What Zhuang Rui is referring to is not only a method used in international auctions, but also frequently used in domestic antique shops. In industry terms, this is called "making a big effort".
The bid exceeded the auction house's affordability; one could say it was "holding on."
Let them suffer the consequences. "Actually, nobody hates money. Everyone can draw lots beforehand. Even if they don't bid this time, they can bid next time. This way, everyone can buy the best items at the lowest price. It's better than arguing until they're red in the face and then giving money to foreigners for nothing, right?"
Zhuang Rui's "together" refers to certain groups discussing things before bidding, while "drawing lots" means arranging the order of bidding by drawing lots to determine who will bid.
“However, most of us participating in this auction are acting independently and haven’t communicated beforehand, so drawing lots is obviously not feasible… But we can try another method: whoever bids first gets to bid on the item, and the others can’t compete for it. Also, we need to agree beforehand that if the auction house’s shills drive up the price, the first bidder must withdraw decisively. We can’t tolerate that kind of behavior…”
Zhuang Rui's thinking was very clear. Standing at the front of the conference room, he analyzed the pros and cons one by one, and the audience nodded in agreement.
“Xiao Zhuang, what if someone is quick enough to snatch the paddle every time? My reflexes aren’t as good as yours, young people…”
Mr. Liu's words made everyone laugh, but what he said was also true. If, as Zhuang Rui said, the first person made a bid and the others could not bid, some people would suffer losses.
"Hehe, Mr. Liu, that's easy. I heard that this special auction will last for five days and will feature over a hundred antiques from China. We can agree that everyone is only allowed to bid once. That way, everyone can get at least one item. It's much better than fighting tooth and nail and becoming a laughingstock, right?"
"That's true..."
Mr. Liu nodded and remained silent.
When the audience first heard Zhuang Rui's words, they felt it was a bit unbelievable. However, upon closer examination, they realized that the method was indeed quite good. Many people might have their eyes on the same item, so it would be a matter of who bids the fastest. Moreover, the person who bids first cannot bid again, which means that others have another chance.
After pondering for a while, Ms. Zhang stood up and said, "How about... we try what Xiao Zhuang said today? Let's vote on it. If everyone agrees, we'll try this method. We can't always let the auction house lead us by the nose, can we?"
"Ms. Zhang is right, I agree..."
"I agree. Let's not let foreigners swindle all our money. As long as we unite, we have nothing to fear..."
"A show of hands, I agree..."
After a brief discussion, many people raised their hands, and some who had been observing reluctantly also raised their hands, seeing that they could not defy the public's anger.
Of course, some of these people might disagree, but they are all influential figures in their respective fields. Now that they have agreed, they will definitely follow the rules. In this circle, the consequence of not following the rules is being kicked out.
After reaching this simple agreement, everyone suddenly felt much closer to each other. People who used to ignore each other were now able to sit down and chat together.
The whole thing took only about 10 minutes. Just when the atmosphere in the meeting room was extremely harmonious, the door was pushed open, and Richard and Daniel walked in, followed by George, the lawyer who had been shouting that he would sue the auction house.
"Mr. Zhuang, the matter has been clarified. It was our auction house's lawyer, George, who misunderstood your words. Therefore, in order to protect the auction house's interests, he took inappropriate actions towards you. George has realized his mistake and has come to apologize to you now..."
As soon as Richard finished speaking, George walked up to Zhuang Rui, bowed deeply, and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Zhuang, I don't understand Chinese very well and misunderstood your words. I retract what I said earlier and offer my sincerest apologies for any harm caused." "Damn it, this kid's just a scapegoat..."
Zhuang Rui looked at George speechlessly, wanting to let the matter drop without making a big deal out of it, but he would have to see if George would agree.
Zhuang Rui did not accept George's apology, but looked at Richard and said, "Mr. Richard, may I ask you a question?"
Richard nodded and said, "Of course..."
"I would like to know, as your bank's lawyer, do Mr. George's words represent your bank's position? If so, I hope that the person who should apologize to me is you, not George..."
Richard's expression changed drastically upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words. Although the situation had spiraled out of control, he had never considered that he should bow his head and apologize.
Chapter 655 Bowing one's head
Richard's auction house is headquartered in England, and he himself is British. The location he is currently in is just a branch in France.
Richard, whose ancestors were British nobles, looked down on the Chinese from the bottom of his heart. If it weren't for China's growing national strength and the increasing wealth of Chinese people in recent years, he would never have made a gesture of mediation today.
Zhuang Rui's words hit Richard where it hurt, forcing him to apologize to a young Chinese man who was younger and less powerful than him—something Richard could never accept.
“Mr. Zhuang, I have already made the necessary gesture, and George, as the person primarily responsible for this matter, has already apologized to you. I hope you can accept his apology and let this matter rest.” Richard’s smile had vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression. His patience with Zhuang Rui had reached its limit. If Daniel hadn’t been constantly giving him meaningful glances, Richard probably would have lost control of his emotions and exploded.
