Zhuang Rui was stunned upon hearing this. This Mr. Guo was a very famous figure. Not only was he a billionaire, but he had also made great contributions to the mainland. Since the reform and opening up, his charitable donations to the mainland have exceeded 1 billion yuan.
Zhuang Rui used to see him on TV often, but now he seems to have aged a lot. Zhuang Rui had read his autobiography, and the man should be around eighty years old. Given his status, his attitude towards Qin Haoran was understandable.
"Who is the other person?"
Zhuang Rui continued to ask.
"That man is a tycoon too. By the way, you've heard of Zhou Taifu Jewelry, right? He's the chairman of that company, and he's known as one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings' of the Hong Kong real estate industry. He has numerous investments, and his assets should be around three billion US dollars now. Compared to him, our jewelry company is really not worth mentioning..."
They say you don't know how little money you have until you go to Guangdong. Zhuang Rui only realized what it meant to be a frog in a well after he came here. Damn it, they calculate money in billions, and in US dollars no less. Even if he sold all those jade mines in Xinjiang, he still couldn't compare to these financial giants.
"Strange, those two haven't been out much lately, why are they here today?"
After Qin Xuanbing finished introducing Zhuang Rui, she muttered to herself that she had attended many similar charity galas before. However, it seemed that most of them were people of Qin Haoran's generation, and someone like Guo Lao, a heavyweight even in mainland China, had never appeared.
Moreover, the number of people attending this charity auction today was unusually large. After Qin Xuanbing and the others entered, more and more people continued to enter the hall. There were even two elderly people who were helped in and joined the three of them.
About ten minutes later, there were already seventy or eighty people in the several hundred square meter hall. The young people had made way for each other and were chatting at the door. However, many people's eyes would still intentionally or unintentionally sweep over the corner where Qin Xuanbing and the others were.
"Zhuang Rui?"
Zhuang Rui, who was chatting with Qin Xuanbing, was suddenly startled when he heard someone call his name. He knew quite a few people in Hong Kong, including people like Li Ka-shing, but none of them knew him. Zhuang Rui really couldn't think of anyone who could remember his name.
Looking up, Zhuang Rui saw that the hall was full of people. He looked around for a while but couldn't find anyone he recognized. He thought it was just his imagination, but then he heard a voice clearly in his ear: "Brother Zhuang, is it really you?"
This time, however, it was a woman's voice. Zhuang Rui looked in the direction of the voice and, lo and behold, it was someone he knew. It turned out to be the Bai siblings, mingling among a group of men and women, waving at him.
"Don't go over there, they won't come."
Zhuang Rui felt good about the brother and sister, and since they had gone through hardships together before, he stood up to go over and say hello. However, Qin Xuanbing stopped him, so Zhuang Rui could only wave to Bai Meng'an helplessly, signaling them to come over.
Bai Meng'an and Bai Mengyao, the siblings, did come over, but they were followed by about ten people of similar age. This made Qin Xuanbing frown. However, out of respect for her parents, she stood up and greeted Bai Mengyao. As for the others, Qin Xuanbing didn't even glance at them.
"Brother Zhuang, it really is you? I just heard that Miss Qin has been conquered by someone, and I didn't quite believe it at first, but seeing that it's Brother Zhuang, then it must be true."
To be honest, Bai Meng'an wasn't too comfortable seeing Qin Xuanbing nestled so affectionately beside Zhuang Rui. Her words were bound to provoke the anger of the people behind her.
Chapter 371 Charity Auction (4)
Upon hearing Bai Meng'an's words, Zhuang Rui raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Brother Bai, you're mistaken. Xuan Bing's choice of whom is her own decision; how can it be described as conquest? As an international metropolis, Hong Kong surely doesn't still harbor patriarchal ideas these days, does it?"
Bai Meng'an was taken aback by Zhuang Rui's words. He hadn't expected that Zhuang Rui, who was usually calm and collected, would refute him like that. For a moment, he was speechless. However, Zhuang Rui's words implied the whole of Hong Kong. The young people behind Bai Meng'an all showed indignant expressions.
"I misspoke, Xuanbing, please don't take it to heart..."
Seeing her brother lose his composure, Bai Mengyao quickly nudged him in the lower back. Bai Meng'an then realized what had happened and hurriedly apologized to Qin Xuanbing. Their two families had many business collaborations, and it wouldn't be good to cause a rift over such a small matter. Bai Meng'an had just been a little jealous, which was why he said the inappropriate thing. Now, however, he had adjusted his mindset.
"It's alright, the auction is about to begin, everyone please go back..."
