DF Chapter 66
by VolareChapter 66 “Congratulations, Song Ji’an.”
Soon, Song Ji’an satisfied Sheng Jia’s curiosity.
The two bid extremely quickly, soon reaching six hundred million US dollars. Meng Yeran tilted her head and raised the bid by a full one hundred million in one breath.
“Seven hundred and fifty million.” She looked at the screen with determination.
Song Ji’an stopped talking.
She sat upright, her fingertips lightly tapping the information on the sandalwood table in front of her, staring intently at the auctioneer on the stage.
“Is there anyone else who needs to bid?” The auctioneer held the gavel in his hand and asked again, “Miss Meng has bid seven hundred and fifty million, is there a higher bid?”
The audience was silent. The auctioneer took a breath and brought down the first gavel: “Okay, seven hundred and fifty million once.”
“Seven hundred and fifty million twice.”
“Seven hundred and fifty million three times!”
“Sold! Let us congratulate Miss Meng Yeran!”
The first to applaud was Song Ji’an. The monotonous applause echoed in the banquet hall. She turned her head to look at Meng Yeran, “Congratulations.”
Meng Yeran couldn’t smile. Song Ji’an’s frankness made her feel a sense of crisis in her heart, even though the gavel had already fallen and everything was settled.
“What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?” she asked bluntly.
The end of the auction doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the game.
Now should be the time for the dagger to be revealed.
“You bribed Ms. Serena with the evidence you found, right?” Song Ji’an said slowly, “Let me guess what agreement you reached. To be able to so easily bid the price up to seven hundred and fifty million US dollars, she must have given you a big discount. Otherwise, the transaction price now is enough to buy two islands, which is too much of a loss. Grandma Meng wouldn’t allow you to do this.”
“This discount should be at least fifty percent or more to allow you to raise the price so recklessly. Both you and I should have had a detailed understanding and budget for the island before coming here. My budget doesn’t exceed three hundred and fifty million US dollars.”
“To give you such a big discount, it must be evidence that could ruin Ms. Serena’s reputation, right?”
Meng Yeran raised her eyes, “So, why would you raise the price with me to seven hundred million?”
Song Ji’an smiled. She picked up the spoon on the table and tapped the white porcelain coffee cup, making a few crisp sounds.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have objections to this result.”
Her voice attracted everyone’s attention.
Serena, who had already stepped onto the auction stage to announce the results, also looked over, a playful look flashing in her calm eyes.
She was also curious about what choice Song Ji’an would make.
“Ms. Song Ji’an, do you have anything else to say?” she asked.
Song Ji’an stood up with the documents in front of her. She took out a USB drive from inside and quickly bypassed Serena and the auctioneer, inserting it into the screen.
Two not-so-clear voices rang out in the room—
“Ms. Serena, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” This was Meng Yeran’s voice.
Serena: “What can I do for you?”
“I found something interesting on your island,” Meng Yeran said, “Two years ago, you sent an invitation to a lady named Zhimeng, inviting her to give up her Antarctic scientific research project to come to Ansdert Island, but unfortunately, she refused. But you didn’t give up because of this. Zhimeng didn’t want to come because researching penguins in Antarctica was her and her lover’s dream, but she didn’t know that you were also the investor in that Antarctic scientific research team. You were very unhappy with her disobedience, so you withdrew the investment.”
Serena: “And then?”
Meng Yeran: “So Zhimeng’s lover, who she had admired since middle school, came to Ansdert Island to reason with you and hoped to beg for your reinvestment, but she didn’t go back in the end. She died on the island.”
“You might have claimed to the outside world that she died of illness? Or perhaps she died in an accident? But in short, Ms. Zhimeng was heartbroken and decided to accept your subsequent invitation and join your volcano research institute, but in fact, her purpose was to find out the cause of her lover’s death, but unfortunately, she also failed, and her young body also turned to ashes and died on this island.”
Serena smiled slightly: “A very interesting story, but what evidence do you have to prove the authenticity of the story?”
Meng Yeran: “I found some interesting things on your island, such as this diary written by Zhimeng herself? Or perhaps the dna of her lover, buried in the volcanic entrance before Zhimeng died? Actually, there is one more thing, which her lover brought to Ansdert Island in order to persuade you, a specially compiled Antarctic scientific research file and experimental progress report. In order to destroy the evidence, you burned it, but it seems that a traitor appeared by your side, leaving behind fragments in the flames, which were found by Zhimeng and also buried in the volcano.”
Serena said in a relaxed tone, “Is that so? Are there such things? What can these prove? Zhimeng was engaged in the development of the role of volcanic ash in my laboratory and died of poisoning after a chemical leak. The toxins affected her nerves, causing her to often have hallucinations, and the diary is also part of the hallucination. And I, as a kind boss, treated her for a full half a year, but unfortunately, I still couldn’t keep her. Zhimeng’s lover did die in an accident on the island. She asked me for the clothes she left on the island and extracted dna from the laboratory as their unique romance. As for the fragments, I didn’t pass her lover’s plan, so these things are useless waste paper to me. Isn’t it normal to destroy them?”
