After the host finished speaking, various numbers began to flash rapidly on the screen.
The tense atmosphere at the auction site reached its peak in an instant. For most people, being able to take a look at such a rare treasure is already a rare opportunity. If they can take a close look at it and take a few photos with the national treasure, it will definitely be enough to brag about it for a lifetime.
So even though most of the guests here today are very rich, they are all looking forward to it. Some even clench their fists and pray silently towards the screen.
"Ayan, do you want to go up and take a look?" Shen Yanjun turned his head and looked at Lu Xingyan.
Lu Xingyan glanced at him.
Shen Yanjun suddenly realized: "Oh yes, I almost forgot, you are much richer than me, and you are a finalist. You have to prepare to buy paintings. Tsk tsk, I can't compare with you."
"Turn around." Lu Xingyan looked at him indifferently.
"Oh," Shen Yanjun said reluctantly. He finally turned his head and looked at Wen Qianqian: "Sister-in-law, A Yan is so fierce, you should take care of him..."
Wen Qianqian didn't expect him to do this again, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot: "This..."
With a "bang", Lu Xingyan kicked his stool. Shen Yanjun's neck shrank and he finally became obedient.
Hearing the word "sister-in-law", Lu Xingyan's heart suddenly twitched, and he immediately stopped Shen Yanjun, and then looked at Wen Qianqian cautiously:
"...Um, Miss Wen, he likes to talk nonsense all the time. Don't take it to heart..."
Wen Qianqian looked at Lu Xingyan's awkward expression and found it a little funny. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Okay, I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything."
"Hmm..." Lu Xingyan nodded, feeling relieved immediately, but when he came to his senses, he felt a little annoyed: If he pretended not to hear, wouldn't Shen Yanjun's calling of "sister-in-law" be in vain...
Wen Qianqian looked at him with a regretful expression, turned around, and quietly curled the corners of her mouth.
"Countdown 3, 2, 1, stop!" As soon as the host finished speaking, the screen froze on the number 22.
"Isn't number 22 in our district?" Shen Yanjun was very interested: "Could it really be me?"
After saying that, he looked to the right of his seat and saw that each seat had a number plate.
"Shit, it's 23, just one off!"
He turned his head and looked at Lu Xingyan, Wen Qianqian, and Assistant Yuan behind him: "What about you?"
As soon as he said that, Wen Qianqian glanced at her number plate curiously. She was just there to make up the numbers and had never expected to win. Besides, if the plot in the book really happened, she might have drawn Yue Yingxue.
"Ms. Wen, you won the prize." Lu Xingyan beside her glanced at his number plate, guessed where number 22 was, and then chuckled at her.
When Wen Qianqian heard this, she found a number 22 written in gold next to her seat.
Lu Xingyan stole another glance at her surprised expression, then raised his sign: "Host, number 22 is here."
The host was stunned for a moment, then immediately said, "Then please invite the lady next to Mr. Lu to come on stage.
After saying this, everyone in the audience focused their attention on Wen Qianqian, and they were all shocked at the first glance:
"Oh, why are you wearing a police uniform?"
"She's sitting next to Lu Xingyan? How could she possibly know Lu Xingyan?"
"Not only do they know each other, they might even have a special relationship. Didn't you see Lu Xingyan personally holding up the sign for her just now?"
"Who is this person?"
"This is Wen Qianqian, don't you know her? She used to be a legend in the circle. She used to be a star, but later broke up with the Wen family, passed the civil service exam, and is now a police officer in the capital. I heard she's very famous in the police force!"
On the left side of the auction, Liu Kun looked at Wen Qianqian and couldn't help but praise her: "I didn't expect that there would be beauties of this level among civil servants. They are much prettier than the mediocre girls in the entertainment industry." After saying this, Yue Yingxue, who had just broken up with Qin Shen and was sitting next to Liu Kun, suddenly froze in expression.
The girls around Liu Kun were all in the industry, so they naturally knew a lot about the past between her and Wen Qianqian. They were already unhappy with her, so they took every opportunity to criticize her:
"What's the point of Wen Qianqian being pretty? Didn't Sister Yue still steal her away? This just goes to show how charming Sister Yue is. She's really good at seducing people!"