Qin Xuanbing reverted to her previous aloof demeanor, but the subtle charm that occasionally emanated from her eyes was quite different from her previous coldness. Even young men who had no interest in Qin Xuanbing were now stunned, and those who had come with female companions were also stealing glances at her.
"There are too many people here today, Miss Qin. Would you mind if we stayed here?"
A young man in his thirties suddenly spoke up in the crowd, and several people around him echoed his words. Qin Xuanbing glanced at the man, then nodded silently without saying anything.
"That man's surname is Zheng, and his name is Zheng Hua. He's the grandson of that tycoon Zheng, and he currently works at his grandfather's jewelry company. He's hailed as the leading figure of the new generation at Zhou Taifu Jewelry. Xuanbing isn't familiar with him, but she doesn't want to refuse him..."
Lei Lei, worried that Zhuang Rui might have some thoughts, whispered in his ear to introduce the people who had spoken earlier. They were all in the jewelry industry, and their companies were much larger than Qin's Jewelry. If Qin Xuanbing were to kick them out, it would be incredibly disrespectful. Besides, this place wasn't her private property.
To be honest, these sons of super-rich people were far less interested in Zhuang Rui than in Qin Xuanbing. With their wealth, what kind of beautiful woman couldn't they have? Why bring home a cold stone? Of course, only Zhuang Rui among those present knew whether it was cold or warm.
However, Qin Xuanbing's choice to marry Zhuang Rui, a mainlander, piqued the curiosity of these people. After 1997, cross-border marriages between the mainland and Hong Kong became quite common. However, in Hong Kong's upper class, it was rare to hear of any family willing to marry their daughter to a mainlander. After all, Hong Kong people generally find it difficult to adapt to life on the mainland in terms of weather, climate, and lifestyle.
At this moment, several people were whispering with Bai Meng'an, and even Bai Mengyao had been pulled aside by the women. They were probably trying to find out about Zhuang Rui's background. However, although the Bai siblings and Zhuang Rui had both been on the trip to Tibet, they didn't know much about Zhuang Rui. Apart from knowing that he was from the mainland, they hadn't revealed any useful information.
"Is this Mr. Zhuang's first time in Hong Kong?"
Before the charity auction even started, people of all ages were chatting in groups. Suddenly, Zheng Hua, who was standing next to Bai Meng'an, smiled and greeted Zhuang Rui, extending his hand.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Zhuang Rui shook hands with the seemingly refined heiress of the Zheng family jewelry business, who wore gold-rimmed glasses, and replied casually, "Yes, it's my first time here..."
"Haha, I wonder what industry Mr. Zhuang works in on the mainland? I spend three or four months of the year working there. If I have the chance, I'll definitely visit Mr. Zhuang..."
Zheng Hua had no romantic feelings for Qin Xuanbing. He just wanted to test Zhuang Rui's abilities. If he was capable, then he would naturally befriend him. As the saying goes, having more friends means having more options. When you're doing business at their level, many things can't be solved with money.
In the late 1970s, people who came to Hong Kong from the mainland were initially looked down upon by Hong Kong people. However, the descendants of a "red capitalist" arrived in Hong Kong empty-handed and, with only a small amount of capital, built a vast business empire with assets of nearly 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in just twenty years, which is truly remarkable.
From that time on, Hong Kong's super-rich began to cultivate good relations with the mainland, whether intentionally or unintentionally, because the huge mainland market was something they could not give up. At the same time, these people also realized a truth: in doing business in the mainland, having power is worse than having money.
Zheng Hua is now wondering if Zhuang Rui is some kind of prince from the mainland. If not, why would the Qin family be willing to marry their daughter to him? You see, at that time in Hong Kong, it was still very common for wealthy families to use marriage to maintain cooperative relationships.
Zhuang Rui had no idea what this young master Zheng, who spoke fluent Mandarin, meant, and casually replied, "I do some jade business in the mainland, haha, it's nothing to mention."
"Oh? Mr. Zhuang is also in the jewelry industry? Then we should get to know each other better in the future..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zheng Hua's suspicions deepened.
"No, no, I only deal in raw jade materials and have no experience with jewelry."
Zhuang Rui corrected Zheng Hua's statement.
"Mr. Zhuang is our superior, so I will definitely pay him a visit when I have the chance."
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui was in the jade raw material business, Zheng Hua immediately lost interest. He knew all the largest jade raw material suppliers in mainland China and maintained very good relationships with them. None of them had the surname Zhuang. Moreover, upon further reflection, there didn't seem to be any high-ranking officials with the surname Zhuang in mainland China. Therefore, in his eyes, Zhuang Rui was just an ordinary small businessman.
