Chapter 2 of Bidding On You (Updated 2/20/2025)

Hoodwinked

Qi’s POV

I give Owen a final glare. I don’t know what the point of thrusting me on the stage was when the three of them knew I didn’t want to do it. And it’s not like I’m averse to being on stage or anything. I’m a competitive dancer after all. I’m used to being on stage. But this wasn’t supposed to be performative. I’ve put everything into this event and it feels more than just a little self-serving to get up here and claim appraisal for a job well done when it’s supposed to be about the cause, not me. 

But evidently, they were on a different page than me. Which really shouldn’t be all that surprising. They always seem to be on a different page than me. With a commiserating shake of the head, I turn to leave, but Owen throws his arm over my shoulders and pulls me up against his side. It looks like a friendly gesture, but I know him and his games well enough to know he’s using it to trap me on stage. 

Whatever they’re up to, it isn’t over yet and that has my stomach churning. Most of the time, their shenanigans are harmless. But this is an important event, and I need them to take it seriously, not use it as an excuse to get their kicks. Once whatever nonsense they’ve cooked up is over, they’re all getting a lecture from hell, and I’m gonna draft a whole ass powerpoint presentation to reiterate my points.

“Sorry Qi, but there’s one final item up for bid and we all agreed since this is your event, you should be up here to help present it,” he says. 

My frown deepens, and I tug on his arm this time, so he pays attention. He huffs and covers the mic. “What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s fine, Qi. Trust me, it’s a grand finale that will help pull in one final amount for the charity,” he reassures me. 

“What is it, Owen? It better not be anything illegal! Please don’t wreck my event,” I practically beg under my breath.

“We’re not wrecking the event and it’s not illegal… I think. I’ve seen them do this in movies. It can’t be illegal. So just trust me, okay?” he says, thinking he’s placating me when all he’s doing is raising my anxiety higher because even though he’s one of my best friends, when it comes to his shenanigans, I don’t trust him at all. 

And right now, I can’t put into words how relieving it is to know the legality of his nonsense is verified by Hollywood standards. I huff out with inner sarcasm and outer annoyance because I know he’s not going to tell me what he’s up to until it’s too late for me to stop it, but he’s already announced a final item. Crossing my fingers, I give him the briefest of nods and pray to every god and deity that I’ve ever heard of that they aren’t about to undo the several months of work I’ve put in for a cause that means everything to me. If this blows up in my face, I’ll be fucking devastated. 

Owen’s face curls into his trademark smile that shows he’s up to no good and I can feel both breakfast and lunch teasing my esophagus. If this goes bad, I’m gonna blow all over the stage and make a fool out of myself. At least the charity efforts won’t go down alone, and if this all goes south, I’ll re-compensate every penny this event should have earned and donate it out of my own pocket if I have to. 

I look over to the side of the stage towards Fei, but he’s resolutely not meeting my eyes, which means he’s a part of this too. He’d never let them take this too far, right? But then again, he gets just as roped in by their dumbass games as I do, so that may not be as reassuring as I’d like it to be. 

Owen’s voice rings through the crowd, loud and clear. “Ladies and gentlemen, as you can tell by our event organizer’s face, he’s unaware of the final item. However, I’d like to pause and say a few things about Qi to help clarify. Qi Jiang is not only the organizer of this event, but he’s also knee-deep in community efforts working for this cause as well. He donates his time, his money, and his energy to building an accepting community for queer youth. He’ll also most likely make valedictorian for our year. He’s a future law student, a mentor, and a friend. He’s the full package. Brains, beauty, and a good heart. And he’s also one of the best dancers our academy has ever seen, which means this beautiful man is also quite bendy, if you catch my drift,” he says with a tease.

My frown deepens at that because what in the actual fuck does my bendability have to do with anything happening here? I am not a self-serving person and standing up here having someone list my extracurriculars like he’s selling me is way out of my comfort… zone. Oh, my fucking god… he can’t. A sense of foreboding freezes the blood in my veins.

I reach out to snatch the mic from Owen because he can’t seriously be doing what I think he’s doing, but Owen sidesteps me and I know my face is on fire. This whole situation is embarrassing as fuck, and I’m pissed that they’ve turned my project into a damned circus. 

Owen puts his hands up in mock surrender. “Now, just hold on for a second Qi. We’re at the important part, because now I’ve finished presenting the quality of the item up for bid, but I still have to explain what the final item is,” he says before turning back to the crowd. 

“The final item up for bid is three dates with our esteemed Qi Jiang to the highest bidder. I can assure you, he’s a perfect gentleman who comes from a good family with strong moral values, and a night out on the town with this beautiful man will be a night you’ll never forget. And not just one, but three,” he finishes with a flourish, as if I’m an object and not a fucking person.

And I shake my head at him emphatically because this isn’t safe. This isn’t an academy exclusive event, this is a public event. I don’t know more than half the crowd that’s in the audience right now, which means anyone could win those dates, and that could put me in a compromising or dangerous position. Why don’t they ever think of consequences when they come up with this stupid ass shit?