Yue Yingxue glared at them fiercely, but was afraid that if she got close to Liu Kun, she would cause trouble and make him angry, so she had to bite her lips tightly and hold it in.
Liu Kun ignored them and instead looked at Bai Xinyou with a half-smile: "Miss Bai, do you know this woman? I heard that she was the one who sent your boss Yi to jail."
Bai Xinyou was so angry that she was about to throw the cup on her desk to the ground, but Xie Yunjin, who was sitting beside her, glanced at her calmly. In an instant, her momentum was gone, and she no longer dared to throw the cup or make a scene. She could only pinch her little wolf dog Yao Zhi to vent her anger, while glaring fiercely at Wen Qianqian on the stage: "Just wait!"
Wen Qianqian walked onto the stage, and the host announced, "Now let's take a look at this legendary painting of a young general surrendering his horse!"
As the voice fell, the two staff members who were in charge of keeping the painting stepped forward. One of them supported the scroll while the other gently unfolded it. A scroll about 1.2 meters long and one meter wide was quietly displayed in front of everyone.
“Wow!”
“What a beautiful painting!”
"Who would have thought that a painting could be preserved so well after 1,500 years? There's not a single scratch on the scroll, and even the colors haven't faded at all."
Wen Qianqian was close and could feel the shock of the painting more intuitively. At a glance, it seemed as if she could peek into the world of a thousand years ago through the small painting, and at a glance, it seemed as if she could imagine the appearance of the young man galloping on the endless grassland 1,500 years ago.
The host paused for a moment, then asked her, "Miss, please tell us how you feel when you see this painting."
Wen Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I'm really shocked. It's like I can see over 1,000 years of Chinese history through this painting."
She looked at the painting and said, "I think the reason this painting is so precious is because it has witnessed the rise and fall of China over the years. The year it was unveiled was the most prosperous year in ancient China. Thousands of years later, now that it appears, it is also the most prosperous moment in China."
"I think this is a cycle. So when I look at it, I see more than just a painting. I see a river of history spanning thousands of years. It's very profound and meaningful.
Lu Xingyan listened below and nodded silently. What she said was exactly what he was thinking. At that moment, he felt that he and her seemed to have a better understanding of each other.
"Well said!" The host couldn't help but praise.
He thought for a moment and continued, "Miss, I have another question for you. As this national treasure is about to be auctioned, do you have any words for this painting?"
Wen Qianqian lowered her head and thought for a moment, her mind filled with the description in the novel of a painting that was bought by a mysterious buyer and disappeared from sight, only to reappear in the private collection of a wealthy family in Country M a few years later.
Before she saw this painting, she didn't have such a strong feeling. Now facing this painting and thinking about the ending of the painting, she suddenly felt her fists stiffen.
She thought for a moment, then looked up and said, "This painting comes from the Chinese Empire 1,500 years ago and has been treasured by successive emperors since then."
"I remember that many classics describe the emperor's thoughts on this painting."
"So I think it has long been a part of Chinese history. It is too important and indispensable, so I want to say that since it is Chinese history, it should remain in China. We can no longer watch our national treasure flow to other countries!"
At this point, her tone became very firm: "In the 500 years since this map was lost, the Chinese have never stopped searching for it. Now that it has returned to China, like fallen leaves returning to their roots, we should cherish it even more."
"I hope it can stay in China, forever."
After she finished speaking, the audience was shocked for a few seconds. Everyone thought she would just casually praise the painting, but they didn't expect her to say such powerful sentences.
Some guests in the audience were quickly infected and immediately echoed:
"That's right! How can our national treasures be allowed to flow abroad?"
"Now that we've returned to China, we will never allow it to disappear!"
"Whoever takes this picture today, I hope they treat it well and respect our history."
…
Wen Qianqian clenched her fists and continued, "I hope that not only this painting, but even the other seven paintings in this Martial God series can be returned to China together, intact."
"That's right!"
"Yeah, it would be great if the whole series came back!"
"Will that day ever come? Whether the rest are still there, or whether they have been destroyed, I'm afraid no one knows."
