I think the experts elected by everyone should be able to represent the majority of us..."
Zhuang Rui's words made everyone ponder. He was right. It was understandable to make a mistake once or twice, but to repeatedly use fake items in a transaction would make people doubt the trader's original intentions.
The expert evaluation method is also good: anonymous voting, so no one knows who voted for what, and the experts won't offend anyone, making it relatively fair.
"Xiao Zhuang, I think your idea is good, but this old man doesn't know how to use a computer. What should I do?"
After everyone had considered it for a while, a voice suddenly came from the room. The speaker was a man in his sixties, a boss from Shaanxi surnamed Lei, who had become an antique dealer later in life.
However, Boss Lei is shrewd and has a sharp eye. He buys more genuine items than fake ones, which is much better than Yang Wei's father's. He is quite well-known in the industry.
"Mr. Lei, why don't you just have your grandson teach you? It's very simple. With such a big business, you can't possibly not even know how to use the internet, can you?"
A man who knew Mr. Lei shouted loudly, which drew laughter from the audience.
To be honest, if Zhuang Rui's website really has the effects he claims, then everyone can solve the problem of going online. Even if you don't know how, your relatives, friends, and younger generations will surely know how.
After the room quieted down a bit, Zhuang Rui said, "My suggestion is simply to make it easier for everyone to communicate. It's completely free. If everyone agrees, we can now elect experts for the evaluation panel. If anyone doesn't want to participate, they can withdraw immediately. Let's vote by raising our hands..."
Everyone has their own ideas, and some people may not want to join in the fun. Even Zhuang Rui had a lot of personal motives for creating this website.
Zhuang Ruiding's vision for the Guangming Museum is to become the undisputed No. 1 private museum in terms of both the quantity and quality of its collections within the next 10 years.
Judging from Zhuang Rui's current investments, jade mines and real estate will be the most productive sectors in the next few years, and he likely has at least 1 billion yuan in funds at his disposal.
If one only purchases antiques through auction houses, it may not necessarily meet one's own needs. Therefore, after discussing with Huangfu Yun, Zhuang Rui came up with this solution.
Through the collection website platform, Zhuang Rui can post his purchase requests, and similarly, he can buy items that others are willing to sell as soon as possible.
As for whether it's genuine or fake, that absolutely cannot escape Zhuang Rui's discerning eye, because the final transaction still requires inspecting the goods and making payment offline.
"I'll participate..."
"I'll participate too..."
"This is great! Everyone should participate..."
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, everyone in the room raised their hands. Even those who didn't want to participate wouldn't show it in this kind of setting; at most, they would just say they wouldn't go online anymore.
"Alright, everyone, please nominate your most respected experts for the evaluation panel. Each of you will have a ballot; simply write down the name of the expert you wish to have on it. We will hold a public vote shortly, ensuring fairness, impartiality, and transparency, with absolutely no cheating..."
Zhuang Rui's last sentence made everyone laugh. If we don't count the virtual things on the Internet, if we were to ask what physical object is most pirated in China, it would definitely be antiques. There are thousands of items in the antique markets of every city. Are they all real?
As arranged beforehand, staff from more than 10 museums handed out ballots the size of a piece of paper to each person.
Zhuang Rui's idea came rather suddenly. Apart from Huangfu Yun, he had not communicated with anyone else in the room beforehand. Therefore, it was unlikely that these people could unite to jointly elect an expert. At most, three or five people with good relationships could have a small-scale discussion.
About half an hour later, the ballots that had just been distributed were put back into several transparent glass boxes that had been prepared in advance and brought to the front of the conference room.
After collecting the ballots, Zhuang Rui said, "I think we should trouble Teacher Ma, Teacher Jin, Professor Meng, and Uncle De to supervise the vote counting..."
The people Zhuang Rui mentioned are top figures in the domestic collecting and academic circles. No one in the room objected. The group stood next to the glass case and supervised the staff as they opened the case and read the tickets.
One staff member read out the names, while another wrote them on the blackboard and used tally marks to count the number of votes. Although Zhuang Rui's preparations were somewhat rushed, they were still quite professional, which made everyone feel very curious.
"Ma XX, one vote..."
"Meng XX, one vote..."
"Yang X, one vote..."
"Zhuang X, one vote..."
As the vote-reading staff spoke, names were written on the blackboard one by one. Among the most familiar names were Mr. Ma, Professor Meng, Zhuang Rui, Uncle De, and several others who frequently appeared on domestic television and magazines.
There were only a little over 300 people present. The vote count was done very quickly, and in just over half an hour, the nine people with the most votes had already been tallied.
It's unclear whether Zhuang Rui received the most votes, but perhaps because he was playing on home soil.
In addition, Mr. Ma, Uncle De, Fatty Jin, and others were also selected as members of the expert evaluation panel. It can be said that these nine people encompassed experts from all categories in the antique industry, as well as Professor Meng, a leading figure in the field of archaeology. This result was satisfactory to everyone.
Next, the group discussed some specific details, such as the channels for submitting applications for evaluation, and all of these were resolved.
