Chapter 1

• My family owes a large sum of money to the black market, with interest piling up and no way to pay it back.
• All ten of us are locked up in the underground auction house.
• My grandparents love gambling, and my three uncles are drug addicts.
• As the eldest son, my dad had to resort to borrowing money from loan sharks to repay the debt.
• My cousin Tiffany and I are the same age, she's the prettiest in the family and seen as the last bargaining chip.
• That night, Tiffany was pushed onto the stage to auction off her "first night".
• Ironically, this was an old trick.
• Her "first night" had been sold, by herself, many times before.
• As the price kept rising, I rushed onto the stage and snatched the microphone.
• On the big screen, intimate photos of the town's big shots and Tiffany started flashing.
• I said, "Tonight, let's play a game."
• "Whoever's photo shows up, has to pay to buy them.
• "Otherwise... these photos will be posted on all media websites."
• ...
• The underground auction house was packed with well-dressed men.
• They stared at the women on the auction stage with desire in their eyes.
• Here, women are the goods and men are the buyers.
• Tonight's auction of the only college student's "first night" was a good gimmick.
• It was enough to ignite the men's most primitive desire to conquer.
• Interestingly, some of the men in the audience had already had their way with Tiffany, but they still raised the bids in this decadent atmosphere.
• Whether to outbid their competitors or to show off their status and identity, they tirelessly shouted out their bids.
• "Five million!"
• "Eight million!"
• "Ten million!"
• My grandparents and uncles were held on the other side.
• They greedily watched Tiffany on the stage.
• In their eyes, Tiffany was just a commodity that could make them rich.
• My parents cowered in a corner, too afraid to look up.
• Their cowardice was a deep-rooted flaw that couldn't be cured.
• The black market leader, Drake, looked on with satisfaction.
• Tiffany continued to showcase her superb acting skills.
• She bit her lip gently, tears in her eyes, yet her gaze seduced every man who bid.
• The price finally stopped at thirty million.
• The winner was Walter Robertson, the real estate tycoon from the west of the city.
• A man in his fifties, with a balding head.
• He stood up excitedly, his lecherous gaze as if he wanted to devour Tiffany on the stage.
• I remembered this man. Last time Tiffany had him on edge, but he got a call from his wife and got scared, so they didn't "cross the line".
• My grandmother clapped her hands excitedly.
• "Thirty million! Enough to pay off the debt! And still enough for your uncle to find a wife!"
• The three uncles cheered along as if they could already see piles of cash.
• Drake picked up the gavel, ready to seal the deal.
• Just then, I broke free from the people holding me and rushed onto the stage like a madman.
• Amidst everyone's shocked gazes, I snatched the microphone from the host's hand and inserted a USB drive into the nearby projector.
• "Wait a minute."
• My voice, not loud, echoed through the entire auction house via the speakers.
• In an instant, the big screen behind Tiffany lit up.
• A photo suddenly popped up.
• In the photo, Tiffany was wearing sexy lingerie, intimately leaning on a man's chest, smiling brightly.
• That man was none other than Walter, who had just bid thirty million.
• The whole room fell into a deathly silence.
• The smile on Walter's face froze.
• He hadn't even made it to the finish line when he was already photographed.
• Tiffany's face instantly turned pale.
• Ignoring their reactions, I pressed the play button.
• The montage on the screen began to scroll.
• The second one showed Tiffany embracing Ethan Fleming, the internet tycoon from the east, on a yacht.
• The third one was a selfie of her with a financial mogul in a hotel room.
• ...
• Each photo featured a different male lead, but without exception, they were all distinguished guests in the audience tonight.
• The smiles on my so-called family's faces froze, turning into astonishment and confusion.
• The expressions of the men in the audience, from their initial shock, turned into undisguised panic.
• I raised the microphone, my voice cold and clear, reaching everyone's ears.
• "Bosses, don't rush."
• "Tonight, let's play something exciting."
• I said word by word, "The game is called 'Buy the Photo.' Whoever's photo appears, they have to pay to make it disappear. If the price satisfies me, their photo will vanish from here completely."
• "Otherwise... these photos will appear on all media websites."
• Drake's face turned as dark as coal.
• The two bodyguards beside him immediately rushed towards me, trying to drag me off the stage.
• I didn't dodge, just softly said into the microphone.
• "Drake, guess what? Do you think there might be a photo of you or your boss in here?"
• The two bodyguards abruptly stopped in their tracks, both looking at Drake.
• Drake's obese body froze, his eyes locked on me, filled with suspicion and murderous intent.