First, they went to a department store in midtown and picked out an evening dress for Kyoko Mochizuki, who was wearing a women's suit.

When Han Chudong was about to pay the bill, he found out that Mr. John Hunter owned shares in the management company of the shopping mall and his wife was a VIP member, which was directly included in the bill.

No wonder I came here from so far away. It turns out that my wife often brings me here to spend money, so I’m already familiar with it.

Since the other party took the initiative, Han Chudong no longer hesitated.

A small gift worth a few hundred dollars is not even a favor. At best, it is just an everyday social activity among rich people to bring them closer together.

Then he rushed to an art gallery to meet Mrs. Hunter.

If Mr. Hunter had not introduced her, Han Chudong and Mochizuki Kyoko would even have thought that this tall woman who looked to be in her twenties was Mr. Hunter's daughter or relative.

Being as rich as he is, he does have the capital to take advantage of young girls.

There is no need to comment too much on other people's private lives. After greeting each other and getting to know each other, they entered the exhibition venue together. It was said that a small exchange party was being held.

Kyoko Mochizuki was wearing a white dress. After getting off the car, the wind blew and she felt cold from her feet to her head.

New York at the end of February was much colder than Los Angeles. You could still see some snow on the streets. Having just come into contact with the upper class, I haven't developed the strong skill of remaining proud in the cold wind like those female stars.

Fortunately, the heating was on in the venue, and she came back to life immediately after entering, with an expression of relief and relief on her face.

Mr. Hunter whispered to Han Chudong at this moment:

“You’ve helped me earn a lot of money in the past few months, and now I’m giving you a chance to make some money. If you come across a work you like, just buy it.

I have a relative who works in a gallery. He told me that someone bought more than 60 works and was ready to start speculation. Today, another batch of works by that painter will be exhibited. If you keep them for about ten years, you should get at least three or four times the profit, which is much safer than putting them in the bank. "

"More than sixty works belong to the same painter?" Han Chudong asked with interest.

I don't think the profit is that amazing, but I wonder why the rich are getting richer. They have money to invest and various ways to make money. How many ordinary people would pay attention to the art market?

"Yes, the gallery that is planning to hype the deal is very powerful. I have brought the check tonight."

Mr. Hunter patted his chest when he said this. He must be very confident and had obtained inside information from the gallery.

The art market is full of bubbles, but as long as there are people willing to take over, the market will not collapse. In the eyes of wealthy people, celebrity works are relatively good investments that can both maintain their value and appreciate in value.

Honestly speaking, Han Chudong wasn't very interested. If he really wanted to invest, he would of course invest in China's fine cultural relics, which would have a higher profit margin.

Last year, I had the idea of ​​investing in art, but I planned to wait until I had some spare money before really getting involved.

His total net worth has been rising again and again, from a few US dollars to 30 or 40 million US dollars. At present, he still does not feel that he has any spare money. He just feels that it will never be enough for investment. Therefore, he did not react much after hearing it... until he saw the poster placed at the door of the reception room.

There is a name on it, Roy Lichtenstein, and it also says "Pop Art", "New York Contemporary Emerging Painter", etc.

At first I thought the name sounded familiar, and after thinking about it, I felt like I had seen it somewhere.

After entering the venue, I saw the oil paintings hanging on the wall and found that the style was very familiar. Then I suddenly realized that it was the American painter whose oil paintings would be very valuable in the future.

He said decisively: "Mr. Hunter, these are the works of that painter, right? Are they expensive now?"

"It shouldn't be too expensive. I think comic-style works are quite interesting. Maybe it's because I'm in the comic business myself. We can go and ask about the price later..."

Picking up the glass of champagne and handing it to Kyoko Mochizuki, she accompanied John Hunter, a local New York businessman, on a social tour. There were many of his friends there, so she didn't have to worry about being isolated.

Being too showy can easily lead to being looked down upon, but showing off appropriately can also increase your status in the eyes of others, especially when interacting with strangers you have just met.

When Han Chudong said casually that he had just come to sign a contract with Japan's Panasonic Corporation today and sold several patents for 15 million US dollars, everyone, including Mr. Hunter, was sincerely amazed and joked that if they had known that they were in the mall just now, they should not have rushed to pay the bill.

For the rich, skin color has never been an obstacle. The only difference is who has more money and who is more powerful.

He easily integrated into the small circle and earned a lot of business cards. A local real estate developer in New York even invited Han Chudong to take a look at a villa built on the Upper East Side, saying that it would be a little cheaper.

The owner of a helicopter rental company also asked Han Chudong to take care of his business and gave him a membership card.

After a while.

Mr. Hunter reminded Han Chudong to go and make the selection, and he also took the unusually young woman with him to go and take a look at the organizer of today's party.

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

Since they didn't have dinner, they filled their stomachs with some fruits and cakes. Round red stickers were affixed next to the oil paintings that were sold. Han Chudong also brought Mochizuki Kiko with him. The two of them, led by a staff member, visited more than 30 oil paintings on site.

I asked about the price from time to time, and it was generally between 6,000 and 10,000 US dollars, which was not too high.

But precisely because the price was not high, a special sale was held, which made Han Chudong believe that someone was planning to hype this painter.

Most of the works are bland, with the occasional oil painting of human figures having red stickers next to them. I don't know whether they have been bought by someone or they were not intended to be sold and were just put there to make up the number and directly listed as not for sale.

Kyoko Mochizuki was attracted by a work with a red background, in which a man was putting a ring on a woman's hand. The content was full of love.

Han Chudong also came over to take a look, pointed at it and asked, "This one hasn't been sold yet, right? How much is it?"

"Its name is 'Ring' and it costs $7,700." The staff member looked down at the notebook and answered him.

"Okay, I'll buy this one. Let's take a look at the others first and settle the bill together. Please help me put the stickers on."

Mochizuki Kiko misunderstood and thought the price was too high, so she whispered, "I'm just admiring it, you don't have to buy it."

“…”

It couldn't be said that it had nothing to do with her, so Han Chudong was sweet for once and said with a smile: "If you can feel that you are enjoying it, then it must be worth investing. The painter's oil paintings are brightly colored and suitable for hanging in the study. It will make you feel better. The price is not bad either. Pick a few more before they are bought by others."

Most guests just came to socialize and get free drinks, and few were willing to actually pay for the work of an unknown painter.

Some people got the news in advance and bought several paintings, but Han Chudong didn't feel bad about it.

After all, the painter is still alive and is here today. If you want to collect some fine works, you can just spend money to customize them from the painter.

He really did it. He brought his female companion to Roy Lichtenstein and asked, "I want to buy a few large-sized oil paintings to decorate my new house. They should be at least two or three meters long. If I commission you to create them, do you have any good themes to recommend to me..."