Time flew by, and it was evening in the blink of an eye. Some people went back to their hotels to come back and examine the museum’s collections more closely the next day, while others had to catch their flights. Zhuang Rui arranged for taxis to take the guests home. The museum opening and gathering of industry peers came to a successful conclusion.
However, there was still a lot to do, such as setting up the website and communicating with everyone. Zhuang Rui irresponsibly delegated all these tasks to Wei Ming, the boss of the real estate company. Now that the buildings were almost sold, the employees needed something to do. ...
"Damn, at least everything's alright now..."
After seeing off the last guest, Zhuang Rui stood at the entrance of his museum, which was closed but still brightly lit, feeling so tired that he wanted to collapse onto the ground.
Although spiritual energy can eliminate fatigue, he was on edge all day, having to take care of everything, big and small, and his mind was in such a mess that it felt like it was about to explode.
Huangfu Yun, on the other hand, was full of energy. This level of work was something he was already used to. He pulled Zhuang Rui aside and said, "Are you alright? There's plenty of time. Come on, let's find a place to eat first. I'll call President Yun over; he needs to reimburse you for today's bill..."
The "General Manager Yun" that Huangfu Yun mentioned is named Yun Man. She is 31 years old this year and is the financial director of Qin Ruilin Jewelry Store. After Zhuang Rui took over Xuanruizhai, he has been in charge of the finances of both stores. Now she has also taken on the work of the museum.
Yunman is from Hong Kong. Perhaps because she has high standards, she has never gotten married. However, Zhuang Rui noticed that after Huangfu Yun and she met, the two seemed to have sparked a connection. At least Huangfu Yun, who used to call Zhuang Rui every time she came to Beijing to invite him to bars, has been quite quiet lately.
"Alright, let's get in the car..."
Zhuang Rui also wanted to know how much money he could make on his first day of business. He hadn't done anything all month and had already spent over a million yuan.
Although Zhuang Rui is wealthy and powerful, he can't just keep breathing and taking money out of his own pocket all the time. For a museum to develop healthily, it ultimately needs to balance its income and expenditure.
Chapter 713 Auspicious Opening
"Yang Jian, everyone has been very busy today, thank you for your hard work. You can take your regular day off tomorrow, and your bonus will be doubled this month..."
Before getting into the car, Zhuang Rui saw Yang Jian leading two security personnel, patrolling from the outer wall of the museum, and quickly greeted them.
The security guards work in three shifts, each shift lasting eight hours. However, since it's the opening day, no one has had a break. They're busy maintaining order and preventing anyone from causing trouble, so they're all exhausted.
Yang Jian knew the value of the items in the museum. Although there were various alarm devices and the museum was connected to the police station, Yang Jian still dared not be careless. He wanted to eliminate any potential dangers in the first place.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhuang, it's nothing..."
With Yang Jian's salary, he naturally didn't care much about this bonus, but the two people behind him looked happy.
Zhuang Rui provides excellent benefits to museum staff, including free room and board, social security contributions, and a safety bonus that is even higher than their salaries. The bonus is doubled, amounting to several thousand yuan, which would make even real estate company employees envious.
"Alright, you guys go ahead with your work. I'll have someone bring over some late-night snacks tonight. Remember, no drinking..."
Zhuang Rui heard the sound of high heels in the distance and knew that Director Yun had arrived. He waved his hand, signaling Yang Jian to leave with his men.
Yunman is not tall, only about 1.65 meters, but she has a very well-proportioned figure. She wears glasses and has the air of a professional woman. She wears a business suit to work every day.
"Brother Huangfu, you have your own car, why are you hitching a ride with me? I don't want to be a third wheel..."
Upon seeing Yunman approach, Huangfuyun quickly opened the car door. After Yunman got in, Huangfuyun also stuck his butt out and climbed into the back seat, making Zhuang Rui roll his eyes. So, they're making their boss their driver?
Huangfu Yun chuckled and said, "Isn't this to report to the leader, Miss Yun?"
"Mr. Zhuang, let me give you a report on today's income and expenses..."
Yunman was originally sent to Beijing by Qin Ruilin's Hong Kong headquarters. However, after Zhuang Rui took over Qin Ruilin, she severed ties with the Hong Kong side, and her salary was paid by Zhuang Rui. Therefore, Yunman dared not joke with her boss Zhuang Rui like Huangfu Yun did.
However, Zhuang Rui did not mistreat Yun Man. Apart from Manager Wu, she was the only one in Qin Ruilin with a million-dollar annual salary, which was not low even in Hong Kong.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand, started the car, and said, "Let's sit down at the hotel and talk. You've had a long day, let's eat something first..."
The hotel was not far from the museum. Huangfu Yun had booked a private room in advance. After sitting down and having a cup of tea, Zhuang Rui stretched and felt a little more relaxed.
Huangfu Yun was busy trying to please Yun Man, pouring tea and introducing the snacks on the table. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like this guy was serious.
"Brother Huangfu, you still need to take President Yun home later, so let's not rush things. Let's talk about work first..."
