In an instant, countless microphones and recorders were thrust into Zhuang Rui's mouth. Some reporters who were far away even climbed onto the backs of their colleagues in front of them, creating an extremely chaotic scene.
"Damn, you need to be healthy to be a reporter..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the people in front of him speechlessly. He was also a little at a loss. He originally just wanted to feel good, but he didn't expect to cause such a big commotion. Judging from the trend, the whole world would probably know what happened today before tomorrow.
"Damn it, God, if these things get reported by the reporters, it will be a huge scandal..."
Richard, who had just been bewildered by Zhuang Rui's reaction, suddenly realized what was happening, but there was nothing he could do; the loss of composure was already out of his control.
"Fire George immediately! I don't know what that pig said to that man?"
Poor lawyer George, he was just following his boss's instructions, but now he's the unlucky one.
"It's over, this auction is completely ruined..."
Richard, the auction house owner, slumped back onto the sofa, his face ashen. He hadn't expected that the Chinese, who had never been very united, would be so easily swayed by a few words from this young man. The effect was even better than that of the auctioneer, Jefferson.
Organizing an auction requires a lot of work in the early stages. Printing and advertising the auction items can cost a considerable amount. Richard had high expectations for this auction and had already spent hundreds of thousands of euros in the early stages. Now it seems that he may lose everything.
In addition, he also has to compensate the owners of the items that were offered for auction, because he had signed agreements with some of the items that if they couldn't be sold at a certain minimum price, he would have to buy them himself. As a result, Richard's losses would be even greater.
"Richard, now is not the time to assign blame. Let's think about how to calm these Chinese people down first."
Sitting next to Richard was Daniel Handy, a partner at the auction house. Although Daniel was also sweating profusely, he managed to offer a constructive suggestion.
"Yes, yes, Daniel, quickly notify security and ask these Chinese people to go to the conference room to control the situation..."
Upon hearing Daniel's words, Richard jumped up as if waking from a dream. Today's events were like a nightmare for him. He had worked at the auction house for decades and this was the first time he had ever seen such a large-scale walkout by buyers.
After giving instructions over the walkie-talkie, Richard and Daniel hurried downstairs. Hoping Jefferson could control the situation now? That was practically impossible, because poor Jefferson was already shouting himself hoarse on stage, but no one paid him any attention. ...
While the auction house owner was trying to quell the incident, the auction hall was bustling with activity. At least a dozen reporters from various countries surrounded Zhuang Rui, bombarding him with questions in different languages, making Zhuang Rui's head almost explode.
"Say as little as possible, preferably not a single word..."
Huangfu Yun, who was standing next to Zhuang Rui, was a lawyer. He knew that no matter what Zhuang Rui said, it would be distorted by these reporters, so he quickly reminded Zhuang Rui in his ear.
"I'm sorry, I have no comment..."
Upon hearing Huangfu Yun's words, Zhuang Rui suddenly recalled a line he often saw in movies and blurted it out. However, the reporters were not so easily fooled and continued to chatter on with their microphones.
"Mr. Zhuang, I heard that you serve as a director of the China Jade and Gemstone Association. Does your behavior today represent the official opinion of the Chinese government?"
The reporter from the French Evening News who just asked the question raised a question with ill intentions.
"Oh, I think you're not familiar with the structure of the Jade Association. It's just a non-governmental organization. Also, my actions only represent my personal views..."
Upon hearing the man's words, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but reply, which made Huangfu Yun behind him break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, Zhuang Rui didn't fall into the man's trap.
"Then why are there so many people following you?"
When the reporter saw Zhuang Rui speak, he pressed on relentlessly.
"You should ask them that question. I'm only speaking on my own behalf. Excuse me, but please move aside; you're blocking my way..."
Zhuang Rui answered the man's question expressionlessly and gently pushed him aside, but he still couldn't leave the auction hall.
At this moment, the security guards who had been dumbfounded finally received instructions from the bosses to stop the reporters and try their best to salvage the situation.
The auction house executives knew that if this matter were to become public, it would be a severe blow to their reputation.
Regardless of the reason, if buyers from an entire country or region collectively withdraw from the auction, the fault must lie with the auction house.
And indeed, it was a foolish thing for Jefferson to notify the organizing committee to send a lawyer to warn Zhuang Rui.
