"Then shouldn't I also take a picture of something?"
Zhuang Rui hadn't expected this rule. It wasn't that he was short of money; before coming to Hong Kong, he had specifically asked Ouyang Jun to help him obtain a chequebook that allowed him to withdraw cash in Hong Kong, with a total limit of five million Hong Kong dollars. It shouldn't be a problem to bid on an item, but Zhuang Rui was currently short of money, as five million was almost two-thirds of his net worth.
Moreover, this kind of auction is essentially a way for these super-rich people to donate money. The items being auctioned are all flashy but impractical and not worth that much money. However, considering that Hong Kong people can contribute to the education of children in mainland China who have dropped out of school, Zhuang Rui decided to just bid on a small item later, which would also be considered as his own donation while in Hong Kong.
"No need. What Daddy just gave us is enough. We're all here just to give Sir He face; it's just a formality..."
Qin Xuanbing, unaware of Zhuang Rui's thoughts, explained to him that such events rarely produce exorbitantly priced items. The attendees were all prominent figures in Hong Kong who regularly engage in philanthropy; they wouldn't be here to flaunt their wealth.
Zhuang Rui nodded. Since it didn't matter whether he bid or not, he wouldn't make a move unless he found something of exceptional value. In this kind of setting, if he won a bid, he would definitely be remembered by many people, and Zhuang Rui didn't want to stand out.
"The second item is a platinum and jadeite jewelry piece provided by Qin's Jewelry. It was designed by the internationally renowned jewelry designer, Ms. Qin Xuanbing, and the jade used is top-quality jadeite of high-ice type. The starting price is still one yuan. Please place your bids."
At this moment, the auctioneer at the table brought out the second item for auction, which was Qin Xuanbing's jewelry. When Qin Xuanbing's name was mentioned, she stood up and nodded to the surroundings, but her small hand was still holding Zhuang Rui's. This drew the attention of many people in the room to Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui was in a bit of a dilemma. Logically speaking, as Qin Xuanbing's man, he should definitely make an offer for Qin Xuanbing's things, but how much to offer was the question. Zhuang Rui scratched his head.
"Three hundred thousand!"
Zhuang Rui hesitated for a moment, but still took the lead in calling out the price. The market price of this piece of jewelry should be around 200,000, but Zhuang Rui deliberately called it 100,000 more.
When the pipe was being auctioned, the bidders all used Cantonese. This was the first time today that someone had used Mandarin to bid, which drew everyone's attention to Zhuang Rui. After seeing that he was an unfamiliar young man, many people began to whisper among themselves and ask about Zhuang Rui's background.
"I'll offer 500,000."
A voice came from not far from Zhuang Rui. It was a young man who had been following Zheng Hua. After calling out the price, the man glanced at Zhuang Rui out of the corner of his eye, a look of disdain on his face.
"It's Young Master Niu..."
"Yes, it's him..."
"I heard he used to pursue that Miss Qin, but was rejected. This is going to be interesting..."
The person who made the bid was quite familiar to the onlookers, who could tell that this young master Niu was somewhat targeting Zhuang Rui. They all whispered among themselves with a hint of schadenfreude. It was said that Zhuang Rui was being escorted by a beautiful woman today, which made many of Hong Kong's young elites somewhat disapproving.
"Zhuang Rui, ignore this person. He's the grandson of the late shipping magnate and has shares worth hundreds of millions. Let him bid on them."
When Qin Xuanbing saw that someone was targeting Zhuang Rui, she couldn't help but feel anxious, afraid that Zhuang Rui would confront him. She quickly whispered to Zhuang Rui about the person's background.
Chapter 373 Charity Auction (6)
"Damn it, why do I keep running into these legendary figures?"
Zhuang Rui felt somewhat depressed. He had read the autobiography of the shipping magnate Qin Xuanbing mentioned; he was a world-renowned Chinese shipping magnate, firmly holding the top spot among the world's top ten shipping magnates.
This shipping magnate had deep roots in Hong Kong. When he passed away, many super-rich people, including Li Ka-shing, personally escorted his coffin and sent him off. Even Deng Xiaoping, who was far away on the mainland, sent a telegram of condolence.
Although his descendants cannot be compared with the shipping magnate, they have many predecessors to rely on and have always been among the top richest people in Hong Kong, and their influence should not be underestimated.
"Mr. Niu seems to have a particular fondness for this necklace. Five hundred thousand yuan, are there any other friends who would like to make an offer?"
