I wanted to buy my husband's favorite Tang Sancai porcelain horse as an anniversary gift. But a mysterious buyer appeared mid-auction, immediately "lighting the sky lantern" (a term for an all-or-nothing, no-limits bid) and snatching the horse. As I was leaving, I received a notification that my husband's supplementary credit card had been used at the auction house to purchase the exact Tang Sancai horse. In a panic, I immediately called the bank and froze the card. At the collection counter, a stunningly beautiful woman with a graceful figure fled amidst the mocking laughter of the crowd. Two weeks later, my husband, Liam Stone, and I went on a vacation abroad. Right after getting off the plane, I was drugged and abducted. I woke up to find myself locked inside an iron cage. The emcee on site spoke in broken English: “Today, we auction this woman! Highest bid wins!” And Liam Stone was sitting in the audience, his gaze dark, sinister, and vicious. “Chloe Vance, you love stealing other people’s thunder when they ‘light the sky lantern,’ right? Well, today, you can have your fill of stealing!” 1 I stared, horrified, at the dense crowd below the stage, my scalp tingling. Everyone held a copy of my body scan report, examining it and whispering judgmentally: “Look at this woman, she must be very well-maintained. Every part of her body is healthy. She’d be a prize, whether you bid on the whole package to take home and enjoy, or bid on individual parts for a sick relative.” “I’m shocked that Mr. Stone from the States would be so generous, putting such a fine woman up for auction. We can’t miss this rare opportunity.” “I heard the lady on stage is actually Mr. Stone’s wife. Once a man finds a new favorite, he doesn't need the old one anymore.” Following their meaningful glances, I looked at Liam Stone, who was seated in the middle of the crowd. A chilling dread washed over me. My body, tied to the iron cage with ropes, continuously rattled against the bars, making a violent noise. I dug my fingernails so hard into my palms that blood trickled between my fingers. Just yesterday, we were sweetly planning our trip, full of affection. But now, Liam’s "casual friend" who supposedly helped him bid on the porcelain horse, Summer Lin, was nestled sweetly and gently in his arms, smiling victoriously. “Liam, why are you doing this to me!” My voice was hoarse with breakdown, and I was already sobbing uncontrollably. Liam leaned back lazily in his chair, a mischievous, shallow smile playing on his lips. He spoke nonchalantly: “My wife is so graceful and generous, of course, I can’t keep her all to myself. Good things are meant to be shared, right?” The crowd erupted in cheers of impatience, urging the emcee to start the auction immediately. Big shots from different countries gathered together, holding up their black number paddles, frantically waving them and shouting whether they wanted my heart or my kidneys. Liam turned and kissed Summer, then stood up and walked onto the auction stage. He delivered a hard kick to the iron cage holding me. The impact split my lip instantly, and a metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. “Chloe Vance, as the organizer of this auction, I’ll give you special treatment. I’m granting you the right to bid on yourself—to ‘light the sky lantern’ for yourself—so you can get your fill of stealing other people’s thunder, and finally experience the embarrassment our Summer felt at the last auction!” His exquisite, refined eyes were full of mocking malice. The barely hidden murderous intent meant he had no intention of letting me leave the auction hall alive. “If you've got the guts, why don't you ‘light the sky lantern’ then?” I shouted. Everyone burst into laughter, standing up to look at us. “What’s she going to light the sky lantern with? Didn't Mr. Stone register all the joint funds under his name when he entered the venue? Unless Mr. Stone is willing to chip in, Mrs. Stone is completely broke.” Liam feigned a look of sudden realization: “Oh, my bad! I forgot that the auction rules only allow one person per joint account. That’s truly a shame, darling. I have to buy a necklace for Summer today, so I’m afraid I can’t help you out.” I widened my eyes in disbelief, unable to grasp that these words were coming from the mouth of the man I had loved for eight years. “You tricked me into going abroad, drugged me, kidnapped me, and specifically organized this black-market auction to sell me off here?” “Why, Liam? Just because I froze the supplementary card when Summer tried to ‘light the sky lantern’?” Liam looked down at me coldly, savoring my pain. “Of course! Do you know how helpless Summer was that day? She endured all that mockery. You can do the same, can’t you?” With that, he gave me no more chance to question him and turned to step off the stage. He coldly tossed back one last sentence: “Put the restraints on Miss Vance! Let her sit among the bidders and watch herself sink step-by-step into the abyss, helpless—that’s the best revenge!” Summer Lin, standing below the stage, winked