The lights in the testing room were turned on, and the luminous pearl regained its warm luster.
Remembering that Wu You had wrapped this legendary treasure in this tattered silk scarf on the table and casually stuffed it in his pocket when he came to the auction house, Zhou Peng and the others wanted to bang their heads against the wall.
If Wu You could know what they were thinking, he would really have to give them a thumbs up. The scarf was indeed torn. Zhang Guihua had accidentally burned a few holes in it with incense ash. That's right, it was an old scarf that Wu You's mother had used to wrap around her neck.
"Mr. Wu, please be sure to entrust this luminous pearl to our Wanli Auction Company for auction. I guarantee that we will treat you as our VIP client and only charge you a minimum 5% commission on the transaction, plus national tax, which will only amount to 8% in total. Moreover, we will do our best to promote it through all available channels."
Zhou Peng is now afraid that Wu You will not sell, so he is carefully choosing every word he says.
"Hmm, when will filming likely begin?"
Wu You didn't care about the commission amount. 1 billion and 900 million were astronomical figures for him. He often counted small amounts of money, but turning them into cash was quite rare. What he cared about now was when he would receive the money, since Wu Jianguo was still in the hospital waiting for treatment fees.
“Publicity and promotion take time, and it also takes time for customers from all over the country and even the world to come. In addition, there are other items to be auctioned at a time, so it will take at least a week at the fastest.”
As Zhou Peng spoke, he suddenly realized something.
"If Mr. Wu urgently needs money, our Wanli Auction Company can provide you with an advance of 50 million yuan."
Wu You thought this was a good idea. To be honest, he never thought that the luminous pearl could be sold for such a high price.
"Okay, then please give me an advance on the money. Let's leave the luminous pearl here for now. There's a contract to sign, right?"
"Yes, yes, I'll have my secretary draft a special contract right away. Please wait a moment." Zhou Peng was so excited when he heard Wu You agree to the auction that he was about to explode.
...
The incident that occurred between Zhao Xing, Wu You, and Zhou Peng at the front desk has already spread throughout the Qiantang branch of Wanli Auction Company. The company employees are all imagining what it would be like for President Zhou to come out of the appraisal room in a fit of rage.
However, the first to rush out was Huang Wei, the branch's chief appraiser, followed by his teacher Qin Tianming, who also rushed into the appraisal room. By then, the quick-witted ones realized they might have encountered a real treasure.
After that, there was no news for a long time. The testing room was very soundproof, and people outside had no idea what was happening inside.
About 20 minutes after Mr. Qin entered the testing room, the door finally opened.
This time, it was President Zhou who came out first. Then, President Zhou actually stood at the door and greeted the young man surnamed Wu like a waiter.
The third and fourth to come out were Qin Tianming and Huang Wei. Old Qin was holding something carefully in his hands, while Huang Wei kept trying to get closer to take a look, but Old Qin impatiently shooed him away.
What happened next shocked the employees once again. General Manager Zhou was incredibly attentive, personally serving tea and water, reviewing contracts, and even personally escorting Mr. Wu to the entrance of the commercial building.
After all this, even a child with cerebral palsy would know that what Mr. Wu brought was an extraordinary treasure.
Zhao Xing, who was sitting in the deputy general manager's office, also knew about this and felt a little uneasy.
Although I was itching to ask, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Just as the employees were about to go home before the end of the workday, the inside news finally came out: Mr. Wu, the one from before, had brought a luminous pearl the size of a longan.
It's not the artificial kind of fluorescent stone, but a genuine natural luminous pearl formed by old oysters over many years. It's priceless. Mr. Qin even canceled his flight back to Kyoto because of it, planning to stay in Qiantang until the auction ends.
President Zhou even slammed his fist on the table, wanting to hold a special auction for the luminous pearl.
When the employees learned of this news, the luminous pearl had already been escorted by heavy security to a special safe in the underground vault of a bank in Qiantang. As for which bank it was, even the internal employees did not know.
Zhao Xing was filled with remorse. He could doubt Zhou Peng's lies, and even doubt Huang Wei, but he would never doubt Qin Tianming.
Look at Qin Tianming now, he looks like he bought a Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) when he was in elementary school. He even skips a few steps every now and then. He's an 80-year-old man, what could make him so excited?
Just before leaving get off work, Qin Tianming and Huang Wei passed by Zhao Xing's office. The old man even stuck his head in to look at Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing felt uneasy under his gaze and asked Old Qin what was wrong.
The old man chuckled and said it was nothing, nothing.
Screw your sister's fine, I feel like I'm in big trouble!
...
In the underground parking garage, Zhao Xing had been waiting anxiously for half an hour, just to see Zhou Peng come down.