While Qin Xuanbing was introducing Young Master Niu's background to Zhuang Rui, the emcee on the stage, Wang, was shouting enthusiastically, her eyes intentionally or unintentionally glancing in Zhuang Rui's direction. However, her efforts were in vain, as Zhuang Rui couldn't understand what she was saying at all.
“Zhuang Rui, this man is called Niu Hong. He is the third child in his family. He is the youngest grandson of the shipping magnate. He is usually spoiled. Don’t get angry with him. I will design another one for him myself later. You have to help me put it on then.”
Qin Xuanbing reached out and put her arm around Zhuang Rui's waist, revealing her feelings.
"It's okay, I know what I'm doing."
Zhuang Rui smiled faintly, patted Qin Xuanbing's small hand, and suddenly raised his right hand high, shouting, "Three million!"
The simple three words instantly silenced the previously noisy and bustling meeting room, and everyone turned their attention to Zhuang Rui. Although the number three million was insignificant to them, the fact that he had gone from five hundred thousand to three million showed that this young man was going to fight Niu Shao.
This kind of scene hasn't appeared in their circle for a long time.
Now, however, everyone's attention was focused on Niu Hong. In their circle, flaunting wealth was looked down upon, so although Niu Hong didn't care about the money, he didn't want to be scolded by his father when he got home. His face was flushed and pale, clearly unsure whether he should continue bidding.
If he doesn't raise the price, he's already taken the lead, and if he backs down now, he'll inevitably be ridiculed by some of his close friends. If he does raise the price, word will get out, and the "Tai Niu San Shao" will definitely become the talk of the town in Hong Kong. Speaking of which, the paparazzi spirit of the Hong Kong media isn't just directed at celebrities.
Most importantly, even if Niu Hong won the bid for the necklace, he still wouldn't be able to win Qin Xuanbing's favor, which was the main reason for his hesitation.
Zhuang Rui had no idea what Niu Sanshao was thinking. He was just taking a gamble. He only had five million on him, so he bid three million. If Niu Sanshao bid any more, he would stop playing with him. If Niu Sanshao didn't bid any more, he would just donate the three million to Project Hope in mainland China. It was no big deal.
As for whether it's worth fighting over a woman, or whether he'll be laughed at, Zhuang Rui didn't even consider it. If his woman didn't stand up for him, would he still be a man?
As the saying goes, one should never lose face, and Zhuang Rui was in high spirits at this moment. He was putting on an act of "If you want to play, I'll play along," which made Niu Sanshao a little uneasy, after all, his money didn't come easily.
For scions like Niu Hong who haven't yet entered the core of the family business, the shares they own aren't cash. They can only receive a portion of the dividends each year. Although three to five million isn't much, it's enough to hire a minor celebrity for a few days of fun at sea. Why bother arguing with these mainlanders?
These scions of noble families are truly adaptable, their moods changing faster than turning the pages of a book. In fact, their upbringing doesn't allow them to act like street vendors, resorting to violence. Even when Niu Sanshao was bidding against Zhuang Rui, he still had a smile on his face.
After finding a way to save face for himself, Niu Sanshao's previously pale and uncertain face immediately became full of smiles. He politely raised his wine glass to Zhuang Rui and said, "A gentleman does not take what others love. Since Mr. Zhuang likes it, then I will not compete for it."
"The neighbor of Mahler."
Zhuang Rui was so angry he wanted to curse the other party's mother. He had driven up the price, and now the other party was acting innocent after getting a good deal, making him pay three million for nothing. In all his life, apart from the obvious loss of almost being shot, Zhuang Rui had never suffered such a hidden loss.
No matter how angry he was inside, Zhuang Rui still had to maintain a polite facade. He smiled at the young master Niu and raised his champagne glass. He didn't say anything, but to onlookers, he appeared inscrutable.
"Alright, this platinum and jade necklace will belong to this gentleman. Thank you for your contribution to charity!"
Seeing that some people had backed down before any conflict even started, the auctioneer called out a few times, but no one responded. So he struck the gavel, and the price was set. All that was left was for Zhuang Rui to step forward and pay.
After writing a check for three million, Zhuang Rui took back the necklace designed and made by Qin Xuanbing. After returning to the crowd, he personally took off the necklace that Qin Xuanbing was originally wearing and put the platinum and jade necklace that he had just won on Qin Xuanbing's neck. This action drew applause from the audience.
"Look at you, all you know how to buy is a men's pipe, you're not even as good as Xiao Zhuang."
In another group of people, Fang Yi's small hand was on her husband's soft waist. She pinched it hard. Zhuang Rui's behavior just now satisfied her. However, menopausal women's minds are very active, and she immediately connected it to her own husband.