Clearly, the auction house didn't take Zhuang Rui seriously at first. They thought that sending a lawyer to warn the young man would surely get them a satisfactory answer, but things didn't go as planned.
At best, this incident hurt the feelings of Chinese buyers; at worst, it shows that France refuses to acknowledge history, which could damage the feelings of the people of both China and France. Richard, the owner of the auction house, cannot bear this responsibility.
"Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment. I sincerely apologize for the inappropriate remarks made by some people. I hope we can communicate; this must be a misunderstanding..."
Richard, who had just rushed down from the private room on the second floor, stood in front of Zhuang Rui, covered in sweat. He made an extremely sincere expression, and even bent down to Zhuang Rui, his back which he had never bent before, with a pleading look on his face.
“Mr. Zhuang, I believe what just happened was merely the private action of a few individuals and does not represent the auction house. I think we can sit down and talk. We will definitely compensate you and apologize for the harm caused…”
Daniel's equally respectful attitude surprised many of the auction house employees present. They had never seen two bigwigs appear at the same time to plead with a young man.
Meanwhile, George, the lawyer who was about 10 meters away from Zhuang Rui and the others, had an incredulous expression on his face. He had been authorized to say these things, so how could they have become his private actions now?
“Daniel, you must take responsibility for your words. I am a lawyer hired by your bank, and all my statements have been authorized by you. Let me go, I'm going to sue you…”
"Security, take him out. He doesn't represent our auction house..."
Before George could finish speaking, Daniel immediately signaled to the security guard next to him to pull him out, while George's voice still echoed in everyone's ears.
Who are you two?
Zhuang Rui looked at the two middle-aged men in front of him with some doubt. In Zhuang Rui's eyes, what had just happened was nothing more than a farce of dogs fighting each other.
"I am Richard, the chairman of this auction house, and this is Daniel. I believe only our words can represent the will of the auction house. Mr. Zhuang, friends, please go to the conference room first. We can give you a satisfactory answer..."
Richard took the microphone from the employee and shouted loudly at the crowd in front of him.
Chapter 652 Apology (Part 1)
"I am very sorry, due to some misunderstandings in communication, our auction today will be postponed until the afternoon. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Our auction house will cover everyone's lunch. I am truly sorry..."
Just as Richard was asking Zhuang Rui and the others to go to the conference room to discuss the matter, Daniel also went up to the auction stage and announced the auction house's decision to suspend the auction in the morning through the microphone.
The buyers from outside China, upon hearing this decision, were helpless, even though they didn't care about the food provided by the organizing committee. After all, the main clientele of this auction was the Chinese, and they were just there for fun. Moreover, among the remaining dozens of people, more than a dozen were shills arranged by the auction house.
"Brother Huangfu, are you going?"
While everyone's attention was drawn to Daniel's words and there was a commotion, Zhuang Rui quietly sought Huangfu Yun's opinion, after all, Huangfu Yun was a professional lawyer.
"Of course we'll go. This auction house is one of the best in the world. Getting them to back down isn't an easy task. Besides, we might even get some unexpected gains..."
Huangfu Yun smiled slyly. Before the auction started, he had tried to coordinate with various parties, but still failed to stop the auction from proceeding. However, he did not expect that Zhuang Rui would unintentionally make things happen. If Huangfu Yun could not maximize his interests in this matter, then he would have been a lawyer for nothing.
"Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll just tell you you're my lawyer, and you can talk to me about whatever it is..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. Although he had only known Huangfu Yun for a short time, the two hit it off immediately, and Zhuang Rui trusted him, so he simply entrusted the matter to Huangfu Yun.
"My legal fees are very high..."
Huangfu Yun replied with a grin, then turned to look at Richard, who looked anxious, and said, "I'm Mr. Zhuang's lawyer. I think we can sit down and talk..."
"Of course, but these people..."
Richard took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead, pointed to the crowd behind Zhuang Rui, and looked at Huangfu Yun.
“Oh, Mr. Richard, do you think these people were instigated by my boss? No…no, that’s not it, it has nothing to do with us…”
Richard was so angry at Huangfu Yun's words that he almost vomited blood. "It has nothing to do with you? That's a joke! If it weren't for that Zhuang guy's words, none of this would have happened at all." Richard seemed to have forgotten that they were the ones who started the trouble.
