"Six hundred and thirty-five million yuan!"
"Six hundred and fifty million yuan!"
Another round of enthusiastic applause followed. It had reached 650 million yuan. In the history of auctions, there have been pieces that have exceeded 500 million yuan, but those were all national treasures. This jade micro-carving, however, seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Not a single word was said about who the master carver was. In the end, the carver himself was the real star!
"Six hundred and sixty million yuan!"
"Six hundred and seventy million yuan!"
"Six hundred and ninety-five million yuan!"
The price paused for a moment, then the man holding up paddle number seventeen raised the bid again: "Seven hundred million!"
There was another round of enthusiastic applause that lasted for a long time. To be honest, even those who had not competed or had withdrawn from the micro-carving competition were genuinely applauding. How often can one witness such a grand occasion?
All of this stems from the newly opened "Zhou Zhang Antique Shop" in Hengshao!
Others might not know, but the people at Yang Zhongjun's table did. The young man sitting next to them was the real protagonist. While everyone else in the hall was bidding with flushed faces and sweating profusely, he was leisurely and carefree!
Old Wu's mouth was dry on stage. Just as he had predicted, the trend was indeed unimaginable!
The final price was set at 778 million yuan.
When Lao Wu uttered the word "sold," he seemed to go limp, his whole body covered in sweat, appearing even more exhausted than the competing buyers.
The buyer who took the miniature carving was the one holding up paddle number seventeen. This person was the owner of an antique shop in Panjiayuan, but he was definitely not the real buyer, because there were two men with him. These two men arrived later and were probably the real buyers behind the scenes.
"Congratulations to buyer number seventeen for winning this jadeite miniature carving of the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' motif for 778 million!" Gui Wu said with a broad smile. "Congratulations! This is a national treasure-level miniature carving. I won't elaborate on its true value here. Also, I'd like to announce that our Zhouzhang store has thirteen more miniature carvings of the same caliber as this one. Based on today's opening auction, we have officially decided to hold a grand auction at the Changsheng Auction House in Beijing in fifteen days. We cordially invite all our friends to attend!"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback, not understanding why Lao Wu suddenly stopped the auction. Wasn't it in full swing? But Lao Wu was one of their own, and whatever decision he made was valid.
After Lao Wu said those words, the scene immediately exploded again, with countless people asking him questions!
"Really? There are also thirteen other jade miniature carvings of the same quality?"
Why didn't we film it together today?
"Could we take a look first?"
"Quiet down, everyone! Quiet down, I have something to say!" Old Wu waved his hands frantically to quiet the noisy crowd in the hall, then said, "Because today is our grand opening, our Zhouzhang store has made ample preparations. However, we didn't expect the atmosphere to be so enthusiastic, far exceeding our expectations. We weren't prepared to auction off so many micro-carvings at once, so there are no more items available for auction here. Please understand, and this gives you some time to prepare. See you in fifteen days. Now, please let Ms. Fu Ying conduct the lucky draw!"
Old Wu's words immediately silenced the noise in the hall, though the chatter continued. The existence of thirteen more jadeite miniature carvings of the same quality was enough to delight them. The one auctioned today had already been a feast for the eyes; the anticipation for the remaining thirteen was even greater. Those who had just bid were now eagerly anticipating more. Such items represented enormous profits for them; merchants don't act without profit, and this was their primary business. They were always hoping for such treasures to appear. But Old Wu's words were truly astonishing—thirteen more!
If this is the case with just one piece today, what would it mean if there were thirteen more pieces?
Of course, some people also asked Mr. Wu: "Mr. Wu, could you please tell me what kind of paintings and scenes the other thirteen pieces are?"
Old Wu chuckled and said, "Let me lay the groundwork here. I won't say what kind of miniature carving it is, but I can guarantee that it will be in the same league as the one that was just auctioned. Alright, Miss Fu, please begin the lottery!"
With items worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan already auctioned off, the prizes worth only tens of thousands of yuan naturally failed to attract the interest of the people in the hall, and many of them bid farewell to Lao Wu and Zhang Jian and left.
However, it was obvious that many people were excitedly making phone calls to inform others and prepare for the next bidding battle. The next one would definitely be different from today's. Today there was only one miniature carving being auctioned, but next time there would be thirteen!
Zhou Xuan, who was in the corner, suddenly understood Lao Wu's idea at this moment and couldn't help but chuckle. In the end, Lao Wu was more experienced than him when it came to getting things done. Old ginger is spicier!
Looking at the people in the hall, Zhou Xuan understood that none of them had come prepared. They might be able to handle bidding on items worth tens of millions, but items worth over a hundred million, like miniature carvings, and more than a dozen of them, would be unbearable in today's situation. The atmosphere was good, but the real buyers with real power were not present. Many were contacted and manipulated by phone at the last minute, which was obviously not as good as having the person present and making thorough preparations.