“Age cap, Owen. Put a fucking age cap on it at least!” I spit out under my breath.

“Oh, look, he’s shy ladies and gentlemen, but of course, he’ll be the perfect host and date for the highest bidder because he knows it’s for charity, right Qi? And for the sake of propriety, Qi is eighteen, so we ask any serious bidders to be between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five,” Owen says, trapping me with his words but at least adding the age cap.

Because obviously bidding for a person’s time is going to be worth more than any of the objects we’ve put up for auction today. Any bid we drum up from this is going to be the largest sum of the event, and I can’t just let that pass. Fuck, they trapped me. Well, they didn’t, really. They showed me a cage with the perfect honey trap in it and knew I’d walk into it willingly, albeit a bit dauntingly. 

I step forward and force my face to smile. If it’s half as twisted on the outside as it feels on the inside, then there’s no way in hell it’s convincing. But I hold it and continue chanting in my head for this to be okay. Three dates. I can do three dates. I can make sure they are in public spaces and be safe. And it’s not like I’m not perfectly capable of defending myself if I have to. If I’m really uncomfortable, I can bring a friend, right? Something. Worst-case scenario, I’ll match the winner’s bet so they can keep their money and I’ll feel like a dick, but this wasn’t my idea in the first place. 

I should have been a part of this discussion. Obviously I would have shot it down, but having the chance to point out why bad ideas are bad actually talks them out of this stupid shit sometimes. Owen looks like his birthday came early when he sees the resolution on my face that I’m going to go along with this stupidity. 

“So, for the three dates, the details to be worked out between Qi and the highest bidder, we are opening the starting bid at a hundred dollars,” Owen rattles off and I’ve never felt so objectified and humiliated in all my life. 

Some girl I’ve never seen before takes the bid. A younger year from the academy steps up to raise the bid to two hundred. The first girl volleys back for three, and then Celeste raises her hand for five. I look at Owen in panic. Not her. I can smell the set-up within the set-up. Putting me up for bid wasn’t the point of their schemes. Celeste winning the bid is what they’re really after. For fuck’s sake!

I have done everything in my power to avoid Celeste’s advances for months now. It’s such a classic Owen and Paxton move to set this up thinking they’re helping me out, regardless of me telling them time and time again I have no interest in dating her. 

Owen calls for challengers. And now it’s going once to Celeste. Going twice to being trapped in a cage I should have run screaming from the moment I saw it because I know for a fact she won’t accept me matching her bid to buy my way out of these dates with her. I close my eyes, knowing Owen’s about to say ‘sold’ and seal my doom, and it’s too fucking late to stop it. 

“5,634 dollars,” a deep voice rises above the crowd and saves me from my imminent demise.

Like a beacon of light, a ray of hope, a goddamned breath of relief, my eyes fly open and land on a big pair of hazel eyes that are set in a ridiculously handsome face that I know I’ve never seen before. The guy looks like he just walked off the set of a modeling shoot. He’s the kind of guy girl’s pin-up in their rooms and guys pin-up as work out goals. Long brown hair that’s tied back into a lazy bun, strong jaw, lips that are perfectly heart-shaped, and tanned skin that shows he spends more time outside than inside.

And that’s just his face. The rest of him is like an ancient bronze statue of a Greek god brought to life. One of those bodies you pull out of a workout or sports magazine. He’s not more than an inch or two taller than me, but he has to be at least twice my size in pure bulk. A football player or wrestler, for sure. Or maybe just a gym guy, I guess. But he has an aura around him that screams jock. I can easily see him tackling someone on the field. 

His eyes are intense and locked onto mine and the realization sets in. This guy I’ve never met before just bid over five thousand dollars on me. Why? I mean, at least Celeste’s out of the bidding war. I know she has money, but if she dropped over five grand just to go out on a date with a guy, her parents would fucking flip. So I’m saved, but not knowing my savior means I’m not sure how saved I really am, especially when he looks like he could pulverize me without even breaking a sweat.

Owen’s voice snaps me out of my reverie. “We’ve got a bid of 5,634 dollars over here. Are there any challengers? Going once, going twice,” and then the fucker pauses for dramatic effect because there’s no way in hell he isn’t absolutely loving the drama this handsome stranger just caused. 

“And sold to the handsome hulk in the front row!” he shouts out with a flourish before turning his attention towards the bidder. “If you’ll just head over to the side of the stage, Fei and Paxton will meet you there with further instructions,” he says to the guy while pointing over to where our other friends are standing.

The guy’s eyes have been locked on mine since he called out his bid. Even when Owen gave him instructions, his eyes never left mine. There’s a mixture of emotions on his handsome face, but there’s almost a giddy relief to him. 

Did I misjudge my friends’ schemes? Is this an even more elaborate prank than just setting me up with some girl I’ve told them I don’t want to date? 

I don’t know, but while I don’t trust my friend’s intentions for shit, I can’t help but feel an instinctual thread of trust when I look into the guy’s intense hazel eyes. I’ve never seen the guy before in my life, but for some reason, he feels safe.