"Brother Qin, Xiao Bing's friend is quite something. He's decisive and set a price right away. If Xiao Bing ever gets married, you must let us know. We, as her uncles, will definitely be there to support her. By the way, I wonder which family that young man is from in the mainland?"
The person who spoke also wanted to find out more about Zhuang Rui. Now that the mainland and Hong Kong are closely connected, they entered the mainland market relatively late. Now that they see Qin Haoran is actually planning to find a son-in-law from the mainland, this person's thoughts are the same as Zheng Hua's.
"Hey, Xiao Bing's boyfriend is someone she met herself. She's been keeping it a secret from us. He doesn't have any connections; he's just an ordinary businessman from mainland China."
The person asking the question was Qin Haoran's longtime friend, so he didn't hide anything. Besides, this matter couldn't be kept secret anyway; a little inquiry would reveal the truth.
Upon hearing Qin Haoran's words, the man chuckled and changed the subject, his interest in Zhuang Rui naturally vanishing.
Zhuang Rui hadn't heard what people in Qin Haoran's circle thought of him. Right now, he was feeling resentful. He didn't have much money to begin with, and now he had just thrown away several million. This made him very unhappy with Niu Sanshao. He was determined to get his revenge for the loss he had suffered today when he had the chance.
Zhuang Rui didn't notice that when he went up on stage to retrieve the necklace, someone at the table with the elderly people had been staring at him. Now, the person apologized to the people at the table and went out to make a phone call.
"Alright, the third item belongs to Mr. Li. Now, let's proceed with the auction of the fourth item!"
"Mr. Guo offered 500,000. Thank you, Mr. Guo, for your generous donation to charity!"
The charity auction continued without much fanfare. Most people would raise the price a few times symbolically, and then back down when they saw that someone was really going to buy it. Before long, seven or eight items were sold.
The items auctioned were mostly everyday items or things with sentimental value. One of the items that just sold was a poster signed by Bruce Lee, which fetched 30,000 yuan.
The items auctioned off were all provided by the attendees. There were no high-priced antiques as Qin Xuanbing had mentioned. This was because everyone present today was a top tycoon from Hong Kong. If those items were actually put up for auction, it would only make people look down on them.
"The next item to be auctioned is a piece of old mine jadeite provided by Mr. Zheng Hua. It is a piece that Mr. Zheng has collected for more than 20 years and specially brought out for this charity auction. Please place your bids!"
As the auctioneer spoke, his attendant placed a piece of jadeite rough, about the size of two fists, on a tray onto the table in front of the auctioneer.
Bored out of his mind, Zhuang Rui perked up at the auctioneer's words. He shifted slightly to the side to clear the way of the people blocking his view and released his spiritual energy to look at the table.
"How come it's only a half-gamble piece of jade?"
After seeing the surface of this rough stone, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. This stone had already been cut twice, and there were also traces of stone polishing on the other side. However, only one of the three sides showed green, and the green wasn't very pure. Just looking at the performance of the cut stone, Zhuang Rui was somewhat disappointed. He didn't expect that the rough stone brought out by the jewelry tycoon would perform so poorly.
Zhuang Rui had no idea that this rough stone was actually a piece that Zheng Daheng had gambled away in Myanmar years ago. At that time, Zheng Daheng spent more than 30 million Hong Kong dollars to gamble on this rough stone with an excellent outer skin, but after it was cut open, it was worthless. Only this small piece remained, so Zheng Daheng did not continue to cut it, but kept it as a souvenir.
It's important to understand that 20 or 30 years ago, the purchasing power of over 30 million Hong Kong dollars was equivalent to several hundred million today. After the gamble on this piece of jade failed, Zheng Daheng's company was once in dire financial straits. Keeping this piece of jade was also a warning to himself: always leave yourself a way out.
Chapter 374 Charity Auction (7)
"Mr. Zheng said that this jadeite rough stone once recorded a story from his past, and it has also served as an encouragement to him over the past few decades in building his business into a large and successful enterprise. If any friends are interested in buying this rough stone, they can come and take a look..."
The auctioneer's words caused a stir among the crowd. Most of the items auctioned today were just occasional items with little real market value, so there was no need for appraisal. In front of everyone, it would be incredibly embarrassing to go up and appraise a worthless rock.
So after the auctioneer made those remarks, not only did no one step forward, but not a single person even bid. The scene suddenly became rather deserted, and the young master Zheng looked rather embarrassed.
