GT chapter 10

The next morning, Luo Jin woke up groggy and disoriented. For a moment, he forgot he was in City B and instinctively thought about making breakfast for Duan Xingchi. It wasn’t until he got out of bed and saw the unfamiliar kitchen that he remembered — he was on a business trip, and the young master was still at home.

At this hour, he was probably still asleep, though breakfast should’ve already been delivered.

Every meal had been arranged under his specific instructions — to make sure the young master never had to eat anything he didn’t like.

For once, Luo Jin had a free day to relax. After finishing the hotel breakfast, he went back to bed for another nap. It was true what they said — sleep after a wash always felt better. When he woke again, it was nearly noon — just about lunchtime.

Stretching lazily, he reached for his phone. The curtains were drawn, and the room dim. The screen’s glare made him squint.

There were several unread notifications — no missed calls, meaning nothing urgent. Compulsively, he cleared out the junk ads and public account messages first, then began replying to messages one by one from the bottom up.

It was mostly employees reporting their work, and Lu Zhiyan and Pei Xinan asking how his rest had been. It wasn’t until halfway through that he saw Duan Xingchi’s messages — and even then, the first one he opened wasn’t the earliest.

[Xingchi: Good morning, ge.]
That one was sent at eight o’clock, probably just after he woke up. About half an hour later came the second.

[Xingchi: Still not awake? Since when do you ever sleep this late? Are you ignoring me?]
That must have been after breakfast.

The last one came about an hour ago — just two short words followed by a string of exclamation marks, not even bothering to call him “ge.”

[Xingchi: Luo Jin!!!!!!]

Luo Jin rubbed his forehead, laughing helplessly. The young master really couldn’t stand waiting even a little.

He decided not to reply by text, and instead called him directly to apologize.

Duan Xingchi had been waiting all morning, feeling irritable. If looks could kill, his phone screen would’ve been cut through by now. So when he saw Luo Jin’s name appear, he snorted and hung up.

The ringtone had barely finished when it switched to the cold, mechanical female voice of the system. Luo Jin chuckled. “Well, someone’s got a temper.”

He waited a minute and called again.

This time Duan Xingchi answered, sounding annoyed. “Finally remembered me, Mr. Big Boss?”

Luo Jin’s laughter came through the receiver, slightly distorted by the line, but somehow soft and tingling in Duan Xingchi’s ears, melting away his irritation.

“My bad, my little young master. Slept in this morning — didn’t expect to sleep that long.”

Duan Xingchi’s tone turned a little plaintive. “You did this yesterday too. You don’t pick up when I call, and you don’t reply to my messages.”

He was nearly ten years younger than Luo Jin, so his complaints and sulking sounded more like childish pouting. Luo Jin cleared his throat, suppressing his amusement.

“Never again, never again, my little young my master. Don’t be mad at me.”

“You said the same thing yesterday.”

Luo Jin couldn’t help laughing again.

“Stop laughing. Be serious.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be serious. This time’s really the last. From now on, whenever I have work, I’ll tell you in advance, and any other time I’ll reply right away. Deal?”

He coaxed him like a child, and Duan Xingchi fell for it again. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, a little reluctant but clearly appeased. “Fine. Then I’ll forgive you.”

They hadn’t known each other for long, but Luo Jin prided himself on understanding him pretty well. The young master might sound reluctant, but he wasn’t actually angry anymore — he was easy to please.

“Thank you, young master, for your generous forgiveness. I’ll make you something delicious when I get back.”

“Okay. Are you busy later?”

“Not really. Just lunch. Tomorrow’s the auction. Oh, by the way, have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet—” Duan Xingchi started to reply, but just then the doorbell rang. “Oh, it’s here.”

“Then go eat. I’ll talk to my assistant.”

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Duan Xingchi took the insulated lunchbox. The driver who delivered it noticed his good mood and teased, “Young Master Duan, were you talking to our President Luo just now?”

Duan Xingchi nodded, suddenly feeling like the driver’s tone sounded as if he were asking the company president’s wife.

“My little young master, my little young master…” Duan Xingchi murmured, setting the dishes on the table, repeating Luo Jin’s new nickname for him.

