Chapter 98

Hu Zhenzhen never expected that her reminder to Ken would make her seem like a fortune teller from Country Z in Ken's eyes.

The next day, when she met Ken and heard him call her a fortune teller, Hu Zhenzhen couldn't even keep her expression straight.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Ken smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"Stop pretending, I know everything!"

"I've heard that fortune tellers in Country Z are like that; they know everything about astronomy and geography, and they can even predict the future."

Hu Zhenzhen didn't know how much the fortune teller knew.

She knew that if she didn't explain herself soon, she might really become a metaphysical master abroad.

"No, Ken, you've misunderstood. I don't know how to tell fortunes."

However, Ken is no longer listening to anything she says now.

"I understand."

Ken winked. "It's our secret. I'll keep it a secret for you."

Lin Bei saw them from afar, and they came up behind him. Just then, he overheard this sentence and curiously interjected, "A secret?"

He was just asking casually; based on his understanding of Ken, something that this man called a secret probably wasn't very important.

Aside from business secrets, Ken is a big mouth about everything else.

Unexpectedly, when he asked the question, Ken acted very strangely, covering his mouth with his hand as if he was unwilling to talk about it.

Lin Bei, who wasn't particularly curious before, is now genuinely curious.

He looked up at Hu Zhenzhen and said, "What a coincidence, you're here for the auction too, Zhenzhen."

He greeted her verbally, but Hu Zhenzhen could tell from his expression that Lin Bei really wanted to know what had just happened.

Being mistaken for a fortune teller is really embarrassing.

There's really nothing to hide about this; it's just so embarrassing that she can't bring herself to talk about it.

"Yes, thanks to your recommendation."

Hu Zhenzhen avoided the main point and directly changed the subject.

"I didn't expect you to attend this auction. Is there one item you've taken a fancy to?"

Not getting the answer he wanted only fueled Lin Bei's curiosity.

"Yes, there is something I want."

After answering that question, he glanced at Hu Zhenzhen and noticed that she didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation. He felt a little annoyed.

What exactly happened? Didn't he meet Hu Zhenzhen at the same time as him? How come they both have secrets now?

Lin Bei couldn't quite describe his feelings; perhaps it was curiosity that was weighing on his emotions, causing him to feel slightly unbalanced.

However, Ken was exceptionally oblivious to subtle cues.

He patted Lin Bei on the shoulder hard. "Good brother, Lin, why didn't you mention that you were coming? I should have invited you to have dinner with us yesterday."

Lin Bei didn't need to think much to know that "we" he was referring to meant him and Hu Zhenzhen.

It's perfectly normal for friends to have a meal together.

Not to mention Ken, even Lin Bei himself had once wanted to invite Hu Zhenzhen to dinner in the United States.

However, when Ken says something so normal, it inexplicably sounds like he's showing off.

Lin Bei felt even more depressed.

"I only decided to come at the very last minute."

He only said that one sentence, and then lost all interest in the conversation.

"Time is almost up, gentlemen, let's go in first."

Hu Zhenzhen couldn't wait to go in; if she dragged it out any longer, she was afraid that the conversation would drift back to the fortune teller.

Lin Bei is also from China. If he hears this, he'll be so embarrassed that he'll lose face back home.

With this in mind, Hu Zhenzhen quickly responded to his proposal.

"Yes, we're running out of time, let's go in first."

After saying that, she took the lead, walking ahead of the two men, and entered the main hall of the auction first, finding her seat according to the invitation.

Fortunately, once inside, Ken finally put on airs and appeared more serious.

The venue setup was not quite what Hu Zhenzhen had imagined.

Since the venue was in Montreal, the auction house directly rented the building there; the original venue was a church.

However, the statues in the church have now been removed, leaving only the stage for singing hymns and the stained glass behind it.

The house was a bit run-down, but it was kept clean and tidy.

The dilapidated state was concealed by some soft furnishings, and it was not easily noticeable unless you looked closely.

Hu Zhenzhen and the others arrived quite late, and there were already quite a few people sitting on the benches.

She sat on the left side of the third row of wooden chairs, with her bodyguard sitting beside her.

To the right of the chair was a woman wearing a headscarf. Hu Zhenzhen turned her head slightly but couldn't see her face clearly.

There was almost no conversation here, only the occasional ringing of cell phones.

Hu Zhenzhen didn't have to wait more than a few minutes. After the on-site staff registered all the participants and distributed the number plates, the auction officially began.

While the auctioneer was reading the rules on stage, Hu Zhenzhen stared at the auction catalogue for a while, lost in thought.

The items on the table come from all over the world, but the most eye-catching one is the last one, a peculiarly shaped sphere.

It's not clear from the picture how many layers of carving there are, but Hu Zhenzhen roughly estimated that there are at least three layers.

This kind of craft is practically lost, not to mention abroad, even in China today, it's practically extinct, with no successors to be found.

Hu Zhenzhen's feelings were very complicated when she saw the picture.

This is also why she decided to attend this auction.

"Welcome everyone to this auction."

An elderly man, probably in his sixties, came up on stage. Hu Zhenzhen had just seen his head in the auction catalog.

This is the owner of the auction house.

He has been running auctions for so many years and is quite experienced.

Hu Zhenzhen's speech, which she had expected to be lengthy, ended in just two minutes, and the image of the first item appeared on the electronic screen behind the auctioneer.

It was a necklace.

The most striking feature is the enormous gemstone hanging below.

At first glance, Hu Zhenzhen realized that the gemstone was as big as her fist.

"This necklace is called the Heart of the Sun, and it's set with the largest yellow sapphire ever discovered..."