"Of course...of course it has nothing to do with Mr. Zhuang, but could you please ask Mr. Zhuang to tell everyone to go to the conference room?"
Richard said the above words against his will. He was almost going crazy. How could a perfectly good auction turn out like this? Why were these damn rich people so easily instigated by Zhuang Rui?
"This... I really don't know them..."
Zhuang Rui shrugged innocently. "I'm telling the truth. If they listened to me, I wouldn't have let them come to this auction at all."
Richard's face turned red after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. He had already been humble enough, so why was the other party still so persistent?
"Gentlemen, I think we need an explanation for the auction house's actions, but it's not a solution for us to all stay here. Let's go to the conference room..."
Just as Richard was about to bang his head against the wall, a woman's voice rang out, and the bustling crowd quieted down. The speaker was Ms. Zhang.
"Okay, let's hear their explanation..."
"Let's go to the conference room. If the auction house doesn't offer an explanation, I'm withdrawing from this auction..."
"Yeah, I need them to pay me back. My fragile heart has been hurt..."
Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated by the voices coming from the crowd. The guy who spoke last was definitely a Beijing smuggler. If this guy worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he would be a real talent.
Zhang Yongzhen holds a high position and prestige in the Chinese art collecting circle. After she spoke, everyone nodded in agreement, and the group left the auction hall and headed to the conference room on the same floor.
"Ms. Zhang, thank you..."
Zhuang Rui slowed down a few steps and expressed his gratitude to Zhang Yongzhen beside him. Although he had done a good job today, if all these people left, the incident would become much bigger and might have to escalate into negotiations between countries.
This auction house has ties to the French government. If such irresponsible remarks about history are made and then widely publicized by the media, the Chinese government will definitely protest. At that point, Zhuang Rui will become even more famous than if he had appeared on CCTV.
If things were to develop to that point, Zhuang Rui's name would definitely be blacklisted in future international auctions. Although Zhuang Rui was not afraid, not being able to participate in international auctions would not be in his own interest. Therefore, Zhang Yongzhen had helped both sides out of the predicament.
"Hehe, I didn't do anything, young man. What you said and did are what many Chinese people want to say and do. Not bad, very good..."
Ms. Zhang laughed. At that moment, she looked nothing like a powerful businesswoman; she looked more like a kind old mother.
"Young man, well done, those words were fucking awesome..."
"Young man, let's exchange business cards. Let's keep in touch when we get back to China..."
"Your surname is Zhuang, right? You're the Mr. Zhuang from the Spring Festival treasure appraisal program, aren't you?"
"Oh, no wonder, this young man is very capable; he's already a jade appraisal expert at such a young age..."
The Chinese buyers surrounding Zhuang Rui now thronged around him and began to talk to him. Under the watchful eyes of those interested, Zhuang Rui's identity also came to light.
To be honest, Zhuang Rui's actions today are exactly what many people want to say but dare not say, and want to do but have no opportunity to do. It can be said that from today onwards, the international collecting world will know the Chinese name Zhuang Rui.
“Let us in. Freedom of speech. We have the right to report on the progress of this matter…”
"Yes, I work for the French Evening News. You have no right to stop me from reporting the news..."
"Oh my God, what am I seeing? You're not letting reporters in..."
The speaker was a reporter for the New York Daily News, a country that has always touted itself as a free nation.
After the group entered the conference room, the auction house's security guards blocked all the reporters outside. Only Richard and Daniel followed them in, which drew complaints from the reporters outside. However, the auction house had bought the entire floor and had the right to prohibit reporters from conducting interviews.
After everyone sat down, waiters quickly brought fruit and tea, all arranged by Daniel. If these Chinese collectors really decided to leave, it would be a disaster for their auction house.
The reason Richard and Daniel bowed their heads this time is because there are more and more wealthy people in China now, and the big spending at international auctions is often done by Chinese. It can be said that the purchasing power from China is almost the main force in the current art market.
With this premise in mind, even if Richard and Daniel were unhappy, they wouldn't dare offend these money-grubbers. Who would turn down money?
If they had known Zhuang Rui beforehand, this probably wouldn't have happened. Let others say what they want; why let things get out of control like this?
"Mr. Zhuang, friends, I sincerely apologize for what happened today. It was all a misunderstanding."
I think we should face up to that history from over a hundred years ago, but that's all in the past and shouldn't affect the friendship between our two countries.