The piano competition ended, and all ten judges unanimously voted Ian Song as the champion. Even the other nine finalists were fully convinced, having been won over by Ian's two pieces.
The organizers awarded prizes to all ten contestants on the spot.
As the first-place winner, Ian received a 500,000-yuan prize, personally presented by Maggie Ma, chair of the Piano Association.
Just after returning backstage, Ian was about to chat with Shelly Song, but was immediately swarmed by reporters and had to signal for them to go ahead without him.
After finally shaking off the reporters and leaving the sports arena, a voice called out from behind.
"Mr. Song, please wait."
Ian turned to see Cliff Fu, dressed in a sharp suit and smiling as he approached.
"Oh, it's Mr. Fu." Ian stopped in his tracks.
"Mr. Song, you truly are talented. Your piano playing was incredible."
"You're too kind."
Ian responded calmly. He was certain Cliff Fu hadn't stopped him just to praise his piano skills, so he waited for Cliff to get to the point.
Cliff Fu took out a golden invitation from his pocket and offered it with both hands: "Tomorrow night at eight, there's a special auction at Redleaf Mountain Resort. This is an invitation card—if you're free, I'd be honored if you came."
"Alright." Ian nodded and accepted the invitation. "I'll be there on time."
"You know that loser Cliff Fu?" After Cliff left, Stella Shi walked over.
Ian looked at Stella, a bit puzzled as to why she called Cliff Fu a loser.
Stella continued, "Am I wrong? He's already thirty and still only mid-Postnatal. If that's not a loser, what is? Compared to you, he's way behind!"
Ian just smiled. Everyone has their own standards, so he didn't argue. Instead, he said, "Let's go to the Traffic Police Brigade. By the way, with my situation, will I get detained?"
"You're a young hero—I'd never dare detain you. No need to go to the Traffic Police Brigade, but you still have to pay the fine!" As she spoke, Stella handed him a ticket and motioned for him to sign it.
"Should I sign the back again?" Ian joked.
Stella gave him an exasperated look. "What do you think?"
Scribble, scribble, scribble!
Ian signed his full name on the ticket.
Taking the ticket, Stella looked at Ian and said, "I do admire you, but if I catch you speeding or driving without a license again, I won't go easy on you. I suggest you get a proper license—unlicensed driving means fifteen days' detention."
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder, I will."
Watching Stella leave, Ian called Zach Zhang and asked him to drive over to the sports arena.
Soon, Zach arrived by taxi and picked Ian up to head toward school.
"By the way, there's an auction tonight at Redleaf Mountain Resort. Want to come?" Ian asked Zach.
"Boss, how do you even know about the auction at Redleaf Mountain Resort?" Zach stared at Ian in surprise.
Ian waved the invitation card in front of Zach.
Seeing the golden invitation, Zach froze for a moment, then quickly snatched it up to examine it.
Zach let out a series of excited shouts. "Wow, boss! Where did you get this golden invitation? My dad couldn't even get a regular one, and you got a gold one? That's seriously awesome!"
"Cliff Fu gave it to me," Ian replied calmly.
"B-boss, what did you just say?" Zach was stunned at the mention of Cliff Fu.
"I said, Cliff Fu gave me the invitation!"
"No way! Boss, Cliff Fu actually gave you an invitation himself?" Zach's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"It's just an invitation. What's the big deal?" Ian replied, a bit annoyed.
Zach was so riled up by Ian's casual attitude that he nearly jumped out of his seat. "Just an invitation? Boss, I can't believe you! Do you even know who Cliff Fu is? Or what a golden invitation means?"
Before Ian could answer, Zach continued, "Cliff Fu is the eldest son of the Fu Family, founder of Redleaf Mountain Resort. The Fu Family is a super-clan, almost as powerful as the Nangong Family. Even the mayor and party secretary probably couldn't get Cliff Fu to personally deliver an invitation."
Most of the items at this auction are provided by the Fu Family. There are said to be countless treasures, and all sorts of powerful people are desperate to get in. But I heard there are only a hundred spots for this auction.
Plus, the invitations are divided into three tiers. My dad offered fifty million for the lowest red invitation, but no one would sell. The next level up is the silver invitation.