Meng Yeran: “Not destroyed with a paper shredder, but with flames?”
Serena: “Just a personal habit.”
Meng Yeran laughed, “You are really eloquent. Maybe I am just making wild guesses, but these clear pieces of evidence, the gorgeous island, the unclear death, the evidence pointing to you, even if you have these legitimate reasons, the local tabloids should be able to use this news to serialize several issues of gossip tabloids, right? If the police are attracted and really find the dna of Zhimeng and her lover near your volcano, what will you do? Now the volcano is already in an active period, and even a little bit of big action may trigger a volcanic eruption. If it erupts, then this island will be of no use. Tonight you still have to conduct an auction. After the auction ends, you will lose all ownership of the island. If it is given to someone like Song Ji’an who gets to the bottom of things, do you think your criminal evidence can be covered up?”
Serena was silent for a moment before slowly opening her mouth, “Do you think the local police dare to offend me?”
“You are really a ruthless businessman who colludes with the local authorities and has a black heart.” Meng Yeran replied, “You should ask, does Song Ji’an dare to offend you?”
Serena seemed to be moved by her words, took a deep breath, “What do you want?”
Meng Yeran then said leisurely, “Tonight I will raise the price. No matter how much money I spend on the auction, I want you to reimburse me for 60%. It’s just giving me a 40% discount. This island is just a drop in the bucket to your wealth, but it can protect your secrets. Before the volcano erupts, I will never set foot on the island. And after the volcano erupts, it will be enough to obliterate everything, right? It’s also a good thing for you.”
Serena: “Okay, I promise you.”
The conversation ended abruptly.
Meng Yeran was slightly stunned. From the moment the recording appeared, she couldn’t help but stare at Song Ji’an with great interest.
She was wondering when Song Ji’an placed the recording pen in Serena’s room.
“No, it’s not a recording pen,” Dong Zhen, who was sitting behind her, also analyzed in a low voice with Julia, “The sound quality of a recording pen can’t be this blurred, and we don’t have recording pens in our equipment.”
“It’s like a walkie-talkie.” Julia stroked her chin and analyzed, “It’s the walkie-talkie scavenged from us, right.”
Sheng Jia and the others carried their walkie-talkies with them. At the beginning, Julia and Martha were captured, and their walkie-talkies were snatched away. Song Ji’an and the others left one of their team’s walkie-talkies in the room where they were held. Julia’s two walkie-talkies were nowhere to be found.
The two looked at Sheng Jia and asked in a low voice, “Is that so?”
“Your walkie-talkies were collected by Song Ji’an. I really don’t know what she did after I was eliminated.” Sheng Jia replied.
But this was tantamount to admitting their guess.
Obviously, Song Ji’an had planted the walkie-talkie in Serena’s room in advance and recorded everything.
Song Ji’an on the stage exchanged a glance with Serena and curled her lips, “Ms. Serena, do you have any objections to this recording?”
Serena replied, “This recording, besides proving that I was threatened by Ms. Meng with my reputation, can’t prove anything, right? And private recording is illegal.”
“Of course, I won’t easily explain the authenticity of this recording, but the relevant evidence mentioned by Ms. Meng is enough for the police to intervene in the search.” As she said, she took out the document she had prepared for a long time from the file bag, “Of course, this is not the focus of today. The focus of tonight is that I, as the agent of Ms. Zhimeng, the actual owner of Ansdert Island, reject the auction of Ansdert Island.”
“You should have loved Ms. Zhimeng very much, even you could say you were obsessed,” Song Ji’an said with a smile, “But unfortunately, Ms. Zhimeng already had a lover she wanted to spend her life with. You became more and more paranoid because of this, so you decided to economically block their project and make Ms. Zhimeng’s lover give up. I guess Ms. Zhimeng’s lover didn’t necessarily die at your hands, because this could easily cause you and Zhimeng to have irreconcilable conflicts, which would be not worth the loss for you. But she was very likely to have died because of you. You were very clear about the reason for Zhimeng’s arrival, but you were not afraid. You hoped to resolve the hatred in her heart in the future and make her your lover.”
“To this end, you invested in her laboratory, gave her the contract for the Hornet Jade, and finally even gave her the entire island. She suddenly realized that from the moment she entered the island, she could not escape your control. The information she got was also what you wanted to give her. She was played by you in the palm of your hand, so she had the intention of retreating, wanting to escape, but was eventually imprisoned by you, so she left this contract fragment full of cries for help, but unfortunately, no one responded, and the letter of help was also discovered by you. But I guess you may have finally compromised and told her part of the truth about her lover’s death. She didn’t trust it very much, but she had no choice. In the end, in despair, she decided to die with her lover, at least this was the choice she could make autonomously by your side.”
“However, before her death, she left a will hidden in the volcano.”
“The first person to find this will will become the owner of this island after her and will also become her agent. This is the gift she gave to the world.”