As things stand today, everyone's endurance has reached its limit. Even if the remaining thirteen micro-carvings were forcibly auctioned off, it would be impossible to sell them at the ideal price. The best solution is to postpone the auction and allow powerful buyers to prepare fully. This would benefit Zhou Xuan even more. The more prepared they are, the higher the bid will be, and the greater Zhou Xuan's profit will be!
Zhou Xuan smiled and stood up to congratulate Lao Wu, but he noticed someone squeezing in from the crowd leaving the committee. He paused, because he recognized the person – Yuan Li, the one who had been giving him a headache!
Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, Yuan Li's face broke into a broad smile, and he said to Yang Zhongjun, "President Yang, I...I'd like to discuss this with you again!"
Volume 1, Chapter 328: The Driver's License Incident
Yang Zhongjun glanced indifferently at this former most popular male star under his management, chuckled coldly, and thought, "If people know this, why did they do it in the first place?"
Never overestimate yourself or think too highly of yourself, or you'll fall and suffer serious injuries!
This person is no longer usable, no matter what. It's not that Yang Zhongjun is intolerant, but Yuan Li has gone too far and is too arrogant. Let's just make an example of him!
In this line of work, you can't get by without some authority. Aren't all those celebrities who became famous today made possible by these bosses throwing money at them? Once they become famous, they act like they're above everyone else. Without their support, they're nothing. Once they're famous, they have to treat them like royalty, making it seem like they don't know who's the boss anymore. This kind of thing is all too common in the entertainment industry.
“Yuan Li, consider this a lesson. Since you’ve taken this step, you should accept the punishment you deserve. Our Baocheng can no longer afford to support someone as important as you!”
Yang Zhongjun thought for a moment, then glanced at Zhou Xuan, and finally hardened his heart to ignore Heineken.
Fu Yuanshan took a phone call and then said goodbye, saying that he had something to do at the bureau and that he still had to do his duty and leave a good impression before leaving the Dongcheng branch.
After the dinner at the restaurant, Fu Ying specially presented each of the eight people, including Zhang Xian and Yang Zhongjun, with a jade pendant worth 9,999 yuan as a token of her gratitude.
In such a setting, they deliberately didn't give anything more valuable, not because they couldn't afford it, but because they were mindful of the occasion and the implications. Of course, Zhang Xian's piece was given secretly. If it were anyone else, Zhang Xian would never have accepted it. But Zhou Xuan was different. When he gave him the jade piece, Wei Haihong was also present. His superior was Wei Haihong's second brother, so naturally he wasn't an outsider.
After seeing off all the guests, Zhang Jian, Zhou Ying, and Li Wei cleaned up the mess. Fu Ying and Zhou Xuan left first; Fu Ying was driving her new Audi.
On the way, Fu Ying suddenly asked Zhou Xuan, "I heard from Li Wei that the driver's licenses have been processed for your whole family?"
Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "Yes, no one knows how to drive, yet everyone has already gotten their driver's licenses. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing!"
“It doesn’t matter, we have plenty of time anyway. I’ll teach you. Let’s go to No. 10 Road in the suburbs now. There are fewer people and cars there, and the roads are wide and straight, making it the best place to learn to drive!” Fu Ying suddenly became very interested, turned the car around at the next exit, and headed straight for the suburbs.
Zhou Xuan didn't object. Anyway, there was nothing else to do. The opening of the shop was done, so he could rest. However, it seemed that Lao Wu wanted to see him, but he slipped away. Lao Wu would definitely ask about the remaining thirteen jade micro-carvings. Asking more would just be lying, which was pointless. It was better to avoid him. Lao Wu would definitely not be able to sleep after seeing so many good things. Let him be excited.
Another issue is Li Wei. This guy is always wandering around. Why not arrange for him to work at the antique shop? Firstly, he can be with Zhou Ying, and secondly, he'll have a proper job to keep him in check. We should find an opportunity to report to Old Li and Li Lei and his son. It's no longer appropriate to call Li Lei a brother.
Fu Ying drove very fast. Although this Audi was not a top-of-the-line luxury car, it was still of a prestigious lineage. When it exceeded 150 miles per hour on the highway, its performance was unmatched by Japanese and Korean cars.
After arriving at the suburban section of the road, Fu Ying stopped the car and switched places with Zhou Xuan. She first taught him about the clutch, accelerator, brake, handbrake, and gear shift. This Audi is a combination of manual and automatic transmissions, but in order to make him more proficient in the future, Fu Ying still had Zhou Xuan start by practicing with the manual transmission.