This gold-inlaid jade bracelet is unremarkable in terms of age, but its exquisite craftsmanship makes it stand out even by today's standards. However, there's not much else particularly noteworthy about it, and the auctioneers weren't very enthusiastic. The seller didn't offer much information about the bracelet, only saying it was a collector's item from an old friend.
After a series of actions, Liu Liangpeng called out a price for the first drink.
"Five hundred thousand!"
The scene was completely silent.
Wen Cheng had excellent eyesight and could visibly observe that Liu Liangpeng visibly relaxed.
How can that be allowed?
Wen Cheng gave a signal, and the waiter nodded, walked to the terrace, and took out a sign: "One million."
This isn't a huge price, but the fact that the two people bidding are from the second floor is quite interesting. Could this bracelet, with its limited description, have some other meaning?
The people downstairs were getting restless; if it really was something good, they'd love to make a profit!
No one dared to go up and bid against them; it would be better if someone made the first move.
Liu Liangpeng glanced warily at the person opposite him. He was sitting on the terrace, hoping that everyone on the first floor would look up and see how splendid he looked today. The person bidding against him across the way had only called a waiter to stand outside, and the lighting inside was very dim. Liu Liangpeng regretted not wearing his glasses today.
One million is fine, but what I'm worried about is him asking for a higher price at night.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
Liu Liangpeng then added another 500,000.
Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, someone downstairs started talking.
"One million seven hundred and fifty thousand!"
The extra 250,000 yuan placed an invisible psychological burden on Liu Liangpeng.
The Li family's requirement was that the deal must be completed within 100 million yuan, and he initially harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality).
Five million!
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd downstairs. It wasn't anything else, but the price the Li family had quoted seemed outrageous. How could they possibly charge five million for a bracelet from an unknown brand?
Once the first shout was made downstairs, the others naturally followed suit, shouting, "Ten million!"
A newly minted entrepreneur shouted out this price, instantly stunning everyone present.
One minute passed, then two minutes.
The auctioneer picked up his gavel. "Ten million, once."
Wen Cheng took a sip of cola, tossed it up, and somehow managed to make it taste like a vintage 1982 Lafite. This aura even made Shen Feimo slightly infatuated.
"add."
"Fifteen million."
Author's Note:
It's almost over! Thank you so much to all the lovely readers who have been following along for the past few months! Love you all, so many love messages!
Chapter 142 You're Not Happy
The scene erupted in a frenzy, with discussions exploding like a torrential downpour on the first floor.
Staring at the gold-inlaid jade bracelet on the stage, it was so ordinary, yet they dared to ask for such a price. The antique flowerpot unearthed from the previous dynasty had only barely reached twenty million. The price of this bracelet was truly outrageous.
It was someone on the second floor who called out!
Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon the second-floor terrace. Like Liu Liangpeng, they couldn't see who the owner was. Although there were a few regular candidates, they weren't divination masters; they could only watch the spectacle with intense curiosity.
This is practically a battle of titans; they haven't seen such blatant bidding for the same item upstairs in nearly a decade.
Liu Liangpeng gritted his teeth in resentment. He felt he couldn't let this item go; if he did, the Liu family would never be able to hold their heads high again in his generation.
Auctioning is a psychological battle, a tug-of-war between the two sides, grasping the core interests, constantly testing the opponent's upper limit, estimating the most advantageous price for oneself, and then getting what one wants.
Liu Liangpeng cut open an expensive cigar, put it in his mouth with a grim expression, and bit into it, his face showing a fierce look. The waiter kindly lit it for him, but even the rich flavors of the cigar couldn't improve his mood.
"Seventeen million five hundred thousand!" Liu Liangpeng added two million five hundred thousand, a small amount, but it was a final test of Wen Cheng's abilities.
Unfortunately, Wen Cheng wasn't in this line of work, so there was no need for him to test the waters. Anyway, he had someone backing him up, so he wasn't intimidated.
So he opened the bid: "Twenty-five million."
This fixed price was also a way of telling Liu Liangpeng that he wasn't playing games.
Wen Cheng didn't care about anything else; he just looked at Liu Liangpeng's expression. From the fierce look on his face, he knew that Liu Liangpeng wouldn't budge.
Wen Cheng's depressed heart was immediately relieved. What he was doing could be described as killing two birds with one stone. He was happy and also intermittently avenged Brother Qi.
Author's Note:
Qi Ge will definitely be making an appearance tomorrow. I've been busy with business trips these past two days and haven't been able to write much, sorry everyone~
Chapter 143 Indulgence
The atmosphere in the VIP lounge had reached a freezing point. The waiters observed the expressions on the faces of the box's occupants, while the auctioneer confirmed the final bids.
"Mr. Liu, please continue bidding. No matter what, the head of the family must get that bracelet." The waiter's gaze had shifted from its initial restrained demeanor to a menacing threat.