“She didn’t even leave a single word in the will, only such a return, as if everything turned to dust after death.”
What Song Ji’an held in her hand was the clue she finally found in the crater, a will and a contract for the transfer of island ownership.
“But I want to do a little more, call the police for her, investigate the detailed process of her lover’s death. If you are involved, you must pay the price for it. If what you once told her was the truth, but your imprisonment of her must also pay the price.”
She smiled slightly and said softly, “I want to get justice for her and her lover.”
“My goodness,” Hong Yue murmured as she listened to her words, “This story is too tortuous, Song Ji’an was prepared for this, she never thought of letting Serena go from the beginning to the end.”
“I know why Song Ji’an smiled like that when she found the clue,” Julia nodded, “It doesn’t matter how Zhimeng died or how her lover died. The most important thing is that when Song Ji’an took the lead in finding Zhimeng’s will, she was destined to win this game.”
“But this is the choice that Song Ji’an would make,” Sheng Jia suddenly said in a low voice, “If she doesn’t choose to really reveal all of this, then she is not Song Ji’an.”
She wants fairness, maintains fairness, and has never changed in the slightest.
Song Ji’an confided in Sheng Jia at the auction, and she was consistent in her words and deeds, even if it was just a game, she would seek justice for the characters in the game.
Sheng Jia didn’t know what she was thinking of, and smiled to herself.
“Dong Zhen, if it were you, what would you choose?” she asked proactively.
“What do you say?” Dong Zhen also laughed, “Of course, at the moment I got the will, I would announce that I am the only winner.”
In fact, for them, at the moment they got the will, they might directly end the game and make themselves the only winner, after all, that already meant that the entire island was in their hands, and Zhimeng didn’t leave any tasks in the will.
Waiting for another moment might mean another moment of change. No matter who their opponent is, as long as they can feel the threat, they must use the safest way to end everything.
Secretly placing the walkie-talkie, recording, revealing everything at the moment the auction gavel falls, there are too many changes, it can even be said that at this moment, Song Ji’an has given up her insistence on the Hornet Jade and chose to seek justice for Zhimeng and the others.
After all, there were too many loopholes in Zhimeng’s will. A slightly more powerful lawyer could delay the auction results and the effective date of the contract indefinitely on the spot. What if Serena and Meng Yeran didn’t admit it on the spot?
The way this game judges the ownership of the island has long indicated that it is the result of the auction.
But Song Ji’an chose the truth between interests and the truth.
Serena looked at Meng Yeran on the stand. Meng Yeran shrugged her shoulders. She knocked on the table and gave up the last chance to attack Song Ji’an.
“Okay,” Meng Yeran said slowly, “Since Ms. Serena’s scandal has been discovered by Song Ji’an, then I have nothing to say.”
“I am sincerely convinced by Song Ji’an,” she said, “I give up my auction results.”
This auction, which could still be argued, ended with Meng Yeran’s abandonment. She raised the coffee cup in front of her and gestured to Song Ji’an, nodding slightly.
She could have continued to play the role of an evil capitalist colluding with Serena. The key evidence was in her hands, which could be used to threaten Serena to join forces with her to solve Song Ji’an and let the game continue.
But under Song Ji’an’s bull-like momentum, her choice would only be inferior, and even a little despicable.
Not completely bad, not too good, in between, very boring.
“Are you sure you give up?” Serena confirmed.
Meng Yeran nodded.
A burst of explosion appeared at the top of the banquet hall, and gold foil and feathers floated down from the top of the head. Applause rang out in the room.
This was the applause from Song Ningqiu and several elders. Serena picked up a contract from the auction table and handed it to Song Ji’an with a smile, “Ji’an, this game is over, you won.”
“Ansdert Island belongs to you from today.”
Song Ji’an took it, and her eyes widened after looking at it, “Aunt Serena, why is the fee zero?”
“This was the result I had envisioned. I won’t sell this island, I will only give it to the final winner of this game.” Serena explained, “The ending you came out with is great.”
Some gold foil fell on Sheng Jia’s head, and she subconsciously raised her hand to pick it off. The gold foil flickered with a cold light. When she raised her head again, Song Ji’an on the stage was already holding the contract and thanking Serena calmly.
The face of the girl with curved eyebrows was also hidden behind a piece of gold foil and feathers.
Then she strode down the stage and, before Sheng Jia could react, bypassed Song Ningqiu and hugged Sheng Jia tightly.
“Sheng Jia! We won!” she whispered in Sheng Jia’s ear with a smile.
The gold foil was still falling on her head. Around her were the kind laughter and jokes of friends and elders in the game. The contract was stuffed into Sheng Jia’s arms by Song Ji’an.
Sheng Jia was at a loss when she was hugged. Her ears were filled with her burning breath, and her heart was her chest that was slightly shaking because of laughter.
After a long time, Sheng Jia concealed the surging emotions in her eyes and hugged her back.
“Congratulations, Song Ji’an.”
She said in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.