Finally, after another 5 minutes, Zhou Peng came down in the elevator, ending Zhao Xing's 35-minute wait that felt like an eternity.
Zhou Peng completely ignored him and walked straight past him toward his BMW 7 Series.
"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Zhou, please wait." Zhao Xing couldn't let Zhou Peng leave, so he quickly followed.
Zhou Peng pretended to have just noticed him: "Oh, Mr. Zhao, I didn't notice you were there. Sorry."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just arrived, I just arrived. I just wanted to invite you, Mr. Zhou, to dinner..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Zhao, I have dinner plans with a friend and I'm in a hurry. Let's talk at the company tomorrow. Oh, by the way, I have to go to the advertising company and the TV station tomorrow, I'm quite busy, so I won't be able to come to the company." Before Zhao Xing could finish speaking, Zhou Peng cut him off.
Zhao Xing was now truly anxious: "President Zhou, let me be frank with you. I was blind to your true worth and didn't realize Mr. Wu was a real talent. It's all thanks to your discerning eye, President Zhou. Don't laugh at me, but I had some issues with you at the Qiantang branch and did a lot of dirty tricks. But I still have to shamelessly ask you to give me a chance. If you let me off the hook, I, Zhao Xing, will be your loyal follower from now on."
Given Zhou Wannian's personality, if he knew that Zhao Xing had almost driven away a client who entrusted him with a treasure comparable to the He Shi Bi, he would definitely kick him out. Because of this incident, Zhao Xing would be unable to stay in the entire auction industry.
Since Zhao Xing had already put it this way, Zhou Peng couldn't avoid the issue any longer. After careful consideration, he realized that he was going to take over the entire Wanli Group, and it was fine for him to vent his personal anger. Besides, Zhao Xing was quite capable.
"Alright, Mr. Zhao, I'll come to the company tomorrow. I'll leave the promotion of the luminous pearl and the auction to you."
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Xing's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Mr. Zhou, with your words, I, Zhao Xing, will definitely go through fire and water. I'm going back to the company to work overtime to draft the publicity plan. You're busy."
"Hey Mr. Zhao, you need to eat first!"
"I'm ordering takeout."
On his way back, Zhao Xing walked briskly, secretly admiring Zhou Peng's character—capable of taking things in stride. He couldn't let Zhou Peng down.
...
When Wu You left Wanli Auction Company, his bank card had an extra 50 million yuan. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the text message notification, but fortunately, he had been through a lot of stress recently, so his face showed no emotion.
The system finally indicated that the task was completed.
Hint: Complete the task and establish a foothold.
Quest Reward: Alchemy Energy +3, Current Total 8
Task rating: Good. Gained an additional 2 Alchemy Energy, current total 10.
...
Seeing that Wu You could treat such a rare object as the luminous pearl with such composure and remain unfazed by the huge income, Zhou Peng and the others concluded that Wu You must be no ordinary person.
First, he went to Qiantang Central Hospital, paid 500,000 yuan directly at the payment counter, and then went to the ward to visit his parents.
Wu You told Zhang Guihua that a friend of his had advanced him a large sum of money to jointly develop the back mountain of their village, so that she no longer needed to worry about her father's medical expenses.
After leaving the hospital, he made one phone call after another to ask for the bank account numbers of the relatives who had lent him money, and returned every penny of the money they had borrowed to him.
Ironically, when those relatives received the call, they thought the Wu family was struggling and was asking for money again. They were all terrified, and some didn't even answer the phone. It was only after Wu You sent a text message that they returned the call. This shows just how cold and indifferent people can be.
...
Although Wanli's advertising plan was still being drafted, well-informed people in the auction, jewelry, and even antique industries all knew that Wanli had taken over the auction commission for the priceless luminous pearl that very night.
It was Zhao Xing who sent the message. He posted a short video sent by Zhou Peng via WeChat with text on his WeChat Moments, and then posted three statuses on Weibo, detailing the identification process and the personnel involved in the identification of the luminous pearl.
Qin Tianming's appraisal results were already very significant, and the video that Zhou Peng specially filmed later instantly went viral on Zhao Xing's WeChat Moments and Weibo.
The replies and inquiries were all from industry professionals.
The authenticity of the video was repeatedly examined, and there were no signs of forgery. Countless people left messages asking about the starting price and auction time of the luminous pearl. However, Zhao Xing did not answer any questions after that, only leaving the suspense of seeing the recent publicity for details.
Anyone with a bit of influence in the industry is trying to find out information from each other, and there are even quite a few who are forming alliances to try and acquire this treasure.
The historical records and accounts of the luminous pearl have been thoroughly investigated, and almost every record about the luminous pearl has a mythological background, which makes the luminous pearl even more mysterious.
Wanli's publicity campaign for the luminous pearl began quietly that very night.
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