…..

“Mr. Luo, about tomorrow’s auction, I was thinking we should start the bidding low.”

Luo Jin crossed one leg over the other, thinking. “We’ll definitely need to start low — the price will rise anyway.”

Lin Beibei didn’t respond, knowing Luo Jin was calculating the right opening bid.

“4.8 billion. Start at 70% of market price.”

“That works. But honestly, I think the final price will still end up around market value.”

Luo Jin knew that too, but as a businessman, he’d try any tactic that might lower the final deal price.

The next day arrived quickly. Luo Jin stood in front of the mirror, straightening his suit. At an auction, appearances mattered, so he even styled his hair a bit.

Lin Beibei knocked right on time. Before leaving, Luo Jin sprayed a light woody cologne on his wrist — subtle, blending naturally with his presence, as if the scent simply belonged to him.

“How long to the auction venue?”

“About half an hour.”

“Alright.”

He walked ahead, Lin Beibei following close behind. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick hotel carpet.

The driver stood by the car, hands behind his back. When he saw them, he quickly opened the door. Luo Jin got in, glanced at his watch as usual before the car started, and sent a message to the young master telling him he was about to start work and might not reply promptly.

For some reason, after sending it, he felt oddly like a boyfriend checking in while on a business trip.

He dozed off for about ten minutes in the car — sometimes these short naps worked better than a full hour’s sleep. By the time he woke, Duan Xingchi had already replied with a simple [Okay,] and hadn’t sent anything else, probably not wanting to disturb him.

Before long, the car stopped at the auction hall. Luo Jin followed a staff member to the open-air rooftop venue, where rows of white leather seats were already half-filled with executives.

Most were his seniors, both in age and experience. Luo Jin greeted the ones he knew and nodded politely to the rest before finding his seat.

Within ten minutes, the seats were nearly full. Everyone there represented the top 95% of the real estate industry in the country.

Outwardly, things looked cordial — but beneath the surface, tension rippled. No one wanted to give up this lucrative opportunity.

The host stepped onto the stage at the front of the platform. Luo Jin’s smile faded. He lifted a hand and put on his sunglasses.

The auction officially began.

Luo Jin was the first to raise his bidding paddle and called out, according to the original plan, “4.8 billion.”

That price was far below market value, so someone quickly followed with a higher bid — but at this early stage, everyone was cautious, only increasing slightly.
“4.85 billion.”
“4.9 billion.”

Luo Jin and Lin Beibei observed calmly. As long as someone else was bidding, there was no need for them to speak yet. They would wait until others hesitated before stepping in again.

“5.2.”
“5.3.”
“5.5.”

The price was gradually approaching the minimum market rate. The bosses all grew more cautious, the pauses between bids lengthening.

“5.8.”

It seemed like only a decimal had changed, but in reality, the amount had risen by thirty million.

“6.”

No one knew who shouted it first, but after that, the room fell silent for several seconds. Everyone was thinking the same thing — including Luo Jin — that six billion was the most reasonable closing price.

Going any higher was possible, but it would start to feel excessive.

But that was the point of an auction, wasn’t it? To see who was willing to go further.

“Six billion, going once.”
“Six billion, going twice.”

Lin Beibei glanced sideways at Luo Jin. He waited until the third call was about to be made before speaking up. “6.1.”

The ideal price point had been broken. The bids that followed became tighter, the air thick with tension.

Luo Jin continued to wait for the right moment.

The increments rose by five million each time, and even the most seasoned veterans of the business world grew cautious.

After about ten minutes, someone shouted, “8.1.”

If it went up to nine billion, it would already exceed the highest market estimate.

Luo Jin frowned slightly, tapping his index finger on the armrest rhythmically.

“8.1 billion, going once.”
“8.1 billion, going twice.”
“8.1 billion—”

“8.12.”

Luo Jin raised his paddle. The auctioneer’s voice grew more animated. “This gentleman offers 8.12 billion! Any higher bids? 8.12 billion, going once—”

“8.15.”

Luo Jin turned toward the voice. It was Mr. Cheng, a well-known real estate mogul from City B.

“8.17.”
“8.18.”
“8.2.”