Among this group, Zheng Hua was clearly the leader. When Zheng Hua revealed Zhuang Rui's background, the others showed disdain on their faces, but they didn't go up to cause trouble. After all, given their status, if word got out that they were fighting over a woman, they would lose face big time and would inevitably be scolded by their elders when they got home.
However, a few people were already secretly plotting how to make Zhuang Rui look foolish. After all, this kid from the mainland was stealing the spotlight today. Just the fact that Qin Xuanbing was holding his arm had overshadowed them.
Zhuang Rui noticed that Young Master Zheng was no longer paying attention to him, but instead switched to Cantonese and started chatting and laughing with the people next to him. He didn't mind, put his arm around Qin Xuanbing and walked a little to the side, chatting quietly. Zhuang Rui felt a little strange. It was almost ten o'clock, and most people had arrived. Why hadn't the charity auction started yet?
Just then, two people entered from outside. One was the British butler, who stood at the door as if leading someone in. The other waiter ran to Sir Ho's table and whispered something to him.
To Zhuang Rui's surprise, the elderly people who had been sitting there steadily all stood up. Even Old Guo was helped to the door to greet them. The group of middle-aged people who had been chatting in the middle also shut their mouths and stood up to greet the guests.
"Brother Bai, who has arrived?"
Since Qin Xuanbing had been with him the whole time, she definitely wouldn't know. Zhuang Rui could only ask Bai Meng'an, who was not far from him.
"You didn't know? Today's charity auction is organized by Sir Ho to build 100 Hope Primary Schools in mainland China. Sir Ho will pay for all the money after the auction proceeds. That's why we invited Director Wang from Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong and Commander Huang from the Hong Kong Garrison. These should be the two of them who have arrived."
Seeing that everyone around her was crowding towards the door, Bai Meng'an quickly explained to Zhuang Rui and then squeezed through as well.
Although they are all businessmen, doing business also requires a harmonious and stable environment. For example, the Hong Kong Garrison is only a deterrent force, but it is not harmful to be on good terms with it. Not to mention Xinhua News Agency, which is the envoy sent to Hong Kong by the mainland government. If the Hong Kong Chief Executive had not been on the mainland today, he probably would have come to attend this charity dinner as well.
As Bai Meng'an and her group surrounded them, two people walked in side by side through the door. The one on the right was a general in a crisp military uniform, a gold star on his shoulder gleaming under the lights. The one on the left was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a Zhongshan suit and looking very capable.
"Hello, Mr. Guo. How could I trouble you to come and greet me? My apologies, my apologies."
As soon as the two entered the gate, they saw several elderly people walking towards them. Director Wang immediately went up to them and shook hands with Old Guo, while the general first saluted before greeting the elderly people. As for the people next to them, they simply nodded slightly in greeting.
After exchanging pleasantries in the hall, Director Wang and Commander Huang were led to a table with several elderly people. Those who felt they had some status also took champagne and went to that table to say a few words and clink glasses with the two distinguished guests. As for the young people, they did not have this privilege and could only stand in place and watch from afar.
When Sir He saw that the VIP guest of the evening had arrived, he called to the butler, and a dozen waiters immediately came in, moved the dining table in the middle of the hall to the side, and moved another square table covered with red silk to the middle of the hall.
Chapter 372 Charity Auction (5)
The first person to approach the table was a female emcee. She spoke a few words in Cantonese, presumably a welcoming speech to the guests. Zhuang Rui couldn't understand it, but the woman looked familiar. Finally, Lei Lei reminded him, and he remembered that this female emcee was none other than Wang Xingxing, who was once very popular in mainland China. However, she had aged a bit now, with wrinkles on her face, and her youthful beauty had faded.
After saying a few words, MC Wang invited the host of the charity gala to the stage.
Sir He was about seventy years old and still in good health. He walked to the table, first welcomed the guests who had participated in the charity auction, and then gave special thanks to Commander Huang and Director Wang for their presence. Those whose names were mentioned stood up and nodded to the audience.
Although Sir He spoke slowly, Zhuang Rui, relying on the Cantonese he'd learned in video arcades in the 1990s, clearly lacked sufficient vocabulary. He listened intently for a long time but still couldn't understand a single word; Qin Xuanbing translated everything for him. And it wasn't just him; even beside the ever-smiling Director Wang and Commander Huang, there were people whispering to them.
Fortunately, Hong Kong people are very pragmatic. After saying a few brief words, Sir Ho announced the official start of the charity auction.
