Chapter 13: An Unexpected Respect
Xu Youyou realized she shouldn’t be too rigid in her thinking.
After receiving the auction invitation, she carefully examined the event’s organizers.
It was a top-tier auction house hosting the event. After making some inquiries, she learned that anyone receiving such an invitation must hold a significant status in Shanghai.
Her gaze shifted to the doucai cup beside her. The last time a similar cup sold for a sky-high price was at an auction. She had always believed that the system never acted without reason—there must be a connection between the invitation and the cup.
She quickly found a private number printed on the invitation and dialed it.
A middle-aged man answered, his voice smooth and pleasant, and he asked gently, “Dear madam, how may I assist you?”
Xu Youyou replied, “I have a private collection I’d like to auction.”
The man politely requested the invitation number.
After she provided it, Xu Youyou immediately sensed a shift in his tone—it became noticeably more respectful.
“Understood. Tomorrow at 10 a.m., an expert team will visit to appraise your collection.”
After hanging up the phone, Xu Youyou felt a bit relieved. Although she had obtained a treasure worth millions, she lacked experience with antiques and feared she might accidentally sell it cheaply, like the yellow-haired boy.
What she didn’t know was that, at that very moment, the auction house manager was equally excited.
“A woman? Are you sure?” the manager asked the middle-aged man who had taken the call.
The man nodded. “Her voice sounded quite young.”
The auction house manager said firmly, “No matter how young she is, we must treat her case with the utmost care. Are tomorrow’s experts prepared? Make sure to invite the top-tier team—no exceptions.”
“Rest assured, we know how important this is,” the middle-aged man replied, his expression filled with excitement.
The next morning, around 9 a.m., Xu Youyou received a call—the expert team had arrived at Tomson Riviera.
After granting them access, the team quickly entered her apartment.
The experts surrounded the doucai cup, examining it meticulously. After a while, they exchanged glances.
“It’s definitely a Chenghua doucai cup! This will be the highlight of the auction!” one of the experts exclaimed excitedly.
Soon after, Xu Youyou received an official appraisal certificate stamped by the authentication agency, and the auction house promptly signed an auction consignment agreement with her.
The starting price for the cup was set at 2 billion yuan. Since a similar cup had fetched 2.8 billion yuan nine years ago, and with inflation, its value had only increased.
When Xu Youyou noticed that the auction house’s commission rate was only 0.5%, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is this number a mistake?”
A middle-aged man in a black suit responded respectfully, “Rest assured, Miss Xu, the number is correct. You are one of our most esteemed clients.”
Xu Youyou looked at him curiously—he seemed to be the same person she had spoken to on the phone.
“I’ve never interacted with your auction house before,” she said, puzzled.
The man explained, “Every invitation we send out is numbered. Receiving this invitation means you are one of our most distinguished clients, entitled to the lowest commission rate.”
Xu Youyou lowered her gaze to the invitation—it was labeled ‘000’.
Normally, such numbers start at ‘001’, making this one particularly unusual. But given that the invitation came from the system, perhaps a little oddity wasn’t surprising.
“Alright, I understand,” Xu Youyou said.
Although she carried herself like any ordinary young woman, the middle-aged man remained unfailingly respectful throughout the encounter.
When the team departed, they carefully placed the doucai cup in a small secure safe and took it with them.
While Xu Youyou found the little painted chicks on the cup rather cute, she certainly wouldn’t let a sentimental attachment keep her from earning billions.
News of the Chenghua doucai cup’s reappearance quickly spread through Shanghai’s elite circles, causing a stir. The auction invitations became highly coveted.
Not only were Shanghai’s wealthy eager to see the cup, but even tycoons from Beijing, Hong Kong, and overseas expressed interest in acquiring it.
Yet, Xu Youyou had shifted her full attention to the filming of her short drama.
Song Zhibai was a man of his word—since he had promised to take the project seriously, he was fully committed.
Before filming began, the production team held a briefing session. At first, Ouyang Ouyang had been worried that the male lead wouldn’t fit the script’s vision, but the moment he laid eyes on Song Zhibai, all his concerns vanished.
“Boss, where did you find this actor? It’s like he stepped straight out of the script—no one could be more perfect!” Ouyang Ouyang said, barely able to contain his excitement.
The short drama’s success hinged on the male lead—a broken yet endearing character who could easily capture the audience’s hearts. With Song Zhibai, half the battle was already won.
Xu Youyou smiled faintly. The script had been tailored specifically for Song Zhibai—there was no one more suitable for the role.
Meanwhile, the actress playing the female lead, though fairly attractive, appeared plain in comparison to Song Zhibai’s striking presence.
“Let’s start filming right away. We’ll aim to release it next month,” Xu Youyou said decisively.
Short dramas have a fast production cycle, and with loose regulatory oversight, they could be released quickly. If things went smoothly, the drama could hit streaming platforms as early as next month.
Rubbing his hands together in excitement, Ouyang Ouyang found it hard to believe his first project would be ready for release so soon.
The production process was remarkably smooth. Despite being a team of newcomers, everyone was dedicated to delivering a high-quality result.
Two weeks later, the short drama wrapped up filming, and Ouyang Ouyang immediately led the team into a hectic post-production phase.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou changed into a custom haute couture gown. With Xu Fang’s assistance, she entered her new car—a customized bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom.
She hadn’t expected to acquire the car so quickly, but the original buyer had gone bankrupt and could no longer afford it, allowing her to snag an incredible deal—even without the system’s help.