"What if? Who knows? A painting lost 500 years ago suddenly reappears. If we can find one, who knows where the others might be hiding somewhere in the world?"
"That's right! All returned, intact!"
…
Many guests in the audience were very emotional and engaged in discussions.
Amid the commotion, Lu Zhanxun sneered, as if Wen Qianqian and the people around him had no effect on him at all. He said nothing and looked at the crowd around him indifferently.
Xie Yunjin glanced at Lu Zhanxun, then at Wen Qianqian on the stage, his eyes complicated, and no one knew what he was thinking.
He didn't expect Wen Qianqian to say these things, and he didn't expect that it would actually arouse the emotions of the people around him. This was obviously not what he wanted to see, so he waved his hand calmly, signaling the host to stop immediately.
The host understood and immediately said, "Thank you, young lady. Please return to your seat. Time is limited, so we will start the auction now!"
After saying that, he took out an envelope and showed it to everyone: "Here is the auction reserve price that we and the seller have agreed upon. Can you guess how much it is?"
The guests in the audience became lively. After all, most of them came here for this painting:
"This kind of masterpiece should be worth a lot. Do you think I can get a bargain by spending 300 million?"
"Are you kidding me? Don't you see who's here today? The big guys are all going for the national treasures. How can you pick up a bargain?"
"Chongyi's paintings have been auctioned before, fetching around 100 to 500 million yuan, and are considered top-notch works. But they can't be compared to this one; the significance is completely different. I'd put this one at around 400 million yuan."
"It's hard to say. A world-class masterpiece like that can sell for 500 million yuan, but this painting today might be even more expensive than that. It might not even fetch 500 million yuan."
On the right side of the venue, Assistant Yuan asked Shen Yanjun, "Mr. Shen's family has also been involved in antique trading and is an expert in this field. What do you estimate the value of this painting?"
Shen Yanjun chuckled, then simply moved a chair over, leaned closer to them and said softly, "Forget about anything else, this painting is truly valuable. First of all, it's been passed down from generation to generation by emperors, and it has a history of 1,500 years. Secondly, it's the work of Chongyi. Plus, there's all these messed-up legends you all know about, like being buried in a sea of fire and being reborn overseas, but there's one very important thing they haven't mentioned. The person in this painting is Wei Jian, the most famous young general in Chinese history, who died at the age of twenty, at the peak of his powers."
"According to historical data, he probably died a month after this painting was completed, so this painting became the only one of his works that has been passed down to the world during his lifetime."
Shen Yanjun smiled lazily: "Anyway, this painting of the young general surrendering his horse has all the buffs stacked up. You can't find many paintings like this even if you search the whole world."
"I think it's about 800 million."
"800 million?" Assistant Yuan couldn't help but smack his lips in amazement: "It's so valuable!"
Shen Yanjun nodded: “Well, this painting may appreciate in value in the future, but it should be this amount now, it can’t be much higher.”
After saying that, he looked at Lu Xingyan with a grin: "Ah Yan, I've revealed all my secrets to you, so don't make random bids."
Wen Qianqian glanced at Lu Xingyan next to her and asked, "Are you going to buy it?"
"I haven't decided yet," Lu Xingyan thought for a moment, "It is indeed worth collecting."
Seeing the atmosphere was building, the host on stage opened the envelope and announced loudly, "It's almost time. Let's see what the reserve price is for this national treasure."
He slowly unfolded the envelope: "Five hundred million! The starting price is five hundred million!"
After saying this, most of the guests in the audience immediately turned off their energy:
"It's really a national treasure passed down from generation to generation. The starting price is 500 million. I can't afford it!"
"The painting is indeed a good one, but I can't afford it. I don't deserve it."
"What a shame! If it were only 300 million, I could buy it and keep it as a treasure at home!"
…
As soon as the starting price was announced, Lu Xingyan frowned slightly.
Wen Qianqian couldn't help but ask him, "What's wrong?"
Lu Xingyan thought for a moment and said, "The reserve price is too high. It's already so high before the auction even starts. The price might be unexpected later."
Shen Yanjun was very confident: "No matter how much they bid, the transaction price will be around 800 million. It can't be more, unless someone is crazy and throws money into the water."