Although it was just an auction hosted by a wealthy businessman, it was conducted in a very formal manner. The chief auctioneer of a well-known and reputable auction house was invited, and the emcee was introducing the auctioneer to the audience. The auction was being conducted by the two of them together.
"Now we begin the auction of the first item, provided by Sir Ho. It is a pipe once used by Sir Ho's grandfather, Mr. Ho Tung. It is made of meerschaum from the Varisi region of Italy, a craft that has now been lost. Most importantly, this pipe also embodies Sir Ho's deep affection for his grandfather, making its commemorative significance far greater than the pipe's intrinsic value..."
The auctioneer spoke Mandarin, which relieved Zhuang Rui. Listening to Cantonese was worse than speaking English; it was just too agonizing for his ears.
"Alright, let's begin the auction now. As Sir He wishes, the starting price for all items tonight is one dollar. Friends, please bid enthusiastically. Remember, charity is about one for all, and all for one!"
After Wang Mingxing explained the process in Cantonese, the auctioneer announced the start of the auction. Typically, in charity auctions like this, the first item is provided by the owner, serving as a way to attract more bidders.
"I'll offer 50,000 yuan for Sir He's pipe..."
Items at charity auctions are not meant to be appraised on stage. As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, people started bidding, and the bids were quite high, increasing by 50,000 times from the starting price. This left Zhuang Rui speechless. He had originally planned to place a bid, but now that the price had been driven up to 50,000 yuan, it didn't seem worth it.
Just because others can't go up and appraise it doesn't mean Zhuang Rui can't examine the pipe. The table where the pipe is placed is only about ten steps away from him. Although it's not accurate to see with the naked eye, it's different after using spiritual energy.
This pipe is made of meerschaum, a very fine and even material, and features a relief carving of a dolphin on the bowl, likely due to the capillary structure of the meerschaum. The surface of the pipe also has a uniform layer of tar, probably seeped from the pipe during its early use, resembling a patina with a very consistent color.
Moreover, there was a thin layer of white spiritual energy inside this cigarette butt, which meant that this pipe could be considered an antique. Zhuang Rui had worked in a pawn shop and knew that such a world-class pipe was very valuable and could be considered a luxury item, which was why he had the idea of buying it.
"I'll offer 100,000 yuan..."
This kind of auction doesn't seem to require much from the auctioneer to manage the atmosphere; before he even had a chance to speak, the original price had already doubled.
Zhuang Rui was still a little reluctant to sell when the price was 50,000 yuan, but 100,000 yuan completely dissuaded him from making a purchase. Although not everything can be measured in money, 100,000 yuan was already too high for this pipe.
"This gentleman has offered 100,000 yuan. Are there any other friends interested in this pipe? You know, your donation here might be able to help a child who has dropped out of school to sit in a classroom and attend classes. Friends, please make your bids!"
The reputation of this chief auctioneer at the famous pawnshop was well-deserved. At the 100,000 yuan mark, there was a slight lull in the atmosphere, but his few words quickly enlivened the room. Immediately, someone shouted out a price of 150,000 yuan. They all seemed to adhere to the initial price, with the price consistently increasing in increments of 50,000 yuan.
Two hundred thousand yuan.
Two hundred and fifty thousand.
"I'll offer 300,000 yuan."
People in the room frequently raised their hands, but when the price reached 300,000, no one bid anymore. This was actually nearly ten times the value of the pipe itself. Sir He's attempt to spark a discussion had already set a good precedent.
"Okay, 300,000 yuan. Congratulations, sir, you have dedicated your love to the children in mainland China."
After waiting for a while and seeing that no one else was bidding, the auctioneer slammed the gavel down heavily.
"Congratulations, Mr. Qin. Please come forward to collect the item you won."
The people bidding were a group of middle-aged men, and they were all speaking Cantonese. Zhuang Rui didn't know who had won the bid for the pipe. It wasn't until the man stepped forward that Zhuang Rui saw that it was actually his future father-in-law, Qin Haoran. After handing a cash check for 300,000 yuan to the emcee, Qin Haoran took away his spoils of the day.
"Our dad has this hobby? He likes to smoke a pipe?"
Zhuang Rui turned slightly to the side and asked Qin Xuanbing in her ear, surprised that the first person to make a move was Qin Haoran.
"Who's your dad? That's my daddy. He rarely smokes, but if he comes here and doesn't buy anything, people will look down on him."
Although Qin Xuanbing corrected Zhuang Rui's way of addressing him, she felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey water, and she leaned closer to Zhuang Rui.