A voice from the audience interrupted the host. The fact that two pieces of jade were missing from the auction meant they were being deprived of two opportunities, a concern shared by all the jade dealers in the audience.
The host smiled, pointed to Song Jun sitting in the back rows, and said, "I have no right to dispose of these precious jadeite pieces. It was Mr. Song who decided to keep the seventeenth and eighteenth pieces for auction. This gentleman should discuss the specific reasons with Mr. Song. Alright, if everyone has no further questions, the auction will officially begin. We will now auction lot number one, an icy jadeite with floating flowers, weighing 41.35 kilograms, with a starting price of five million RMB. Interested parties, please place your bids."
Upon hearing that Song Jun had detained the two rough stones, everyone was helpless. These jadeite pieces belonged to Song Jun, and whether to buy or not was their own business, so no one could say anything. Moreover, the host's next words drew everyone's attention to the first rough stone that had already been auctioned.
However, after the host announced the starting price, for some reason, no one made a bid, creating a slight silence.
"Lot number one, an icy jadeite with floating patterns, starting at only five million. Anyone bidding?"
The host, being a self-taught professional, became a little anxious when he saw no response from the audience. He quickly called out again, but still no one answered.
In fact, the jade shop owners below are also observing the market. Although the price of raw jadeite has soared, the price of jadeite jewelry in China has not yet started to rise. Therefore, they are unsure what price these icy jadeite pieces with floating flowers can fetch, which has led to the current sluggish market.
"I'll offer ten million..."
Just as the host was about to shout out a couple more times, a voice broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention. The one shouting the price was a young man, almost too young, looking no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. He raised his right hand high, as if afraid the host on stage wouldn't see him.
Who is this person?
"So young, is she even qualified to participate in the auction?"
"Ten million, that price is a bit too high..."
"Yeah, that kid is asking for prices randomly. Could he be a shill hired by the owner of this material?"
Seeing that the young man making the bid was unfamiliar, the crowd began to discuss it. It was obvious that he was not from the circle, and some people were even speculating about his background.
"Ten million! This gentleman has bid ten million RMB... Are there any other bidders? You know, there are only sixteen icy jadeite lots in this auction. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Ten million... Is there anyone bidding more than ten million?"
When someone made a bid, the host on stage got excited, waving his right hand and trying to encourage the business owners in the audience, but the effect didn't seem to be very good.
These business owners, who have been dealing with jade for many years, are all shrewd and calculating. The starting bid of five million yuan was immediately raised to ten million yuan in the first bid, which inevitably made them feel a little uneasy. In their opinion, the real price of this rough jade should be around eight million yuan. Therefore, the host called for a full five minutes without anyone raising the price again.
"Ten million for the first time... Any other bidders? Ten million for the second time, this is your last chance. Ten million for the third time, congratulations sir, the number one jadeite rough is yours, *slap*!"
Seeing that no one was bidding, the host on stage reluctantly brought down his gavel. In his opinion, the price should be negotiated several times to demonstrate his hosting skills.
"Please come here, sir, to complete the formalities."
This impromptu jade auction was far less formal than those held by auction houses. No numbers were assigned to the bidders with the financial means. As soon as the gavel fell, the host immediately asked the young man to complete the formalities, because he didn't know him. If the young man was there to cause trouble and bid but didn't buy, the auction would become a joke.
"Little guy, you can't just shout out that price randomly. Do you even have that much money?"
"Exactly, if you take a picture but don't have the money to buy it, you'll be held responsible."
"Who brought this child in? No manners..."
Upon hearing the host's words, the audience erupted in commotion, with many business owners directing their anger at the young man who had stood up.
Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that the first piece of raw jade has already been auctioned off is irreversible. Those bosses who were planning to wait and see are now filled with regret. Just as the host said, with each of the sixteen lots sold, there are fewer and fewer available. Every time someone else buys one, they lose one more opportunity.
"Hey, let's bid on the second piece of raw jade later, I still want to buy it."
As the young man walked aside to complete the transfer procedures, he didn't forget to shout something at the stage. His arrogant demeanor made the audience grit their teeth in anger, but no one knew his background.
"What's this kid up to?"
Of all those present, only Zhuang Rui, besides Lei Lei's family, probably knew the young man's background. However, he was puzzled as to why Wei Zijiang had directly raised the price to ten million yuan and hadn't even sat down with Lei Lei and the others. Zhuang Rui absolutely did not believe it wasn't at the behest of his family.
Song Jun also had some impression of Wei Zijiang. He nudged Zhuang Rui with his elbow and asked, "Zhuang Rui, wasn't that young man with Lei Yatou?"
"He's Lei Lei's cousin. I don't know what's going on."
Zhuang Rui replied with a wry smile that, according to their previous estimates, the price of the first few pieces of rough jade was estimated to be around seven to nine million. They did not expect that the first piece would fetch ten million. If this trend continues, these sixteen pieces of icy jade rough jade alone could very well sell for a sky-high price of over 200 million.
