"No, it seems there are at least three groups eyeing this bid, so the price of 8 million euros still needs to be adjusted..."
As Qin Haoran spoke, his eyebrows twitched slightly, because he noticed that the price of lot number 5220 had jumped from 1.5 million euros to 1.8 million euros, with someone adding 300,000 euros directly.
"You continue looking at those two lots; I'll take care of this red jadeite..."
Qin Haoran's expression turned serious. The price displayed on the big screen showed that none of the three parties were willing to back down and each wanted to overwhelm the other with their imposing manner.
Chapter 459 Sealed Bidding (3)
"Two million euros. Damn it..."
Looking at the large screen in front of him, even a refined person like Qin Haoran couldn't help but swear. There was still a full hour and a half before the bidding started. If the price continued to rise at this rate, who knew what kind of sky-high price this rough stone would fetch?
However, the four rough stones that Zhuang Rui and Fang Yi were eyeing hadn't changed their prices since someone made an offer, which reassured Qin Haoran, allowing him to focus intently on lot number 5220.
"It's reached three million. It seems one side has withdrawn..."
Qin Haoran reported the situation to Zhuang Rui and Fang Yi, his eyes glued to the large screen. He remained patient and showed no sign of making a move. At this moment, Qin Haoran was like a predatory beast, only revealing his fangs at the last moment. ...
"Dad, this is three-fifths of our funds! Is that flawed jade really worth that much?"
In another exhibition hall, Xu Qi was much more anxious than Qin Haoran. In the air-conditioned hall, he was sweating nervously. He knew the current situation of his company. If this 50 million yuan went down the drain, it would be a disaster.
"Look at you, so spineless. Sit there quietly..."
Xu Zhendong sighed inwardly. He had originally wanted to train his son, but his son was ultimately a hopeless case. He could not hand over Xu's Jewelry to him in the future.
Xu Qi had no idea that after he said those words, he would soon be enjoying the same treatment he had before, receiving a monthly allowance and living a life of leisure.
Xu Zhendong didn't look at his son again because he noticed that the number on the screen had changed to 3.6 million euros. Xu Zhendong's heart jumped; he was only 400,000 euros away from his psychological bottom line of 4 million.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Zhendong entered four million euros on the bidding machine's display screen and pressed the confirmation button fiercely. At that moment, Xu Zhendong's old face, covered with wrinkles like orange peel, appeared somewhat ferocious. ...
"Old Ma, are you sure you're okay with this? That's over 40 million RMB! What if you lose it all? Are you trying to find someone to take the fall?"
In Auction Hall No. 1, Song Jun was looking at Fatty Ma with a displeased expression. He didn't know what had gotten into him that made Fatty Ma drag him here to bid on this rough stone worth 5200. The jade expert he brought had said that this rough stone was performing very poorly, even worse than the one that had failed to sell yesterday.
But Fatty Ma seemed to be possessed. Not only had he been guarding that piece of rough jade for the past two days, but today he also dragged Song Jun along to join the bidding. At this moment, Song Jun was seething with anger.
"Hey, Brother Song, you won't mind this little bit of money, will you? I, Fatty Ma, may not be good at judging stones, but I've never misjudged people. Don't be fooled by the people who've been eyeing this rough stone these past few days, leaving grumbling and cursing. They probably all know what's going on. Those guys who were raising the price earlier were the ones who had their eye on this rough stone..."
Fatty Ma was already in the zone. The bid of forty or fifty million RMB was enough to get his blood pumping. Because now, apart from gambling on stones, Fatty Ma couldn't feel much passion even with women. Speaking of which, the unconventional position of man on top and woman on the bottom was very likely to hurt Fatty Ma's self-esteem.
"Then why aren't you raising the price now?"
Song Jun asked, somewhat puzzled. He didn't care much about money, but face was important. Before he came, he had confidently told those people in Beijing that he was going to Myanmar to make a fortune. If he lost money gambling, it would be very embarrassing if it got back to them.
“I estimate that 4 million euros is about what they’re willing to pay. Let’s wait until the bidding period is almost over, then we’ll bid 6 million. I don’t believe they’ll be able to react in time…”
Although Fatty Ma spoke in a low voice, the fat on his face was trembling, showing that he was definitely not at peace. It has to be said that Fatty Ma was very good at understanding human nature, and he was able to figure out the psychology of someone who didn't even know who his opponent was.
But Fatty Ma forgot the old saying, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." He and Xu Zhendong were locked in a fierce battle, but he never expected that someone else, who hadn't made a move, was also intently watching this rough jade stone. ...
"4 million euros, that's quite a sum..."
Qin Haoran was completely relaxed at this moment. He had already decided to take the rough stone. He was not afraid of anyone when it came to funding. Qin's Jewelry had brought nearly 100 million euros this time. Besides, this rough stone was not worth that much money. Anyone who risked their life to buy it was really out of their mind.
Zhuang Rui was also somewhat speechless. If this rough stone were placed in the sealed auction area, he could definitely bid for it at the most affordable price. However, for open bidding, Zhuang Rui was willing but unable to do so. No matter how powerful his spiritual energy was, he could not see through other people's thoughts.