As soon as the host finished speaking, someone raised a sign and said, "800 million!"
After he finished speaking, almost everyone at the scene gasped.
What's going on? How can the price be raised by 300 million in one go? Is this person crazy?
Everyone looked towards the left side of the auction hall, and the person holding up the sign was actually Lu Zhanxun, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses.
All the guests at the scene were amazed:
"He's so rich, so inhumane! He spent 800 million in one go. Mortals like me can only look up to him." "Come on, I was just about to ask for 550 million, but now it seems I'd better save it and not embarrass myself in front of Vice President Lu..."
"The Lu family is indeed the most affluent family in Beijing. They are so rich!"
"Could it be that Vice President Lu is too lazy to bid here and simply calls out the highest price, hoping to close the deal right away?"
Wen Qianqian looked in the direction of Lu Zhanxun, and felt that his eyes, hidden behind the gold-rimmed glasses, were as unfathomable as a pool of stagnant water.
“Haha,” Shen Yanjun sneered twice at Lu Zhanxun, then turned to Lu Xingyan: “Your uncle is really rich. He called out a number that I didn’t expect as soon as he came.”
After saying that, he pursed his lips and said, "But why do I feel that he has bad intentions? He shouts so loudly, as if he has other intentions."
As soon as Shen Yanjun finished speaking, he saw Lu Xingyan next to him holding up a sign: "900 million."
"Oh my god! 900 million!" The guests were shocked:
"It's just a painting, is it really that hard?"
"Lu Zhanxun, Lu Xingyan? Interesting, are these uncle and nephew going to fight again?"
"It's not enough that the business world is fighting, and now they're even using money to fight each other at auctions... Fine, it's a fight between gods, and those of us who don't want to be affected should get out of the way as quickly as possible, as far away as possible."
"They are uncle and nephew after all, so why does their relationship seem so strained?"
"What the hell? Would an uncle and nephew take advantage of someone's parents' death to seize their property? You've forgotten how miserable Lu Xingyan was back then. Halfway through the memorial service, I heard someone said the company had reconvened and elected Lu Zhanxun as chairman. He was only 16 at the time. It's tragic just to think about it."
"Maybe he was underage at the time, so Lu Zhanxun was in charge?"
"What a bullshit! They just forced Lu Xingyan to leave the country. Anyway, I think this Vice President Lu is quite ruthless."
When Lu Zhanxun heard the offer, he turned around and looked at Lu Xingyan, his lips curled coldly, full of disdain.
Shen Yanjun was beside Lu Xingyan and was also shocked when he heard the offer. He quickly whispered to Lu Xingyan, "Ayan, you bid 50 million too much. 900 million is too expensive."
Lu Xingyan waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, as long as the painting is not in his hands."
The price of 900 million yuan is shocking enough. Even though all the people present are wealthy families, it is still a bit difficult to come up with 900 million yuan in working capital at one time.
The host shouted on the stage: "Mr. Lu Xingyan has invested 900 million yuan. Is there a higher price than 900 million yuan?"
There was a moment of silence.
The host then said: "900 million once!"
"Is there a higher price than 900 million?"
Someone in the audience joked: "It's gone, it's gone, just knock it."
"That's right, don't waste time shouting, just knock."
As a result, as soon as he finished speaking, a cold voice came from the audience: "One billion!"
“Ahhhhhhhhhh, who is it, who is it!”
"Are you crazy? One billion!"
"There are always people who are better than you, and the extent to which other people are richer than I can imagine."
Everyone turned around in shock and found that the person who bid was Xie Yunjin, who was sitting next to Lu Zhanxun.
Xie Yunjin did not make any move that night, but the first time he raised his bid was for 1 billion yuan.
Everyone was shocked:
"Damn it! Xie Yunjin has also joined the battle for the painting, and he's spending 1 billion!"
"As expected, an expert can tell whether it's worth 1 billion at a glance!"
"The uncle and nephew of the Lu Group are fighting, how did he get involved?"
On the other hand, the moment Wen Qianqian heard Xie Yunjin raise his hand, she had a bad feeling. She didn't know why, ever since Zhao Shan told her that the Xie family had overseas background, she felt that the mysterious buyer mentioned in the novel was Xie Yunjin.