"Is this what you call an apology? Is this your attitude?"
Zhuang Rui sneered and said, word by word, "I'm sorry, I don't accept it, and I think my compatriots behind me won't accept it either. Our negotiations have broken down, and my decision is to withdraw from this auction." Zhuang Rui's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Richard's head, instantly sobering him up. Only then did he realize that the young man in front of him could be considered a member of the Chinese aristocracy, and he was not someone he could manipulate at will. Perhaps he had made a mistake in his attitude just now.
"Yes, if you don't sincerely apologize, we're all withdrawing from this auction..."
"They clearly weren't sincere. Let's go, let's go, what a waste of time..."
"Let's go, there's another auction in Hong Kong next month, let's go there..."
The sounds around him made Richard's face grow increasingly grim. He hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to have such influence, that his decision would affect these wealthy Chinese people who had come to participate in the auction.
It should be noted that the Chinese government had protested before the auction, but these wealthy Chinese still participated. If they withdrew from the auction because of Zhuang Rui, wouldn't that mean that the young man's influence is greater than that of the government?
Richard was unaware that things weren't like that. The reason everyone supported Zhuang Rui was mainly because Zhuang Rui had just given them a good idea and could overwhelm Richard in terms of momentum, which would also benefit the upcoming auction. It was like a competition, and no one wanted to be weaker than the other in terms of momentum.
"Alright, Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment. You win."
As Zhuang Rui stood up and was about to walk out the door, Richard's short, stout body seemed to deflate like a balloon, becoming even shorter, with an indescribable expression on his face.
“Mr. Zhuang, on behalf of XX Auction House, I would like to express my sincerest apologies for what happened today and my deepest regret for the harm caused to you.” Richard walked up to Zhuang Rui, bowed slightly, and said the above words to Zhuang Rui in English with a London accent.
The huge conference room suddenly fell silent. This sudden change surprised not only Zhuang Rui but also everyone else in the room. Seeing this bigwig from the international auction house actually bow and apologize to Zhuang Rui felt unreal.
But what followed was a feeling of exhilaration. Everyone felt as if they had been irrigated by sweet rain. The feeling of exhilaration was indescribable, and for a moment, everyone's eyes even became a little moist.
It is important to understand that as China's economy develops, Chinese companies and individuals are playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. However, in certain areas, foreigners still dominate, such as international auction houses, none of which are Chinese.
In these fields, foreigners have always been the ones who set and enforce the rules, while the Chinese can only passively participate in their rules of the game. But now, these rules are being subtly broken. The powerful auction house owner lowered his self-proclaimed noble head in front of Zhuang Rui. Everyone felt a sense of relief and satisfaction at this moment.
The Chinese people present were all frequent travelers abroad. When negotiating business deals with others, they could always sense the superiority complex emanating from their counterparts. However, this sense of superiority was shattered at this moment. On the contrary, in front of Richard, their backs seemed to stand much straighter than usual. Moreover, at this moment, they all felt the power of unity. With concerted efforts, they knew that as long as they were united, even this giant of the international auction house would have to bow down and make concessions. Conversely, if only Zhuang Rui insisted, Richard would definitely not make any concessions.
Thinking of this, everyone had more confidence in Zhuang Rui's proposed auction plan, and they couldn't help but look at this young man with new respect. They would no longer have any thoughts of looking down on Zhuang Rui because of his age.
“Mr. Richard, China is a land of etiquette, and we value reciprocity. I accept your apology, but do you really think that a few words are enough to mend my wounded heart?”
As soon as Zhuang Rui spoke, several pairs of glasses fell to the ground in disbelief. Just when everyone thought Zhuang Rui would readily back down, no one expected him to say something like that.
"Xiao Zhuang, this...this..."
Ms. Zhang quietly tugged at Zhuang Rui from behind. She also felt that they had saved face enough today and it was time to end this act of bringing glory to the country. She was afraid that if Zhuang Rui continued to cause trouble, some bad things might happen.
“Ms. Zhang, I’ve heard that foreigners are very pragmatic. I’m sure their apologies won’t be empty words; they should take concrete actions. What do you think, Mr. Richard?”
Zhuang Rui's words were even more blatant, and the meaning was clear: if you want to apologize, you need to show some real substance. Don't think that just talking the talk will make things go away; there's no way you can get away with it.
"This young man is extraordinary..."
"Yes, indeed, the younger generation is truly formidable, truly formidable..."
"I should try to get to know this young man better in the future..."
Some people in the room also saw through the scheme. Zhuang Rui was using the influence of more than a hundred Chinese collectors to suppress Richard, the international auction house tycoon. Moreover, the momentum was already there, and he was not afraid that Richard would not back down.
That's right, Zhuang Rui was taking advantage of the situation. His demand for Richard to apologize was initially a test. He was testing Richard's bottom line and whether these Chinese collectors could make Richard bow down.
The result of the test was that Richard gave in. If Zhuang Rui didn't kick him while he was down, he wouldn't be Zhuang Rui.
