their money for no reason.

At the end of the day, people are realistic.

Regarding Yu Fu’s speech, some admired him, some supported him, and some scoffed at him.

Regardless, within this small auction hall, only voices of praise could be heard.

“Boss Yu really is a good man,” Su Mian murmured, nodding slightly in agreement with the philosophy. Regardless, he wasn’t a rich man—just a poor student. If money ever needed to be donated, it would likely be donated to him.

Heh, just a joke.

Actually, Su Mian’s family wasn’t exactly poor; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been childhood friends with someone like Qi Chuan. However, those connections belonged to his parents and had largely severed after their passing.

His current living expenses and costs were covered by the savings and compensation left by his parents, as well as the occasional freelance work he picked up.

Furthermore, there was his sister, who was always away doing who-knows-what. She sent him money regularly.

Su Mian’s sister was a mysterious figure. He didn’t know what her job was, but she deposited money into his card every month on the dot—and it was a lot!

In fact, because it was too much, he rarely dared to spend it. It sat in the bank, growing into a staggering figure.

To be honest, every time he received a balance notification, Su Mian deeply suspected his sister was involved in something illegal. But when he asked, she wouldn’t say.

Because they weren’t particularly close and rarely communicated, he felt awkward prying too deeply.

In the end, he just saved the money, rarely touching it unless absolutely necessary.

All in all, while Su Mian’s life after his parents’ death wasn’t “wealthy,” it was far from difficult. At the very least, finishing university would be no problem.

Anyway, that’s a bit of a tangent.

More about Su Mian’s life can be discussed later; right now, the most important thing was the auction.

As Yu Fu finished, the host Shen Junying returned to the stage. Without wasting any time, he officially announced the start of the bidding.

“And now, our first item. Authenticated by experts as hailing from the Dark Period of the Fourth Era—the Animal-Headed Human-Bodied Polychrome Vase!”