In such settings, the price of each item brought out by a guest reflects the status of its original owner. Higher prices indicate a higher status and wider social circle, while low prices suggest that the owner is not well-liked and has few supporters.
Mr. Zheng has deep roots in Hong Kong, so the stone he brought out was certainly not the second type. It would be a bit beneath his dignity to have people go up and examine a broken stone, which is why no one made a move. After Mr. Zheng's expression changed, he gave a wink to someone next to him, signaling him to bid.
"May I take a look?"
Just as Young Master Zheng's friend was about to make an offer, Zhuang Rui's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention. They all looked at him with disdain. "He needs to get a proper appraisal for a worthless rock? He's just trying to act all high and mighty if he doesn't have the money."
Qin Haoran was also not very satisfied with Zhuang Rui's actions. As someone who worked in the jewelry industry, he had long known about the rumors that Mr. Zheng had gambled away this rough stone decades ago. He had even seen the only remaining piece of the stone and found that there was no point in gambling on it. Looking at it would have been pointless and would only have made him look down on.
Zhuang Rui paid no attention to other people's opinions. After obtaining the auctioneer's permission, he calmly walked to the table and pretended to examine the not-so-large rough stone.
That's right, it was all an act. In reality, Zhuang Rui was overjoyed. He hadn't thought much of the rough stone earlier, but when his spiritual energy entered it, he discovered that it contained a type of jade he had never seen before.
Although Zhuang Rui has not been playing with jade for long, he is very experienced. He has unearthed more top-quality jade than most people have in a lifetime. However, this piece of jade, which was almost considered waste material, had a color he had never seen before: purple.
As everyone knows, the conditions for the formation of jadeite's color are very demanding, with green being the most desirable. However, under certain special conditions, the raw stone can undergo mutations and produce colors such as red, yellow, blue, and purple, which correspond to the auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness. Some jadeite can even display several of these colors simultaneously. If the jadeite is of high quality in terms of texture and clarity, the carved object will be extremely valuable.
However, top-quality single-color jadeite is even more expensive. Imperial green and blood red jadeite are two examples, and top-quality blue water, yellow jadeite, and purple eyes jadeite are also rare and exquisite. Their prices are no less than those of imperial green jadeite.
The jadeite inside this rough stone, though small and somewhat scattered, only about the size of three egg yolks with some loose, smoky purple crystals in the middle, was extremely vibrant in color. The pure, vivid purple was something Zhuang Rui had never seen before, and it was crystal clear, like the grapes about to ripen in the vineyard of the Jade King in Xinjiang, so delicate and tempting that it made one's mouth water.
Even encased within this raw stone, the purple hue that Zhuang Rui saw was dazzling, like a blooming violet. If blood jade red represents a woman's passion, exuberance, and allure, then this purple eye is like a woman from Jiangnan, giving off an extremely charming feeling.
Although the purple-eyed jadeite in this rough stone wasn't very large, if it were broken down into individual beads and combined with other materials to make a necklace, it would be enough to drive women all over the world crazy. Zhuang Rui estimated in his mind that if such a necklace could really be made, its value would probably be over thirty million.
"Three million was just spent, and in the blink of an eye, thirty million will come in!"
Zhuang Rui was overjoyed inside, but he remained outwardly calm. After observing the rough stone in his palm for a few minutes, he placed it back on the tray on the table, looked at the auctioneer, and said calmly, "I bid 50,000 yuan."
Zhuang Rui's offer surprised even the composed Mr. Zheng. He kept the stone more as a memento, a recollection of the past; he considered the raw stone itself as a piece of waste.
Mr. Zheng put it up for auction on a whim, and he had already regretted it earlier. It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with it, but rather that the item was too embarrassing to present, and he was afraid that others would bid too low and he would lose face.
Mr. Zheng was a little surprised and uncertain, as he had no connection with this young man. It seemed unnecessary for him to give him face.
"Hmm. Fifty thousand yuan for a piece of scrap is quite respectable. I'll have Zheng Hua thank this young man later..."
However, when Mr. Zheng saw his grandson standing with the young man's girlfriend, he understood. It turned out she was Zheng Hua's friend, which explained it.
What Mr. Zheng didn't know was that Zheng Hua was also puzzled. Originally, everyone around him was about to bid, but Zhuang Rui intervened. He inadvertently saw his grandfather nodding and smiling at him, which made him even more puzzled.
However, Zheng Hua abandoned the idea of bidding again. After all, it was just a broken stone; if he raised the price, anyone with eyes could see that he was being used by shills, and that would only make him lose face.
"These mainlanders are so strange, why would they buy this broken stone..."