"Xiao Rui, you handle lot 5220, and give me the rest..."
Qin Haoran's words surprised Zhuang Rui, who said, "Uncle Qin, why are you letting me operate it? I have no experience at all!"
"You'll gain experience with more. You were the one who picked this piece first. Once it's cut open and the jadeite is extracted, we just need to be able to sell it to Qin's Jewelry for half the market price..."
It turns out that Qin Haoran didn't want to take advantage of his son-in-law. If the rough stone was really as Zhuang Rui said, its value would be over 200 million. After being made into jade jewelry and sold, the price would double. For him to bid for it himself seemed a bit like stealing his son-in-law's business.
"Uncle Qin, this..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned by Qin Haoran's words, but he also felt immense admiration for his future father-in-law. He hadn't taken the easy money offered to him, and instead insisted on buying the jadeite at market price – such magnanimity was rare.
"Alright, there's still half an hour left. Keep a close eye on it. If no one bids again within this half hour, we should be able to get it for 8 million euros. If someone else bids, let me know..."
Qin Haoran waved his hand and turned his attention to the other rough stones with their numbers. He knew that Zhuang Rui had come with all his resources and that acquiring this piece of red jade would be no problem.
"Ten minutes left, Uncle Qin, still no change..."
Zhuang Rui's palms were covered in sweat. The atmosphere in the auction hall was so oppressive that it was almost impossible to breathe. Especially as time went by and the time for the bidding to end approached, the pressure became heavier and heavier, like a mountain.
"Don't be nervous, 8 million is definitely achievable..."
Qin Haoran was already busy managing three bids and couldn't concentrate on anything else. He had already entered 2.8 million euros into his bidding device and was just waiting three minutes to submit the bid before he had to manage the other two. He simply couldn't spare any attention for Zhuang Rui.
"Could I have misjudged? Is no one else vying for this rough stone?"
Meanwhile, in another auction hall, Xu Zhendong was also feeling quite uneasy. This 4 million euros represented almost all of Xu's Jewelry's working capital; he had even collected next month's employee salaries. In other words, this Myanmar auction would either revive Xu's Jewelry or lead to its utter ruin.
"Three minutes, Fatty Ma, are you ready? I've already bid on this piece of jade..."
The scene shifts to Fatty Ma and Song Jun, both of whom are incredibly wealthy and look tense. The fun of gambling on stones lies precisely in this: whether it's open or closed bidding, or on-site stone cutting, no one knows who the final winner will be until the very last moment.
"Six million euros, this rough stone is definitely ours..."
Fatty Ma said with a relaxed expression that once the price on the big screen changed to 4 million euros, no one raised the price anymore. Adding 1 million euros would bring the price to more than 10 million RMB. Fatty Ma finally raised the price to 6 million euros, feeling that he had it in the bag.
"Fatty, do you think we should say hello to Zhuang Rui?"
Song Jun suddenly thought of Zhuang Rui. To be honest, he was quite annoyed with Zhuang Rui during this trip to Myanmar. The kid was actually going his own way and didn't give him and Fatty Ma any information.
"He doesn't need our help. Maybe he's got his eye on this rough stone, but we haven't seen him come to look at it these past few days, so it's hard to say..."
Fatty Ma shook his big head, his eyes fixed on the countdown numbers on the big screen. There were only sixty seconds left until the result was clear. However, Fatty Ma had a bad feeling. He quickly picked up the bidding device, cleared the numbers on it, and re-entered the new price of 7 million euros.
After Fatty Ma finished his operation, the timer jumped to the final five seconds. At that moment, hundreds of fingers pressed the confirm button on the bidding device at the same time. The numbers on the big screen started jumping instantly, and no one could see the final result clearly.
As the countdown reached zero, everyone in the auction hall breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of the outcome, today's open auction was finally over. Those two short hours felt like an eternity to everyone.
Chapter 460 Secret Bidding (4)
"How? How is this possible? Impossible!"
When the large screen finally stopped flashing, the most frequently shouted phrase in the auction hall was "Impossible!" Looking at the now-still numbers on the screen, it was just like the old song: some were happy, some were sad, and some had given everything for those numbers on the screen.
"Old Ma, I won the bid! How's it going on your end? Damn, why the look on your face?"
When Song Jun saw the numbers on the screen, he smiled happily. However, when he looked at Fatty Ma, he immediately frowned. The fat guy's eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, and with his fat cheeks, he looked exactly like a toad.
"No... I didn't get it..."
After being kicked by Song Jun, Fatty Ma finally came to his senses, looking utterly dejected. The price he had painstakingly calculated had been snatched away by someone for a mere 500,000 euros. This involuntarily brought to Fatty Ma a sense of frustration reminiscent of the humiliation of being in a relationship with a woman, where the man is on top and the woman is in the bottom position.
"You're not as reliable as Zhuang Rui when it comes to getting things done. Oh well, if you didn't win, you didn't win. We'll see your brother cut the stone tomorrow..."