Zhuang Rui looked around but didn't see Lei Lei. He then took out his phone and dialed the number.
"Don't ask me, I don't know the reason either. That's what my grandfather told me."
After the call connected, Lei Lei's voice came through before Zhuang Rui could ask any questions.
"The second item up for auction is a piece of icy jadeite with floating flowers, weighing 40.8 jin (approximately 20.4 catties). The starting price is 5 million RMB. Interested bidders are welcome to place their bids."
Just as Zhuang Rui and the others were somewhat confused, Wei Zijiang had finished the formalities and sat back down in his chair, and the second round of auction began.
"I'll offer five and a half million..."
"Six million..."
"Twelve million!"
That hateful voice rang out again, and once again shouted out a price that left everyone speechless.
Chapter 228 A single stone stirs up a thousand waves
"Twelve million RMB..."
This was another bid that silenced everyone. Looking at the kid raising his right hand high, everyone present except Zhuang Rui and the others wanted to go up and teach him a lesson.
"Twelve million! This gentleman has bid again! Twelve million RMB! Is there anyone willing to bid higher? Twelve million once..."
Not to mention the jade dealers present, even the host on stage didn't have a good impression of Wei Zijiang. It's fine to bid, but if you bid little by little and suddenly the price is twice as high as others, it deprives the host of the opportunity to show off his auction skills and style.
"Twelve million for the second time... twelve million for the third time! Congratulations, sir, the second piece of jadeite is yours again. *snap*"
Seeing that no one below was willing to raise the price any further, the host quickly ended the auction, though he felt slightly annoyed as he brought down the gavel.
Zhuang Rui was surprised to find that these scions of wealthy families could be somewhat endearing when they put on airs. Of course, Wei Zijiang, who was walking with his head held high to complete the formalities, was seen as utterly despicable by others.
Some people looked at the fourteen remaining pieces of icy jadeite on the stage and seemed to understand something. Hundreds of people were vying for these ten or so pieces of jadeite. If the price was raised little by little, it might not be possible to get them for less than ten million. This young man shouted out two prices that were slightly higher than what the crowd could afford, but he still managed to win two pieces of jadeite. It wasn't necessarily a loss for him, because the fewer pieces of jadeite left on the stage, the more intense the competition would become.
"Next up is today's third piece of icy jadeite with floating patterns. Lot number three weighs 41.02 jin (approximately 26.6 kg) and has a starting price of 5 million RMB. Please place your bids..."
After Wei Zijiang completed the formalities and sat back down in his chair, the guest auctioneer on stage began calling out the third piece of jadeite.
"Eight million..."
"Eight million three hundred thousand..."
"Eight million eight hundred thousand..."
"I'll offer nine million..."
This bidding was different from the previous two. Without the initial probing, the first bidder offered eight million, exceeding the reserve price by three million. And the subsequent bidders followed suit, quickly pushing the price up to nine million.
When the price reached nine million, everyone paused and turned their attention to Wei Zijiang. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the young man spread his arms and stretched out his arms in his chair, making everyone's hearts jump. Fortunately, he did not make a bid.
"Hold!"
Everyone was secretly giving the kid the middle finger, wishing they could beat him up. The boss who had shouted out a price of nine million felt a little more at ease. Without this troublemaker interfering, nine million should be enough to get a piece of jadeite, right?
"Nine million two hundred thousand..."
Unfortunately, things didn't go as the boss had hoped. Less than thirty seconds later, a new quote was generated.
"Nine million two hundred thousand, this friend shouted out a price of nine million two hundred thousand..."
The host on stage finally realized the proper way to conduct an auction and immediately called out the latest bid through the microphone.
A moment of silence fell over the room. But it was more like the calm before the storm. Sure enough, as soon as the host finished speaking, Mr. Han, the owner of Han's Jewelry, finally made his offer: "I'll bid ten million!"
Perhaps this price would have intimidated everyone present two rounds ago, but given the previous example of a transaction worth 12 million, Mr. Han's price did not last long, and it was broken before the host on stage even had to repeat it once.
"Ten million two hundred thousand..."
"Ten million three hundred thousand..."
"I'll offer 10.5 million..."
"Okay, this gentleman has bid 10.5 million. Are there any other bidders?"
The host was excited by the ever-increasing bid; this was exactly what he wanted.
"One thousand and seven hundred thousand..."
"I'll offer eleven million..."
It seems that the owners of the jewelry companies have realized that it is almost impossible to acquire a piece of raw jade cheaply, and the price has been gradually driven up.
It wasn't until someone shouted out eleven million that they realized this price was already higher than the ten million yuan that the first piece of jade had sold for. The young man who had won two pieces of jade in a row, however, did not make any further bids.