Although China is known as a land of etiquette, Zhuang Rui had absolutely no liking for those four words. During the Kangxi era, when China fought against the Russians and won the war, they ended up seizing a large area of territory. This was a result of being poisoned by the idea of being a land of etiquette.
And that bald man who fled to Taiwan, after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, gave up demanding reparations from Japan for some reason. As a result, that despicable nation changed its textbooks, refused to acknowledge history, and is now carrying out large-scale economic plunder from China. All of this is caused by that damned land of etiquette.
On what grounds?
Why should we back down just because we're in the right?
Why can't they rightfully demand compensation?
Zhuang Rui didn't care about any of that. He was in the right today, and if he didn't teach this short, fat guy a lesson, he wouldn't learn his lesson. Zhuang Rui wanted Richard to remember this: never again would he flaunt his superiority in front of Chinese people. "You...you..."
Richard was so angry at Zhuang Rui's "shamelessness" that his face turned red. He had already apologized humbly, but Zhuang Rui made an even more "outrageous" request, demanding material compensation from him. Although Zhuang Rui didn't say it directly, the meaning behind his words was obvious even to a fool.
"Richard, calm down..."
Daniel grabbed Richard. Since they were already prepared to back down, there was no need to escalate the situation further. Daniel could see that the more than one hundred Chinese people behind them were all supporting Zhuang Rui.
As one of the world's leading auction houses, they may not fear any government, but they dare not easily offend the super-rich in these countries.
After all, if you want to do antique business, you still have to rely on them. You can't just sell these items worth tens of millions to ordinary people who only earn a few hundred or a thousand a month, can you? Can they afford them?
The purchasing power of Chinese people is now well-known worldwide. This is not only reflected in the art auction market, but also in luxury stores where Chinese people can be seen everywhere. Many luxury stores in major international cities have even arranged for sales staff who speak Chinese to facilitate shopping for Chinese customers.
"Mr. Zhuang, your request is reasonable. To express our sincerest apologies, we will waive the commission and auction house fees for the oil painting 'Half-length Portrait of Consort Chunhui' by Giuseppe Castiglione that you purchased. Are you satisfied with this result?"
After Daniel pulled Richard aside, they discussed it in a low voice and finally came up with the compensation plan that Zhuang Rui wanted. Their actions also showed that the auction house had completely bowed down to Zhuang Rui.
No one in this world can resist money. Bowing down to money is absolutely not shameful, and Westerners especially affirm this point.
Chapter 656 Sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone
"Satisfied? Of course I'm satisfied..."
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed. 1.2 million euros would have required paying a lot of other fees, which would have added up to 100,000 to 200,000 euros. Now that the auction house had waived them, what reason did Zhuang Rui have to be dissatisfied?
However, Zhuang Rui only kept these thoughts to himself and did not say them aloud. Instead, he looked at Daniel with a serious expression and said, "As an individual, I have already felt your bank's sincerity. However, as you know, your actions just now have damaged the feelings of all Chinese communities. I think that only compensating me personally... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"What?"
Daniel almost vomited blood when he heard Zhuang Rui's words. It turned out that this kid not only took advantage of the situation himself, but also wanted to seek benefits for others. Was he making a fool of the auction house?
"Xiao Zhuang is right..."
"Yes, the auction house's actions have indeed hurt us..."
"I don't need the money, I just want to condemn your behavior..."
"Hey, this young man is good. He knows that sharing happiness is worse than enjoying it alone..."
For a moment, Richard and Daniel were surrounded by English in various accents, all of which were in support of Zhuang Rui. This left the two of them looking at each other, unsure of how to end the situation.
As far as auction houses are concerned, the profits they earn are the commissions they collect after the items are sold. If all of these commissions were waived, wouldn't they be starving?
Of course, auction houses also have other hidden revenue streams, such as the price floor agreed upon with the owner beforehand. However, all of this can only happen if the auction can proceed normally and the items can be sold.
"Alright, for this auction, we will reduce the commission rate by five percentage points for all sold items as our sincerest apology to all our friends. I wonder if this satisfies you all?"
After whispering to each other for a while, Daniel and Richard finally made a decision. Compared to risking the auction falling through, they decided that although they would earn less by doing this, they could keep the auction going.
However, this time Daniel wasn't asking Zhuang Rui; he was afraid Zhuang Rui would utter another dissatisfied word, so he directly asked the Chinese collectors present.
"That's fine, I see your bank's sincerity..."
Ms. Zhang nodded first. If the stalemate continued, the auction house might really cancel the auction.
Auction houses typically charge commissions of 8% to 15% of the auction price. Even with a 5% discount, it's still a considerable sum. Although the people present didn't care about the amount of money, they were quite satisfied with the benefits Zhuang Rui had secured.
"Alright, we have arranged a banquet for lunch, and we hope everyone will do us the honor of attending. The auction will take place in the afternoon, so please take your time to relax. The chairman and I will take our leave now..."