Zhuang Rui's words made Yun Man blush deeply. She quickly pushed away Huangfu Yun, who was leaning closer to her, and opened the folder in her hand.
"Mr. Zhuang, the museum received a total of RMB 5,123,800 in gifts today..."
"How much? More than five million?"
Zhuang Rui interrupted Yun Man. According to his estimate, it should be around two million, but it turned out to be far more than he expected.
The opening ceremony, including the expenses for the out-of-town guests, was expected to cost around four to five million yuan, even though the exact figure hadn't been released yet. However, the gift money alone covered the entire expense.
Yunman nodded affirmatively and said, "Yes, it's five million one hundred and twenty-three thousand eight hundred. This is the list of all the guests' gift money. I've arranged them according to the amount of the gift money. Mr. Zhuang, you can take a look..."
After taking the list from Yunman, Zhuang Rui glanced at it. People like Fatty Jin and Boss Qian were all giving 100,000 yuan in gifts, while Qi Zhu from Jiangsu and Zhejiang and some wealthy young men from Hong Kong whom Zhuang Rui knew were all giving 200,000 yuan.
Bai Feng and those other young masters from Beijing each received a gift of 300,000 yuan. Just these people alone amounted to nearly two million yuan.
As for the experts and collectors from other places whom Zhuang Rui didn't know, the gifts weren't very heavy, mostly three to five hundred yuan, and even the higher ones were only one or two thousand yuan. It was mainly about the sentiment.
What made Zhuang Rui both laugh and cry was that Liu Chuan and Zhou Rui each gave a million. If it weren't for the gifts from these two, it probably wouldn't have been five million.
"Two million..."
Zhuang Rui pointed to Liu Chuan and Zhou Rui's names, thought for a moment, and then said, "Fine, I'll accept them since they're free..."
Zhuang Rui had heard from Liu Chuan a while ago that the Tibetan Mastiff puppies they bred during the Spring Festival had sold for more than 30 million yuan in cash. The two brothers are not short of money now, and returning them would only weaken their brotherly relationship.
Zhuang Rui didn't have time to greet the two men, but Liu Chuan felt almost at home in Zhuang Rui's courtyard house. Zhou Rui and Zhuang's mother were also very familiar with each other, so naturally, the two brothers wouldn't be treated badly.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Yun Man handed over another piece of paper and said, "Mr. Zhuang, we also received a batch of antiques. I'm not familiar with these, so I can't estimate their value. Here's the list..."
"Hmm, I'll take stock of these when I have time..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at them and saw that, in addition to monetary gifts, the Pak siblings and Zheng Shao from Hong Kong also gave several paintings and antiques. If they were genuine, then their gifts were the most valuable.
People like Fatty Jin and Boss Qian gave him small gifts that symbolized good fortune. Even Manager Lü from Pengcheng brought out a few miscellaneous collectibles. This made Zhuang Rui feel quite ashamed. After leaving Pengcheng, he had little contact with Song Jun and the other old friends in the antique business.
Although he has been making more and more money in the past two years, Zhuang Rui feels that he is spending less and less time with his family and friends, and some friends have become somewhat distant.
Aside from Liu Chuan, my childhood friend whom I grew up with, I don't see Yue Jing, the second brother who lives in Beijing, as often as I used to when I wasn't in Beijing. He did attend Wei Ge's wedding recently, but I haven't spoken to the third and fourth brothers on the phone for a long time.
"Mr. Zhuang, we received a total of 9,687 visitors today, with ticket revenue of 484,350 yuan. If we can maintain this momentum, I believe that ticket revenue alone will be enough to sustain the museum's operation, and we might even have a considerable surplus..."
Yunman continued to report to Zhuang Rui on the museum's business situation. In her opinion, the museum was doing very well, earning more than 400,000 yuan in just half a day.
Even if a portion of this goes to travel agencies as commission, the museum can still earn around 400,000 yuan. If calculated on a daily basis, the museum's daily income could probably reach 700,000 yuan.
"Mr. Yun, that's not how the accounts are calculated. Some of the ticket revenue comes from friends' support. Of the more than nine thousand tickets, we need to subtract 5,000. The rest is the revenue from regular visitors..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand. Yun Man didn't know about this, but he knew in his heart that Yang Bo had bought 5,000 tickets, purely to give him face.
"However, even excluding those 5,000 tickets, there were still over 4,000 visitors, all thanks to Brother Huangfu. By the way, Brother Huangfu, try to strengthen your connections with those travel agencies and strive to stabilize the number of visitors at around 6,000 per day in the future..."
Zhuang Rui did a mental calculation and figured that there were actually 4,687 visitors to the museum today. If there were that many visitors every day, that would amount to more than 1.7 million visitors a year, generating more than 85 million yuan in revenue.
While it can't compare to the Palace Museum, which receives around 100,000 visitors a day on average, it's still a terrifying number for a private museum.
After deducting the commission paid to travel agencies and the museum's own expenses, Zhuang Rui was able to save more than 30 million yuan. This money could not only be used to increase investment and continue to purchase collections, but also be enough to cover the maintenance and repair of the museum.