Ignoring the Li family's feelings about letting people stay by his side, Liu Liangpeng took out his bidding paddle and continued to increase the stakes, "Thirty million!"
This price exceeded Liu Liangpeng's initial estimate.
"Yo ho!" Wen Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"Chengcheng, come here, let me teach you how to say 'fifty million'." Gu Yuning confidently tossed her hair, wearing a practiced smile that came from years of experience in these situations.
Shen Feimo was the only one in the room who looked at the two nouveau riche like an outsider, making fifty million sound like five dollars!
Wen Cheng nodded repeatedly, trusting Gu Yuning. He gestured to the waiter, and a clear voice rang out in the silent hall: "Fifty million!"
"Holy crap!" A young voice rang out first in the hall, then was quickly cut off.
The older generation dared not utter a sound, while the younger generation looked at the two rooms on the second floor with disdain, as if they were fools. A small trinket worth 500,000 was being priced at 50 million.
That's outrageous!
Under the waiter's watchful gaze, Liu Liangpeng's hand, holding a cigar, trembled. The bracelet was too ordinary; why would anyone bother trying to take it from him, especially someone from the second floor? Unless they genuinely wanted to cause trouble, Liu Liangpeng felt he had taken a very complicated approach. But when he thought of this, one name popped into his head without him even having to think.
Warm Orange!
The auction cannot be interrupted at will. Although Liu Liangpeng was very annoyed, he could not leave to find Wen Cheng at this moment. If he had another chance, he felt that he would not provoke this madman before the auction!
Stubbed out his cigar, Liu Liangpeng forced himself to continue: "Fifty-five million!"
It seems the Li family values this bracelet very much.
Just as Wen Cheng was about to add more friends, a friend request popped up on her phone.
[This is Liu Liangpeng. I want to apologize for what happened today. This bracelet is very important to me. If you don't like it that much, could you please stop?]
The apology was so-so, but the demands were numerous.
Wen Cheng replied with a "no way," thus rejecting the other party's application.
"Seventy million."
Not only the younger generation, but even the older generation were looking at him like he was crazy.
"Hey Chengcheng, aren't we going to stop yet?" Shen Feimo swallowed hard, afraid that the other party would stop playing with them and he would really have to spend the 70 million.
“No, it’s not time yet,” Gu Yuning said, her playful mood rising. She had been suppressing her true nature since high school in order to maintain her image as a young lady, but now that she had met Chengcheng, she felt she could do it again.
“Mr. Liu, don’t forget your agreement with the head of the family, the price must not exceed one hundred million,” the waiter said coldly.
"I know!" Liu Liangpeng's eyes were bloodshot. Playing games, huh? He didn't believe he couldn't outmaneuver a piece of trash!
Ninety million!
The fact that he raised 20 million in one go proves that Liu Liangpeng was really desperate.
Wen Cheng suppressed her smile. Should she bring up the 100 million?
"Chengcheng, relax, don't feel pressured. Consider the 60 million as a wedding gift." Gu Yuning's words made Wen Cheng feel a little pressured. How could 60 million seem like such a trivial matter? But when she thought of how the Li family ruthlessly abandoned Qi Ge, who was only seven years old at the time, Wen Cheng was determined!
"One hundred million." This time, Wen Cheng said it herself.
Now there was complete silence.
Even the composed auctioneer couldn't help but glance at the bracelet, wondering if the appraiser had misjudged the price, but it really was just an ordinary bracelet!
The waiter in the Li family's private room also quietly clenched his fist. Just as he was about to remind them, Liu Liangpeng had already said the next sentence: "One hundred and twenty million!"
The auctioneer glanced around; his main purpose was to gauge the reaction from upstairs, but unfortunately, no one responded this time. One minute, two minutes passed.
"One hundred and twenty million once, one hundred and twenty million twice,"
"One hundred and forty million." The entrepreneur who initially shouted out ten million on the first floor spoke up again.
Everyone turned to look at him, thinking to themselves: If you were trying to get my attention, then you've succeeded.
He was a young man I had never seen before, and the name tag on the side of him was also completely unfamiliar.
Liu Liangpeng's eyes were bloodshot; he had gone to great lengths, and it was only with great difficulty that Wen Cheng finally gave up!
Wen Cheng couldn't help but look at this capable person.
"Damn, is this guy downstairs crazy? A hundred million is still money!" Shen Feimo's excitement, which had just subsided, surged again. This time, he felt particularly relaxed watching other people's drama!
"One hundred and fifty million!"
Liu Liangpeng shouted out his final bottom line, and you could hear his voice trembling.
Two minutes later, the venue remained eerily silent.
"150 million once, 150 million twice, 150 million three times!"
The auction ended with the hammer striking the clock, declaring Liu Liangpeng's victory but also his defeat.
He spent 150 million on a bracelet with a starting bid of 500,000, and ended up losing 50 million of it.
Liu Liangpeng slumped in his seat, the cold sweat on his forehead already frozen.