at me with a malicious smile: “Miss Vance, I won’t compete with you today, okay!” ________________________________________ 2 The entire auction hall was filled with cruel cheers. Someone whistled and shouted: “Mr. Stone, are you really heartless enough to let someone abuse your beautiful wife to death? Ha ha ha…” Liam raised an eyebrow, his expression indifferent. “If my wife doesn’t want that, she can ‘light the sky lantern’ herself. If she can’t, that’s her choice. I’m a very democratic man.” The crowd nodded in agreement, their voices playful: “That’s true. I heard the little sister-in-law ‘lit the sky lantern’ herself when bidding on that Tang Sancai horse, but Mrs. Stone shut her down. She clearly has resources. We should witness it tonight.” Amidst the noise, the auction bell rang. I was pulled out of the cage, the iron chain around my neck dragging me like a dog. I was tied to a chair in the front row, directly facing the large screen. My body report and photos scrolled across the screen. The feeling of utter humiliation instantly consumed me. My hands trembled as I clenched them together, my mind racing. Liam had registered all of our joint assets under his name. According to the black market auction rules, one account could not be used by two people simultaneously. Right now, I couldn't even produce a hundred dollars, let alone ‘light the sky lantern.’ Liam had precisely calculated this. He knew all my financial details. If even one part of my body was successfully bid on, it would be enough to utterly destroy my life. I was a lamb to the slaughter, tied to the gallows with no retreat. We had been married for eight years. I stood by him as he went from a nobody to the CEO of Stone Industries. I never once complained about the hardships along the way. After he achieved success, I willingly stepped back to be his supportive wife. Now, Liam was personally sending me to hell just to appease a mistress. The discussions around me never stopped, with all sorts of vulgar remarks flying back and forth: “Mr. Stone is such a player; the women he trains in bed must be spicy. I’m going to bid on Mrs. Stone whole in a bit and get a good taste.” “No way, I’ve been eyeing Mrs. Stone’s perfect feet for a long time. I’ll chop them off and turn them into art.” I bit down hard on my lower lip, using every ounce of effort to keep myself steady in the chair. Finally, the auctioneer walked onto the stage, took the microphone from the emcee, and announced that the auction was about to begin. I abruptly stood up, making the iron chains rattle loudly: “Wait a minute! I need to go wash my face!” Liam slowly turned to look at me, his eyes full of obscure mockery: “Chloe, don’t bother trying to escape. Security here is tight; not even a fly can get out. Save your energy.” I endured the physical pain and stared intensely into his dark eyes. “If not even a fly can get out, is it too much for me to wash my face and calm down? Or are you too stingy to even give me that much time?” Everyone in the room held their breath, watching us. Our eyes met, and an undercurrent of tension flowed between us—a silent battle. Several of his acquaintances frowned: “Don’t delay, Mr. Stone. We can’t wait any longer. Don’t listen to her; let’s start now.” “Exactly! She’s just wasting our time. My bathwater is ready at home; I’m just waiting to take Mrs. Stone back with me.” Finally, under everyone’s expectant gaze, Liam’s face turned cold, his eyes dark and sinister. “Shut up, all of you!” ________________________________________ 3 The host’s fury silenced everyone. The staff switched my shackles to handcuffs, and I walked with a straight back, stumbling toward the water basin outside the door. It wasn't until the cold water hit my injured hands that the tension in my whole body instantly eased. I collapsed, exhausted, next to the water basin. The tears I had held back for so long finally streamed down my face. My phone was still in my pocket, but all the money in the account had been transferred out—the balance was $\$0.00$. If I were to be sold off tonight, I couldn’t even begin to imagine the torture that awaited me. I could be played with and then brutally dismembered and sold off, never finding peace even in death. And my mother, who was in a coma from a car accident and lying in a hospital back home, would have her medical funding cut off immediately upon my death, leaving her to die in absolute despair. At the end of my rope, I finally made a decision. Gritting my teeth, I opened the encrypted email and clicked on a long-dormant contact account. The rushing water forcefully beat against the stone basin, and the surrounding silence was terrifying. In this dilapidated, crisis-ridden venue, a giant devil seemed to be hiding, ready to rush out at any moment and tear me to shreds. I hit send on the encrypted text, and my hand dropped heavily. Five minutes later, I dragged my chained feet back to the venue. When I pushed open the door, everyone looked up with excitement. There was astonishment, mockery, and impatient mischief. Liam Stone was