"Damn it, this isn't some little kid who hasn't even grown his first hair yet, he's a real old fox."
Everyone understood the young man's bidding strategy: he started by bidding at a price higher than people's psychological tolerance to secure the raw material. Although the price seemed high, he avoided the risk of competing with others. Moreover, the price he was bidding now was no lower than his original bid.
"Brother Zhuang, is there a master in your friend's family?"
When Wei Zijiang shouted out ten million, Fatty Ma guessed his intention. Even he had to admire the person who came up with this idea. Both bids were either the reserve price or double the bid from others. This not only required an accurate assessment of the actual value of the jade, but also a judgment on the psychological activities of the crowd. It was not something that an ordinary person could do.
"Old ginger is indeed spicier!"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but look at Lei Lei and the others sitting in the row behind Wei Zijiang. Old Master Wei seemed to sense Zhuang Rui's gaze and turned around to smile at him.
In fact, Mr. Wei had his own difficulties. Wei's Jewelry was not very famous in Hong Kong and could only be considered one of many companies in the jewelry industry. It was incomparable to Qin Xuanbing's family. Moreover, just a few months ago, their jade gambling in Myanmar ended in failure. Not only was the company facing a shortage of raw materials, but even the turnover of funds was not so flexible.
That's why Grandpa Wei, at over seventy years old, personally attended this jade gambling event. However, the rough stones he bought yesterday weren't all that impressive; if it weren't for Lei Lei's successful gamble on that stone, he would have returned empty-handed once again.
When Zhuang Rui's bid for the top-selling rough jadeite turned out to be a success, Old Master Wei immediately made a decisive move, borrowing 30 million (commonly known as usury) from underground banks in Hong Kong overnight for today's jadeite auction. Fortunately, Wei Zijiang performed well, winning two pieces of jadeite at a price lower than Old Master Wei's expected price. This is enough to ensure that Wei's Jewelry will not have to worry about mid-to-high-end jadeite finished products for a long time.
Some readers might be thinking, "Why not borrow money from loan sharks to participate in the auction? What if I can't repay it?" Actually, Hong Kong's underground money lenders aren't as exaggerated as depicted in those gangster movies. They mostly serve short-term cash flow needs for business people. While the interest rates are higher, it's generally a mutually agreeable arrangement between lenders and borrowers.
After returning to Hong Kong, Mr. Wei had plenty of time to use one of the jade pieces or his own property as collateral to borrow money from a legitimate bank and pay off his loans from underground money lenders.
"11.8 million, this gentleman has offered 11.8 million. Does anyone else have an offer?"
Regardless of Zhuang Rui and the others' own ulterior motives, the auction was still going on, and the price had been raised to 11.8 million, which was only 200,000 less than Wei Zijiang's second bid. Judging from the momentum, there should be more bidders.
"Twelve million five hundred thousand!"
Sure enough, before the host could finish speaking, Mr. Han stood up and called out the highest price in the room.
"Twelve million five hundred thousand... This gentleman has bid twelve million five hundred thousand. Any other bidders? Twelve million five hundred thousand once... Twelve million five hundred thousand twice... Twelve million five hundred thousand three times... Sold! Congratulations, sir. Please proceed to complete the formalities..."
In the end, Mr. Han won the bid for the third piece of jadeite for 12.5 million yuan. However, he felt a little bitter because the price had actually exceeded his expectations.
However, there's nothing that can be done about it. The price increase in the domestic jadeite raw material market is a foregone conclusion. What follows will inevitably be a significant increase in the price of mid-to-high-end jadeite jewelry. If you don't stock up on some jadeite raw materials now and wait a while, who knows how high the price will go? Although you know you're at a disadvantage now, no one can say for sure that you'll be getting a good deal in the future.
"Goodness, youngest son. These three pieces of jade have already been auctioned off. Let me do the math: one thousand plus one thousand two hundred and twenty, plus one thousand two hundred and fifty, that's thirty-four million five hundred thousand. You've already recouped more than half of your investment..."
Sitting next to Zhuang Rui, Wei Ge did a rough calculation and was shocked. Although his family's business was quite large, he was still surprised by Zhuang Rui's speed in making money. If all the jadeite materials below could be sold at this price, even if Zhuang Rui only took a third of the share, he would become a near-billionaire.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui was somewhat dazed. Although he had come to this jade gambling convention for money, he was not mentally prepared to become a legendary billionaire. Thinking back to the joy he felt a few months ago when he sold a cricket gourd for over 100,000 yuan, his current feelings seemed quite similar. Could it be that having more money really is just a string of numbers?
Of course, Zhuang Rui could only think about it in his heart. If he dared to say it out loud, he would definitely be beaten up by Wei Ge and Lao Si. These two freeloaders were now extremely envious of Zhuang Rui's achievements... uh, or rather, his wealth.