Song Jun didn't care much about whether he won the bid for that piece of rough jade. He was quite pleased with himself because he had won the bid for the rough stone he had chosen.
"Damn it, I'll have to find out who stole Fatty's thunder later."
Fatty Ma cursed angrily, but he was helpless. After winning the bid, the rough stones were all shipped out; generally, no one would cut them in Myanmar because taking jade out of Myanmar is illegal, even if the jade was cut from your own rough stone. ...
"Sigh, I wonder who got the contract..."
In another auction hall, Xu Zhendong let out a long sigh. His expression was unreadable, neither disappointed nor happy. He had been under immense pressure; winning the bid and the company collapsing would have been a disaster for Xu's Jewelry. Now, having failed to win, Xu Zhendong suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping into his chair.
"Dad, wouldn't it be better if we kept this money and used it to bid on some sealed bids..."
Xu Qi, on the other hand, was overjoyed. In his opinion, the rough stone that all the experts were not optimistic about probably could not be mined into jade. The fact that someone else won the bid saved the company a lot of money.
"You don't know anything!"
Xu Zhendong glared at his son, but he did feel much more relaxed now.
"Hey, we won two, Xiao Rui. We didn't win that uncertain one you mentioned..."
Qin Haoran and his wife were naturally among the happy people. Zhuang Rui gave him four numbers, and Qin Haoran won three of them, spending a total of more than four million euros. This was just a drop in the ocean for Qin's Jewelry.
"Huh? Why is it 7,510,000 euros? Did you forget to submit the bid?"
When Qin Haoran looked at the number 5220, his expression immediately turned grim. He discovered that the blue bid number below that number was ultimately set at 7,501,000 euros, a full 499,000 euros less than the 8,000,000 euros he had entrusted to Zhuang Rui.
So Qin Haoran's first reaction was that Zhuang Rui had not submitted a bid, which greatly disappointed him. To be honest, the rough stone he valued most was still this red jadeite. He should have handled it himself. Young people can't handle pressure.
"No, Uncle Qin, this bid price is the one I submitted..."
Zhuang Rui's words left Qin Haoran and his wife speechless for a long time. It turned out that Zhuang Rui wasn't unable to withstand the pressure, but rather that his heart was too strong. He dared to lower the price when others were raising it, and in the end, he even won the bid.
"Good lad, you've got some talent. It seems Uncle Qin is really getting old..."
Qin Haoran gave Zhuang Rui a relieved punch on the shoulder. The sudden turn of events had given him quite a fright. Thinking about how he had lost his composure in front of his future son-in-law, Qin Haoran's face turned somewhat embarrassed.
"Uncle Qin, you're not old at all, are you, Aunt Fang?"
Zhuang Rui winked at his father-in-law, which earned him a disapproving glare from Fang Yi.
"Alright, your bid should be today's winning bid. Before the announcement, if you don't want others to know, let's hurry up and complete the winning bid procedures..."
Qin Haoran was very familiar with the process of the Myanmar jade auction. After seeing Zhuang Rui nod, he stood up and walked towards the window at the entrance to complete the bidding procedures.
"Sir, please walk ten meters to the right to that office to complete the bidding process..."
Zhuang Rui handed his bidding paddle through the window, but to his surprise, the people inside told him to go into the auction hall's office to complete the formalities. He wondered if the previous top bidder had also received this treatment, but Zhuang Rui knew that the top bidder, who belonged to Zhonghai Jixiang Company, had met a very tragic end.
"Let's go, I'll go with you..."
Qin Haoran didn't know what had happened either. After turning around and saying a few words to Fang Yi, he went to the office with Zhuang Rui.
"Hello, is this Mr. Zhuang? Congratulations on winning the title of the top bidder so far in this jade auction..."
Upon entering the office, a thin, middle-aged Burmese man greeted him. He spoke fluent Mandarin; had it not been for the fact that they were in a foreign country, Zhuang Rui would have assumed he was from a minority group in Yunnan or Guizhou.
"Hmm, this doesn't seem to require congratulations, does it? I wonder what brings me here?"
Zhuang Rui cut to the chase. He knew that Myanmar was a military state, and this middle-aged man might hold some position in the army. As the saying goes, a scholar can't reason with a soldier, and Zhuang Rui didn't want to deal with the country's armed forces.
"Haha, Mr. Zhuang, you're very straightforward. Here's the thing. We'd like to ask for your cooperation. Could you come and cut this rough stone tomorrow morning? Of course, rest assured, if jadeite is found, we can provide an invoice and certificate free of charge to help you clear customs. Don't worry about the jadeite being taken out of our country..."
The middle-aged man didn't beat around the bush with Zhuang Rui and directly stated his meaning. Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. Perhaps those people from Jixiang Jewelry Company had also enjoyed this treatment before?
"May I ask why you chose this particular piece of rough jade to cut?"
However, Zhuang Rui was also a little puzzled. His rough stone was not performing well. If the Myanmar organizing committee wanted to make up for the negative impact, they should have found a rough stone that could be cut into jadeite. Why did they choose his?