Shen Yanjun, who was standing next to him, pulled Lu Xingyan aside and said, "I don't think something is right. The Xie family has also been involved in antique trading. If you say that others don't know the value of the painting, that's fine. But it's impossible for Xie Yunjin not to be able to estimate the value of this painting."
He lowered his head and whispered to Lu Xingyan, "I feel like there's something fishy going on."
Lu Xingyan nodded and remained silent.
Just when the other guests thought the 1 billion yuan deal was a sure thing, Lu Zhanxun, who was standing next to Xie Yunjin, raised his sign again: "1.1 billion yuan."
The whole audience was boiling with excitement:
"What's going on? Why did you add another 100 million?"
"In their eyes, one hundred million is about the same as one hundred yuan, right?"
"Oh my god, my heart can't take it."
"So, now the situation has become that the Lu family and the Xie family are fighting over the painting?"
"1.2 billion."
"1.4 billion."
"1.5 billion."
"1.7 billion."
"1.9 billion."
In the next few minutes, Lu Zhanxun and Xie Yunjin seemed to have discussed it beforehand. They kept raising their cards and raising the price one after another, until Xie Yunjin finally said "1.9 billion", and the competition finally came to an end.
All the guests present were stunned:
"...1.9 billion... shocked my whole family..."
"Are they really not deliberately trying to get angry by raising the price like this?"
"Just a quick question, are they both crazy?"
The host on the stage was grinning from ear to ear and announced loudly: "1.9 billion deal, congratulations Mr. Xie!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, Xie Yunjin and Lu Zhanxun smiled at each other, seeming to be very satisfied with the result.
On the other side, Shen Yanjun frowned, unable to figure out what was going on: "I think the two of them are deliberately setting up a trap to deliberately drive up the price of the painting."
"Yeah," Lu Xingyan nodded calmly, "More than double your estimated price."
"So this doesn't make sense!" Shen Yanjun covered his head and couldn't figure it out. "I don't understand why they would team up to drive up the price. What good would it do them to spend an extra billion?"
Lu Xingyan shook his head: "I can't figure it out either, but judging from their expressions, it seems that their goal has been achieved."
Wen Qianqian supported her head with her hands, thinking carefully about every word that Shen Yanjun and Lu Xingyan had just said, and then thought about the expressions of Lu Zhanxun and Xie Yunjin, and suddenly thought: "Perhaps, they are indeed working together to set up a scheme."
"It's like when you're speculating in the stock market, market makers work together to drive up the stock price and then sell it at a high price."
"That's not right." She then shook her head. "The dealer drives up the stock price so they can sell it at a high price. But this painting has suddenly been priced at 1.9 billion. There aren't many people left who are willing to pay a high price. This doesn't make sense."
Lu Xingyan nodded: "You think the same as I do. I always feel that there are still some things we don't know."
Wen Qianqian didn't say anything, but secretly looked at Xie Yunjin's calm face, thinking silently in her heart that although it seems that she has not figured out the reason why he bought it at a high price, she will definitely pay attention to it silently and will never let the plot in the novel happen again.
Finally, Lu Xingyan looked at Wen Qianqian and smiled gently: "Miss Wen, are you going home directly or back to the police station?"
Wen Qianqian looked at him and felt that his eyes were particularly beautiful under the light, so she smiled and said, "We have to go back to the police station first. Although you didn't buy the painting, the national treasure was handed over smoothly, and I also successfully completed the mission."
Lu Xingyan looked at her with some reluctance in his eyes: "Okay, then I'll leave first."
Wen Qianqian nodded, turned around and walked towards the exit of the venue with Zhao Shan.
As they walked, Zhao Shan gossiped with her, his face beaming with joy. "What you just said was so impressive! It's made the wealthy old man next to me so patriotic that he almost wishes he could turn a few decades younger and join the army."
Wen Qianqian smiled: "Is it that exaggerated?"
Zhao Shan nodded. "That's not an exaggeration, not at all. When I heard that, I wanted to donate to the National Museum right away so they could get the remaining seven paintings back."
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