holding a cigarette between his fingers, the swirling smoke briefly obscuring his vague expression. He then pulled Summer Lin closer and, looking down at me, spoke word by word: “My darling, I love you, so anyone who dares to bully you will pay the price!” I walked back to my seat, not looking at him, a trail of bright red footprints staining the floor. My voice was raw and broken as I said: “Start the auction now.” The crowd buzzed. The auctioneer looked at Liam questioningly. He chuckled and nodded: “Since Chloe is so impatient herself, let’s officially begin.” The moment he finished speaking, the lights in the auction hall shifted. The first set of auction information flashed onto the large screen: my hands. From my wrists to my fingertips, every inch was captured in high-definition detail; even the pores were clearly visible. I was still ridiculously wearing my ten-carat wedding ring on my right hand. Like a Shakespearean tragedy, everyone was witnessing my utter patheticness. Sitting below the stage, I already wished I were dead. Liam took Summer and sat down in the seat next to mine. Leaning close to my ear, he whispered: “As husband and wife, my Summer is generous. If you apologize to her and agree to divorce with nothing, I’ll help you this one time.” My lips curled into a cold smile. So, he didn’t just want my life; he wanted to steal our joint assets. And then, he would proudly marry his mistress, all while acting like the victim of a failed marriage. I remained silent, answering his provocation with indifference. The bidding shouts soon started: “Mrs. Chloe Vance’s hands start at five million, with a minimum bid increase of one million.” As soon as he spoke, people raised their paddles, the price quickly escalating to twenty million. Liam’s voice continued beside me. “Think carefully, darling. It might be too late soon.” The bidders were already leaning closer, their eyes full of greed, staring at my tightly clenched fists, waiting for the final gavel. Just then, I, who had been silent all this time, slowly raised my hand. My eyes were filled with desperate resolve. I spoke firmly: “I ‘light the sky lantern!’” ________________________________________ 4 Everyone in the auction hall was stunned. “What’s going on? Where did she get the money to ‘light the sky lantern’?” “She’s still trying to put on a show at a time like this. This woman is something else.” I held my neck stiffly, my gaze never leaving the screen. Liam sneered coldly, clearly convinced I was faking it. Summer Lin whined, pressing her full chest against him and speaking in a high-pitched, affected voice: “Mrs. Stone is hilarious. Liam said he could help her, but she’s still stubbornly holding onto her pride. She really must want to jump into another man’s bed. What a tramp.” Liam pulled a contemptuous face, his voice as casual as a stranger who couldn't care less. “She wants to put on a show, so let’s watch the show. She’ll only lose more miserably later.” “Don’t forget I set the rule: if someone ‘lights the sky lantern’ but can’t afford to pay, they have to serve guests for free for a week in the auction house’s underground club.” The auctioneer heard Liam’s words and immediately straightened up: “Miss Vance, are you sure you want to ‘light the sky lantern’? Please do not disrupt our normal procedure, or you will face the penalty.” My fingers wouldn't stop trembling. My jaw was tightly clenched. Layers of dry, stinging pain welled up in my eyes. I forced myself to reply: “I’m sure. Light the sky lantern.” The whole room roared with laughter. They clamored for immediate on-site verification of my funds. “She has to verify her funds right now! We can’t all be fooled by her playing games!” “Mr. Stone just showed us your account balance—not a single penny! And you still have the nerve to pretend.” Liam shrugged indifferently amidst the laughter. “Chloe, why are you doing this? Since you’ve made your choice, you can’t back out now. I can’t help you anymore.” With that, he crossed his arms, settled back firmly into his chair, and mockingly waited for the auctioneer to organize the verification. The crowd began rhythmically clapping their hands. Louder and louder, the sound grew into a huge, invading wave that battered my eardrums. “Verify! Verify! Verify!” I sighed, pulled out my phone, entered the password, and handed it to the verification officer who had approached me. “Take it and check. Just remember to return it to me later.” The verification officer took the phone with bad grace, a mocking curve on her lips, and grumbled resentfully. “What a joke. We already checked your account. Why go through all this trouble? No wonder people dislike her; it serves her right that even Mr. Stone hates her.” The others pointed and discussed. “Exactly, exactly! This is so funny. If this were in bed, I’d cure all her defiance.” “Look, everyone! Her legs are shaking so much the chains are rattling. When her balance comes up zero, she better not wet her pants. I’m still waiting to bid on her legs.”
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