Their voices overlapped, giving the auctioneer barely any time to call. The crowd’s competition had become a duel between the two men.

“8…5.”

Another thirty million jump.

Luo Jin’s brows knitted tightly. Lin Beibei whispered, “Mr. Luo, our budget is under ten billion.”

Ten billion — meaning they could go up to one billion above the highest market estimate.

Even so, Luo Jin wanted to keep the price as low as possible. They were already nearing nine billion, and he hadn’t expected the opponent to raise by thirty million in one go.

“8.55.”
“8.6.”

Mr. Cheng looked at Luo Jin, seemingly curious to see how far the young man would go.

“8.7.”
“8.8.”
“8.9.”
“9.”

It was an excellent piece of land. Even if they invested nine billion, the future returns would easily make it worth the cost.

Thinking this, Luo Jin relaxed a little.

“9.1.”
“9.2.”
“9.3.”

Luo Jin didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Mr. Cheng narrowed his eyes with a smile—the fine lines at the corners showed his age. As he looked at Luo Jin’s young, composed face, he couldn’t help but feel the word “reliable” come to mind.

Neither backed down. The bidding climbed to 9.8 billion. Luo Jin’s tapping fingers grew faster; they were close to exceeding the budget.

Lin Beibei coughed softly. “Mr. Luo, should we continue?”

At that moment, 9.8 billion had already been called for the third time. Luo Jin’s paddle was half-raised when someone else cut in.

“Ten.”

Everyone turned — they had all assumed it was now between Luo Jin and Mr. Cheng — but a new contender appeared out of nowhere.

The bidder offering ten billion was Mr. Jiang, the leading figure in S City’s real estate scene. The two men exchanged a brief nod of acknowledgment. Luo Jin curled his fingers into a light fist.

When the ten-billion bid was called for the third time, Mr. Cheng made no move. He was older, nearing retirement, and didn’t want to leave such a massive project behind for his children. Having exceeded his budget, he bowed out gracefully.

Luo Jin pressed his lips together. Lin Beibei watched, waiting for his decision.

Just before the gavel fell, Luo Jin added another ten million.

The auctioneer’s voice was the only sound in the room now. Mr. Jiang clearly hadn’t been deeply invested — if he could get the land, good; if not, he’d let it go.

Luo Jin won the land. He stood up and was invited to the stage amid applause.

He gave a short speech, signed the contract, and the deal was officially sealed.

In the following days, Luo Jin stayed behind to arrange the payment, conduct land assessments and planning, and handle other crucial contracts — a process that would take at least four or five days.

Leaving the venue, he first called Luo Hui.

To be honest, in real estate, ten billion wasn’t much — and the extra ten million was hardly worth fussing over. It was normal for the final auction price to exceed the market rate. Luo Hui simply said, “As long as you got it. The cost doesn’t matter.”

“I understand, Dad.”

“Finish things quickly and come home soon. Don’t forget there’s someone waiting for you.”

At the mention of Duan Xingchi, Luo Jin couldn’t help but smile. “Got it, got it. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

After hanging up, Luo Jin immediately called the young master. The phone was picked up quickly, but the voice on the other end was slightly hoarse.

“What’s wrong?”

Duan Xingchi glanced at his palm, then at Luo Jin’s shirt on the bed. Clearing his throat, he lied, “Sleeping.”

“Sleeping?” Luo Jin checked the time — it wasn’t really a time for sleeping.

“Did I wake you?”

“No. Is the auction over?”

“It’s over. I got the land. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Good, that’s good.”

Duan Xingchi put the phone on speaker beside his pillow and wiped his palm with a tissue.

“I’m going to wash some clothes. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Just leave it. I’ll wash them when I get back.”

Duan Xingchi looked at the black shirt he’d accidentally soiled — the little white stain stood out sharply.

“No need. It’s just a small thing; I can handle it.”

“Alright, hang up then.”

Duan Xingchi opened the window for some air. He glanced back at the wrinkled bedsheets, a shadow flickering across his eyes.

The shirt tag said “hand wash only,” so he carefully washed it over and over by hand until there wasn’t a trace left, then hung it on the balcony to dry.