The gemstone was brilliantly colored, almost orange.

The auctioneer, wearing gloves, held up the item and showed it to everyone present.

Even though Hu Zhenzhen wasn't very close, she was still amazed by it.

It truly lives up to its name, shining like a little sun, bringing joy to those in need.

If it weren't for having a main goal today, Hu Zhenzhen would have found it hard to resist the temptation.

Half of her cash has been invested in the desertification control project. Fortunately, the cinema project is still just talk and it's not time to actually start yet, so Hu Zhenzhen still has enough cash.

However, she didn't know how much that "ghostly crafted ball" could fetch, and she didn't dare waste money now.

Hu Zhenzhen glanced at the necklace with regret, then twitched her ears, ready to hear who would ultimately own it.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to see this necklace resold again.

The woman sitting on the same chair as Hu Zhenzhen raised her sign without hesitation.

"Number 10, fifty-three million once!"

Several people raised their signs one after another, but the lady next to me seemed to really like the necklace and kept raising her sign.

Just when Hu Zhenzhen thought she would win the necklace, she heard a familiar number.

"Number 15, two hundred million for the first time!"

Hu Zhenzhen turned her head slightly and saw Lin Bei holding up a sign behind her.

There are quite a few men competing for these necklaces, which is not surprising.

Hu Zhenzhen glanced at him only once before turning her head back to stare at the necklace.

After today, it will be difficult to see such a beautiful necklace again. She must take a good look at it while she can still see it now.

Of course, she also had her own ulterior motives.

If Lin Bei wins the bid for this necklace, Hu Zhenzhen might be able to raise the price and buy it from him later if the opportunity arises.

The chances of getting it from Lin Bei are definitely higher.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh.

Since having Xiao Jin, she has never been so cautious about spending money.

It's also her fault for not paying attention to anything other than the Ghostly Sphere before coming; otherwise, she would have prepared more cash.

After waiting a few more minutes, Hu Zhenzhen finally heard the auctioneer's gavel fall.

"Three hundred million for the third time! Congratulations to Mr. No. 15 for winning the Heart of the Sun!"

Hu Zhenzhen clapped symbolically with everyone else, hoping that Lin Bei would want to sell the necklace after a while.

After the dazzling little heater was taken away, Hu Zhenzhen felt much calmer.

After that, there wasn't anything she particularly liked.

Hu Zhenzhen can only admire paintings by foreign masters; she finds it troublesome to actually buy them.

After waiting for a long time, including a performance by a band that Hu Zhenzhen had never heard of before, she finally got to see the final item of the day.

Ghostly ball.

To be precise, it is the entire ivory sculpture decoration with the gargoyle.

It is milky white overall, with a slight yellow tinge under the light.

The carving below depicts a ship sailing on the waves.

Both the waves and the boat are exquisitely crafted, and the craftsmanship is evident at a glance.

However, what is most amazing is the sculpted ball on the sail.

The outermost layer of the ball is engraved with the character "福" (fortune) and a scene of blooming flowers, making it immediately recognizable as a product of China.

In addition to the outer layer, there are nine inner layers, each with a hollowed-out pattern design that can be rotated to change its appearance.

The moment the food was served, Hu Zhenzhen couldn't sit still.

She couldn't help but stand up, and only after realizing she was too excited did she suppress her emotions and sit down.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one amazed by the Ghostly Ball, nor was she the only one who lost her composure.

Hu Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief and gripped the sign in her hand tightly.

She didn't hold up a sign even once all night, all for this one thing.

The Ghost Ball—she's determined to win!

Many people shared Hu Zhenzhen's thoughts. After the auctioneer announced the reserve price, a flurry of paddles were raised in the audience.

"Number three, 120 million for the first time!"

"Number 8, 150 million for the first time!"

"Number 13, 180 million for the first time!"

By the time the people protecting you started raising their paddles, the price had already doubled.

"Number Nine, 240 million for the first time!"

However, after Hu Zhenzhen raised her sign, she heard a familiar number.

"Number 12, 260 million for the first time!"

After Ken raised his sign, he even smiled at Hu Zhenzhen, as if afraid she wouldn't know it was him.

This one thing, however, must not be taken by anyone other than her.

Hu Zhenzhen didn't care about friends anymore at this point.

She raised her sign even faster.

"Number Nine, 280 million for the first time!"

Prices continue to rise.

The number of these "ghost ball" artifacts that have survived to this day is not large, and most of them are still in museums in various countries.

It's really good luck to see it at an auction.

Those who know its value would not want to miss it.

The price quickly broke through one billion.

Half of the people who initially held up signs have already given up.

After all, no matter how precious or exquisite the ornaments are, once they are bought, they are just for collection. Once the price exceeds that of a cruise ship, these items are no longer within their consideration.

"Number Nine, the first time in 1.1 billion!"

With very few competitors left, Hu Zhenzhen could finally relax a bit.

Judging from the current situation, she has more than enough cash, and it seems there was no need to save money on the necklace earlier.

Unexpectedly, Ken became a formidable rival to Hu Zhenzhen in buying the Ghost Ball.

"Number 12, 1.15 billion for the first time!"

He himself is among the richest people in the United States, with abundant funds.

"Number Nine, 1.2 billion!"

He was quick to offer a price, but Hu Zhenzhen was even more quick to offer.

In this situation, the one who shows signs of fatigue first is the loser.

She was determined to win; Ken was the only loser.

With that in mind, Hu Zhenzhen simply announced a new price range the next time she made a bid.

"Number Nine, 2.1 billion for the first time!"